FEBUARY DEMO 2018 PLAYLIST
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SAY SOMETHING
ZEDD THE MIDDLE
DRAKE GOD’S PLAN
BRUNO MARRS CARDI B FINESSE
NF LET YOU DOWN
MIGOS WALK IT TALK IT
CAMILA CABELLO NEVER BE THE SAME
SIA DAVID GUETTA HELIUM
MAROON 5 WAIT
EMINEM RIVER
HAILEE STEINFELD AND ALESSO LET ME GO
CHARLIE PUTH HOW LONG
HALSEY BAD AT LOVE
G-EAZY ASAP CARDI B NO LIMIT
MIGOS MOTORSPORT
ASAP PLAIN JANE
R&B and 90’s Video Playlist
I love me some 90’s R&B music. I was inquired for a video mix opportunity and they wanted one of my favorite types of music.
112 FT NOTIORIOUS BIG ONLY YOU
702 WHERE MY GIRLS AT
AALIYAH ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY
AALIYAH BACK AND FORTH
AALIYAH IF YOUR GIRL ONLY KNEW
ADINA HOWARD FREAK LIKE ME
BBD POISON
BLACKSTREET NO DIGGITY
BOYZ TO MEN MOTOWNPHILLY
BRANDY I WANNA BE DOWN
BRANDY AND MONICA THE BOY IS MINE
CASE TOUCH ME TEASE ME
DESTINY’S CHILD JUMPIN’ JUMPIN’
DESTINY’S CHILD SAY MY NAME
DONELL JONES U KNOW WHAT’S UP
DRU HILL HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE
EN VOGUE FREE YOUR MIND
EN VOGUE MY LOVIN’
FUGEES KILLING ME SOFTLY
GHOSTTOWN DJS MY BOO
GINUWINE PONY
GROOVE THEORY TELL ME
JADE DON’T WALK AWAY
JADE I WANNA LOVE YOU
JANET JACKSON IF
JANET JACKSON THAT’S THE WAY LOVE GOES
JODECI COME AND TALK TO ME
JOHNNY GILL RUB YOU THE RIGHT WAY
KCI AND JOJO ALL MY LIFE
KARYN WHITE ROMANTIC
MARK MORRISON RETURN OF THE MACK
MARY J BLIGE REAL LOVE
MICHAEL JACKSON REMEMBER THE TIME
MONTELL JORDAN GET IT ON TONITE
NEXT TOO CLOSE
NEW EDITION HIT ME OFF
PEBBLES GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT
SHAI IF I EVER FALL IN LOVE
SHANICE I LOVE YOUR SMILE
SILK FREAK ME
SOUL FOR REAL CANDY RAIN
SWV I’M SO INTO YOU
SWV RIGHT HERE
SWV WEAK
TLC BABY BABY BABY
TLC CREEP
TLC NO SCRUBS
TLC UNPRETTY
TLC WATERFALLS
TONY TONI TONE FEELS GOOD
ZHANE GROOVE THANG
ZHANE HEY MR. DJ
January 2017 Demo PLAYLIST
I GET THE BAG GUCCI MANE FT MIGOS
BANK ACCOUNT 21 SAVAGE
MOTOR SPORT MIGOS FT NICKI MINAJ AND CARDI B
YOU DA BADDEST FUTURE FT NICKI MINAJ
EX CALLING 6LACK
ROCKSTAR POST MALONE FT 21 SAVAGE
JUICE YO GOTTI
PLAIN JANE ASAP FERG
NO LIMIT G-EAZY ASAP ROCKY AND CARDI B
PERFECT DUET ED SHEERAN AND BEYONCE
FILTHY JUST TIMBERLAKE
BEST FRIEND SOFI TUKKER FT NERVO, THE KNOCKS ALISA UENO
THE WEEKEND SZA FT NATHANIEL
LET ME GO HAILEE STEINFELD AND ALESSO FT FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
FINESSE BRUNO MARS AND CARDI B
HAVANA CAMILA CABELLO FT YOUNG THUG
QUESTIONS CHRIS BROWN
HOW LONG CHARLIE PUTH
FAKING IT CALVIN HARRIS FT KEHLANI AND LIL YACHTY
GUCCI GANG LIL PUMP
BARTIER CARDI CARDI B FT 21 SAVAGE
Best Advice I have heard about being a DJ?
Always work on your craft. I do believe practice makes perfect. My parents must truly love me when I first got my turntables and speaker. I would put in the work. Never once they came in and told me to turn it down. I was a man on a mission. Back at that time, there was no sync button so one had to mix by ear.
Keep up with the newest technology
Every January is the NAMM show where the newest latest gear is exhibited. The best time to pick up gear is after that show since new gear is coming out. I do want to pick up these tall speakers for big venues but I do not know what new gear is out yet so I am waiting to see what is really out there. At the show they will exhibit new software along with new clear sounding equipment.
Customer Service is the most important aspect of a business
There is a lot of competition out there and customer service is a lost art. Customers need to be treated well. People do not hire service companies for the service but rather hire for the experience. Two ways of communication needs to be had.
Always have your backups
I always try to be two steps ahead. I always take multiple computers with me to events. 2012 was the last time I had a beach ball on my mac on my external hard drive and it took like a minute for the song to come on. The very next day I got a new mac with a bigger internal drive and have not had any issues since. Not only computers, I take I do take multiple set ups too since I always like being prepared. I am grateful for controllers since it is turntables and mixers all in one.
Worst Advice I have heard as a DJ
The louder the better! I totally disagree. Every venue or big room has its limits. When people walk by, it just looks bad when everyone is covering their ears since it’s so loud. During weddings, guests want to talk while having dinner so music is just background music.
Promote Promote and Promote
I do believe in self-promotion but there is a time and place for everything. I heard of a wedding where the dj would play a sound snippet of his dj name through out the night. The wedding clients are already paying the dj a lot of money. Sometimes djs will have their banner up during a wedding. Weddings are all about the couple. If a dj is truly a good dj, people will ask for their card personally or ask the couple for the dj’s contact information.
How to Dj at a Night Venue that has their own equipment?
A few years ago, I would be playing every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday downtown San Jose. It was an easy set up. I started off by taking 6 cases of vinyl then eventually went to a cd case. Eventually that evolved to taking blank serato special cds with a laptop with all our music. We knew we had the option of using CD turntables or record turntables. It was very familiar.
Recently got a call to do a happening spot up north in Burlingame. We played there years ago then started doing more of the mobile route. The question is what set up do they have and what would I have to bring? I could go see the equipment before the event but that would require me to drive 40 minutes. I asked for a photo of the mixer and asked what turntables were being used.
The mixer of a top of a line Pioneer Mixer with two technic turntables. It is importatant to know the mixer so the dj can download the driver for the computer. Most often than not it is Serato Friendly. I was able to get the driver and install it on my computer. If one does not do that when the usb is attached to the computer it then it would not read it.
I also brought my controller as a back up in case for some reason the mixer cannot be read by my computer. All I would have to do was to plug in the master speaker cables to my controller. I had to remember to bring my vinyl needles with Serato Vinyl. Everything worked perfectly.
I was able to talk to some staff to get a feel for the kind of music the folks like at the venue. I already had my playlist, but it helps get that information. I knew my age demographic was 21 to 35. That means get all the new hip-hop songs they play on the radio and get in some throwbacks.
The biggest decision of the night was what song to play after midnight. I love the old school and I wanted to throw in Too Short Blow the Whistle after midnight. But I had to succumb to playing G- Eazy’s Limitless. I had the track that was made for NYE and it had the countdown included as the intro. You just had to throw it in exactly one minute before midnight.
It is always good to be prepared. Make sure the computer has the driver for the mixer and make sure Serato Vinyl or Serato CDs are brought with needles. Once you become familiar with the set up then the back up will be easier. It is always better to be over prepared then underprepared.
Top Songs of 2017
This year was a fantastic year and it was a blur. Something I noticed with each year time goes by faster. I do appreciate every minute. Also with time I appreciated the new music that came out this year. I did notice that hip-hop songs became slower. Back in the 90s, the beats per minute were about 90 to 100 bpm but this year a lot of the hits were 65 to 75 bpms.
Feel it Still by Portugal the Man
It does have an old school feel and at times it is hard to tell if a man or woman is singing it. It is very catchy. Band is based from Alaska.
Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
This song was always on. It crossed borders and made many folks dance to the Latin rhythm.
Humble By Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar can write bars and is a genius when it comes to writing meaningful lyrics. Throw in a dope hip-hop beat and you got a hit.
Bodak Yellow By Cardi B
Its great to see Female on the hip hop charts. She flows like a river on this song and its her break through hit that put her on the map.
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft Rihanna and Bryson Tiller
Santana’s Maria Maria was reincarnated into this 2017 hit. Brought to life by Rihannas catchy hook, made this a club favorite.
Mi Gente By J Balvin and Willy William
This song was made with Willy William beat from another William song Voodoo Song. There is a remix with Beyonce on the vocals that also was popular
Lemon By N.E.R.D ft Rihanna
NERD is reunited to produce this fresh dance hit. In the video, Rihanna shaves dancers hair off. Song is such a it I would do the same too.
This is the most important question. This should be the first question asked. If they are booked than ask if there is anyone else they recommend. A lot of djs have other djs that they trust and know that they do good work.
We have been in the dj business since 2004. We have done over 50 weddings.
I believe in making the couple comfortable. Communication is key. I try to make the wedding as custom as possible. I am able to reedit songs to fit first dances. I believe in having a google doc to create a living document that can change at any time at the discretion of the couple.
We do provide lights for our dj events. Unfortunately we do not have photo booths but I do highly recommend a photo booth operator that does awesome work.
Back in the door, I would make cds galore. Now I put all my mixes on mixcloud.
I have a wide arrange of music ranging from old school to current hits.
Mixcloud.com/wingmansj
I do not believe in a cookie cutter wedding. Every detail should be custom based on the couple. If they have no ideas then I can suggest prior songs that are typically used. But I encourage them to use songs that mean something to them. If they cannot pick between two songs, I can edit it to fit the time period that they want to play it.
I do belong to a digital pool, which provides me with about 500 new songs a month. I do keep up to date but I am most proud of my original collection. I do love the older stuff but every day I get the new music so I am up to date.
I always welcome requests from the guests. A lot has to deal with what is going on with the time. For example if someone wanted a classical song during the dance portion of the wedding I would give him or her a few choices that would fit the vibe. But if someone wanted the classical song during the dinner hour then that would be an easy fit.
The wedding is the night for the couple. If they do not want the Chicken Dance or anything by Britney Spears then so be it. This is your night and lets make it memorable.
No, Black and White affair does not post signs or banners with equipment. This day is for the bride and groom and not about Black and White affair. We keep it professional and classy.
How have I changed over the years of Djing.
When I first started I was part of a duo. With my Dj partner we would load up his truck and set all the dj equipment up. I would be in total ease while we were setting up since my dj partner was an engineer so he could fix any issue. He would be sort of stressed while we set up. But we always had everything up and ready. I would be the music man on the turntables and he would Emcee. I could easily stand behind the decks and play music nonstop. I would not want to speak on the microphone. I would be focused on the music and the smooth transitions. Occasionally I would speak on the mic but I felt like it was not my bag of tea. I would worry about feedback and how my voice would sound amplified. Microphones have to be held a certain way to sound better. Also when you stand too close to the speakers it can cause feedback.
Later my Dj partner moved away and I had to bring all the equipment myself in my own vehicle. I had to load everything myself and unload and set up. I make sure I show up an hour or more before an event to set everything up. I still do not stress since I bring back ups to my back ups and never have to worry about something not working. I at first was reluctant to speak on the mic. But with practice, everything becomes easier. I never had issues in front of a crowd but there is something different with speaking on a microphone. A few times I month I do monthly presentations for 45 minutes so speaking aloud is not an issue. I actually enjoy doing announcements for events.
Of course, there has been technology advances. Back in the day, I would make mix cds and hand them out. Now I can post mixes online and folks around the world can preview it. Now, I can send a link in case someone wants to hear a mixing sample.
