It was a hot Saturday this past weekend and it helped that the party started at 7. In Sylmar, we had a huge backyard to play some fun music. It was such a big back yard that they had a full court basketball court there. Anyway when I was there they were playing like reggaeton music in the background so I had a general idea of what kind of music they liked. At the fiesta, they were getting the tacos ready and they had the corn with the   chili and the raspodos (sort of like an icee).  Started off with old school Spanish music then went with the lively reggaeton. Then when it was dance time, we went with the cumbia. You cannot go wrong with the cumbias.  Did also threw in a little merengue and salsa and some banda. Then we did hit up some hip hop from the 1990s   and the 2000s. Some songs that hit for the night were by Peso Pluma, Selena, Sonora Dinimita, and Chingy.  At 10:30, we made some speeches to the birthday girl and we played the Mananitas was there  till 11 but the party still continued to after I left. These folks did not mess around and they had a portal potty outside. It was a fun event overall with good Spanish soundtrack. This party could have easily gone late late night but I left at 11. I did like the fact that the backyard was so big so we did not have to worry about the neighbors complaining about the noise level. Please call Black and White Affair for you latin party vibe.

We were able to play at a retail store in Brea. It was very easy to set up since they had their own booth. I have done stores before but this one had to be the biggest. There were a few things I learned. I learned we do not need to be so loud. We had one speaker facing one direction and the other speaker faced the other direction. It was also Spanish Heritage Month so we included more Spanish in our playlist. When I got there they told me they wanted pop such like Beyonce and Timberlake. I used that as my baseline and decided to go way open format.

When you play at a retail store, it is best to play music that everyone knows unless you are doing some underground house music. I would try to play one to two versus of a song and then mix in another song. My goal was to have no dead air. Songs were either mixed in or a new beat dropped once a song finished if it went that far.

One of the songs that got everyone moving was by Bad Bunny. It has to be his biggest hit. I tried to keep it as latin as possible. I played a lot of Selena and Pitbull and added Marc Anthony. Most of my list was pop songs that everyone knew.

I started 15 minutes before schedule and finished 5 hours and 15 minutes later. It did not feel like 5 hours and it was 5 hours of enjoyment. I can truly say it was an open format set that ranged from Calvin Harris, Katy Perry to Selena and to the Temptations.

It was a joy to play for many types of people and look forward to doing it again. Please call Black and White Affair dj for your retail dj needs.

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Some people have no idea what a dj cost these days since they never hired one before. Not everyone can dj a Spanish event. They have to really know the music to truly rock a party. 

For a wedding, in case they want a Spanish Emcee then it will cost more since you may have an Emcee plus a dj who would be mixer. It all depends on how well you want the Spanish Spoken. 

For me, my Spanish is ok. Like If I had to give it a rate, I give it a 4 out of 10. I can communicate and understand everything in Spanish but I would feel comfortable with bringing a Spanish Emcee to the event. I know Spanish music pretty well. How much more would it be to have a Spanish Emcee. It can range from 200 to 500 dollars more to have a Spanish Emcee. 

If you just wanted Spanish music and some basic Spanish Announcements it would cost way less. Hourly Spanish/ English  djs in California can change 150 to 300 per hour. They are unique since they have a music collection and they can usually rock a party in English or in Spanish.

All a dj need would be a basic set up of a controller and 2 speakers. So, a four-hour event would good from 600 to 1200 dollars. Of course, Spanish Weddings would cost more than there is way more preparation. 

Please call Black and White Affair for your latin party vibe.

Failing to plan means you are planning to fail when it comes to setting up a quincerera. Planner and the dj should be in constant communication to make the event memorable. They have to figure out what events are going to be done and what specific songs are going to be used for the event. It would be good to check in a few times to go over any changes. I like to talk at least 3 times during the planning process. The first time to get the general idea. The second time to go over specifics and the third time to go over any loose ends or questions before the event. 

Usually with quinceneras there is a mass then pictures. The mass is a special mass honoring the quincenera. Some folks are not religious and skip the mass but if one is religious then it’s the typical way to start the quincenera. When the quincenra court is taking pictures, the guests can start arriving at the venue and have appetizers or drinks while they wait for the grand entrance.

During this time, the dj will be playing either Spanish music or English music depending on what was chosen. Ideally the dj will have music for both languages to appease the guests. Like the wedding grand entrance, the dj has everyone sit and announce the the important people in the party. A good Dj will coordinate with the group so the dj knows who is who and what order they will be walking in. They will also go over pronouncing the names to make sure they say it right.  Like Weddings, it is never the same. It can be just the quincenera court or it can be just the quicenera with her chambelan. Parents and Padrinos can also be in the group. With times not everyone is doing it traditionally. But if you really want to go with the lineup it will the parents, padrinos, the quinenera court, then the quincenera with her partner, the chambelan. 

After everyone walks in, you have everyone’s attention and it would be good to take advantage of it and make a toast. Parents and Padrinos can also give words of wisdom or appreciation to the guests. It’s the best time to thank the guests for showing up and being part of the celebration.  Before the toasts please make sure everyone has a cup to toast.  If the microphone is wireless you do not need to be close to the dj area but make sure if you do have the microphone any kind do you stand in front of a speaker. You will get feedback.  These toasts don’t need to be long and not everyone that is up with you needs to do one. You can just have one toasts or a few other ones but do not go overboard. People are ready to eat and celebrate. 

I always tell my bride and groom the same thing. Always make sure you eat! When it comes to a big party people get caught in the moment and forget to have the meal. When it comes to getting food please make sure your court, plus parents and padrinos are the first ones to get served. 

What music needs to be played during dinner? Sometimes people hire mariachis to play at their quicenera or a trio. If you do have some guest that appreciate that music then the group usually goes table to table taking requests from the guests. But if that is not in the budget or needed the dj can play English or Spanish music. Everyone is different. Find out what part of latin America the guests are from and you can formulate a playlist. 

No quincenera is planned the same. If you want to go with the traditional then after dinner there is the changing of the shoes and the doll dance will happen. Some folks opt not to the shoes since they maybe wearing the shoes already and just don’t want to do it which is fine. The doll event I have not seen much but I see the shoe change more than the doll dance. Then dad and daughter do a dance then the quinceneara waltz can take place. The quincenara waltz is a classy dance but you can tell the court is way more excited to do the surprise dance. The surprise dance is usually with a more current song with more current dance moves. At this time, members of the court can get people who are sitting down to join the dance floor and the dj can work his magic to build the dancefloor. If that doesn’t work, the dj can invite everyone on the dancefloor to take a group pic then when they are done with the picture then the dj can play a song that everyone loves to dance to. The question of the hour is what type of music do you play for your young guests and for the grown-ups at the event. The party is centered on the youth but the grown-ups are there. Also add the factor that you maybe playing Spanish and English. What works for me is to play songs in pairs or threes. In the start I will play songs that everyone knows then I will throw in songs for the youth then after a few songs throw in songs for the grown-ups. It’s all about reading the crowd. If the grown-ups are not dancing since they are not in the mood then focus on the youth. Not all the youth like the same type of music. Some like current songs or throwbacks that are made popular from tic tok. Just be forewarned that some songs may have explicit lyrics. There are some places where djs can can clean versions of songs. Clean versions of songs mean the profanity is muted or has like a vinyl stop censor over the word so the word is not heard. The content of the song may still be inappropriate so the dj should be familiar with the music to see if it’s actually kid friendly. 

After an hour or so of dancing it would be time to cut the cake. It would be a good time for pictures. It would be good that the dj have a timeline to keep the events in order and let the other vendors know what’s going on. I always let the photographer/ videographer know what is happening so they can capture the magic. 

Then after the cake there can be another dance session. Then there can be the final song of the night where the quince era can dance with her padrinos. 

Again, let me state that a quincenera can be as different or traditional as you want it. Keep the events what you will enjoy to do and there is nothing that is mandatory. This party is celebrating you and should represent who you are and be the way so its enjoyable for you and your loved ones. 

If you are located in the Bay Area, please contact Black and White Affair Dj Services to make your quincenera memorable and stressfree. We make it easy with our music selection and our planning. 

When to comes to setting up events there are three categories. Weddings get so much prep work. Many Hours go into setting up wedding. There are many virtual meetings or phone calls that go into it. The second category is the quincenera category. There is a lot of prepping but not as much as a wedding. The last category is a birthday party where they set up a playlist and you play maybe dinner music then you throw in the dance music. 

For a quincenera, you need to get the special songs for the events. Guests are doing a special dance so the dj has to make sure they get the exact edit for it so they can do the dance with all their moves. They can also include a waltz but these days a lot of folks are picking and choosing what events they decide to keep and do without.

I got a playlist for the guest of honor and she also shared songs that her mom enjoys. There were not too many Spanish songs on the list but I will prepare some classic Spanish songs for the older folks. Always ask for part of Latin America the guests are from since not all Latin music is appreciated by different groups. 

We have spoken a few times on the phone already but we will need one more call to touch base to make sure we are all on the same page and I am looking forward to the event.  Call Bwadj for your next latin event.

Being able to enjoy different music in different languages has been a blessing while going to events. When it comes to Spanish music, there is so much to choose from. Playlists can have some cumbias, salsas, bandas, bachata, reggaeton, norteno, corridos, and ranchera to name a few. Then you have the English music to think about. How can you get all that music in one event. Some people consider maybe getting a Spanish band then getting an English Dj. Bands can be expensive so if they want to get all that music then they should consider a Bilingual Spanish Dj that can cover all that music.

I find the music that the older generation likes you play early since sometimes the older folks ten to leave early. Like I would play some rancheras during the dinner part of the night. I would save the dance Spanish music when it is time to get down. 

How much of Spanish then English do you play? Each event is different. You can base it on what the clients want and use that to gauge. A dj can have a must playlist and makes sure those songs are played. But I noticed in Spanish Bilingual events folks really get into the Spanish Music. For me if its time for English music I go for the hitters that won’t fail. I like to go to the classics for funk and old school. There maybe some new trending tracks but with old school its been tried and succeeded. 

Consider Black and White Affair Dj for your Spanish English Event. Bay Area and now in Southern California.

Omar@bwadj.com