My Blog

Oh dear, is this a wedding professional?

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:01:56 +0100

My background in technical support has taught me throughout my life that I should think about the single point of failure. In other words, which single device could cause a major issue if it failed. For something as important as a wedding party for instance, the music must not fail for any reason, so I have always thought about how to mitigate this possibility.

Certainly it really helps to have a great understanding of how my system works, and the fact that the sound system is without doubt one of the best in the industry is also important, but this does not mean that equipment failure could not happen. A hell of a lot of mobile DJ’s don’t have access to any kind of backup, some can call on friends, and even some do have spares but leave them at home, but the only way in my mind is to actually have all the spare equipment with me which I do.

This was illustrated a few days ago on a DJ forum when another so-called professional DJ relayed this story:

“The party still going well, and dancefloor still full.......then at 11:15 it happened!!!! All music went off, appeared to be no power at all to the sub Now the amp wasnt clipping, lights on the sub green all night, so I know I wasnt pushing it too hard, so what else could have gone wrong Changed sockets, checked fuses.......still nothing at all! Everyone was great about it when they realised what happend, even though I was surounded by about 10 of them all putting in their 10 pence worth about what might be wrong and how it could be fixed! Things such as "well if its this big speaker thats gone, cant you just use those two small ones"
Drunk lady from earlier then came back and said "gimmie the mic, we need to tell everyone why the musics off" (it then took three of us to convince her, no speakers, no mic, no nothing) She then says "well gimmie the mic, I will sing for everyone, to keep them entertained while your mending it" (no love, surprisingly thats not gonna work either)

Bride and groom was really understanding about it (groom used to be a DJ, and said "shit happens"), I didnt have a spare amp on me to power the satelites, so I phoned a mate who was working on the other side of town, luckily his gig was just finishing and he said if I went up their I could borrow his amp to get me going again. Told the Groom what I was intending to do, and he said "great idea, well done, they have a small installed sound system here, can we borrow a CD, just so we have some music while your doing that", so I gave him The Best Disco in Town compilation CD, and scooted off to get the amp. I returned about 20 mins later at just gone 12 to find the dancefloor full with people dancing to the CD I had left them LOL Got the amp up and running to power the satelites, and kept the dancefloor going, was suposed to finish at 12:30, but the venue said it was ok to go until 1:00 am, so I did them an extension of 30 mins to try and make up for lost time.

The Bride and Groom were great about everything, and so too were all the guests, not one person really having a whinge about their being no music for a time. The B&G didnt ask for a refund, but as a gesture of goodwill I said they could have back an hours fee (even though they only lost 30 minutes), which they both said they appreciated.

Bride and Groom were very thankfull at the end, both said it had been an awesome night, and the mishap didnt spoil things for them, bride even gave me a hug and told me not to feel bad about it as these things happen, she could obviously tell that I was very disapointed that it had happened.

I have received an email today from the Bride and groom congratulating me on my professionalisum and my "show must go on attitude", so that was nice

Has proper taught me a lesson though, that I MUST have a backup plan in place.”

I have to admit I am nearly lost for words on this, but to be fair this chap has taken on board a lot of advice which then came to him, so there is hope!

Welcome, Ian!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:51:17 +0100

One of the great things in my industry is how some of my colleagues network, and pull together to improve the general state of DJing. Whilst others consistently fail to understand the basic principles of customer service, we work very hard to ensure that our clients are 100% satisfied.

One such colleague is Ian Forest of Shoreham based Discofever. Ian and his wife Tracey also run a successful business based on good principles, and I had the pleasure of popping in to help Ian pack up last week at the stunning South Lodge hotel.

Keep the good work up young man!

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 09:12:55 +0000

The RMS Titanic was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyards in Belfast, and was the biggest passenger steam ship of her time. On her maiden voyage in 1912, Titanic stuck an iceberg and sank despite everyone believing she was unsinkable.

In a couple of years, the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast will have an amazing exhibition on the site of the dry dock where Titanic was built. This of course has nothing to do with my love of repetitive beats in the form of House music, and I imagine it never will.

However, I thought you may enjoy my latest mix, but please do bear in mind that this is not necessarily the kind of music I will play for your wedding or family party, unless of course this is what you are looking for!!!:

1 (intro) Nana / The Dreaming – Sheila Chandra
2 Du Rififi au Katanga – Destination Danger
3 Voyage (Rafael Yapudjian meets RyB vocal mix) – Greg Mak
4 Doomwork – Groovin ft Valentine
5 Eyes wide hot – Uktu Dalmaz
6 Sweet Devil – Pirupa, Pigi
7 Why don’t you – Gramophonedzie
8 Digg the ice (Jonathan Dobson mashup) – Ramon Tapia vs Vanilla Ice
9 Come get my lovin’ (Plastic Funk remix) – Paul Gardner, Hugh Gunnell ft Marcella Woods
10 So house (Stonebridge SG mixdown) – Matt Joko
11 Lone time – Tim Green
12 Trauma – Andre Winter

Cheers,
DeadMol3

Take me to the download page now!

A beautiful wedding at Tithe Barn

Sat, 5 Dec 2009 14:45:34 +0000

One of the most spectacular venues that the south has to offer is the Tithe Barn in Ditcham near Petersfield in Hampshire. This was the setting for my clients Paul and Lin who got married and celebrated in style on Saturday. I provided a PA system to ensure everyone could hear the speeches clearly, then DJ’d for the evening reception. Paul and Linn’s friends and family were awesome and great fun to entertain, many thanks for choosing me to help on your big day!

It was a real pleasure to meet Ian Nelson the cameraman who was videoing the event, and great to work once again with Steve and Lorraine Kentish who are a husband and wife team in charge of the wedding photography.

LED uplighting

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:17:01 +0000

For any event, LED uplighting dramatically changes the look of any room or marquee and give that amazing WOW factor.

Lighting can be a set colour, a mixture of set colours, patterns can be programmed to cycle gently or lighting can be set to gently fade between all colours of the spectrum. Later on during the party, these lights can be programmed to react to music.

This is ideal for weddings, all parties, and cocktail receptions and it is a very low power consumption option with each fixture only using about 30 watts. Fixtures are spaced about 2m apart, and will totally transform your venue.

I can provide this stunning service either as a stand alone hire service, or as an addition to your wedding reception party disco.

Costs:
Basic fee for an average room: ￡250, reduced if booked with the DJ.

Please get in touch for more information, I can demonstrate a single light at our client meetings so you have an idea of how effective this is.

Pioneer invite all DJs to the Natural Selection events

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:58:51 +0000

Dear DJ,

You are invited to get first hand experience with the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900.

Changing times call for changing tools. That’s why our new multi-format players are the natural selection for the next generation of DJs. The CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 represent a major leap forward in the evolution of the Pioneer DJ range of professional DJ equipment and we want to show you.

You are invited to join Pioneer DJ at selected DJ Dealerships across the United Kingdom to get first hand experience of the brand new multi-format players and rekordbox™ Music Management Software. Experienced Pioneer staff will be on hand to guide you through the stunning new features such as the Needle Search™/Needle Drop Ribbon and Pro DJ Link.

Find out more about the Natural Selection events.

SEDA Shownight, 17th January 2010

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:51:26 +0000

January’s SEDA ShowNight on Sunday 17th January 2010 is already looking very impressive, so if you are a DJ, please put the date in your diary!

Here’s what we have so far:
Pioneer DJ showcasing the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900, along with music management software rekordbox, and the Pioneer DJ range of products.
Denon
KAM
RCF
Mastermix
Guest retailer – RSD Sound and Music
Members show tbc
Looking like another strong night!! As usual, the event is taking place at The Village Hotel, Castle View, Forstal Road, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent.

disco directory

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:22:06 +0000

I have joined a listing site which lists mobile discos worldwide:

dressupyourwedding.com

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:09:17 +0000

I have joined a listing site which helps brides and grooms with their wedding planning:

A beautiful wedding in surrey

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 11:22:38 +0000

On Friday 30th October 2009, I provided the PA for a wedding ceremony, followed by background music during the wedding breakfast, and then the entertainment for the evening reception at the Holiday Inn in Guildford for a lovely couple - Henry and Jennifer.

As Henry is from South Africa, and Jennifer is from Canada, most of the guests had travelled from all over our little planet for this fabulous event, and it was a real pleasure to work for them. As well as some good party music, I really enjoyed playing some African tunes, and one which made a particularly big impression was Sipho Mabuse’s version of Jive Soweto which I bought after seeing it performed at Nelson Mandela’s birthday concert a few months ago on the telly! I did visit Henry and Jennifer a few months ago as I do with all of my clients in order to plan their big day and give them (and me) complete peace of mind.

As there was a pink theme, I also set up four LED uplighters in each corner of the dance area set to pink. This is a wonderful way to transform a room instantly as each fixture can either be controlled or set to produce a rich and unique colour, and this is one of the services I provide which enhances room decor tremendously.

Henry and Jennifer, many congratulations and my best wishes for your future together.