Sometimes you may think why not have a grand event in your back yard. I have to say most backyards may not be as fancy but if you live in the south county area some folks have more real estate to have a grand event. A few months ago I did a fun quincenera in San Martin. The house had plenty of acres and a nice paver area for the dance floor. Last week, I returned to the house and they now had overhangs to provide needed shade and lights. It gave it a really nice look. The place could consider maybe having more events since its so spacious and there is plenty of parking but that is besides the point.

We had the ceremony as the groom’s dad was the officiant. Five minutes before the ceremony we played the military wake up call to get everyone in their seats. Ceremony was a nice one then it went straight to the cocktail time. There was no grand entrance since bride and groom didn’t leave the area to take pictures and were able to partake in the cocktail hour.

We did the first dance to pantera and there were many parent dances. Then the rest of the night we had open dancing. There were some guest performances with folklorico dancing and grandma and niece had a duet. Then we had a surprise jam session with the groom on his electrical guitar. Truly a very talented family. No two weddings are ever the same.

Party was very nice and they had a party planner that set up chairs and the coolest thing I saw there were was hot taki stand.

Every party is never the same. And of course I had one that was way different when it came to music programing. The night started off with 90s alternative. It’s a rarity that we go that route but there is a lot of good music back then by Alanis Morrisette and Green Day and Sheryl Crow. Then when it was dance time we went Spanish music.

The classic Spanish music I went for the last hour. The crazy thing was the whole night no one requested any songs till the last 10minutes. They did give me an awesome list to work off.  Again no party is ever the same. I see their list and use their list and try to add songs that would feed that vibe.

Timbiriche was the group of the night. Also Intocable was well appreciated. It seemed like these songs were sung by the guests. We did sneak in some modern English dance songs but the songs of the night had to be Spanish.

When it hit 11, we had to stop the music but the guests went back in the house to continue the party. Songs that were getting down to after were Ven Bailalo by Angel Y Khriz, Meneaito by Gaby, La Botella by Mach and Daddy and Atrevete Te Te by Calle 13. These are definitely party songs that can get the party rocking.

Think Black and White Affair for your latin party events.

I would usually do the sound for graduation for Mt. Madonna in Gilroy. I did it 2018 and 2019 then the world was closed for a bit. 2020 and 2021 there were no graduations for the public. This year we were now open and we had a nice graduation celebration in Gilroy. Students invited their guests to come to the celebration.

It was not too hot for this graduation. I brought two 15 inch speakers and it was enough sound for the amphitheater. I used my older 15-inch speakers since they can take a licking and keep on ticking. Even though I had the tanks working for me I had a few more speakers in reserve in my car. Back in 2018 the Gilroy heat took out one of my speakers. Luckily I had another that took its place for the event.

Thirty minutes before the graduation I play the preceremony music while the graduates are getting situated. This time around I went will old school that everyone knows and did something different. I threw in acoustics of songs that everyone knows. I was playing Ed Shereen songs and Rihanna covers.

I like the graduations at Mt Madonna since they have a rose dedication ceremony. The graduates give a rose to someone who was there for them. I play a 3 minutes song, which is plenty of time to find that special someone to give the rose to.

At the end the graduates officially graduate and its party time. I played a festive song and threw in a Spanish banger just to finish things off.

People are having parties now. There has been a lot of inquires to have events. There are homes in the Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Martin area that have huge lots which make it easier to have a successful outdoor function. But there may be a place to throw an event that may not be as big. The houses maybe close together and some cities are strict with noise ordinances. Usually if the city is small then those officers would tend to tell the party to keep it down and give a few warnings. 

How do you have a successful Spanish Latin Party in the Backyard?

Depending on the backyard, you would only need 2 12 inch or 15 inch speakers. They only need to be at least 50 percent in volume. If you are playing Spanish music you will need a level area as a dance floor. Grass or dirt is not a good area to dance but rather cement or a dance floor can be rented. For California, when it comes to Spanish music, I tend to stick with the majority of cumbia music. I usually go with cumbia and throw in some salsa music. It all depends what part of Latin America they are from. I tend to play more banda if they are from Mexico. 

For your Spanish party please be sure to contact Black and White Affair for a party with Latin flavor. 

First and foremost, you need a dj who is familiar with the classic Spanish jams and with the new music that is coming out. I tend to lean toward the classics but if given a heads up then I can add the new Spanish music that to the mix. I usually get a list from the client and add that to my proven hits to add to the playlist. I want to play as much as their list I can plus adding ones I know will bring excitement to the dance floor. 

Usually for this Spanish Birthday events there is food involved. We tend to play some classic Spanish songs but save the dance Spanish songs for later for the dance floor. Some of these dinner songs can be some bachata or ranchera songs or maybe some Luis Miguel Love songs. Again, it all depends on what part of Latin America the guests are coming from. The Dinner portion of the night usually last for an hour. There may be a cocktail or appetizer portion of the night when the party starts before dinner kicks in. During cocktail/ appetizer hour the music can be more festive to get folks in the party mood. It would be ok to play dance music since folks are not sitting down having dinner. When it does become dinner time, it would be ideal to tame it a bit so folks aren’t moving too much in their seats when they are eating. 

Please contact Black and White Affair Dj Services for your Spanish Latin Events. We specialize in playing Cumbia, Banda, Salsa, Reggaeton, and Ranchera music.  Please call Black and White Affair Dj for your latin party.

I got a call to do a Quince about a month before the event. A quince takes time to prepare since there is a lot to ponder. What events do we want to do in the quince? How traditional do we want it to be? 

  We were fortunate enough to have it at a spacious San Martin Home. We could be as loud or quite as we like and have as much light as we could since we had a lot of room to work with. 

We always need a grand entrance and the birthday girl came out with Turn Down For What. Right after that they went straight to the Baile Sopresa. Then we did a little dancing then we went into dinner. When dinner was announced the parents did a thank you speech for the guests. 

Then it was time to do some quince events. There was the shoe exchange which was sneakers into cowboy boots which was done with the dad and the quince. Then the crowning was done by the mom and the birthday girl. And finally the sisters presented the doll which was wearing the same type of dress as the quince.

After that then we did the 15 Candle presentation where 15 people who are significant were called up one by one to be with the birthday girl.

Then they had open mic speeches then we went straight to cake with the mananitas. 

After that it was party time with a mix of cumbias, pop, and west coast old school hip hop. 

I have been at the Doubletree/ Pruneyard a few times and it had been great the times I have played there. They have an inside event space for private dinners or parties and they have a nice outside event space for all sorts of functions. It is right off the freeway so it is convient to drive to. The event coordinators and staff are way fun and easy to work with. 

I was able to be part of the Celebration of Life recently. Each Celebration of Life event I have done has never been the same. When I was there, there was a mariachi playing while everyone was eating. Then I was on to play the songs the guest of honor enjoyed. Celebration of Life is a truly a Celebration of family and friends sharing the music that he loved. People got up and danced but it was a very good vibe that night. The weather was nice and the space was well kept.

The outside area has a few ways to enter. If you are there early you can set up before the guests arrive but say you are playing after another band or group then the back entrance will be the way to go. There is a loading parking area that make it for easily transport. Actually, it would be best to set up but going through the back. They had a bar in the back to serve drinks and people were able to partake in the buffet line outside.

I had a formal  private high school dance in February at the Hayes Mansion. The Hayes Mansion is a huge property right off Blossom Hill exit. It is pretty easy to get to. I was able to communicate with the coordinator pretty easy and she was able to let me know where to park to unload my gear. The party was in the main ballroom. They had me set up on a stage with a table so that was nice since it gave me less items to set up.

Students were having dinner buffet style. I was supposed to play good songs early but not the really good ones since we would need them for the dancing portion of the night. Students were so well behaved. I was playing off a list that I could not deviate from and with students wanted a song that wasn’t on that list they were not upset at all. They just said ok that’s alright. One student was like can you play shorter amounts of the song if you can. Basically he wanted a quick mix but due to being limited on the song selections for this dance I had to play longer songs.

This place would be good spot for a high school prom. I mean the name of the place is Hayes Mansion so that is pretty classy itself. They do have a nice outside area where I am sure they can host events too. The main ballroom was big itself and the room acoustics sounded good. I was able to fill up the room with sound with only 2 speakers.