“A real D.J. is part shaman, part tech-wizard, part crowd psychologist, all artist. Many people claim the title but far fewer embody it.”
Tag Archives: DJ
Cancer victim, 16, dies shortly after dream DJ gig in Las Vegas – Las Vegas Sun News
This is such a beautiful story. I am so glad DJ Mash-Up King gave this kid a chance to fulfill his dream DJ gig before he died. It is unfortunate that few professional DJs provide these kinds of opportunities for individuals like Tanner Seebaum, or anybody who has a dream DJ gig. It continues to disappoint me that the Wedding DJ and Party DJ industries are predominantly a business of me-first, all-about-the-money entertainers. Like most professionals, we have to support our communities and make sure we share our experience and talents when opportunities are right for us.
Tanner Seebaum scrolls through a song list on a Macbook Pro while serving as guest DJ at Rehab on Saturday afternoon.
By Brian Nordli (contact)
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 | 11 p.m.
Cancer victim, 16, dies shortly after Dream DJ Gig
Teen DJ Tanner Seebaum died on Friday in Centennial, Colo., after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.
Seebaum, 16, had battled brain tumors for most of his life and was diagnosed last year with an inoperable tumor. Around June, doctors gave him only a few weeks to live.
With the help of DJ Mash-Up King (Landon Dyksterhouse) and the Hard Rock Hotel, Seebaum fulfilled his final wish in Las Vegas. Seebaum, who was an avid DJ, was given an hourlong slot on June 22 to perform a set at Rehab Pool during Electric Daisy Carnival weekend. His medley of beats and song mash-ups kept the crowd at the famous day club dancing and bobbing their heads poolside.
It was a dream DJ gig he never thought would come true.
“We’re just very thankful to Las Vegas in general for changing our perception of the people, of the attitudes, and graciousness and openness they showed for letting Tanner do this; to Landon, to Hard Rock, they did a lot to make that happen for Tanner,” Matt Seebaum, Tanner’s father, said. “It’s kind of what he needed to let go. We sort of joked that he had to do Vegas before he could let go.”
Tanner is survived by his parents, Matt and Stephanie Seebaum, and sister, Ellie. Donations can be made to the Tanner Seebaum Foundation at tannersfoundation.org. The foundation raises money for brain and spine tumor research.
via Cancer victim, 16, dies shortly after dream DJ gig in Las Vegas – Las Vegas Sun News.
Do yo have a Dream DJ Gig? What is your Dream DJ Gig?
DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ
Ask about my Rhode Island Wedding DJ & Rhode Island Party DJ Guarantee!
Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grill
I continue to have fun and enjoy my experience as Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grill in Newton, NJ on Tuesday Nights.We have lots of fun and everybody learns a thing or two, even the Trivia Host and DJ! We gets tarted somewhere between 9:30-10:00 and play till we finish, about two hours later. They give out great prizes and the competition is stiff but casual and playful.
Now that I have been a Trivia Host for over a year now and feel like I am actually getting good at it, or at least decent! For those who don’t know, we play Bar Busters Pub Trivia. The game consists of seven Rounds or Categories; General Knowledge, Pictures, Sports, Music, Geography/History, Entertainment and a General Knowledge Bonus Round. The game is diverse enough that every team and player have a chance to do good, since we have questions that cover many different forms of trivia. One of the aspects of this particular trivia game I like best is the fact that you don’t have to shout out answers. In fact, nobody can shout out answers, they are all written down without anybody else knowing what you guessed! Great for people who want to have fun, test their brain a little and not want to make a fool of themselves in the process.
I enjoy Being a Trivia Host because it integrates some of my favorite character traits, excellent DJ and music, entertaining and sharpening up my brain while have lots of fun in the process. Of course, I can be a bit of a ‘ham’ at times but not too over-the-top.
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What is Pub Trivia and A Trivia Host?
Here is what Wikipedia defines a Pub Quiz Game with a Trivia Host:
“A pub quiz is a quiz held in a public house. These events are also called quiz nights or trivia nights and may be held in other settings. Pub quizzes may attract customers to a pub who are not found there on other days. The pub quiz is a modern example of a pub game. Though different pub quizzes can cover a range of formats and topics, they have many features in common. A 2009 study put the number of regular weekly pub quizzes in the UK at 22,445, and one website has counted approximately 2,000 regular weekly quizzes in the United States. The largest pub quiz, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was the “Quiz for Life”, held at the Flanders Expo Halls in Ghent, Belgium, on 11 December 2010 with 2,280 participants.”
Come join me Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s every Tuesday Night at 9:30!
DJ Mystical Michael Live At Barefoot Boogie Saturday Night 1/26!
I am really excited about another opportunity to DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC Saturday Night! I laugh at myself, that every time I put my name on the schedule to DJ one of our events, I feel like I have just won a prize or something. I have so much fun when I DJ at Barefoot Boogie. If for no other reason than I get to DJ and dance barefoot! I try to be fair in scheduling our team of DJs to make sure we all get a turn. Sometimes I forget that I am not the only DJ that gets really pumped about being the DJ. Since being Coordinator of DJs and Teachers is a volunteer position that I take serious, I am mindful that sharing is important.
DJ Mystical Michael Live At Barefoot Boogie
This Saturday Night, we have a Biodanza class before my first set.
What is Biodanza?
Biodanza is a healing system of human development that fuses music, heartfelt emotion and authentic movement providing a safe space for you to express your many potentials. It is a non judgemental space where all are welcome no matter age, race, spiritual tradition or sexual orientation. Biodanza is here to give value to your life!
Understanding an emotional issue won’t create true healing unless you also make an obvious change in how you conduct your life. Unlike traditional dance/talk therapy, Biodanza is system that offers you a space where silence is golden (we don’t talk) and you are the true master of your internal/external expression (action) which unfolds organically in its own time as you explore weekly in the sessions. Over time and with your presence with yourself, the space and others, you embody all of the wonderous potentials within you and and you will begin to notice shifts happening in your life.
Biodanza will open spaces for life integration…
do, say and feel the same thing and BE HAPPY!
Biodanza classes meet regularly and stimulate five major human potentials:
vitality, sexuality, creativity, affectivity and transcendence.
I have participated in a Biodanza class before and that is why I asked Michelle Dubreuil Macek if she would be willing to lead another Biodanza class at Barefoot Boogie. We had so much fun last time and it is long overdue for another experience. The dancers are very alive and present by the time the class is completed, I can play music that requires creative and freestyle movement without needing to build them up. They are already peaking. It is fun to express my Creative DJ and Ecstatic DJ interests at Barefoot Boogie after a class like this. It attracts very open and creative dancers and movers. I also appreciate the sense of community that we create together!
I feel it is an honor to be a Barefoot Boogie DJ in NYC and the experiences are rich and profound. Can’t wait to try some new DJ mixes and songs!
DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ and Boston DJ
Gallery
What If We Are Not DJ Dancing People?
There are some families and groups that are just not typically the kind of people who like to dance to DJ music or not even dancers at all. Growing-up, I appreciated live music over recorded music any day. There is something that a good live band can produce in energy and excitement that a recorded song can’t match. Many professional DJs do not understand this, or are just too young to know what good live bands are like and how they can make a Wedding, Party or Event amazing! I realize that as a full-time professional DJ this may seem hypocritical or against what I am promoting but it is not. I still enjoy a high quality live band, that will never change. I originally became a mobile and club DJ because I loved music, still do.
I am not trying to compete or replace good live music, they are not my competition, we create different experiences using different tools and skills. A good live band has trained experienced musicians who have dedicated years or even decades to their craft. A singer with an incredible voice can move and inspire a crowd like nothing else. They have been singing at events and celebrations since humans learned how to use our voices. DJs are a much different experience and should not try to compete with a quality live musicians, we can learn the basics of mixing, scratching and sound quite quickly and should not be compared to the time and discipline needed for an exceptional musician. When you hear a DJ brag about being goods at mixing and scratching that lets you know that they have spent more time practicing at home than performing with live crowds needing a separate set of skills and experience.
An exceptional DJ needs to have a talent for reading and responding to the crowd
An exceptional live DJ needs to have a talent for reading and responding to the crowd quickly and gracefully. Matching the beats is one thing, but knowing the perfect song at the perfect time is a whole different talent that cannot be taught; either you have it or you don’t, it is intuitive. Recently, somebody described me as “A Wedding Shaman DJ”. I looked at her funny not knowing how to respond or what I thought about this description, still don’t.
We talked further and they were referencing how I can look at a person at a Wedding, Party or Event and somehow know what they want to hear and when. It is actually a little weird sometimes and catches me off guard. I am not sure how I know those things, but I do.
This why Brides, Grooms & Party Planners choose me to preform at their events
This is why Brides, Grooms and Party Planners choose me to preform at their events, I get people dancing that don’t dance. I seamlessly shift from dinner to party without jarring friends and family. I make good clean fun happen while including people who may not feel a sense of belonging otherwise. This is why I offer a guarantee to every contracted client; if you are not satisfied with my performance at your Wedding, Party or Event, you do not have to pay me the balance owed.
Yo! Where Are All The Good DJs?
Yes, that was a real post I saw earlier today. I was scanning the Craigslist postings for professional DJs in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania area to see what other Wedding, Event and Party DJs are doing. And I had to actually laugh out loud when I read the title of the post, “Yo! Where Are All The Good DJs?”
I have been a professional Wedding DJ and Party DJ for a long time and the thing I find the most fascinating is what people decide makes a good DJ, a good DJ and what makes a bad DJ, a bad DJ. In most cases, it is simply a good DJ is a DJ that plays music you like. It has nothing to do with skill, inspiring a crowd, high quality equipment, professionalism, ability to interact positively with guests or any actual ‘talent’. This makes sense since the music industry in general is taste, not talent, driven. The most talented artists rarely get known outside of the community of trained musicians themselves. Physical appearance, stage presence, production and music that meets the tatses a wide range of listeners is typically what earns the highest ratings and $$$. Also, the age of who the music appeals to is significant, since the music industry in the USA is driven by the 13-27 year-old demographic.
The professional DJ business is somewhat different. Aside from playing music you like, which any professional good DJ without an ego can do easily with modern technology, many people do not know how to choose a good DJ, so they use the few distinctions that they know like scratching and so-called ‘beat-matching’. Both of these skills are just a product of practice, there are no actual ‘talents’, since anyone who practices enough can do them. Talent is something that is demonstrated in a craft or art that practice alone is not enough. Some examples are athletes ands musicians. No matter how much I practice, I will never be as good an athlete as Kevin Durant or Derek Jeter. I will not be a vocalist like Adele or Andrea Bocelli or songwriter like Elton John or John Lennon. Some things cannot be taught, either you have them or you don’t. An exceptional professional Wedding DJ and Party DJ is similar, but maybe not as easily detectable to those on the dance floor, or to those who want to dance but can’t figure out why they are “Not in the mood tonight”. Here is where the subtle distinction between the exceptional professional DJ and the regular professional DJ exists.
What Is An Exceptional Professional or Good DJ?
The exceptional professional DJ inspires you to move even when you are not in the mood, too tired or have to get up early for work in the morning. An exceptional DJ is part of the inspiration that makes dancing such a fun, exhilarating and sometimes ecstatic experience. A great live band is still my favorite form of musical experience but an exceptional DJ can bring something else to the experience that can be equally inspirational.
What makes a good DJ in your experiences?
Dance Camp DJs
I just had the opportunity to be one of the Resident Dance Camp DJs in New Hampshire this past week. The dancers were from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, California, Washington, Washington DC, Ottowa, Montreal, Vancouver and France as well as some other random locations! It was a ton of fun and we danced and played all day and night.
One of the benefits of being part of a Dance Camp DJs team for a week is the fact that you get to hear and experience what other talented Dance Camp DJs have to offer. I DJ so much I rarely get to hear other DJs share their craft. The diverse group of Dance Camp DJs spun music from many genre and cultures and it was fun listening and dancing to their music. It reminded me how much I enjoy music from sources that are not as accessable as popular music. There were many excellent mixes that I would not have thought of but worked very well.
It was also a pleasure to share music that some of the dancers were practicing Contact Improvisation. Contact Improv is one of my favorite forms of dance and some of the best in the country were present including dancers who came from France and Canada.
Here is a video with a friend of mine Neige Christenson practicing Contact Improv:
Here is another video that explains and demonstrates Contact Improv:
I had such a great time and am working through getting back into the normal world after camping, dancing and DJing all week. A wedding with a fun Bride and Groom tomorrow at a resort in The Poconos in Pennsylvania, I can’t wait!
Dance Camp DJs & Contact Improvisation
Contact Improvisation (CI) is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation. Contact Improvisation is a form of dance improvisation and is one of the best-known and most characteristic forms of postmodern dance. Wikipedia
13 Gigs In 16 Days For DJ Mystical Michael
It occurred to me the other day that I am about to begin a rather intense run as professional Disc Jockey over the next two weeks. I am booked for thirteen gigs over the next two weeks starting tonight! This is very exciting for me and grateful I have the opportunity to share my art as professional DJ with others. There are several Weddings, Trivia Shows and a Festival all mixed together.
Of course, the Weddings always hold top billing due to the nature of the event and the importance to the Bride, Groom, family and friends. I think all of us professional Wedding DJs give our undivided attention to each Wedding, Bride and Groom, at least I know most good professional Wedding DJs do. Wedding DJs also get the opportunity to be involved in the planning and coordinating process with the Bride and Groom, which I thoroughly enjoy.
This should be a fun and interesting two weeks for this professional Disc Jockey. The DJ gigs are all over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania including The Poconos, Upstate New York, rural Central New Jersey, New Rochelle, Morristown, Hackettstown, Phillipsburg and Newton to name some stops during the 13 Gigs In 16 Days For DJ Mystical Michael.
“A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, “disc” (sometimes spelled “disk”, although this is now uncommon) referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.” Wikipedia
Dancer To DJ: “I Want Your Job!”
Last night while taking a quick break between sets at a NYC DJ dance event, one of the dancers came up to me, “I want your job!”
I laughed and smiled. I gave her the usual response about all jobs have their strengths and challenges but smiled very large while trying to keep a straight face. I am well aware how much I enjoy what I do as a professional DJ. There have been many great people that have stated in various ways something, “If you have a vocation you love, you will never work a day in your life”. I agree completely but know too that I have put my time in and it is not all play and good times, ask any of my Brides and Grooms about my attention to detail and calm, supportive presence.
I have worked hard to market my professional DJ business here in the NJ/NY/PA area to have a page rank near the top of Page One of Google searches for ‘Rhode Island DJ’, Page Two for ‘Rhode Island Wedding DJ’, ‘NJ Professional Wedding DJ’ and ‘Rhode Island Professional DJ’. Creating a strong online presence is not easy and takes commitment.
Making sure I have such a diverse music library of high quality songs is not a thing you do once and are done. It takes another commitment to stay current plus know what you need to add to collections from the past as tastes and trends shift.
Owning the highest rated DJ equipment helps but there also needs to be a commitment to replacing old wires, updating software and keeping knowledgeable of the latest equipment. I am fortunate that I used to work at a recording studio and was mentored by a tech genius on what gear to use. He recommended and uses the same BOSE L1 System with Bass, MacBook and djay software as I do. I learned from him that buying the best once and not having to upgrade to every new trend is the only way to go and to not get fooled by new marketing campaigns that confuse professional DJs and audiophiles with deceptive claims. “Buy the best; BOSE & Mac and don’t worry about your gear again. The best stands the test of time,” he said to me regularly.
Yes I do have a great job. Being a full-time professional DJ is prefect for me because it combines several of my natural skills to understand music and technology, entertain and discern what people need and be the calm, positive presence in any situation that brings fun and excitement to everything I am passionate about. It is good to be reminded that I am good at what I do and that it is the right profession for me to be committed for those who hire me for their Weddings, Parties and Events.
