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.

  Recently I received a call to do a Latin event over in Granada Hills. The client sent me a list and I was digging the vibe. It was a lot of reggaeton and some cumbia. Artist like Bad Bunny, and  Karol G filled up the list.  A really popular artist was Los Socios Del RitmoOther artists like Ozuna, J Balvin, Rauw Alejandro There were a few English songs and even went as diverse as some country songs by Morgan Wallan. What I noticed about Latin parties that they really and I mean really love the cumbias. You can not go wrong with the classics and get the party going.

Originally we are going to play at a house then they got a studio over in North ridge.  It was small venue in a retail area.  They had a bar and a table to have dinner and a small dance floor. It was quite an intimate space. You can easily have around 25 folks to have dinner there and then they can let loose on the dance floor. Once I got there they had a musician who was jamming on a guitar and singing covers everyone knew. I set up next to the guitar player and I was ready to go. I was going to play 15 minutes ahead of schedule but I was prepared to start anytime they needed me. They started to eat then I started to play more music to get the party vibe then they cut the cake then it was time to get down. 

  We had a Corporate function at Dr. Funk in downtown San Jose in San Pedro Square. San Pedro Square is one of the most happening spots in the area.  There is so much to do there and its in a close vicinity. There is plenty of parking and you can literally hop from spot to spot in that area. 

Dr. Funk is a new tiki bar that can host private parties. We djed a private party last weekend and we had a ball. It was the second year we did an event for this company. Last year we were at Dave and Busters in Milpitas and now this year we were at San Pedro Square.

We loved their fun playlist.  They had Beyoncé, Dua  Lipa  then the classics from Mac Drew, Too Short, E-40  Keak da Sneak. A truly bay area party with those bay area legends and then some Ice Cube,Tupac, Biggie, Lil Kim, Mace, Faith Evans,  Eminem and Mary  J Blige.  Then they did request some pop hits from Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Nsync and Bruno Mars.

  We love these kind of lists. It gives us the ability to create a fun dance vibe on the dance floor. The party was on a Sunday and the next day was a holiday. It was smart of the company to rent out the place on a Sunday instead of a Saturday since it would cost more. The next day was a holiday so they can party like it is a Saturday. Love the fact that they had food there then it was dance time. The perfect party with a perfect  playlist!

  A lot has to deal with what time of day the dj is playing. Like the weekend can have more of the festive vibe while the morning during the weekday can be more chill.

It’s the djs duty to rotate some new jams in the rotation so the workers are not hearing the same songs over and over again. Every time I do a retail event I create a new playlist so no one can say I play the same songs over and over again. Why play the original song that everyone knows? Play a song everybody knows but with a new beat and feel to it. Find out what the theme that the store is focused on. Also keep in mind that it is not a night club and keep the volume at a modest level. You do not want the patrons to be screaming over the blissful beats that you are playing.

When I do play people love the diversity of the music. It is about seeing who is in the crowd and feeding them. When I mention feeding them, I mean keep on giving them what they want. I like to go disco, then maybe funk, Motown, then some 80s 90s and 2000s. Its not all about playing the same things you hear on the radio but playing songs folks can appreciate it. Just make sure you are keeping tabs with management on what they want plus keep an eye on the workers and patrons to keep on giving them what they want and that’s the vibe!

I got to be a part of a holiday event on a Sunday. They had a lot of local vendors selling a lot of Christmas items and plus also provided a pancake breakfast. I was here at 6:15 in the morning since the event started at 7. Since their typical Santa was not available to partake in the event they suggested a Santa Dj.  I do not own a Santa Suit but they provided a hat and coat. So I was a Santa DJ. I have   no issues wearing what the  lient wants. It is all about making the client happy. We were up on stage and we were able to hook up with the house system. There is a good benefit to that since we do not need to blare the music for the back to hear and the front folks would get the loudness since   they are close. I was able to have a good volume and the halls speakers reached the whole venue. Not all venues have house systems but its nice when it is actually connected.

  It is early Sunday Morning, so what do you play for a Christmas event? Of course we go with the Christmas Classics then you throw in some covers of the classics with todays stars. I would throw in some 90s 00s 10s pop but would always return to the Christmas music. It was a good event overall and they mentioned that typically they would just play an iPod but this was a way better experience.

To throw a big corporate event there has to be collaboration. You have to have the main point person then you have to delegate responsibilities. I was able to work with a team from Lockeed Martin. We had constant communication and everything ran smooth.

  They located a big venue downtown San Jose, the Guild House. Its huge and it is a creative space. There were tables so people can play board games and then different areas to play video games. Also for this event there was a photo booth.  Guild House had folks passing out delicious appetizers. Dinner was picked up by the side tables and they had choices of tamales and tostadas and chips and salsa/guacamole.

  I gave them a playlist to cover many genres. We decided to move out the country songs and replace them with Christmas songs.  We were mostly playing 80s and 90s and 00s pop music. The first hour or so we went for background music and then later we got a little more aggressive with danceable music. We did get a little louder to get folks on the dance floor and it worked. It seemed like the Latin music is what got folks ready for the dance floor. 85 percent of the music was English but the Spanish music was got the ants in the pants.  For 600 folks we brought 2 -3 way speakers and 4 tops. It was more than enough for the space.

  Overall it was a successful event with good food, a nice venue, and good people who made it a good time for all.

Crafting the perfect playlist for your event is both an art and a science. It can be tricky to get just the right mix of songs that will keep your guests engaged, entertained, and dancing. But with some planning and careful consideration of genre-specific tracks, you can create a dynamic playlist that will deliver the ultimate experience for everyone.

Planning the Structure of Your Playlist

The first step in creating a great playlist is to plan out the overall structure. Start by creating sections based on genre or vibe, like Pop & Dance, Electronic & House, Hip Hop & R&B, and Classics & Throwbacks. This will help you differentiate between each part of the night for your guests. Once you have these sections established, you can choose specific tracks to fit into each one. Make sure to pay attention to which genres are more popular with your crowd so you know what type of music they’ll be most likely to dance to. This way you can easily choose a few bangers from those genres to start off the night with a bang! Make sure you don’t use all your bangers so early. It is good to build it up. It does not make sense to  put all your songs right away  before everyone has arrived.

Break Times & Interludes

I went to a dance  to  chaperone  and the  dj  actually took a   break. That totally killed the vibe. As a professional dj, the show must go on. Most of the time, the music is on a  playlist so  no breaks are needed.

Creating a playlist for your event should be an enjoyable journey where you get to showcase your DJing skills and delight guests with tunes they love. With some careful planning and an eye towards genre-specific tracks, you can create an unforgettable experience that will have everyone jumping up from their seats and grooving all night long! So go ahead - get creative and make that party playlist shine!

 You may ask what is a Decathlon? How many miles does that consist of? Well its sort of like a race but with the mind. These are some of the top scholars of the state where they compete with their minds. They spend so much time prepping for this big show. This year they decided to do something different for their scholars. Usually these students spend a lot of their time studying and they wanted the kids to be kids and let loose. Black and White Affair were in charge to make that happen. This party had so much energy for the entire 3-hour event! We played at a great location at the Santa Clara Marriot. The ballroom included an outdoor patio that was wired with our speaker to provide audio inside and outside! We kept the big boy speakers inside to keep up with the energy that was in the room as the one solo speaker was handling its own for the patio area. As soon as the event started and music started playing, dancing immediately began, filling in the dance floor quickly. People overflowed to the dinning areas and outdoor area as there were a lot of people in attendance. Various amounts of request came from everyone, songs the had the biggest reactions include Baby-Justin Bieber, Boys are Liars pt 2-Ice Spice, sky- Playboi Carti, the undefeated Caballo Dorado with Payaso de Rodeo, and Yo Voy by Xion & Lennox kept the dance floor shaking.