About DJ D-Mac

DJ, site designer/editor, gear head

dmac_rza_headphones[image courtesy Moshe Zusman Photography Studio]

Based in the nation’s capital since 2000, DJ D-Mac always brings an eclectic, party-rocking mix of tunes to his DJ sets, and genres meet in unexpected ways. Get ready for hands-in-the-air dancefloor fun as Marvin Gaye sidles up to Daft Punk while Lizzo and The Beastie Boys get comfortable together and Rihanna waits in the wings to twirl around The Smiths.

D-Mac started bringing this fresh approach to weddings in 2004, performing at just a few events by word-of-mouth referrals. His unique ability to combine pop and underground sensibilities, an audio engineer’s understanding of equipment and the organizational skills of an expert event planner places him in a category of his own. And as demand for his services grew and D-Mac assembled an equally talented and passionate crew of Associate DJs. We’re ready to turn your event into a night to remember!
Read D-Mac’s blog posts


How long have you been DJing?

Since 1991.

How long have you been DJing weddings?

Since 2004.

What are some of your all-time favorite wedding songs?

  1. Stevie Wonder “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”
  2. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
  3. The Ronettes “Be My Baby”
  4. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough”
  5. Rihanna “We Found Love”
  6. Flo-Rida “Get Low”
  7. Salt’n’Pepa “Push It”
  8. Beyoncé “Freakum Dress”
  9. James Brown “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine”
  10. The Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There”

What kind of music do you DJ when you’re not at a wedding?

Funk, party breaks, soulful hip-hop, and indie.

What is your philosophy on weddings?

Weddings are a celebration: treat them as such. Take everyone in the room on a journey and bring the joy wherever you can. Play the music that gets the couple on the dance floor. If they’re out there dancing, their guests will be right there with them. Be a consummate, courteous, and detail-obsessed professional, and never let them forget the party.

Size doesn’t matter if the happiness and energy are there. That said, our sweet spot is 150-200 guests, which ensures a pretty large number of folks losing it on the dance floor.

What do you do to motivate the crowd if no one is dancing?

Doesn’t happen. Next question.

What formal training have you received?

Several hundred years ago DJ/producer/turntablist and all-around 100% upstanding dude DJ Eurok gave me my foundation with a series of DJ lessons. We worked together mixing OG funk 45s and sample-based hip-hop. I couldn’t be more grateful for his tutelage. Since then, its been a self-guided journey through the interwebs with late-night practice sessions and digital crate digging.

What problem(s) have you encountered at events and how have you solved it?

Investing in a power conditioner for those rustic outdoor weddings with suspect sources of electricity and/or sharing a generator with the caterer’s mobile kitchen set-up. Always be in control with a good sense of humor and be ready to improvise on the rare occasion when the schedule goes off the rails.

Who are your preferred DJ gear Manufacturers?

Rane mixers, Technics turntables, Numark controllers, Mackie multiline mixers, Shure microphones, and QSC loudspeakers.

What are your favorite record labels?

Stax, Motown, Tru Thoughts, Jalapeno, Chess/Cadet, Creation, Ninja Tune, Memphix, and Wah Wah 45s.

what are some of your preferred clothing labels?

Fred Perry, Bonobos, Adidas, Ben Sherman, and Original Penguin.

What are your favorite DC nightspots?

9:30 Club, U Street Music Hall, and Tropicalia.

What is the best DJ moment of your career (so far)?

There are definitely more than a few, but favorite moments must include rocking the house party where I met my wife, and playing funk 45s with Quantic at a dive bar in Buffalo, NY.

What is your favorite live show(s) (strictly as a member of the audience)?

  • Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at the Warner Theater
  • Underworld at the 9:30 Club
  • St. Etienne at U Street Music Hall
  • James Brown at the 9:30 Club
  • Kraftwerk at the 9:30 Club
  • Teenage Fanclub at Olsson’s Books and Records (RIP) in Georgetown
  • The Weeknd at the 9:30 Club
  • The Verve at the (old) 9:30 Club
  • Oasis at the (old) 9:30 Club
  • Beck at the Black Cat Backstage
  • Supergrass at the Black Cat
  • Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at the 9:30 Club
  • Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at the 9:30 Club
  • Redd Kross at the Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto)

What are some of your favorite restaurants?

Bad Saint, Rose’s Luxury, Sushi Taro, Chez Billy Sud, and Timber Pizza Co.

What are your five ten eleven desert island discs?

  1. Avalanches Since I Left You
  2. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Orange
  3. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On + Trouble Man [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
  4. Spiritualized Lazer Guided Melodies
  5. Love Forever Changes
  6. The Stooges Fun House
  7. Boards of Canada Music Has the Right to Children
  8. A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory
  9. Dorothy Ashby Soft Winds: The Swinging Harp of Dorothy Ashby
  10. Primal Scream Screamadelica
  11. The Beatles Revolver

What’s your dream DJ gig?

Your next house party.

Top-Flight DJ Services[image courtesy Jim Darling Photography]


“DJ D-Mac was AWESOME. Good music was a top priority for us, and he far exceeded our expectations. It’s really hard to evaluate a DJ based on a conversation, but Daryle (DJ D-Mac himself) took time to meet with us in person, before we had a contract, to get a sense of our personalities and what we were looking for, and seemed to immediately grasp what we hoped to achieve for our multicultural wedding. He provided music for the baraat, Indian ceremony, snack break, American ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, and uplighting for the reception — all at a very reasonable price point.

The sound quality/volume was excellent — it was never too loud anywhere, no yelling over music to talk to guests. He also timed all of the music perfectly, especially for the two ceremonies. Most importantly, the reception music kept our dance floor packed all night long, with guests of all ages (even on a Sunday)! The songs flowed perfectly from one to the next (Daryle clearly put a lot of thought into prepping our playlist for this), and were a perfect balance of classic and current Indian/Bollywood and American songs. There was also no cheesy “wedding DJ” stuff — he was the consummate professional, and let his music do all the talking. The uplighting was also exactly what we envisioned, making the room warm and welcoming.

Quite a few guests complimented us on our DJ, telling us he was the best they’d ever heard. We couldn’t agree more, and would strongly recommend him to others.”