New Professional DJ Gear – Focusrite Saffire 6!

Posted on November 24, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

This past Friday I received a package in the mail I was very excited to get, my new piece of professional DJ equipment the Focusrite Saffire 6! It is a neat little box that allows me to connect my BOSE L1 with Bass from the USB output on MacBook now.

I got a chance to hear it in action on Saturday at The Old Pine Community Center in Philadelphia. As expected, the sound quality was even cleaner than before and the volume increased. I am always looking for ways to improve the sound of my professional DJ equipment. Even though I use the Bose L1 system, which I know is better than most of the stuff out there that is not a reason to constantly upgrade and adapt as new professional DJ gear comes out.

It worked great and can’t wait to use it again!

If you have any suggestions, please share them.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Professional DJ For Fundraisers

Posted on November 24, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Yesterday I had the opportunity to provide professional DJ music and MC services for Alex’s Lemonade Festival, a fundraiser at Old Pine Community Center in Philadelphia. For those who are not familiar with Alex’s Lemonade Stand, this is from their website:

http://www.alexslemonade.org/

“Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) shares the vision of our founder and creator, Alexandra “Alex” Scott—a cure for all children with cancer.

When Alex, who was diagnosed with childhood cancer just before her first birthday, was four, she told her parents she wanted to set up a front-yard lemonade stand. Her plan: to give the money to doctors to help them find a cure. Her first “Alex’s Lemonade Stand” raised an astonishing $2,000 in one day. While bravely fighting her own cancer, Alex continued to set up lemonade stands every year. As news spread of the remarkable girl so dedicated to helping other sick children, people everywhere were inspired to start their own lemonade stands—donating the proceeds to her cause.”

It is an honor to be able to offer my professional DJ skills, experience and time to support such a positive organization as a professional DJ. It is unfortunate that many DJs do not make themselves available for their communities. We our a very valuable commodity that community non-profit and charitable organizations can benefit from our professional DJ music, MC services and DJ equipment for their fundraisers, especially since there are many budget cuts.

I encourage all professional DJs to offer their services at least once a month to do our part in making sure these kinds of organizations are able stay around and make sure we all have them there when we need them.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

A Great DJ Gig!

Posted on November 24, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

At the end of every gig, a professional DJ gets the opportunity to observe how the guests and dancers have enjoyed the night. We look for the color in their skin, brightness in their cheeks and eyes and the ‘vibe’ of thorough enjoyment. We can see in your whole being when we have done a great DJ job successfully. Lately I have been fortunate enough to witness this on a regular basis. I do not know what I am doing different but it seems something is happening to facilitate such contentment and joy on so many faces. It is such a treat for me to be able to do my part as a professional DJ to help make great events even greater.

On Saturday night I was again DJ at the Barefoot Boogie in NYC. It is a freestyle dance event that is fun, creative and an environment for suppopprtive community building. We have a great time. This past event was even more so than usual. I left feeling as if I had somehow taken the gift of DJ to a new level. While I was packing up gear, several of the dancers appraoched me with phrases like “Heaven, just Heaven DJ Michael”, “That was such an amazing DJ set Michael!”, “Can you come to my house and do this every night so I can go to sleep with a smile on my face like tonight?” and “Thank you. I want to say more but really thank you is the only thing that is appropriate.”.

We had a good night and the beaming faces full of life and vitality were the evidence I needed as we turned out the lights and filed into the 10th floor elevator out of Insight Meditation Center. Another great gig for me to participate as professional DJ.

www.barefootboogie.org

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Preparing For The Professional DJ Season

Posted on November 24, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

As the snow has melted away here in New Jersey and the days are getting longer and warmer, professional DJs take steps to prepare ourselves for the beginning of the event season. Winter is fading and Spring is waiting around the corner. For me the season professional Wedding DJ begins this Saturday night with my first wedding of the year. I am excited because it means I will be doing my thing each weekend now and the opportunity to share my gifts with others and watch them have fun and enjoy the Wedding DJ jams.

This wedding in particular should be fun for several reasons. The first is they are all Vietnamese and after spending one and a half years in Asia, I embrace the opportunity to be with them and share good times and special celebration.The couple getting married are really nice young people. They have chosen fun and very danceable Wedding DJ music for their friends and family. And there will be an eight-course native Vietnamese meal that I can’t wait to experience!

This is followed by at least one professional DJ gig per week through the Spring till the wedding, graduation and summer seasons are in full swing. I know it is corny but I love weddings. If I could DJ a wedding every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I would be full of smiles. Tired but smiling. I would miss the birthday parties, reunions, anniversaries and teen parties but weddings are my favorite professional DJ gigs.

Speaking of which, I thought it was really interesting to hear that that cable TV station TLC is looking to throw royal weddings at Times Square in NYC in April for FREE! If interested, let me know!

The beach is only a few months away!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Good DJs Love Diversity

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

On Friday night I had another professional DJ gig at Buskers in Hoboken. I like being there since the crowd is fun and friendly. As a professional DJ, the part that I like best is the diversity of requests and the opportunity to play music from all over the musical spectrum, like all good DJs.

When does a professional DJ get to play Hall & Oats, The White Stripes, The Cure, Madonna, Britney Spears, Chumawumba, Kanye West, Cee Lo Green, Black Eyed Peas, Frank Sinatra and of course Rihanna?

I appreciate diversity of music, people, foods and lifestyles. This is one of the benefits of being New York and New Jersey professional DJ. We get to play all kinds of music if we are willing to step outside of the norm and be open to life and all the great talented artists we have! I think New York and New Jersey professional DJs are fortunate to have such diverse people at most gigs. I can not imagine what it would be like to only listen to or play one style of music all the time. Glad I do not have to find out:)

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Professional DJs at Fraternity and Sorority Formals

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Spring is finally in the air. A long semester of class, libraries and studying are completed. Time to get ready to say goodbye to close friends and roommates. Plans for summer or the plan of not having a plan for summer are ready to be hatched. A visit home to see the family is days away. What time is it? Time for your Spring Formal on campus!

Spring Formals are a lot of fun for a professional DJ. We get the opportunity to participate in students letting loose at the end of a semester wearing their best and acting like the emerging adults they are. College students are fun groups to party with. They understand the meaning of the words ‘letting loose’ better than anyone else. Hey they are where Animal House gained all its inspiration!

Every spring marks the beginning of the Formal season for professional DJs. This means we will have the opportunity to play music form a wide range of genres from Top 40 to Hip Hop to Classic Rock to House/Techno to 80’s hits. If it was popular in his or her lifetime, somebody is going to want to hear it! And they will dance, maybe not all of them very well but certainly with passion and energy. As the night wears on and the alcoholic beverages flow, formal slides into less formal until it becomes a dressed-up Frat party.

Any professional DJ who has experience with Formals knows how much these events can be. And you know what they foreshadow right around the corner… the college graduation season!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Professional Teen Party DJ

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

It did not occur to me all those years as a teen counselor, social worker and educator that I would get back into the professional DJ business and have the opportunity to use the skills I learned in another environment. True, I did DJ all the middle school dances at the middle school I worked at earlier this decade. You would think I would have made the connection, since I had been a full-time professional Teen Party DJ all the years previous to being a youth worker. I imagine if it was anybody but me I too would have seen the writing on the wall but I didn’t. The good news is that I still gain the benefits without the obvious path recognized in advance.

I did the work I did because I like to be around teenagers. I know the rest of the world finds them challenging but to me they are one of the easiest groups to communicate with because they say what is on their mind if you create a space they feel comfortable in. When they are angry with you they tell you, when they are happy with you they tell you. When they want you to leave them alone they tell you. When they want you to shut-up they tell you. I wish all of us would be that clear in our communication skills. Of course, they do not always choose the most mature means for doing so, but who does?

This is why I enjoy being a professional DJ and MC for youth events. When I am playing the right music, they let me know. When I am missing the mark, they will let me know even quicker. When it is an amazing night, they cannot stop sharing with you how much it has mean to them. I know most professional DJs would prefer not to ever have to deal with teenagers again; this is not the case with me. I love them!

One other aspect about providing music for teens today that I appreciate is the fact they can mix genres. When I was growing up, the rockers could not listen to dance music and the Top 40 kids were not welcome with any other group and you would never see kid listening country hanging with anybody who listened to anything else. The one exception is Soul, Funk and R&B. if it was good and it had he right groove, it crossed barriers with ease whether it be Sly and The Family Stone, The Jackson or anybody on the Motown label, we all enjoyed a food beat with fine melodies.

So I say, bring on the teen parties and let’s get this party started!

One more thing. Teens are the only people in the world who ever think I am still cool just because I do not care if I am cool or not. That alone makes them fun to hang out with!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

A Professional DJ’s Closing Songs

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

The night is coming to a close. Everybody had a great time. There are many people fighting to stay on the dance floor knowing they may be grooving to their last song of the night. The professional DJ wants to make sure that everybody leaves with the right feeling to carry withy them. The Closing Song. It is often the way a professional DJ leaves their mark on the night.

When I first started out as a professional Rock DJ, my closing song was by David Essex; Rock On. After a few years of radio, my closing song changed with it. My song to cap the night became John Lennon: Watching The Wheels as a tribute to my hero at the time. This was followed by The Clash for a short period of time then back to John. Over the years, it has shifted many times as my style ands tastes have changed with them.

Today I have two closing songs that match the event I am performing at. Of course, if the host of the event has already chosen a closing song, I will honor that and follow their decision; it is their party! If not, it depends on the environment. These are the two songs that will typically grace the ears of those attending a gig as they down their last drinks, say good-bye to friends and family and grab their coats while heading for the door:

Turn Your Lights Down Low- Bob Marley and Lauryn hill

Hallelujah- David Buckley

For me, they both have such a nice way to send everybody home after a great night. What are your favorite songs to close a great night?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

The Professional Rock & Roll DJ That Plays A Slow Song

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

It baffles me how many professional DJs will not play slow songs at private events when the genre of choice is Rock. This is even true for some professional Wedding DJs! I understand how as a professional DJ you work with the constant tension of not wanting to lose the people on the dance floor. Playing slow songs may facilitate an empty dance floor, a professional DJ’s worst nightmare. Time and experience teaches a professional DJ that if the music is right, people will dance. Knowing what the crowd needs to motivate them onto the dance floor in my opinion is the skill that separates a good professional DJ from the rest of the DJs. I know it is sexier to scratch and make beats but they are not what inspire people to dance till they need to drink a pitcher of water or beer, it is intuitively responding to the crowd and having the right grooves for them to move and have fun.

Learning the correct slow songs for each occasion is a knowledge base by itself. Here are some examples when working an event with a room full of rockers:

Eric Clapton- Wonderful Tonight

Led Zeppelin- Thank You

Aerosmith- I Don’t Want To miss A Thing

The Allman Brothers- Melissa

Billy Joel- She’s Got A Way

Bad Company- Seagull

The Beatles- Something

The Black Crowes- She Talks To Angels

Bon Jovi- I’ll Be There For You

Bruce Springsteen- Secret Garden

Crosby, Stills & Nash- Our House

Dave Mathews Band- Crash Into Me

The Eagles- Desperado

Foreigner- I’ve Been Waiting For A Girl Like You

Guns & Roses- Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Motley Crue- Home Sweet Home

The Rolling Stones- Angie

U2-The Sweetest Thing

Many professional DJs are afraid of playing slow songs for a rock crowd but there are many songs to choose from and let’s face it, rockers love too! This was a just a quick list, I am sure I have left out many of the classics. So break out those classic rock slow songs let the lovers rock on!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

This Professional DJ Is Taking Requests!

Posted on November 9, 2012 by DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island Wedding DJ

When I first started out in the DJ business many years ago it was unheard of for a DJ to not honor requests. Recently, this has changed. For some reason, DJs seem to think they are above respecting the musical choices and desires of others. This even includes those who hire them. I do not understand this.

It is a simple rule of business that you respect those who pay you. If someone hires me for the night, I want him or her to feel good about their decision, not just for future business, although that should be reason enough, because they are helping me pay my bills. When did professional DJs become such primodonnas? If you look back at the history of disk jockeys, we were always grass toots entertainers from Wolfman Jack to Scott Muney to Cousin Brucey. We made our mark as the ones who were willing to get our hands dirty and meet the needs of our listeners, which later become dancers as DJing made its way to the clubs and now mobile at weddings and parties.

For me, the requests are one of the best things about being a professional Wedding DJ; you get to make someone happy! It is like working an ice cream shop; people come in and order what they want and leave with a smile when you give it to them. I hope someday soon this new breed of professional DJ who think because they play other people’s music they are special or ‘celebrities’ come back down to earth and enjoy the fruits of honoring customer requests!