Three Words…
Turn It Up!
Making these special events special, really comes down to two very important factors in my opinion. The first being the DJ’s ability to play and understand the music that is being requested. The second is the DJ’s ability to understand and control the timeline of the event. Have you ever been to a party and just not understood what the DJ is playing? You end up spending more time judging the music than you do enjoying the event. Or have you been a part of an unorganized party where all you see is the coordinator frantically running around, and there ends up being no time for dancing because the timeline was pushed so far back? If you have, then you understand why hiring someone that has mastered these things is crucial. This is an important event, don’t leave it up to just anyone with a laptop and a speaker.
Sometimes people think hiring a DJ is similar to booking other vendors and tend to book a DJ based off of price or general appearance, but DJing is a subjective performance. It’s not just a matter of showing up and playing your ‘type’ of music. For example, some DJ’s have different ideas of what ‘top 40’ is and they might just play a rap playlist at your house party. Or if you’re hosting a fundraiser and request your DJ to play some 70s and 80s music, they may just research a music chart from that time and blindly play the music back to back… A DJ should understand your music and how it flows. Your DJ should be able to read your crowd and play according to where the night is going while actively working in your guests requests. Now, even if the music isn’t as important, also keep in mind the appearance of the DJ, their equipment, and their knowledge of how events work. I personally manage two other DJ companies with quite a few DJs that follow our guideline. And I have found that DJing ends up being more of a personal interpretation of the music and performance. So, I have taken a step ‘to the side’ of the companies I manage to pursue this personal brand. I’ve been DJing for just about 11 years now and love everything from the business to the art of it.
