“Not every DJ can say that they were asked to play a party for the President. A few days before Tuesday night’s tension-filled election night, Austin-based party maestro Mel Cavaricci aka DJ Mel happened to get one such request: to play music at the Barack Obama campaign’s official Election Night Watch party, the same one that would be broadcast to millions of people watching worldwide.
Music took a back-burner to the results for most of the night, but the moment that Mr. President was re-elected for his second term, that same election-night party seeped into bars, clubs, and homes of Obama supporters through their televisions. (We did the twist alongside the thousands of people at the McCormick Place rally headquarters in Chicago ourselves.) As the night stretched out in the wait for Romney’s concession and Obama’s victory speech, DJ Mel took over party-rocking duties with a mix of soul, funk, and inspirational sentiment. Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now,” Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Obama’s walk-on song, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” were especially poignant. As was his campaign supporter Bruce Springsteen’s “We Take Care Of Our Own.”
We talked to Mel about his song selection, the Obama camp’s input, and what it was like to be the president’s DJ on one of the most important nights of his life.”
Read the interview HERE.
