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.

Latin Party in East San Jose (Bay Area Latin Spanish Dj serving San Jose, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, San Martin, Gilroy and Morgan Hill)

  We got a call from a person looking for a dj for a graduation in San Jose. They had call us before for a dj for the daughters 16-year-old birthday party but opted to go with another dj a few years back. I do remember them since they were like a block away from the house I owned at the time. In my head I was like yes, they are a few minutes away and they want Latin music so I was excited for it. Of course, we thanked them for considering us. Recently they called us again but this time they were like we want to book you. If one looks up Latin or Spanish dj we pop up on google. It is what we do and love doing it. We love doing these events since Latin music brings out all the dancers I never asked how the other event went but we were available on their date. His daughter was graduating high school and they wanted a Spanish music as their soundtrack to their event.  They gave us a great list of regional Mexican Music. We supplemented it with cumbia music and some reggaeton.

 The guests were so nice and they were dancing the whole night. It was a great party with a great vibe. For your Latin (Spanish) Party, please call Black and White Affair dj!

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.

We had the honor to do Westmont’s prom for the second year in the row. I love how the school picks a different venue every year. They went with the Saratoga Mountain Winery. The winery is located in the very photogenic Santa Cruz Mountains which is a fabulous backdrop for prom pics. There is plenty of space outside for prom folks to dance under the stars and bask in the fresh air plus be in beautiful surroundings. Just the ambiance of the location will make it a memorable prom night. We are all about having a plan B in Black and White Affair so at Saratoga Mountain Winery they have indoor facilities incase there is a weather hiccup.  When a school does rent out the winery then it gives it the VIP feel since students are the only ones who can enjoy the night there. The beauty of this location is that it is easy to get to from south bay schools.

  So if you do want a nice outside venue then Saratoga Mountain Winery is a must. Westmost again gave us a great playlist to work with. Students dressed super nice and were polite. Party was  at 6 so we had to come in early to set up. We got there early to accommodate the venue then we were able to go back home to change and get back.

   Overall it was a fun night at a nice venue. Definitely a memorable prom night at Saratoga Mountain Winery.

  Prom season is among us. We had a busy homecoming season so our playlists were current with the hits the high schoolers love. We love proms since they give us killer playlists every time we do an event and students take the dance experience to the next level. Prom for most students is a one of a lifetime event and it is our duty   as djs to give them the experience that they deserve.

  We did Evergreen’s Prom at the Hayes Mansion. We have played there before and it’s a beautiful venue for any kind of event. The mansion is surrounded by 20 acres of pretty gardens providing beautiful pictures.  A positive is the venue is easily accessible from major highways. Evergreen always brings the energy for all dances.

 Our other prom the school was Kimball High located in Tracy and they had their prom over at the Glasshouse. With over 12000 square feet of space, the Glasshouse can handle big proms with lots of room for dancing and socializing and have space for photo booths.

Dj Rich held it down at the Glasshouse.

 How were the proms similar?  Both had positive vibes and students had a good time. Students were dressed super nice.  How was it different? The Tracy high school had more Latin music than Evergreen.

 Glasshouse is also a beautiful venue at the heart of downtown San Jose.  We still have two more proms to go this season as of right now. We are looking forward to playing at a Saratoga Mountain Winery and at Levi Stadium.

  Be the hip planner to incorporate a vinyl dj for the event. When a vinyl dj plays at a corporate event it gives is a vintage feel that can bring back memories and it can fit the theme and vibe of the event. Also just the sight of vinyl records is appealing and add to the atmosphere of the event. Just the visual of a dj switching records for each song can create a cool ambiance.

A lot of folks say that vinyl records do produce a different sound than of digital formats. One can say that vinyl can produce a warmer, rich sound compared to digital tracks thus giving a better listening experience. It does seem there are a lot of digital djs around and hiring a vinyl dj will bring a different experience that not too many folks have experienced and it would be one that truly stands out. I do have to say vinyl djs have the experience to solidify their skills since collecting records is an ongoing mission and djs take serious since it is expensive to maintain.

There is no such thing as a sync button (to have songs seamlessly mix) so these vinyl djs are more skilled to mix by ear. In a nutshell, vinyl djs at corporate events can create a unique feel to the event and make it memorable for all those that attend. Call Black and White Affair to bring the Vintage Dj experience for the corporate event.

  Now its easy to prep for a dj night. Well I cannot say too easy but we definitely have to carry less to events. We used to play at the clubs 3 nights a week. We would have the latest tracks on record and we had all the classics. We would bring 6 crates every time we did events. We would have the classic hip hop and the latest hip hop and the current pop and funk. We would always focus on the current music but we would always dive in the older stuff in the beginning of the night.  Why not play some 80s new wave then jump into some funk? 90’s hip hop was always a hit and then once the crowd started to show up then we would go with the current music.  Once it hit midnight, I would have to go with the midnight mix.  From 12 to 1 we would go hard with the biggest hits. That had to be the peak of the night.  Then from 1 to 130 we would tone it down a bit. I would always do a slow song   as the last song of the night.  There was one club that would always wants Journey at the end of the night.  No matter what that had to be the last song of the night. But I would like to do a r&b  song to end on. The greatness of vinyl is you can only play what you bring. Never have to download any track and you just say you   don’t have it on record.

Setting up a lip dub involves a lot of planning and total buy in from the school. It would be good if the school has an advisory or homeroom so they can practice their part. First thing first, they need to select a few songs that are hip and clean as can be. Once those songs are selected then each class will have a portion of the song they are responsible for. Classes practice their part and they dress the part. Its good to do a test run so student know how to pace their part of the song.

 We recommend a dj setting up audio gear so music can be heart through the school. Depending on how big the school is I would recommend 4 to 6 speakers spread out to cover more ground. Make sure the wires are taped up or where no one can trip because there are students everywhere doing dance routines and not really paying attention on where they step. Playing it through the intercom will sound really bad. Best to do 2 to 3 takes of each song so it can be cut and pasted the parts that will be used. Once its recorded then they dub over the audio with the actual song so it sounds clean.

   This is a whole school activity and kids can be kids. They can make up dance routines or they can do silly things that they will always remember. Build some culture in your school and have Black and White Affair Dj do your audio for your lip dub event.