We recently wrapped up our sixth and final homecoming of 2024, and this one was truly a cool event! Taking place in Koreatown, the event brought a lively, cultural flair that made it a night to remember. Held outdoors on the school campus, the setup was as unique as the energy of the evening. 

The event featured a delicious setup of tacos and pasta, creating a perfect mix of comfort food and flavor for students to enjoy while dancing the night away. Our DJ booth was set up on the second floor, overlooking the bottom floor where the students filled the space with excitement and movement. This setup not only allowed for great sound coverage but also provided a cool vantage point to see the crowd’s energy. We had the lights on the 1st floor which was close to the  dancers.

Ahead of the event, we were given a playlist that leaned heavily on Latin music and hip-hop, which fit the vibe of the crowd perfectly. While we already had most of the tracks in our library, the requests throughout the evening made it clear that bachata was the star of the night. In fact, by the end of the event, we realized we’d played fewer than 10 English songs, as the students kept asking for more bachata hits! 

If you’re planning a homecoming or school event, let us create a custom playlist that matches your vibe and keeps the dance floor packed all night long. Reach out to us to make your next event unforgettable!

We were outside for the celebration. I was prepared with many layers of clothing but the guests did have warming posts. I was surprised since some guests had short sleeve shirts. It was a disco themed party so many wanted to show their cute disco outfits. We had a very open format playlist.  A big portion of it was all dance music. We had some disco and a lot of 90s music on the list. There were a few country songs on the list so I made sure I got that on while the folks were eating. We did play some sing a longs during the dinner portion of the night. The caterers provided Mexican food. First time I saw the caterer dance and led with line dances. Anytime any 90s music came on he would jump on the dance floor and sing along with the words. It was a fun vibe through out the night. The goal was to play  as many  line dances as possible. Sometimes I only do like one to two line dances but we went through like 7 or 8 line dances. 

It was a very intimate party. The neighbors did ask to turn down the bass and we did and repositioned the speakers so it was not too loud for the neighbors.

For most locations, it is about keeping the music at a good volume till 10 then you have  to either turn it way down or take the party indoors. But the best best to have neighbors not complain is to invite the neighbors to the party or have a good relationship with them and notify them that there will be music going on.

This is the second time playing at Hot Shot Muffler in Los Angeles. This was once at muffler repair shop but now it’s a venue to have parties. The room can be separated. One part of the venue has some games folks that can play games and the other part is where they have tables so people can eat and where people can get down to the music.

  I got there plenty early since at times it can be hard to park since its close the the busy Highland Park area which has a happening night life. They have an area to unload but they had a few cars too that were unloading too. I did leave my speaker poles there over night and they were quick to respond to my messages so I was able to pick them up on a Sunday.

My guests gave me a stellar playlist of 2000s music.  They shared some songs that I truly forgot about and I have on vinyl. What was cool was there was they had some bay area music for this LA crowd. I only thought bay folks only like that kind of music but folks who truly appreciate hip hop know the beauty of bay music.

For the first hour and half I went 2000s then they wanted 80s and 90s too.

It was a good vibe with the 2000s music but throwing in the other music built up the energy   of the crowd. It was great to have that freedom to move through different time periods.

 I was talking with a mom about doing her daughters quince.  We talked about the timeline of events and then she sent me edited songs for each event.  She mentioned to play 2000s chill music.  It was very broad.  The main focus was to play the specific songs at certain points of the night. They were going to show a presentation so I lent my other computer so they can show it and it was a nice show.

  It was a nice venue. Once you walked in it was a whole new world. It looked like a palace. It was very fancy with two levels. It looked like a scene from a movie. It looked very classy. 

We went over the details for the night. We started the music on time but we didn’t kick in with the events and we were behind schedule but we were able to get all the events done and even added new ones on the fly. The court did their waltz which was very classy to the song Take Me to Church. Later we did the changing of the shoes and the doll event and then we had the crowning and they had a dance routine that went with it. With the surprise dance they had different songs blended into one and they did a good job with it. There were a few songs they requested the day of event but I was able to download them and play them. It was a great party and what was cool was it was on a Sunday night. Not every party needs to be on a Saturday.

I was part of a very intimidate wedding at a residence.  It had a small bridal party.  They came in to Frank   Sinatra’s Love and Marriage (Made more famous with the Married with Children theme song)

Right after that, they wedded they took pictures in front of the house while the guests had cocktail hour. The pre-ceremony music and the cocktail music had the same kind of music which was classic r&b such as Earth Wind and Fire and the Temptations for example.

It was djs choice for wedding party entrance and the newly married couple came in to a country song.

  We did have a timeline that was pretty on cue till the reception. We made sure everything was done but it was done a bit earlier. This only can be done with communication. We had a planner who sent us the schedule but she would let the couple know what was happening next then she would tell me and I would like the photographer know what was happening next. We had the special parent dances and the garter and bouquet toss. Later we had the married couple dance and the couple shared their advice for a long lasting marriage. What the guy said something comical but probably was not appropriate as he told me but I just improvised and said something more positive.

   I stayed two hours longer and played more Spanish music for the party. Once when most of the guests left a few wanted to do Karaoke and I was able to make it happen. They asked if   it cost more and I   said I am already here all I need to do is add a cable and we   are golden. It was a fun event.

Sometimes a school wants to celebrate Halloween so they throw at Trunk or Treat event. What is a Trunk or Treat event you may ask? Parents get to the event early who are participating and give out candy outside their trunk to trick and treaters. It is a safe way to go trick or treating in a secure parking lot and kids don’t have to worry about moving cars.

  So there has to be other events going on than parents giving out candy. They have to be games and maybe some dancing for kids and their parents. So to prep I look for classic Halloween songs that everyone knows. Then I look for sound effects that can add some spookiness to the   event. Sound effects like a witch cackling or a werewolf howling at the moon. We are planning to add some line dancing so students and parents can get into it.  Some games we are thinking of running are musical chairs, and follow the leader. We all know musical chairs but follow the leader is when one student leads the group with a dance and the group follows. We will have different students lead the dances and folks will get a kick out of it.

  Also it is good to have songs that are appropriate for family function events and add some Halloween classics in the mix then you cannot go wrong.  Also good to have a good mic presence to get the attention for each event.  Also it would good to cone off the dJ area and the game area since crowd tend to crowd the dj area.

 There are many ways to do a Latin Party. You can have one at your house which is a lot of work.  You will have to prep your house with decorations and order chairs and have the food ready.  Or you can have one at a venue which can provide a space for you and have a food at the location already.  Why not have a Latin party at a Mexican restaurant. We had our party at the Green Onion in San Pedro.  They had a regular restaurant with a banquet room.

  I got there and the mariachi was playing. When they had a break then I started to set up the gear. It’s a beautiful thing when vendors work together to make it happen. Some folks can be difficult but this Mariachi was very accommodating. They had their instruments in the area I wanted to set up and told me it was ok.

  People were dancing with the mariachi so I wanted to keep the party going. I had the choice of old school music or Spanish music and of course I went Spanish. We went Spanish for a little bit then they wanted 70s party music. Bee Gees here we come! It is fabulous to go from Spanish to English party music. There is so much too choose from. You can do like 3 to 5 songs of one genre then jump around to get more engagement. Overall it was a fun night in San Pedro. People were about to talk on the mic and gave kind words to the birthday girl.

 When you do a public event for a school you have to earn their trust. They want to make sure all the songs you play are appropriate and want to make sure your gear is top notch.  The dj before did play music but did not say much so that was in the back of my mind. I was able to get a playlist that was approved by the school and the instructions was to get a lot of engagement.

 It started with some folks speaking in the beginning then I was playing all the songs from their list and I included some songs that were also kid friendly but adults also liked. Then the folks hosted a pie eating contest then I would change the song after each contest. Once that was done then I was in charge of the mic. We started off with the hula hoop contest where we had the participant’s hula hoop this the hoop hit the floor. We really had some good hula hoopers. At one point two lasted the whole song so I got them both a prize. It was mostly girls who wanted to do the game but I also invited the boys to come try. One boy actually won one round. If you do this contest you have to do a few rounds since its popular.

 Musical chairs were also a big hit. I did a round of girls then a round of boys. We could have kept on doing that but we needed to finish with some line dancing to get the whole crowd going. Mission to get the crowd engaged and mission was accomplished.