Featured DJs

Our concept to present “Swing Remixed” is really about continuing to forge new ground for the development and longevity of swing. Most of our tunes will be the stuff you all love to hear, and along side we will experiment a bit with the music as we see fit at these fantastic ballrooms. We hope you enjoy!

Robin Aleman

As a performing artist myself, I think it’s important to include local bands, not just classic. So mixed in with Ella Fitzgerald (a personal favorite) and Duke Ellington are the Boilermakers and the Blue Vipers, to name a few. I grew up listening to 50’s and 60’s music so I also throw in music from there to mix it up – Elvis or Sam Cooke, etc.

Top Ten
  • Baby Can Dance – Carsie Blanton
  • Too Darn Hot – Ella Fitzgerald
  • Lil Brown Jug – Palmetto Bug Stompers
  • That’s It, I Quit, I’m Moving On – Sam Cooke
  • Tulip or Turnip – Janis Siegel
  • Any Kind-a-Man – Tuba Skinny
  • It’s Delovely – Anita O’Day
  • All The Cats Join In – Catherine Russell
  • In the Mood – Glenn Miller
  • Rockin’ Robin – Bobby Day

DJ Odysseus Bailer

Odysseus Bailer is honored to be djing for swing remix. He has been showcasing his style of swing and blues music since 2008, and has been featured at many top dance parties in NYC and throughout the Tri-state area. Odysseus’s style is a little unorthodox and he feeds off the energy and vibe of the dancers and chooses the music accordingly.

Top Ten
  • Sermonette
  • Slow drag by blues viper
  • When the saints go marching in
  • Minor swing
  • As long as I live
  • Bei Mir bist du Schoen
  • Blue skies
  • Mack the knife
  • Knock me a kiss
  • Wade in the water

Cara Wolinsky “DJ Miss Bliss”

Born and raised in New York City, Miss Bliss has brought her unique sound around the world — DJing for crowds of 1000+ on four continents over the last ten years. She has performed in 19 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Peru, China, Korea, England, Italy, Germany, Poland, Austria, Belgium and more. She hosted a radio show in Cambridge, England called “The Gramophone” which featured jazz, swing, blues and old-time music from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. She’s now a regular DJ at NYC swing dances and vintage costume parties. For more information, visit http://www.djmissbliss.com/

Top Ten
  • Ella Fitzgerald – Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home
  • Sammy Davis Jr – Love Me Or Leave Me
  • Wanda Jackson – Fujiyama Mama
  • Garnet Mimms – A Little Bit of Soap
  • Janis Siegel – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
  • Louis Armstrong – I’m Crazy ‘Bout My Baby (And My Baby’s Crazy ‘Bout Me)
  • Alberta Hunter – The Darktown Strutter’s Ball
  • Ray Charles – Swanee River Rock
  • Asylum Street Spankers – Brazil
  • Cats and the Fiddle – Gangbusters

John Festa

Co-Founder of Gotham Swing Club, 1st and foremost WCS Club in the Northeast; Co-Founder of Liberty Swing Dance Championships; hosted the longest-running weekly WCS party in NYC. A renowned instructor, DJ, dance stylist, Judge and competitor, teaching since 1991 in venues across the country and known to influence dancers and DJ’s equally, he is now dedicated to “Classic Style Swing”.

Member of the DJ Hall of Fame and was inducted as Living Legend of Dance in 2006

… I’ve had the good fortune of some of the most wonderful, talented and beautiful partners like Debbie, Maria Torres and Blake Hobby. I consider myself very lucky to have lived through two white-hot periods of Swing in NYC: the original movement of Lindy in the mid-80s at The Cat Club and the North River Bar in the 90s. The energy, purity and love of both those periods was so powerful it was transforming…. john festa

Top Ten

Coming soon

Michael Lenneville

Mike originally started djing in San Antonio about a decade ago due to the pressures of living in a small scene.  (There was nobody else willing to do it at the time).  Surprisingly he found it enjoyable and ever since has been spinning lindy and blues tunes.  If you want to hear more of Mike’s sets come out to Dance Manhattan’s practice sessions on Tuesday nights were he has a weekly gig

Top Ten
  • Buddy Johnson – Shufflin and Rolling
  • Ella Fitzgerald – Bye Bye Blackbird
  • Count Basie – Topsy
  • Asylum Street Spankers – Topsy
  • Artie Shaw – Digga Digga Do
  • Benny Goodman – All the Cats Join In
  • Duke Ellington – Cotton Tail
  • Sydney Bechet – Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho

Bruno Fontaine

Bruno hails from Europe and recently relocated here to NYC. Mr. Fontaine has DJ’ed in Paris at the events such as the Chinagora, and the Balajo, and at the Al Capone Cafe and Blue Billard of which were his own promotions with DJ Tourky. This is his first spot at DJing here in the USA.

Top Ten
  • The House of Blue Lights… Ella Mae Morse
  • Boogie Woogie on a Saturday Night…The five Red Caps
  • Open the Door Richard…Louis Jordan
  • Bugle Call Rug…Benny Goodman
  • Caravan…The Mills Brothers
  • You Rascal You…Louis Armstrong
  • Swing de Paris…Django Reinhardt
  • Call me a Taxi…Will Bradley
  • Elle Etait Swing…Jacques Pills
  • Black Trombone…Serge Gainsbourg

Tomo Tanaka

DJ tomo has been spinning for about 6 year around NYC and out of town events including Frim Fram Jam, Club 412, NYSDS, Swing Out New Hampshire, Lindy Gras. She has DJed at exchanges in SF, Dallas, Philly, Denver, Montreal, Tokyo, and Sweden.

Top Ten
  • The Push – George Gee
  • The Spinach Song – Terra Hazelton
  • Shimmy Like Sister Kate – Madeleine Peyroux
  • Gang Buster – The Cats and the Fiddle
  • Carryin’ the Load – Ray Charles
  • Let the Good Time Roll – Linda Hopkins
  • Some of This ‘n’ Some of That – Joe Williams
  • Sermonette – Dukes of Dixieland
  • Japanese version of L.O.V.E. – Nat King Cole
  • Them There Eyes – Ron Sunshine

Lala “LadyBug” Ghahreman

Lala was born under the hood of a ’49 Ford Shoebox, covered in tattoos and Murrays grease. Her DJ gigs sprouted at small dives in Long Beach, California. Fairly new to NY, she has played tunes for Frim Fram and various private venues in the city. She also dances with The Big Apple Lindy Hoppers. If not on the dance floor, Lala can be found on the court shooting hoops or meandering through flea markets looking for the perfect Virgin Mary to call her own. Her taste is legit:

Top Ten
  • Bloodshot Eyes – Wynonie Harris
  • Long Tall Girl – Carnations
  • Honeysuckle Rose – Django Reinhardt/Hot Club of France
  • Dinah – Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys
  • Fibre de Verre – Paris Combo
  • Stomp, Stomp – Cats and the Fiddle
  • Exactly Like You – Count Basie
  • Sh Boom – The Chords
  • Whadaya Want – The Robins
  • Vivrant Thing – A tribe Called Quest (Oh Yes I Did!)

Matt Perelli

Matt Perelli got his start swing dancing and DJing in Greensboro, NC in 1998. He moved to the Big Apple in 2002 and added Lounging to his list of skills. He’s DJed for Frim Fram on multiple occasions and various other events in the City. He can usually be found at the bar.

Top Ten
  • Cherokee – Charlie Barnet
  • Ain’t That a Kick in the Head – Sammy Davis, Jr.
  • Blacksmith Boogie – Ella Mae Morse
  • Ball of Fire – Gene Krupa Orch. feat. Roy Eldridge & Anita O’Day
  • April in Paris – The Mighty Accordion Band
  • Keep on Churnin’ – Wynonie Harris
  • Miser’s Serenade – Chris Connor
  • Passing it Around – Coleman Hawkins
  • When the Quail Come Back to San Quentin – Artie Shaw & the Gramercy 5
  • Just a Regular Joe – Indigo Swing

Eve Polich DJ EVE

A jazz lover from the womb and dancer specializing in eccentric dances from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, Eve Polich is a native New Yorker who loves to spin for her fellow dancers. A deep love of old New Orleans style jazz means you can expect to hear music by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Fats Waller, and Jelly Roll Morton. Eve maintains close friendships with many current bands like The Cangelosi Cards and Tin Pan Blues Band who play this traditional music and is proud to play their music alongside the original masters.

Top Ten
  • Weary Blues, Louis Armstrong
  • Lazy River, Louis Armstrong
  • Twenty Four Robbers, Fats Waller
  • When I Get Low I Get High, Meschiya Lake and the Loose Marbles
  • Sugar Foot Stomp, Fletcher Henderson
  • Original Jelly Roll Blues, Jelly Roll Morton
  • Bill Bailey, Gordon Webster
  • Blue Yodel No. 2, The Cangelosi Cards
  • Everybody Loves My Baby, Fats Waller

Lauren “Lollipop” Bova

Charleston, NC / New York, NY · Lauren began DJing in 2001 at swing, ballroom, and Carolina Shag events throughout North and South Carolina.  She is a ballroom, latin and swing instructor originally based in Charleston, North Carolina. Lauren has been seen DJing in New York throughout the past year at places like Connolly’s, Yehoodi’s Frim Fram, and several Swing/Social dance events in Westchester.

Top Ten
  • Love me or Leave me … Sammy Davis Jr.
  • I’ll be Seeing You … Barbara Morrison
  • On a Slow Boat to China … Bette Midler
  • Topsy … Count Basie
  • And the Angels Sing … Etta Jones
  • Plenty … Erika Badu
  • Hit the Road Jack … Ray Charles
  • Muddy Water … Aretha Franklin
  • The Way You Look Tonight … Billie Holiday
  • Fine Brown Frame … Nellie Kutcher

DJ Chops

New York, NY · Chad has been a solid swing DJ since the late nineties neo-swing rebirth. He will be featuring mostly medium tempo, late 40’s and early 50’s R&B, Doo Wop and Rock’n’Roll — ALL deep rhythm and all super dance-able. He’ll be mixing in a bit of loungier vocal stuff from the same period (Julie London, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee, etc), and sometimes some twangy … gems. Unless modern groups genuinely sound like the old stuff (ie, Big Sandy, Mighty Blue Kings, etc), he will usually stay authentic.

Top Ten
  • Fujiyama Mama — Annisteen Allen
  • Deacon Moves In — Little Esther & The Dominos
  • Sure Cure For the Blues — The Four Jacks
  • Sixteen Tons — Tennessee Ernie Ford
  • Think — The Five Royals
  • Smoky Joe’s Cafe — The Robins
  • Kisses Sweeter Than Wine — Jimmy Robins
  • Pretty Girls Everywhere — Big Sandy
  • Hound Dog — Big Mama Thornton
  • King of The Road — Roger Miller

Nando Velasquez

New York, NY · Nando has been dancing for 7 years in NYC and has been Djing in and out o town for over 5 years.  He is a regular DJ for the NY Swing Dance Society, Yehoodi’s Frim Fram and the NYC blues house parties. He has DJ’d for “Post Basie Blues”, “Y8A’s Blues in the We Hours” and exchanges in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Orlando as well as SoFleX in previous years.

Top Ten

Coming soon

DJ “SHUFFLE PUCK” PAOLO

Paolo focuses on those recordings that have big sound, a real swingin’ groove and the Hammond B3 is one instrument you’ll definitely hear during his sets. When vocals are involved, Paolo always pushes the special jewels of NY like Etta Jones and Irene Reid. Paolo started building his collection of jazz and swing 25 years ago. He’s a solid music provider for the New York Lindy crowd and he began his music consulting/DJing at Swing 46 providing them with solid standards and unique collection that spans 70 years.

Paolo has been in DJ rotation at the New York Swing Dance Society (Irving Plaza) since the late 1990s and had been featured at: Bill Cameron’s New Year’s Extravaganza 2006, Swingin’ New England 2006, Rock That Swing Munich Germany, ULX Utah Lindy Exchange 2006, Summer Jamboree Dance Camp Italy, Frim Fram Club 412 NYC, Connolly’s NYC, Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center NYC (1999-present), Dog House San Francisco, Lindy Groove Pasadena, CA, Jacks Joint Fridays at Jack Rose NYC (2000-2004), Cache in Times Square NYC (2001-2003), Nells NYC (2002-2003), Supper Club NYC (1999-2003), Pier 25 Hudson River Park, The Manhattan Center Dance Party NYC (2002) DogHouseHop NYC (2002), 92nd Street Y NYC (2003), The American Lindy Hop Championships Stamford, CT, Frim Fram Jam Swing 46 NYC (2001-2003)

Top Ten
  • Ain’t That Love – Bill Henderson & Jimmy Smith
  • Celery Stalks At Midnight – The Big 18
  • Hallelujah, I Love Him So – Ella Fitzgerald
  • For Dancers Only – Billy May & His Orchestra
  • Love Is Just Around The Corner – Duke Ellington
  • I’m Walkin’ – Irene Reid
  • Volare – Earl Grant
  • Things Have Got to Change – Dennis Rowland
  • Jump Session – Slim & Slam
  • Jumpin At The Woodside – Count Basie
  • Yes Sir, That’s My Baby – Frank Sinatra

Sonny RIP & Cher RIP

Cher was the Driving force behind this DJ Duo. Cher would pick the tunes while Sonny did the Mixing/Equalizing. Their style was a mix of Kansas City Kibbles and Bits along side some Raw, Boney Big Band Specials. This TOP TEN collection is in memory of the fabulous duo.

Top Ten
  • Hot Dog – Yalloppin Hounds
  • Dinasaur Pet – Neil Sedaka
  • Teachers Pet – Doris Day
  • Walkin’ The Dog – Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra
  • Old Dog Swing – Louis Siciliano
  • Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats
  • Low Down Dirty Dog – Jump and Swing with Black Top
  • Git along Little Dogies – Jingle Cats
  • White Christmas – Jingle Cats
  • Horn Dog – BadaBing BadaBoom

DJ Va Va Voon

DJ Va Va Voon, photo by Lennon Taylor Grimm

Va VA Voon was voted one of New York’s favorite swing DJs last year in a Yehoodi poll and had the pleasure of DJ-ing alongside the illustrious DJ Ryan Swift at Lincoln Center on Valentine’s Day (the Jazz At Lincoln Center event featured the sensational Hot Sardines Band). He was also excited to DJ at New York’s first ever Hot Jazz Festival on August 25, 2013. Besides New Orleans-style hot jazz, his repertoire includes swing standards, big band, old-timey/obscure tracks and gypsy jazz. He has DJ-ed at Yehoodi’s Frim Fram Jam, The Salon/Prohibition Productions events (Mardi Gras, a l’Empire, New Year’s Eve Eve), Swingeasy, Dances of Vice events, Gypsy Jam Weekend and NY Swing Dance Society & Yale Swing & Blues’ Elm City Exchange

Top Ten
  • Snatch & Grab It – Julia Lee
  • Tuxedo Junction – Solomon Douglas Swingtet
  • Just A Little Bit South of North Carolina – Anita O’Day
  • 720 In The Books – Jan Savitt
  • One Scotch – Amos Milburn
  • Soft Shoe Shuffle – Leo Mathisen
  • Little Sweetie – Gaucho (featuring Tamar Korn)
  • Pan Pan – Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
  • It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing – Linnzi Zaorski
  • The Music Goes Round & Round – Tommy Dorsey

DJ Renata Wlaczyga

Renata Wlaczyga has been DJing for local parties and festivals since 2.012 and dancing Swing since 2.010 in her home country of Brazil. She fell in love with NYC during her first visit for Frankie 100 and moved nearby last September. Her setlist can be a delicious mix of Big Band, New Orleans Style, and Blues and she happily accepts requests. If you meet her on the street, you’ll probably see her listening to (and singing) Classic Rock, Swing, Jazz or Samba.

Top Ten
  • Carioca – Artie Shawn
  • Full Dress Hop – Gene Krupa
  • Woodchopper’s ball – Woody Herman
  • One O’ Clock Jump – Count Basie
  • Leap Frog – Les Brown
  • Keep on Churnin’ (till the butter comes) – Wynonie Harris
  • Wild mob of the fishpond – Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra
  • Never no Lament – Duke Ellington
  • Sugarfoot Stomp – The Bourbon Street Stompers
  • New Year Blues – Glenn Crytzer