Real Life Events: Customer Appreciation Halloween Party at a Apartment Complex (Bay Area Dj serving San Jose, Campbell, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy)

  I really enjoy working with this Apartment complex located in Campbell. This is the second event we have done this year with them. They tell me what they need and give me a good list to work from. A lot of the songs were r&b songs with some being new and some older. A few country songs were sprinkled in the mix too. They did a fantastic job decorating the area. Above where I was stationed there was 6-foot black spider. The swimming pool area was decorated with spider webs and in the pool were balloons from the movie It. In the casino room the windows were blacked out and there was blood all over the place. This had to be one of the best decorated spots I ever played it.

 The taco people were there handing out tacos to the folks and they had bartenders making spooky drinks. I can tell that this Apartment complex take care of their folks. I never hear of places doing nice things like this. They had a summer party and now a Halloween party.

So they had me put a speaker in the spooky room where they had tables and another speaker toward the swimming pool. So everyone could hear the music and hear the announcements. We did have a costume contest in which we voted for the scariest, most creative and most realistic. At the end we had some dancing with 80s music. It was a fun event and loved the fact that the apartment threw it for its people.

  About 5 years ago I did the 45th year reunion for Leland that we celebrated at the Los Gatos Lodge. I do remember it was a good time when I looked up their playlist from their first event I did for them. This list was a little different from the previous party since it was all old school. Last time, they had some current hits sprinkled in. This year we had the party in Villa Regusa in Campbell. Downtown Campbell is not the easiest place to park but there is first floor parking in the garage. You have the option of taking your do gear up the elevator or take it up the stairs. There was another function but it did not interfere with the function we were having. I was all set up and I was playing 30 minutes before schedule.

  So getting music for this class was a good time. I looked at 1968 19691970 1971 1972 1973 and 1974. I found the best rock hits and dance hits. I always ask for a list to make each event custom. Then I combine all the songs on my computer. I strive to play all their songs on their list while incorporating songs I feel that would enhance the event.

  The night started with some words with the host then the comedian started. Comedian was a pro who also graduated with the Leland class. He was a very funny guy who connected with the crowd who had the crowd laughing the whole time.

 We love us some Homecoming dances. Last week we were at Westmont High School and we did homecoming dance at their gym. Their playlist was very solid. It was all older music that truly hits.  We love playing for Westmont since we played at their proms the past two years.

 The following week we were at Independence High School and they had their function outside. They had a cool low-rider van that was a  photo booth. Their list was a long list that had a lot of hard hitting hits and some current ones too. It was a very strong high school dance list. Love the fact we can use the strong old school hits of Westmont and the very current list with the hits from Independence and use that will the next homecomings that we have planned for October. We have two more homecomings happening in October that we are excited for. We love the fact that high schools call us back to do their homecomings and proms. Doing high school homecoming dances are different from doing other   events.  Most events you play background music then you go for dance music. High school homecoming events is straight energy from the start to the end.   There is no break in the action.

 Most homecoming dances are held the day after the big game. There was one school we did events for that would have the dance right after the game so it was a late night!

Last year we got the honor to do silent disco and hold down the main room for prom for Westmont. Loved the fact that people could get down in the main room and if they wanted fresh air then they could have put on headphones and be part of the silent disco. Then this year they asked us to do their Homecoming which was a lot of fun. Then they asked if we can do their prom and we of course are excited to be a part of it. Their homecoming playlist was so reassuring. They wanted the classics and all if it was songs from long ago. Lots of fun music on their list and I did see a lot of energy on the dance floor so we are looking forward again to be part of their night.

They have the   right ingredients for a fun night. A) They created a fun playlist with the jams.  B)  They invited young folks who really want to have a good time C) They choose us again to provide the soundtrack for their evening. We are very appreciative of Westmont   to agree to have us playing music for their high school. There are so many  dj’s   out there in  the bay area but we take pride in  doing events  for high  schooners. It’s  all about  finding out what they want to  hear and   knowing  how   much  of  the song  we should play.

 Two weeks before the prom the school mentioned that they wanted silent disco in the patio area. We have done silent disco before but mentioned we do not own the gear but we know how to set it up. I gave the director a suggestion of a company we used. The cool thing about these companies is they send the silent disco gear by mail and then you send it back. It took a week to confirm that they were going to confirm with the silent disco event. I had a dj in the main room rocking with 4 speakers and one dj rocking the patio rocking with 0 speakers. The cool thing about silent disco you can have 1 to 3 djs in the same area mixing music while the party folks have 3 options of what mixes they want to  listen to. Also you do not have the neighbors complaining about the noise from the bass since it comes through the head phones. Plus, Silent disco is an awesome experience. You can select the type of music you want and can control the volume of it so you don’t have to worry about your eardrums blowing out. For this party we had a dj spinning live in the patio and we had two different kinds of genres playing on the other channels.  We had Latin music playing on one channel like cumbia and  reggaeton and the other channel had pop songs that are good to sing a long with.

I have been at the Doubletree/ Pruneyard a few times and it had been great the times I have played there. They have an inside event space for private dinners or parties and they have a nice outside event space for all sorts of functions. It is right off the freeway so it is convient to drive to. The event coordinators and staff are way fun and easy to work with. 

I was able to be part of the Celebration of Life recently. Each Celebration of Life event I have done has never been the same. When I was there, there was a mariachi playing while everyone was eating. Then I was on to play the songs the guest of honor enjoyed. Celebration of Life is a truly a Celebration of family and friends sharing the music that he loved. People got up and danced but it was a very good vibe that night. The weather was nice and the space was well kept.

The outside area has a few ways to enter. If you are there early you can set up before the guests arrive but say you are playing after another band or group then the back entrance will be the way to go. There is a loading parking area that make it for easily transport. Actually, it would be best to set up but going through the back. They had a bar in the back to serve drinks and people were able to partake in the buffet line outside.

Right before new years I got to be part of a private party. It was from a family I djed before at a different venue and they wanted to celebrate different events since everyone was locked down for so long. Miss L gave me a good list to work with. She had a lot of songs she grew up listening to plus she had different family members share their list with her. It was a mix of old school and good dance music. We traveled from the 50s sock hop era with stops with 70s classic rock, and 90s dance. 

 The event was at the Double Tree at the Pruneyard in Campbell. They had a banquet room on the second floor. They had around 7 tables and there were under 30 folks in attendance. There was a dance floor there. It was cute since the staff wanted to put a table on the dance floor for appetizers and Miss L was not going to have it. She was like we are going to dance the whole night so please move the table elsewhere. She was right. Dancing was happening the whole night. Double Tree even had my silverware ready on my table but I did not have a chance to eat since there was always someone dancing. Typically, you play music with low to medium energy during dinner time but we were putting up the energy in high gear. 

  Venue space was nice and staff was very courtesy. Guests were polite and loved to dance. It was a good night!