DJ Hardcore Makeout and DJ Skinny Naked Baby: Every Other Friday at Sweet Ups

“Spinning” tracks as a DJ has taken on a new meaning – as long as you can handle spinning the wheel on your iPod. For two New York University students, that’s just the way to do it. Williamsburg bar Sweet Ups allows these two fledgling DJs to showcase their music collections without making them dust off the old vinyl in the attic.

DJ Hardcore Makeout, otherwise known as Kristen Mukai, performs with her partner, DJ Skinny Naked Baby, every other Friday night at the Williamsburg staple. Sweet Ups, located at 277 Graham Ave., is well known throughout the ‘Burg of the borough. The two DJs have made it a home for their bi-monthly gigs.

“My friend and I made up our names one night as a joke, but then we actually became DJs,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “And we have shorter versions too. I’m DJ Homo and she’s DJ Snob.”

The two girls play everything and almost anything. You might hear some Joy Division, maybe a Beyonce song, some old punk or blues, indie-rock, classic rock, a French chanteuse, some random Italian pop song, or whatever they happen to be into that night. One thing is for sure: they always play Mariah Carey.

“Oh, we love Mariah,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We generally play her ‘Fantasy’ remix with [Ol' Dirty Bastard] because that’s a crowd pleaser. There are some artists we play every time, like Metronomy or Late of the Pier. And Snob loves Aaliyah.”

Is there anything they won’t play?

“MGMT,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We will never play MGMT.”

Why not? DJ gig regular Anita Stahl clarifies: “You can hear MGMT at any club in Manhattan. People love it, but everyone plays it. DJs Snob and Homo like to play stuff that you haven't heard, or something you may have forgotten about. But they always play music that is sure to get the crowd moving.”

According to DJ Hardcore Makeout, the two girls got the gig one night when the bar was empty. DJ Skinny Naked Baby took out her iPod and requested that the bartender play it for them and their friends – the sole customers. Turns out the bartender was really into their music and offered them a trial performance. Since then, they have established their every-other-Friday set and have become part of the Sweet Ups family.

“It really is a family here,” Stahl said. “People come from Manhattan to Sweet Ups, just to revel in the culture that this tiny place has established. DJs Snob and Homo pull a lot of normal Manhattanites out here. It’s a great place to be.”

And on those Friday night gigs, DJs Skinny Naked Baby and Hardcore Makeout sit at the end of the bar with their mixer and their iPods, bobbing their heads and shouting when a personal favorite comes on next.

“We know what people like here, but we don’t cater to anybody in particular,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said. “We just play what will sound good next, or what will keep the bar pumping. It just so happens that people love what we do.”

The bar itself is a gem, too.

The wallpaper is dimly lit, and a red-wine colored pattern that looks half-Victorian and half-grandpa’s den brings out a deep maroon glow to the entire scene. Employees scatter candles across the bar to extend the glowy effect. Maybe it’s the lighting, or the liquor serving as a social lubricant, but everyone seems to get along here.

“It’s our music,” DJ Hardcore Makeout said, half-joking. “Our music puts everyone in a good mood. I hope! I mean, beats. We got ‘em. You want ‘em!”

The wallpaper under dim lighting at Sweet Ups
Photo from www.jaunted.com

###

Solid Gold – Who You Gonna Run To?