Tag Archives: Amazing Wedding

Upgrading My MacBook For DJ Services

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I knew it was time for a new internal hard drive when I noticed that I was about to run out of space for adding new tunes to my computer.  As a professional DJ, continuing to build and expand our music library is essential to success with our customers, especially here in the NJ & NY region.

 

I visited The Apple Store last week for advice and recommendations on which hard drive to purchase and determined that the Samsung 1TB drive would be the best option for me.  Even though I do a Time Machine back up of my whole system weekly and once more ten minutes before removing the old one, I was nervous, very nervous about the wedding I have this Saturday. What if something went wrong and I did not have use of my MacBook? What if somehow it erased or lost my entire music library; all 35,000+ songs?

Well, fortunately nothing bad happened. I installed it properly and transferred all the data successfully.  There have been some collections I have wanted to strengthen and build larger and now I have the opportunity to do so!  I can’t wait to work on filling up the whole 1TB – a fun and ambitious challenge. But hey, this is what professional DJs get excited about.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

The DJ Wears Out The Wedding Partiers!

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Last night was a really fun wedding. They all seem to be fun these days. It was nice that for the second Saturday in a row, the weather called for rain all day and the ceremony was outdoors on the beach, this time right next to Barnegat Lighthouse at Barnegat Light, NJ, but we had no rain and even some glimpses of sunshine.  The Bride looked like a walking magazine cover as she made the long walk from the top of the hill, down to the beach finally reaching her fiancé amongst family and friends.  We provided nice acoustic music in the background as the guests waited her arrival dressed in a multitude of colors with deep blue, lavender and black being the predominant choices.  The Groomsmen were in beige suits with white sneaker-like footwear for the beach. Most women were in bare feet with their beautiful dresses.

 

 

After the ceremony, we had to make our way back towards the bridge off Long Beach Island to a great venue,The Stateroom in Ship Bottom, NJ. We had to rush to make sure we had our gear set-up for both The Cocktail Hour downstairs and The Reception upstairs. It took some hustling but we were able to be ready in time for the guests as they arrived to enjoy the music.  Who knew we were in for such a fun night?

 

It was almost comical how quickly we got the party rolling in full force as soon as dinner was done.  I checked with The Bride to make sure she was ready for us to turn-up the volume and get things started. She answered with a resounding, “Yes! We are freezing and need to get moving!” A professional DJ’s words of ignition.

 

We transitioned with Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill’s version of “Turn The Lights Down Low” followed by “Stand By Me” covered by 4 The Cause. We sensed it would be the prefect segues to dance music but they were already making their way onto the floor midway through the second song. By the time we raised the volume for Pitbull, there was no letting up on the dance floor till the caterers asked me to quit three hours later!  At one point, all of the 150 or so guests were on the dance floor for a half-hour straight except for about ten people. It was that kind of night. Professional Wedding DJs smile broadly at these kinds of weddings.

 

As is with most weddings that I participate in, at the end of the night when The Bride runs up to thank and hug me. Breaking down and loading my gear are done with me floating on air from the experience.

 

To top it off, as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, an old dear friend called and we had an inspiring conversation on my ride back North up The Garden State Parkway.  How much better can it get for a NJ Professional Wedding DJ?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

A Wedding DJ With An Air Force Groom

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Last week I had the opportunity to provide music and professional Wedding DJ/MC services for a young couple. The Groom, a nice young man, is home from the Air Force.  The wedding was booked when he was deployed in The Middle East with The Bride making all the initial plans. I met with the two of them last month to complete all the final arrangements and help them prepare for their wedding.

 

The reception was held at The Inn at Millrace Pond in Hope, NJ. It is a stunning environment that takes excellent care and attention to keeping it so beautiful. Here is the spot where the reception took place:

 

They have really nice, supportive family and friends and everybody had a good time!

 

 

How can you not have fun and be happy here?

 

 

Somehow the ninety degree heat did not seem to be a problem for anyone.

 

 

They asked me to close with Michael Buble’s  version of “Save The Last Dance For Me”. She enjoys a lot of the Brat Pack music and it seemed to fit well with vibe of the day.

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Michael: Please Help Us!

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Today I received a phone call I had not previously in my professional DJ career.

 

We are experiencing a bit of panic here in New jersey & NYC due to concerns about the possibilities of Hurricane Irene approaching this weekend.  I am not overly concerned but many are, including the owners of the venue where this Bride was supposed to be getting married tomorrow. They cancelled the wedding much to the disappointment of The Bride, Groom and their guests. He is from The U.K. and his family has traveled a long way to make it to his wedding. This would be the second time in the last year I have been hired for a wedding that at the last minute, the family from another country were experiencing major conflicts with making it to the wedding here in The USA. Last time it was closed airports in France due to safety concerns. Just like last time, The Bride called me frantically and we found a way to get them married and have a great time. This time her mother actually found a venue last minute that was not closing and was able to get a staff together in time for the wedding tomorrow morning!

 

The Bride has found a way to get married with her new in-laws able to attend. Last time we spoke she was asking if and how I would be able to change locations and if I would still be able to DJ and MC their wedding with the impending hurricane coming. I can and I will. I have experienced hurricanes before while living in Florida and North Carolina, tornadoes in Indiana, wind storms in Colorado and a year and a half living and traveling through Asia without speaking any of the native languages.  If your family can make it from The U.K., I can make it from right here in New Jersey.

 

We’ll see how the story unfolds tomorrow!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ

Jerry Lieber – His Hits And Legacy: The DJ Remembers

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Jerry Lieber Died on August 22nd. For those who are not aware of his accomplishments; him and his writing partner Mike Stoller were the driving force in shaping Pop Music early in the Golden Age of Rock and Roll.

Here are some of the hits they wrote:

  • “There Goes My Baby” (with Ben E. King (as Benjamin Nelson), Lover Patterson, and George Treadwell)
  • “Hound Dog”
  • “Kansas City”
  • “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”
  • “Yakety Yak”
  • “Poison Ivy”
  • “Charlie Brown”
  • “Ruby Baby”
  • “Stand By Me” (with Ben E. King)
  • “Jailhouse Rock”
  • “Love Potion No. 9”
  • “Searchin'”
  • “Young Blood” (with Doc Pomus)
  • “Is That All There Is?”
  • “I’m A Woman”
  • “Lucky Lips”
  • “On Broadway” (with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil)
  • “Spanish Harlem” (Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector)

A virtual history of Rock and Roll. Lieber and Stoller are to early R&R as Holland-Dozier-Holland were to MoTown and the future of R&B and Soul. Both are staples of the professional DJ.

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

 

 

A Rock Wedding Works For This DJ

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Somehow we have this image in our heads that every wedding must be about dancing.  It is as if the whole guest list of friends and family don’t all dance, the wedding is a failure.

 

Enter Rock Music.

 

 

It is refreshing sometimes to play music at a wedding that is made for listening and not dancing. I love to dance and even enjoy creating sets that inspire others to dance more than dancing itself sometimes. Some weddings are about friends and family having a good time; eating, drinking, sharing laughter and stories and just enjoying being together to celebrate an essential moment in the lives of two people they care about greatly.

 

As a professional DJ, I prepare for each wedding assuming dancing will be a significant aspect of the reception. The choices of music I play often represent this mindset. I notice those who are present at a wedding of Rockers that don’t enjoy dancing begin to get uncomfortable when folks aren’t dancing, as if they are doing something wrong – failing Wedding 101 if you will.  They approach me with with panic in their eyes and ask me, “How are we are going to get everybody up on the dance floor?”

 

“Why do they need to dance? Can’t they just have fun with great music and not dance?”

 

“Humm. I never really thought about it. Why not?”

 

 

This past weekend I had the opportunity to provide professional DJ music for three weddings in four days. Each couple and reception were completely different. It even feels funny to call them all weddings since they have little in common except a Bride and Groom were married and friends and family gathered to celebrate their marriage with them. One of them was a marriage of a young couple who do not enjoy dancing or dance music, in fact most of their friends feel the same way. It took some adapting on my part to let go of the expectation that I needed to facilitate dancing at their wedding.  Of course, some couples will dance to slow songs no matter what a Wedding DJ does and this wedding was no exception. Outside of those few couples, people had a great time with the music they wanted to hear and just enjoying being together to participate in the event they shared with the newlyweds.

 

 

After the wedding, I walked over to the mother of The Bride and apologized that no one danced. She laughed and put her arm on my shoulder gently with a huge smile, “Michael, you are the only person that thought any of us would dance. We didn’t hire you for us to dance. We wanted you here to play great music so we could all have fun! And we definitely did. It was a fun wedding and everybody loved it! Thanks so much, you did a great job! You were exactly what we hoped for.”

 

Shows you how much the professional Wedding DJ knows…

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Wedding DJ on The Moshulu

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As the sun set over the Delaware River at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, it was apparent this would be another beautiful wedding. The Bride and Groom both dressed clean and elegant – she in white and him in a black tux with tails. Standing at my professional Wedding DJ station on The Moshulu Restaurant & Bar moving my MacBook to gain vision of the screen from the reflection of the sun, I took a moment to enjoy the moment of both the couple getting married and the majestic environment The Moshulu creates.

 

 

A professional Wedding DJ feels nice to produce music for a small wedding every now and then. I appreciate the intimacy and opportunity to get to know the guests on a deeper level. they casually interact with the Wedding DJ without feeling like he is not available to them, which we are, or at least should be. Four young boys between the ages of six and ten gathered around and excitedly asked questions and made the Wedding DJ station their ‘home’ for the reception.  These boys like many kids at weddings wanted to know how the professional Wedding DJ mixes songs, what I would play next and when I would play their requests. They hung around till the end of the reception while I kept letting them listen to my headphones, cue songs and explore my djay software much to their delight.

 

 

It always feels good when The Bride and Groom come up after the reception and say, “This was exactly what we had in our heads! Everybody had fun and enjoyed the music. Thank you!”.

 

Your welcome.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Mystical Michael Video

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Here is a video we worked on a while back for a project. It is a sample of one of my Wedding Party Introduction MC styles. More often than not, I am asked for a Introductions with not as much energy, which is fine with me. This was specificly for a client who wanted me to capture a very lively Bridal Introduction. We added the speaking parts to fill in the missing pieces that text can’t produce with the same energy.

 

What do you think of the vest? First time I wore one since the 70’s!

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Requesting A Professional DJ Price Quote

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In our current age of Internet and smart phones  it is very common to ‘shop’ without actually speaking with a real life human being. This has some advantages like convenience and effeciency but certainly we all have experienced the obstacles of Internet shopping.  Of course, purchasing clothes, electronics, books, and other goods can be acheived easily and often less expensively online.  Shopping for personal services like professional DJ Entertainers are not as succesful through the Internet.

 

 

Professional DJs and Entertainers, like all performers, require more information than is often accessible through electronic communication to provide you with an accurate quote – not all events as the same or need the same services or equipment. A larger issue is that price-shopping for performers often is a case of comparing apples and oranges, or even ripe apples instead of spoiled or not-fully-ripened yet apples. In short, A professional DJ is not just a DJ any more than a professional singer is a singer or a professional actor is an actor.  Would you hire a musician for your wedding without ever speaking to them or having any human interaction first? Is price-shopping the most effective means for determining a tutor for your children or a social worker for a friend in crisis?

 

Of course not.

 

 

Hiring a professional Wedding DJ involves getting to know them before you get involved with price and packages. Some questions need to be answered first.

Would you want them to be at your wedding?

Are they the kind of person you would feel comfortable interacting with your friends and family?

Will they listen to you and make sure your needs will be met?  Do they care?

Are they attentive to discerning the styles of music you want at your event?

Are they willing to meet with you before signing the contract?  Will they be fun?

 

 

I am fortunate that I do not have the amount of overhead many professional Wedding DJ services require to be successful. This means I can offer you a fair price and still provide you with excellent professional DJ service and performance.  I am not a bottom-feeder and do not support those that are. They hurt the industry and the professionals that have put in the time and effort to provide outstanding service and great events. Before the Internet became a primary shopping tool, we hired local professionals and were able to find out from friends and neighbors who the professionals in each business that offered fair prices, excellent service, attention to detail and high quality customer service. I am not knocking the Internet. I book most of my gigs through customers that find me online sources like Google Searches, Yelp, Wedding Wire, Facebook, etc. Unfortunately, there have been some potential customers that have not a chance to interact with me directly and hired their DJ based solely on price. I know they probably did not get as good a value as they would have by working with me. This is not arrogance, I just know what I am capable of and trust my skills, training, experience, maturity and common sense. This why I offer a professional DJ guarantee.

 

 

In the end, we all want to get excellent value for our dollar and know we will receive at least equally as high quality service.  If I can help you find that, please let me know.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Professional DJs Know Kids Like To Move Too!

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If you do enough parties and weddings as a professional DJ , it is inevitable that you will get to witness young kids taking over the dance floor. I get a kick out of watching all the adults circle around the young folks in a circle clapping and cheering. Sometimes they will just join the adults and teens on the dance floor like they are supposed to be there, and why not?

 

Let’s take a look at kids on the dance floor with and without the adults and teens.

 

 

Wouldn’t It be great if we could all have this much fun on the dance floor solo?

 

 

Isn’t she absolutely adorable?

 

 

Out amongst the ladies doping his thing.

 

 

Giving The Bridesmaid a run for her money.

 

 

The bandana is great!

 

 

A fine young gentleman indeed.

 

 

OK, not really a ‘kid’ but I couldn’t help it:)

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ