DJ Cassidy

Cassidy Durango Milton Willy Podell, better known as DJ Cassidy, is a New York DJ. Cassidy is known for his work at celebrity functions, including the 50th birthday party and 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, and the 2008 wedding of Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Cassidy's first album, Paradise Royale, will be released in May 2014 by Columbia Records. The aim of the album is to "bring back the greatest and most universal dance music of all time", a statement which was referred to as one of a series of "sloganeering quotes..., repeated several times during our interview like a message from a sponsor", during an interview with The Independent.

John D. Luerssen of Rolling Stone writes that there is no sampling or recycling of old material. Cassidy has brought together a 14-piece string section and 22 of the world's most notable musicians from that period, including Nile Rodgers of Chic; Ray Parker Jr., who worked with Stevie Wonder and Barry White; Jerry Hey, who arranged Michael Jackson's horns and string sections; and Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind and Fire.

The album also features Mary J. Blige, Chromeo, Estelle, Melanie Fiona, CeeLo Green, R. Kelly, John Legend, Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland, Passion Pit and Usher.[10] Its lead single, "Calling All Hearts," sung by Robin Thicke & Jessie J, was released in the US on iTunes in February 2014.

Paradise Royale was four years in the making. In preparation for it, Cassidy created an iTunes playlist of 25 songs recorded between 1978 and 1982, then set about researching how to make his music sound like those songs. He looked into the musicians who had played on them and realized that the producers were using the same musicians to create that particular sound. Those are the musicians he tried to recruit for Paradise Royale.

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