Here is some of what I put on facebook that night.

I’m at a new years eve party and the DJ sucks BADLY! No kidding he just went from New York New York to Sharp Dressed Man to open the dance floor. Calling a cab stat!

Ah Old Time Rock & Roll for a second time! Not! This is what I get for scheduling the night off.

A local hotel has been hosting a NYE party for years. The deal includes purchasing a room which gets you access to a party with open bar and dinner. My wife and I along with some friends decided to check it out because it was close to home and wouldn’t require us to drive anywhere. It sounded like a good deal and overall it was. Except for one thing, THE DJ.

It wasn’t just his poor choice of music, or his 20 year old speakers that sounded worse than my home stereo but it was also his constant talking between songs. It was also the random order of songs going from one genre to the next with a silent pause between some songs that would clear the dance floor. This crowd was ready to party and he made it so difficult for us all.

Although this post may sound like a DJ bashing, it is not. It is me telling you that I learned a lesson that many brides don’t learn until after it’s too late for them. You hire a DJ because it sounds like a great deal only to end up trapped in DJ Hell at your own wedding reception.

When you hire a DJ for your wedding, you are hiring someone who will have a live microphone in their hands in front of all the most important people in your life on the biggest day of your life. You are hiring someone who will be responsible for entertaining your guests for the majority of your wedding day. You are hiring someone who will oversee the flow of your reception and make sure that things stay on schedule. You are hiring the person who controls the energy in the room and helps create atmosphere. You are hiring the single most important wedding vendor of your wedding day.

Don’t be a bride who decides to save money on the DJ just because there are cheap DJs out there. They are cheap for a reason. They know exactly what they are worth and your wedding day is worth more than that. Once you arrive and realize your DJ isn’t very good, it’s too late.   DJ is not the place to save money in your budget, it just isn’t. If you want to know what to look for when you hire a DJ come meet with me. If you want to see the difference on video from one DJ to the next come meet with me.  Don’t find yourself trapped in DJ Hell at the biggest most important party of your life.

I can not tell you how excited I am for this conference. However, I am very familiar with both of these presenters and I know some DJs are not. Recently in a DJ Networking Forum another friend of mine Neal Howard said “Something that some may find beneficial is if you promoted how you think the attendees will benefit from listening to them.”

Back in 2008 at The Mobile Beat DJ Conference in Las Vegas. I was with a group of DJs who decided to head out to the clubs after the close of the show. We stepped just a few feet inside the door of Studio 54 at the MGM Grand when one DJ said, “Who is this DJ he is tearing it up?” From our vantage point we couldn’t see anything except a TV screen that said D.J.P.

We had a table that night overlooking the dance floor and the DJ booth. For DJPs entire set we were on the railing looking down at a guy who was using nothing but vinyl records to rock the crowd. He was playing so many records that he was literally sweating like he was getting in a good workout. He was using vinyl to play the vocals of one song over the instrumental of another. The DJs I was with were very respected club DJs. In fact three of them had just closed the DJ hall of fame show with some amazing sets. Yet, here we all stood mesmerized and in agreement that this was the best we had ever seen.

After D.J.P finished his set we relaxed and the talk was still about how great it was. So I decided to go downstairs and see if I could find this guy. I saw him in the hallway talking with a hostess. I asked if he could come say hi to our group and he was excited to do so. He was a very humble down to earth guy, who had an obvious passion for the art of DJing. He hung out we exchanged phone numbers and some of us made a new friend that night.

It wasn’t until later when I returned home to Cincinnati that I did a little research on the guy. I read about how he and world famous DJ Z-Trip had done an album of blends (what we call mash-ups today) called Uneasy Listening that was named one of the most important musical moments of 2002 by Rolling Stone Magazine. I bought a few albums from his site and was a fan.

I still had his number and over our next few trips to Las Vegas I would call him and get on his guest list for the club he was playing at. Now he had moved over to The Palms and was playing the two story Playboy Club/Moon. This is where we got to talking about music and the use of computers and when I first got the idea that he might be a valuable speaker for a DJ conference. Just after ARMDJS 4.0 I was speaking with Robbie and mentioned D.J.P as a speaker. I then sent over a couple of videos. A few months later D.J.P turned up on a reality TV show on BET called Master Of The Mix and Robbie saw his name again. At that point he asked me how to get in contact with him and made it a reality.

So now that you know the back story let’s get back to Neal Howard’s statement. What do I see as the value?

First of all I believe Danny (D.J.P) has a unique appreciation for where our industry started and is completely devoted to it as an art form. I know for a fact that many of us in the industry got into it without that understanding. We bought gear, we got a computer, we hopefully loaded it up with legal music and we pressed play. We later developed our skills and many of us appreciate it as an art form but we lack that historical importance and understanding of the craft itself. I really think D.J.P will bring a new perspective to mobile DJs and a renewed passion for the art of purely playing music.

I also believe his creativity will inspire. Look I’ve already heard a few guys say “he’s a club guy what he is doing my clients at wedding wouldn’t understand or appreciate.” As a wedding guy I can’t completely disagree with that. However, some of the best results I have ever had on a dance floor are from taking risks and being creative with my mixes. I’ve played mash-ups. I’ve dropped old school songs I wasn’t sure would work and they have produced some amazing results. In fact one night I played a few mashups that impressed the staff so much at a wedding that I ended up being referred for years and to this day by one of my city’s best venues.  Mixing skills are a part of what we do. They should be a major part of what we do. They are not limited to the club. The club hires great mixing DJs because transitions and the way they build energy with music creates amazing results on the dance floor. I know my clients want amazing results on their dance floors.

Danny also has an extraordinary knowledge of music. The guy has thousands of records. He knows who produced them, where different samples of popular top 40 songs originated and a BIG opinion on how people tend to dance to what they know and not appreciate good music simply because they are not familiar with it. I’ve heard him discuss this and the art of playing to a crowd that is there to dance as opposed to playing to a crowd who is there to watch the DJ. I really think his perspective on this is valuable to mobile DJs. How do you balance playing what people are familiar with, when sometimes your clients, have eclectic musical tastes that they are asking you to get it into the mix? How do you balance this and keep it entertaining for all? I think Danny’s experience with balancing his own eclectic tastes with what works in the club is what makes him so unique. I look forward to hearing his thoughts on it.

The other thing about D.J.P is he is captivating and he rarely uses the microphone. Watching him do his thing is exciting, he brings energy, people like him (on Master of the Mix fan voting he has acquired about 53% of the fan vote every week, there are 10 DJs to vote for and he is getting an incredible 53%!) Now I doubt he can describe the energy he puts off. I doubt he can tell you how to do it. Just watching him and the way he pulls the crowd into what he is doing with the music is a master lesson all on it’s own that I think DJs will love.

Of course he also has a great branding story for DJs. How do you develop your name to the point that your playing major clubs, TV shows and asked to become a member of the world famous “Rock Steady Crew”? I’m sure that story alone would be beneficial to mobile DJs developing their brand.

So hopefully that answers Neal’s request and hopefully it will get a few more of you as excited as I am to see my friend Danny Phillips AKA D.J.P rip it live on stage on vinyl and then talk about it at ARMDJS. I hope to see you there.

Check it out

http://handinhandevents.blogspot.com/2011/10/vendors-uncorked-hey-mr-djdj-services.html

Thursday October 6th   @ the Newport Aquarium. Looking for a unique Venue? You have to go to this show. Doors open at 7:00  Admission is just $5

Thursday October 13th @ Paul Brown Stadium for a huge bridal show titled “After Hours Bridal Show” – Free Admission and there will be a special presentation for grooms only.

Sunday October 23rd @ Great Wolf Lodge for A Fall Bridal Affair $5 at the door or pre-register and get Free Admission.

At the After Hours Bridal show I will be hosting the Grooms Huddle. This presentation is strictly for grooms only. Grooms will receive some top secret tips from wedding experts.

Hope to see all of you at the shows. Please stop by our booth at say hello.

As a declaimer, Hey! Mr DJ Entertainment nor myself had anything to do with this event. It’s just an awesome internet find.

Amazing!

Below is a video interview with brides who were recently married. All but one of the brides mentions the DJ as something they either were glad they made a priority or something they wish they had made a priority. The one who doesn’t mention the DJ is an older bride who had different priorities and a different vision than most. I really enjoyed the comments from the girl who hired her DJ from Craigslist. Good talent isn’t cheap and cheap talent isn’t good.

I find it really interesting that articles and these interviews always seem to indicate the same thing. After the wedding, the bride often realizes the entertainment should have been a huge priority. An article in St. Louis Bride and Groom magazine back in 2003 showed that 72% of brides wished they had made entertainment a priority for their reception. 81% of guests surveyed said the entertainment and fun was the #1 thing they remember. Within a week of their wedding day being over 78% of couples say they wish they had made the entertainment their #1 priority

And now this video seems to indicate the same thing.

We have had that honor several times. In fact I believe we are The DJ Company Wedding Vendors Use When They Get Married or have events.

When Jen and Steve Adkins from Jen Adkins Photography were married, we did the event. Same for Nicole from Nicole Lynn Photography and for Christy from Gardner Photography.

We also performed at the wedding of the owners of Academy Event Rental. Our good friend Sean Richie from Lifemark Studios who does both Photo and Video is another one of our past wedding clients. Shannon Burns, from Imaged By Shannon is one of our brides and she has sent many of her friends our way. Just this past weekend we performed at the wedding and reception of  Jessica Fischer, who is a friend and former photographer for Images By Daniel Michael. You can read what he had to say about us on his blog.

Additionally when Beach Photography had a birthday party, we were the choice. We also performed at a birthday party for the owners of one of Cincinnati’s most well known wedding venues, the Manor House. We have also done two parties for  Laura at Laura Lane Photography.  Additionally, Shannon Wullenweber, a Cincinnati area wedding planner has referred us to do one of  her best friends weddings and we have performed at several parties for her family.

There are also a few more that I am not mentioning here for privacy reasons.

So, if wedding vendors turn to us with their events. Why wouldn’t you?

For example, Monday and Tuesday of this week have gone like this.

Monday – I assigned DJs to go with our MCs for this weekends events. I called a couple of our MCs to see how their events went on Saturday. I called to check on some new equipment I ordered and where it was in the shipping process. I cleaned up some gear I am selling on ebay and posted pictures and listed the items for auction. I also looked fore some new tires for our DJ van, so we can sell it. I made a bank deposit from the weekends events. I answered the phone and emailed some potential clients. I then had a 4:00 meeting at my office to plan a wedding with Todd and Donna. After that I rushed to my sons baseball game and coached third base.

Tuesday – I’ve answered more emails. Deleted some emails off our server that had put us over quota. Talked to a web developer about getting our flash site ranked higher. I verified my reservation for the upcoming ARMDJS DJ conference next week and made arrangments for my kids to stay somewhere while my wife works when I am gone. I wrote this blog and managed to find about 2 hours to stain 1/2 my deck. I’ve been putting that off for far too long. I then made a call to a local country club and thanked them for the referal they had given me on the wedding I did Saturday (great time BTW). Later I’ll be going out to buy a new printer and I have a sales meeting at our office at 5:30. I’m also supposed to be at two baseball practices at 5:30. Oops!

I’m not complaining, just setting the record straight. I do work through the week. Tomorrow I’ll be putting the final touches on my wedding for Saturday and verifying I have everything ready for my Friday wedding. I’ve already put several hours of preperation into these events. I also have two more meetings tomorrow night.

Which brings me to the point… I might not have time to blog but I do have time to deliver awesomeness at weddings. Here is an email I received over the weekend.

Hi Brandon,

Thanks again!
Kasey & Zach

So I have more fun stuff to blog. Hopefully I can get too it sooner than later.

The Las Vegas Hilton
ADJA National Conference
September 12th – 14th 2011

The event is also right before and during the Wedding MBA Show at The Las Vegas Convention Center. Attend both and take your business to the next level.
http://www.facebook.com/v/2037455342564