(Scroll down for mixes)

Personal DJ Highlight:

Playing Conga by Gloria Estefan… while Gloria Estefan led a conga line around the dancefloor. (24 Hour Plays on Broadway Afterparty @ BB Kings, NYC)

Clients & Collaborators

I’ve worked with dozens of brands, institutions, organizations and individuals to curate and bring to life the soundtrack for their dream event.

Some highlights include:

/Official DJ SNL Afterparty Seasons 43, 44 & 48
/DJ’d over 90 weddings (No. 100 in 2024!)
/Official DJ American Beatbox Championships, 2016 -
/DJ’d galas for the National Book Award, PEN America, Habit for Humanity, American Cancer Society, 24 Hour Plays, and the 14th st Y, among many others
/DJ’d company holiday parties for Spotify, Squeaky Media, Vistar Media, Reprise Media, Freelancer’s Union and more
/4 years resident DJ at NYC jam session The Lesson
/7 years resident DJ at Sycamore (Brooklyn)
/4 years resident DJ at BK Jam session The Jelly at Cmon Everybody
/20+ years of club, bar, lounge residencies in NYC

DJ Education &
Appreciation

I’ve been honored to rock alongside and study under the greats of Hip Hop DJing, including the Trinity of Founding Fathers, pioneering Turntablists, and masterful crate diggers. I am committed to passing those lessons on through the study of DJ Skills, Ethics & Knowledge.

Spaces where this work happens:

/DJ & Turntable instructor at The New School
/Private lessons (In-person and Remote)
/Started teaching DJing in NYC Public Schools in ‘08
/Mixshows on my Mixcloud
/Every 1st, 3rd, 5th Friday at All Good @ Sycamore, BK

Weddings

I say I’m a DJ who rocks weddings, but I’m not a “wedding DJ” in the predictable sense. I’ve DJ’d over 90 weddings (and done the sacred double dip of DJing and officiating weddings four times!). I’d say the common threads are couples who are passionate music lovers and very invested in curating the playlist and flow of night, don’t want a corny DJ who gets in the way, are trying to avoid musical cliches (which do have their moments!), and love to dance!

And yes! I am an ordained wedding officiant who has performed 20 weddings, for which my services are also available. Check out wedotoo.nyc for officiating/photography/DJ packages specializing in NYC elopements, in collaboration with the amazing Monica Felix.

I work with y’all to build the playlist including “definitely do play” and “definitely don’t play,” handle emceeing duties, bring the sound and turn the party out.

I’m available within the 5 boroughs and will travel the greater tri-state. Also have done weddings in Europe and the Caribbean! For inquiries please click the button below or email:

sam@saywordentertainment.com

DJ Mixes

In 2024 I’m bringing my vinyl-centric DJ life to the studio mix as well as the club with the introduction of two new series. The first is Butter Blends: tapes that are all live mixes/remixes of acappellas x instrumentals from wax in my stacks. Vol. 1 is now live. The second is Sections, which has me puling 10 selections from a section of my collection, exploring within genres and my catalogue system.

BUTTER BLENDS

SECTIONS

SECTIONS Vol 1: Disco Funk

  1. Harari - Give

  2. Skyy Line - Let’s Celebrate

  3. Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch - Closer, Closer

  4. Angela Bofill - People Make the World Go Round

  5. Chic - Dance, Dance, Dance

  6. Donna Summer - Spring Affair

  7. The Gap Band - Party Lights 

  8. Carl Carlton - She’s a Bad Mama Jama

  9. Mary Jane Girls - Wild and Crazy Love

  10. Tuxedo - Tuxedo Groove 


SECTIONS Vol. 2: Underground Rap

  1. Jean Grae - lovesong

  2. Bahamadia - True Honey Buns

  3. Anti-Pop Consortium feat. Pharoahe Monch & L.I.F.E.  - What Am I? 

  4. The Creators feat. Black Star - The Hard Margin 

  5. Lifesavas feat. Gift of Gab - Livin’ Time/Life Movement 1

  6. Visionaries - If You Can’t Say Love

  7. The Nextmen feat. Grap Luva - Break the Mould

  8. Mountain Brothers - Galaxies 

  9. Declaime - Let It Be Known

  10. Large Professor feat. Q-Tip - Walk Into the Sun

SECTIONS Vol. 3: Soul 45’s

  1. DJ Shadow - This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way)

  2. The Prime Cut - Message to the Ghetto

  3. Marlena Shaw - Woman of the Ghetto

  4. The Ethics - Sad, Sad, Story

  5. William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You’ve Got

  6. Lady Wray feat. Ghostface Killah - Piece of Me (Remix)

  7. Lowrell - Mellow Mellow Right On

  8. The Younghearts - Do You the TIme

  9. The Fuzz - I Love You For All Seasons

  10. Willie Hutch - I Choose You

SECTIONS Vol. 4: House

  1. Mr. Scruff - Get a Move On

  2. Thievery Corporation - Air Batucada

  3. Seek - Surrender

  4. Mark Farina - Dream Machine (JT Donaldson Mix)

  5. Deee-Lite Power of Love (Turn Up the Radio Mix)

  6. KB - Feelin U

  7. Moloko - Sing It Back (Booker T Loco Mix)

  8. N-Joi - Anthem

  9. Blaze feat. Palmer Brown -

    Do You Remember House?10

  10. Blaze - What We Need Is Love

SECTIONS Vol. 5: Latin

  1. Modesty - Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri

  2. Son De La Loma - Tipica 73

  3. Sénorita Tentación - Raphy Leavitt

  4. Al Mirate A Ti - Oscar D’León

  5. Mujer Encantadora - Ray De La Paz

  6. Soy Profesional - Justo Betancourt Y Su Orquesta

  7. Tengo El Idde - Johnny Pacheco y Celia Cruz

  8. Te Paraces A Judas - Fania All Stars y Ismael Miranda

  9. Sabor - El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

  10. No No No - Boogaloo Assassins

SAY WORD SELECTS

Still also continuing my long-running mixshow series“Say Word Selects.” I curate “new music, crate gems, and joints from friends” and record a live mix straight away on the Technics 1200s and Rane Seventy. Sometimes thematic, mostly open format. The latest episode:

Additionally, I have a series of mixes created for occasion, genre and topic.

Thematic Mixes