https://www.directmusicservice.com/blog/2020/02/dms-mini-mix-week-407-dj-wingman/

Did a birthday party on Saturday at the Los Gatos Lodge. This was an enjoyable party since the Birthday girl gave me songs that went through many generations. She had the music she grew up with and some current songs. She invited her family and friends to the celebration.

She did not want to give a speech but some folks gave speeches about her after dinner. Birthday girl was the first one on the dance floor and was dancing the whole night. It was definitely a good vibe that night and the dancing itch was in full effect. It did make the night go faster. It was a 6-hour event and cocktail and dinner only took two hours and the remaining 4 hours was straight dancing. We did not finish early and went straight to 11. I have to applaud the birthday girl and the guests who danced the night away. They were not teenagers but with their energy they seemed to be like them. I took all requests and even played some super new music then the guest realized we had to go back to the old school and we did go back to the old school. Because we know old school rules!

What birthday girl wanted was some up lighting.  She ordered 6 up lights and I spaced them around the room. Up lights do add some class to the room.

Staff was very nice and made sure I got to eat too. It was a quick set up and a quick close out. I was able to park in front of the venue and put everything away in my suv.

One of my go to songs to get any party started in any language is Suavemente by Elvis Crespo. This song gets the hips going into merengue dancing. It’s a really basic step and not complicated so it can make any one with basic Cuban motion look like they know what they are doing. Throw in some turns and you look like a hero on the dance floor. This song was released in 1998 but it is one of the most requested songs for every Spanish party. This one song is a must.

Despacito was a hit in 2017 but people are still requesting it. I even have folks who do not speak Spanish ask for it. It did appeal to non Spanish folks since they have a rendition with Justin Bieber in it.  It is a good raggaeton song.

La Chona by Los Tucanes De Tijuana is a jam. It has an infectious beat. I do remember doing a party and a patron told me grandma wants to hear that song at least 3 times. I am not one to play songs three times in a one night but this one you can get away with since its such a fun song. This song will get people to the dance floor in no time.

The last but not least song is The Caballo Dorado by Payaso de Rodeo. This is a line dance and I a least get two requests a night for a Spanish Party. It does start off slow then it picks up. The slowness gives folks time to line up and then it goes super fast. It is a crowd pleaser.

There has to be a lot of coordination when it comes to a destination wedding. Once a venue is secured then the rest becomes easier. These are good questions to ask your venue

Is your Venue all included?

1) Are there options to pick what you want to pick or is there everything included. Get quotes for everything to do a price comparison. Some venues do have packages and some may have add ons.

2) Are you flexible with other vendors?

Some venues are particular in selecting other outside vendors. Sometimes they have their preferred vendors on their list and if you want a particular vendor then they may charge you more or ask for a certain insurance. It would be good to be upfront with the venue on what you would want.

3) What spaces are available for the ceremony and the reception?

 It ideal to have the ceremony and reception in the same area to limit the driving from place to place especially if you have to rely on someone else for transportation. Some if it cannot be avoided if you are going to get married at a church. It would be good to find out how may guests can the venue hold for the ceremony and reception. Also if you are interested in a venue ask them what would happen if weather was not favorable and what would be another option in case they had to move the ceremony elsewhere. A good venue always has a plan B in case the unexpected happens.

 Less than half a block away from the happening downtown area is a very snazzy hotel called the Los Gatos Toll House Hotel. The first time I went there I was blown away with how classy the establishment was. They have a nice outside area for ceremonies then for the reception they have a nice reception area to dance the night away. They place the dance floor anywhere you want it. The staff members are always pleasant. They are the definition of good hospitality.

I did a holiday party at the Toll House this past weekend. The group really liked to party and they started at the bar first. It was cocktail hour and they wanted some party music. Then dinner started and they still wanted some music to jam to. This was not your typical dinner crowd where you are playing Sinatra and Nat King Cole.  

The owner had some inspiring words to his staff member and he mentioned it was their best year ever. Everyone was ready to celebrate. The party started early and it went straight to closing time. It seemed like everyone was heading downtown night scene which is like a half block away.

Again, if you want a classy place to have a wedding or an event then the Toll House in Los Gatos is the place to go. They have excellent service and a good venue to have a monumental event. And one of the coolest things about it, folks can walk half a block to continue the party if they want to or able to go upstairs to their room if they need to rest from all the fun they just had.

Right off Highway 152 in Gilroy, there is a winery that can hold many kinds of events. There is plenty of space around it to have a good festive event there. The winery is called Fortino Winery.

I had a call for a Holiday party for a school at Fortino Winery. I have gone to Fortino Winery a few times since its one of my favorites wineries with one of the best tasting rooms around. I do like the fact that it has a long bar at the tasting room and friendly hosts. I  always wanted to play there since it has a good feel.

At Fortino Winery they have a large area for big events. They are able to hold large weddings at their facility. They do also have a smaller venue area to have smaller parties. At this event they had about 10 tables with 10 seats each. You can easily fit 3 more tables to have at least 130 guests at this wine house venue. They had 10 tables and they had plenty of room for a dance floor and an area for the dj plus an area for the phtobooth and it’s props.  On the opposite end they had a self served drink station and a bartender serving drinks on the other end.  

Staff was very friendly and accommodating which a plus at a venue. At some venues, some staff members may say hi but Fortino staff made sure we were taking care of. So if they are that great to the vendors imagine how nice their guests.

New Years is always a fun event. Masses of folks celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. This one we have coming up is special since it is the end of the decade. I have the opportunity to share this celebration with the folks at Dave and Busters in Milpitas.

  They are offering a buffet and a place to party. For me it is a no brainer when it comes to fun places in the south bay. The biggest task for me for the night is what song am I going to play when the clock hits midnight. The past two years it has been easy. The end of 2018 I went with N0 Limit by G-Eazy and the following year I went with Sicko Mode by Travis Scott. But this year, there has not been a song for me that really stood out. If I go by the charts then my choices would be Old Town Road and Juicy by Lizzo. But I am not feeling those songs.

I always had a track that had the countdown but this year I will do the count down myself and throw in my surprise  song for the night. In my head, I am drawn to Little John or Too Short. Then again, Act Up by the City Girls was a big hit this past year. Again a dj’s job is the read the crowd and only time will tell.

One of the sites where I get my dj music is called Crate Gang. They do a good job of having tracks that I can not find and they make them dj friendly. I have been able to do some edits of my own that they have posted on their site. This week they gave me the opportunity to have the mix of the week. https://www.mixcloud.com/CrateGangRadio/crate-gang-radio-ep-4-dj-wingman/

  So I was fortunate to be at two different Marriott’s in two different cities and I was equally impressed with both Hotels. On Friday, I was in San Ramon Marriot. I had to park in the back in the dock of the hotel to unload my equipment. I was greeting by multiple workers. Most of the time I am ignored but it feels good to be greeted. In the back of the hotel they have rules to remind the employees. It just reinforces the concept of good customer service. On the sign, it mentions to smile to customers and also greet them. When I was unloading some employees asked if I need a bigger cart to help unload. Through out the night, I had to stay close to my mixer to make sure there was no feedback so I could not go out to eat but one of the employees asked if I need a drink and made sure I was hydrated.

  To have good customer service helps a venue become great. They hotel had 3 sources of entertainment going on at one time consisting of a band and two djs. In the room we were at we had a few chrismas trees that were decorated. They had outlets for power but also had power boxes incase I need more juice. Only a few places I have seen have that option of getting more power from the power box so it is good to have rather then not to have.  

   We had two events in two different Marriott’s and both of them excelled in customer service. Both places were elegant and the wait staff was very cheery. It was also nice that at the end of the event the staff was not trying to eagerly have me leave the premises with my equipment. Overall a top notch experience with a very good hotel chain.