This past weekend, I had the pleasure of being part of an unforgettable 50th birthday celebration at Dante Robere Vineyards in beautiful Livermore, California. Arriving about an hour and fifteen minutes before the festivities began, the vineyard was already bustling with energy and anticipation. The staff greeted me warmly and asked whether I’d be setting up indoors or outdoors—after a quick check with the event coordinator, it was confirmed that I’d be indoors for the main event.

Dante Robere Vineyards offers a gorgeous setting, and their outdoor patio was packed with guests enjoying wine and dinner under the spring sky. The organizers asked if I could run a speaker outside so the music could be enjoyed throughout the space—and of course, we made it happen!

The birthday honoree came prepared with a playlist packed with classics. We kicked off the evening with a mix of '80s pop for the dinner portion, setting a nostalgic and upbeat tone. Guests were swaying, smiling, and enjoying every minute of it.

As the sun set and the party moved back indoors, we transitioned into a full-blown '90s dance party. From hip hop to boy bands, the old-school jams had everyone on their feet, reliving memories and creating new ones.

It was a night filled with laughter, dancing, and great wine. Dante Robere Vineyards proved to be the perfect venue—its blend of rustic charm and modern amenities made it ideal for celebrating life’s milestones.

If you're looking for a Livermore winery to host a birthday party or special event, I highly recommend checking out Dante Robere. Great vibes, stunning views, and a team that truly knows how to help make magic happen.

  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.

  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!

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.

 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.

  They had a grand opening at Valley Fair. That mall is forever growing and keeping up with  Santana Row. We got the chance to work with Classic Tees. It is a shirt store for Middle Age Men and younger men too. These are shirts that look good on men. And they opened up a new location at Valley Fair.

We were playing from 2 too 7. They had a wheel where customers could win prizes. They did  have a vintage arcade game there too.  The vibe was fun and festive. Music does make and break the occasion. The music we collaborated with were the 80s. 90s 00s and 10s and some current hip songs. We love getting that large array of music to work with. The people working the store were quite polite and welcoming. We see big things happening for this store and let’s welcome this cool place to the Bay Area!

Black and White Affair were in Sunnyvale and San Jose the first week of November to celebrate Homecoming with two different high schools. Both playlists were way different but both parties were way fun!

 The Kings Academy has always been a fun place to dj at.  The coordinator shared their approved playlist and we followed it to a t. We did their homecoming last year and their prom and this year we are up again for their homecoming. This is our latest homecoming as timewise. It started around 9 15 and it went till 11:45 pm. They actually play the game Friday then straight after the game its party time. We find the students to be very respectful and overall well mannered folks. It was again a fun night in Sunnyvale.

  The next day we were at down town and played at a local high school. We had a list we worked off but we had more to work with and had their list as the baseline and we incorporated other songs that fit the vibe we were feeling.  Everyone was dressed nice and they were ready to party. We have a little more flexibility with the playlist so we read the crowd and gave them what they wanted. From the vibes, students wanted latin music so we gave them latin music. We also played the current hip hop but it was a good night downtown.