There are many ways to do a Latin Party. You can have one at your house which is a lot of work.  You will have to prep your house with decorations and order chairs and have the food ready.  Or you can have one at a venue which can provide a space for you and have a food at the location already.  Why not have a Latin party at a Mexican restaurant. We had our party at the Green Onion in San Pedro.  They had a regular restaurant with a banquet room.

  I got there and the mariachi was playing. When they had a break then I started to set up the gear. It’s a beautiful thing when vendors work together to make it happen. Some folks can be difficult but this Mariachi was very accommodating. They had their instruments in the area I wanted to set up and told me it was ok.

  People were dancing with the mariachi so I wanted to keep the party going. I had the choice of old school music or Spanish music and of course I went Spanish. We went Spanish for a little bit then they wanted 70s party music. Bee Gees here we come! It is fabulous to go from Spanish to English party music. There is so much too choose from. You can do like 3 to 5 songs of one genre then jump around to get more engagement. Overall it was a fun night in San Pedro. People were about to talk on the mic and gave kind words to the birthday girl.

  Weddings are not the same ole weddings from before. Back in the day everyone used the same venues and now that is not the case. People are now using Airbnbs as their unique venue. These locations can be more affordable than a typical wedding venue. It can provide an intimate place for family and friends for your special wedding day. A typical wedding venue has strict rules on how to décor your location but with airbnbs there is way more flexibility. Also with multiple rooms guests can have access to a place to stay and you have a place to hold the after party.

  I was part of a wedding in San Jose. It was a hot day and I was under a canopy. I was playing instrumental covers of the preceremony music. The bride had a surprise while her partner walked the aisle and sang the processional song as she entered. It was a beautiful ceremony then we all went   inside the house during cocktail hour since it was super hot. When it was time for dinner we ate outside while we played Spanish music.

 We did the grand entrance and first dance right after dinner. Then it was the dance part of the night. We did a lot of fun Mexican dance music and there were some great singers who wanted to serenade the couple with karaoke. The Brides had a great night and the intimate wedding was a really memorable moment. It was so intimate and it seemed like everyone really got to know everyone.

Lots of Spanish hits and lots of great memories.

  Had a party this past Saturday. It was 20 minutes away so I got there an hour early. Took all the  gear out and I was assigned a corner of the yard right next to the dance floor. You can put me anywhere as long as I have power and can see the dance floor.  It was mom’s birthday so the daughters gave thanks to mom. The night was full of Spanish music. In the beginning we do not want to put in the Spanish dance classics so early while everyone was eating. We went with the classic ranchera music. Lots of Vicente Hernandez during dinner time. Then we had to save the cumbia for the dance portion. We went cumbia after cumbia and that got everyone close. We were supposed to play till 11 but we were asked to stay an extra hour.

 Love doing Latin parties. For the most part we stick with the cumbias then we can throw in some salsa music then some salsa music but the main songs will be cumbias. Sometimes you can throw in some Latin house with some Pitbull and you would be safe.

 They were awesome host and they made sure I got to indulge in the tacos and Mexican food. Yes I do eat when invited but I finish it all in about 7 minutes. I have to make sure songs are playing. I do not believe in dead air.

 We played outside till midnight and we did not get a police warning. It was a great night with a lot of dancing.

21-year-old Birthday Party in La Habra (Los Angeles Dj Serving Burbank, Hollywood, Glendale and Brea)

When it comes to doing an old school party then I cannot refuse. Parents wanted freestyle music and an old school vibe for their daughters 21st birthday. They sent me a playlist and I added to their great list. The party was in the back yard and they told me I can set up anywhere. Ideally I would set up next to the dance floor but there was no dance floor. Ideally I would want to be close to power and I got my wish. It would be best to be in the shade but I only had an hour in the direct sunlight. Started out with some old Mexican music while the people were eating. Then we moved over to 80s pop music and threw in some Freestyle music. There was no dancing this night while folks just sat in their chairs while tapping their toes. I still wanted to provide a show but doing a quick mix of their favorite old school jams. We went old school for a while. The folks seemed to be happy with the old school vibe.

 The hosts were very kind and made sure I got some food.  I made sure I had songs lined up so there was no dead air. I had the best bbq I have had in a long time. (https://socalbbq-catering.com)  Its so good that I am having a birthday celebration and we are getting the same folks to cook for my guests. The chicken and ribs were mouth watering and the potatoes and beans were on point.

Nothing beats a party with old school beats and awesome bbq. It was a fun night with a great vibe.

Audio for Graduation in Gilroy and going to a Los Angeles Graduation (Bay Area Dj serving San Jose, Gilroy, and Morgan Hill) (Los Angeles Dj serving Hollywood, Glendale and Burbank)

 We love doing sound for graduations. We find out who our audience is and we prep the playlist. Of course we listen to the must plays and we do play them. Most often time we have free reign in what to play for the audience. Typically, we have an hour before the ceremony to set the mood. We have been doing a high school graduation in graduation for years. We did it before the pandemic then we took a few years off then it was back open for business. They have their function at Christmas Hill Park They have a built in stage so its an easy set up. The majority of the guests are Latinos. So we play Latino music. Most places try to stay safe and play English music. We are the opposite, since we want to create a memorable experience. We want to create a joyous experience for the celebration. We don’t want to play English music that the guests don’t typically listen to.

I was a guest at a nice venue in downtown Los Angeles. Just to rent the venue it runs about 20k. It is a really really nice venue where top musicians play. This was another graduation with 96 percent of the graduates being Latino. I was a guest and not the dj for this event. They played all English music and alternative music. I am pretty sure most of the folks have never heard the music before. The ceremony was a beautiful one but what was missing was music that moved the crowd before the ceremony and at the end. It is so important to have that for the audience. You have to really know the crowd. The crazy thing about the expensive venue was they were given the songs by us and they did not even play it. Expensive does not necessarily mean better in this case.

We had two SJSU graduates throw a celebration in San Jose. I arrived an hour early and I was all set up and ready to go with 20 minutes to spare. So what do I do? I start playing the jams. I did notice a lot of older latinos there so I went with the old school Spanish music. We went with the cumbia classics. When it my true time to play, I started with their playlist. It was a lot of reggaeton plus with some hip hop. I was playing as many of their songs as I could since I want it to be as custom as can be.

They were good hosts and multiple people were asking me if I ate or needed a drink. I felt at home with the crowd. They were into the same music that I was into. I felt I was with my right crowd. I was playing hits from the 2000s and 2010s. The folks were singing along with the songs. I felt I had them when I was playing bay area anthems and I felt the energy. We. were hitting hard with the cumbias then going to 2000s sing-along pop then hitting up with some bay area classics. I loved the energy in the room plus I was playing like a minute of a half per song.

They had a mechanical bull that got a lot of attention. I have never seen a mechanical bull at a private party but it was a huge hit. It was just funny seeing if people can get on it themselves without any help and to see how long they will last on the bull.

   It was a surprise party for the birthday boy but I overheard him that he knew it was happening when he was asked about a playlist. But he was super happy on his special day in North Hollywood.  It was a nice neighborhood and folks were very accommodating. They asked me where I wanted to set up and I was like I’m good where ever they have power and preferably not in the sun. They playlist was all Salsa Music. Lot of it was classic salsa. I was told there will be a mix of all races so be free to change things up.  This can be challenging if you do not know how to read the room. Luckily we know how to read the room.  So we went with a Latin theme. We hit it up with Cumbias and Merengue music. The main English music that got them grooving was 90s dance music. Trying to keep it old school. I love parties like this where we can jump around from Latin music to old school English music. Its like you have all these tools to keep the party going.

   The guests were so nice. I got asked multiple times if I needed food or drinks. We ended up going an extra hour. That is the benefit of having a do at your house there is no time limit of how long you can go but the only concern is the neighbors but the key is not to be super loud and be considerate.  It was a fabulous  party in North Hollywood.

 We had a great time playing in North Hollywood the other day. It was a surprise 80th birthday party.  It was such a surprise even I did not even know.  It was a dark street and the address was semi hidden and I typically can tell who is having a party on a street. I unloaded my gear and my start time was at 7 and I was there around 610 and I was asked that grandpa is close and I have to be ready soon. So I got everything set up and was playing 15 minutes before I was supposed to start. Anything to make the party go smoothly. We were stationed in the backyard and when grandpa came in he was greeted with Las Mananitas then Vicente Fernandez. The first hour we were playing Mexican oldies then an hour in we just mostly did cumbias the rest of the night. It was a catered party with a lot of desserts. The cake had a picture of the man of the hour. It was a festive group that liked to dance. All the requests they wanted I was able to find them on my computer or I had to stream them via the internet.

  It was a cold night but the dance floor was hot. It was my kind of party. They offered me cake like three different times. They were the perfect hosts. We had the music at a good volume and we did not get any complaints.