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!

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.

Weddings are beautiful events to be shared with friends and loved ones. One of the most precious moments is the sharing of the vows. We make sure our bases are covered when it comes to microphones and weddings. We always do sound checks before the celebration. But at the same time when guests arrive the sound may not be perfect. With guests in between the receiver and the transmitter, the microphone and everyone having a cell phone can interfere with the signal. The other day we had a drone above the ceremony and we can hear the static coming through the speakers.  We had to improvise. We had the officiant plus the groom with lapels.  Lapels can be tricky at times. Best thing would to be the receiver as close as possible to the transmitter or have long antennas or even better   antenna fins so can have a further reach.  We had to turn off the lapels and used the wireless handheld which was right next to the officiant. It did sound so cleaner and louder. It is all about being prepared. But even before the ceremony even started I had around 50 feet of microphone cable on standby with a wired microphone for plan c. Its all about having back ups to your back ups to make sure the sound of the ceremony. Some say it is overkill but I do not believe so. During ceremonies most djs only use one speaker and I say not me. I believe in getting two speakers to  ensure  a more full balanced sound  and  we want guests to feel the  music  and the  powerful  words  of  the  offficiant.

 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.

 There is nothing like an old school party! It was a birthday party in West Los Angeles. Everyone was in the patio area and the dj was suggested to go to the opposite end of the back yard. Black and White Affair made it happen. We set up the booth away from everyone based on client suggestion. Best scenario is to be where the action is so we can see the action and read the crowd. It was a small patio so we had to be away from everyone. I was able top place two speakers in the patio area and be stationed far away. It was hard to see if the folks were grooving to the music while they were eating but tried to keep it an old school vibe for most of the night.  Song of the night was Sex Bomb!

  This was the first event where I saw a dog table. They had meatballs for the dogs and dog treats. That table was a hit with the dogs that the guest brought. One dog was smart enough to jump on the table and over indulged in the treats. Anyway the party had a planner plus a caterer with a waitress and bartender. It was truly a celebration in West Los Angeles. I did have a good time. A few weeks later they called for another event but I sent another dj to do it since I was already doing a Latin event on the same day. Seems like most events happen on Saturday so please book your ds early if you are having a Saturday event.

  Be the hip planner to incorporate a vinyl dj for the event. When a vinyl dj plays at a corporate event it gives is a vintage feel that can bring back memories and it can fit the theme and vibe of the event. Also just the sight of vinyl records is appealing and add to the atmosphere of the event. Just the visual of a dj switching records for each song can create a cool ambiance.

A lot of folks say that vinyl records do produce a different sound than of digital formats. One can say that vinyl can produce a warmer, rich sound compared to digital tracks thus giving a better listening experience. It does seem there are a lot of digital djs around and hiring a vinyl dj will bring a different experience that not too many folks have experienced and it would be one that truly stands out. I do have to say vinyl djs have the experience to solidify their skills since collecting records is an ongoing mission and djs take serious since it is expensive to maintain.

There is no such thing as a sync button (to have songs seamlessly mix) so these vinyl djs are more skilled to mix by ear. In a nutshell, vinyl djs at corporate events can create a unique feel to the event and make it memorable for all those that attend. Call Black and White Affair to bring the Vintage Dj experience for the corporate event.

  We need to set up at a field. No problem. We will have around 500 people. No problem. We need four speakers spread out in the field with power spread out also. No problem. Also we want music people can jive too. No problem.

 We had an honor roll celebration recently and I had to provide the sound. First and foremost,  I had to check the power sources to make sure they worked since it is a field. Made sure I ordered 4 50 foot extension cords and 50 foot speaker cables. Wanted to spread out the speakers to cover more ground and would not have to blast the volume so it would be too loud for those who are close to the speaker.

 I set up one wireless microphone with another on stand by with another wired microphone on backup. Parents had a full day of work and wanted to hear their child’s name loudly on the pa system.

 I made sure the playlist was as festive as can be. You need to know your audience.  The majority of the audience was latinos so we went with 90 percent latin music but I did include crossover music and some American classics. A lot of djs are afraid to play non American music because they want to be safe. But when you do play the cumbias or Mexican music people deeply appreciate it.

Outside events you have many factors to deal with but it has to be done by a professional sound guy to make sure it is done right. Contact Black and White Affair to make sure your graduation or outside event is done right.

Hey Party folks I got you covered when it comes to a latin playlist. We are going to get your toes wet into the latin music pool to get people moving to the latin beats. We are talking salsa, reggaeton, bachata, merengue, cumbia and more. Let’s break it down:

It is not about playing the same type of music the whole night. There are so many types of latin music that its good to hop  around to quench the latin music thirst. A dj would be beneficial since they can read the crowd and determine how many songs of one genre can be played. A phone on shuffle can not read the crowd and could kill the vibe when people are getting hyped up.

Marc Anthony  and Celia Cruz can get people to start to salsa dance with their jams.

Next you can  include reggaeton like Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Maluma and Ozuna.

If one wants to slow it down then they can play some bachata to add a romantic vibe to the party. Artis that deep dive into that are Romeo Santos, Prince Royce and Aventura.

Then it maybe time to sped it up and you can throw on some Merengue with an artist like Elvis Crespo.

Cumbias are what gets everyone moving. There are a lot of classics by Fito Olivares and Los Angeles Azules and Anciento Molina.

At last, do not forget the latin cross overs and pop songs from Shakira and Enrique Iglesias.