Tag Archives: Rhode Island Party DJ

Dancer To DJ: “I Want Your Job!”

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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.

DJ Having Fun at benefit Dance Party in NYC

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Mystical Michael Moves To Prime Cuts Music

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I have wanted to make the move for a while but had some obstacles before doing so. I have finally made the shift to Prime Cuts Music as my primary distributor of music as a professional DJ! Prime Cuts Music is the best music distribution channel for professional DJs and Entertainers around. They supply music for most radio stations including American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest. Their service is only for professionals in the music industry and typically need someone in the industry to refer you to be accepted.

primecuts Music - Providence Wedding DJ - Rhode Island Wedding DJ

One of the benefits of Prime Cuts Music is all their music is legal and they receive tracks before they are released to the public on a weekly basis. This is helpful in staying current and since they serve all major musical genre, I will now no longer have to work so hard to gather music that just came out. I chose Prime Cuts Music service that includes all the major genres like Pop, Dance, Rock, Urban, Country and Adult Contemporary but also made sure I was covered for the latest tunes in Latin and Jazz as well. Since being a professional DJ here in the Rhode Island and Massachusetts area we have such a diverse population, it is essential for any good professional DJ to continue to work on expanding their musical library to include all genres for all our clients. I am fortunate that I get hired by such fun and interesting customers. My Brides and Grooms have such eclectic and diverse tastes that it keeps me on my toes and is so much fun to be part of their weddings!

Another great part of Prime Cuts Music is they offer high quality songs that are always downloaded at a high bit rate.  I do not have to worry about playing poor quality music at a wedding, birthday party, anniversary or sweet sixteen or party!

I have to confess, I was a little late for my Wednesday Night Trivia Show in Hackettetsown last night.  I was so busy adding new music to my library. I couldn’t get myself to stop! I am like a kid in a candy store that doesn’t get cavities, so I have no reason to stop playing. If you could not tell, I am really excited!

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

Ask abut my Rhode Island Wedding DJ and Rhode Island Party DJ Guarantee!

Professional DJs Need To Stay Current Musically

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Digital music has created many shifts in the music industry in recent years for professional DJs. As we gain more access to music, we have the ability to listen to music that we would not have heard otherwise. This has produced a more diverse group of genre in the Top 40. We can have songs from Rock, Dance, R&B, Country, Pop, Hip Hop, Rap and artists from around the globe all at the top of the charts in the same week.

 

Let’s take a look at this week’s Billboard Top Ten. We have “Call Me Maybe”, Gotye, Fun., Usher, David Guetta, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna and Katy Perry all in the Top Ten. Flo Rida, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Kanye West are not far behind.

 

As professional DJs, now more than ever it takes commitment and discipline to make certain we always have what our clients want ready for last minute gigs when they come up.  If not, what do we do when someone requests a song we don’t have because we were not diligent in keeping our music library current?

 

I try my best to go through the current music charts weekly to make sure I stay on top of what is new and hot. Another unique aspect of the digital music industry is that a song can make its debut one week and be on the top of the charts the following week. If not paying attention, a professional DJ may miss what some of our client’s want and what their guests may request. I have learned through experience as a professional DJ that regardless of the music the Bride and Groom choose before their wedding, there will always be someone who wants to hear some new popular songs. Good professional DJs will be prepared and done their ‘homework’. This is part of what makes a professional Wedding DJ here in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania area’s commitment to the craft of being professional DJs more challenging. Our listeners and clients have more diverse taste in music than most of the country due to our extremely diverse populations. I thrive in this environment and would not enjoy my work nearly as much if I lived in an area that was not as diverse in its musical taste and choices to dance to! I would think any true professional DJ feels the same way.

Professional DJs and Beautiful Dancers on the Dance Floor with DJ Mystical Michael

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Mystical Michael Trivia Host at O’Reilly’s Pub in Newton, NJ

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I can’t lie, I have really grown to love being a Trivia Host! When I was first in discussions with National Trivia Association, I was skeptical but willing to give it a try and see how it went. Well, two months and three venues later I can’t imagine not being a Trivia Host. It is fun, exciting, interesting and I learn all kinds of fun facts and bits of trivia.

A Trivia Host allows me to share my skills as a professional DJ, MC, Improvisational Actor and good-old-fashioned center of attention. The latest venue to add to my weekly Trivia Host schedule is O’Reilly’s Pub in Newton, NJ. I am there with trivia and music every Tuesday Night beginning at 9:30.  O’Reilly’s Pub is a fun place with great staff and clients. Everybody there has been very receptive and we really have started to get a nice crowd joining the Quiz Show weekly now. Come join us!

DJ Mystical Michael on The Microphone as Trivia Host

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

 

Another Fun DJ Family Celebration

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I get excited before every Fun DJ gig, not sure how, but I do. The excitement begins to rise as the guests for the party or wedding start arriving with their smiles and anticipation. This Saturday was an example of just that. While me and our DJ Assistant were playing some simple background music for entering guests, I could feel the energy grow in myself, her and each friend and family member. With each hug and handshake, I could see that we were in for an afternoon of fun with a closely connected family celebrating a boy’s special day.

They danced together in the beginning to Fun DJ

Fun Family Dancing Together with DJ Mystical Michael

The kids took over for a little while in the middle with  Fun DJ

Kids Dancing at Party with Fun DJ Mystical Michael

And they let the adults join them again at the end with  Fun DJ

Fun DJ Family Dancing Together at Party with DJ Mystical Michael

What a  Fun DJ day!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Back To Back Teen and Family Parties Today!

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Today is one of the rare days that I will perform as professional DJ twice. This afternoon I get the opportunity to DJ, MC and lead games for a Bar Mitzvah celebration in Highland Park, NJ. They are a really nice family and I know this will be a fun party.They are open-minded and respectful people who are not fans of the ridiculous over-the-top celebrations many Bar Mitzvahs Bat and Mitzvahs have become today. This is why I agreed to work with them. Back to back teen and family parties!

 

This evening we will be in Bayonne, NJ as DJ and MC for a High School Graduation party, always a good time.  This is another nice family that the Mother and I have had several enjoyable conversations, with her son making sure I am clear on the music he prefers for later at night, after many of the older people will be gone. He recognizes that the music he listens to, Hardcore Rap, might offend or be harsh to some of his Grandparents and other family members. Back to back teen and family parties!

 

Two great parties and a full day! This week will end up to be five gigs in one week! I am fortunate that I am getting hired as often as I am. I know some professional DJs and MCs are having trouble filling their calendar these days. I guess all the time and effort to create a strong Internet presence, high Google ranking and such positive references and reviews from my clients are bearing fruit. Time to get today started! Back to back teen and family parties!

Great Fun Teen and Family Parties with DJ Mystical Michael

Back to back teen and family parties!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Two Things The DJ Can Count On At A Wedding

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As many different weddings as I have been hired as professional Wedding DJ, there are two things I can count on for each one. It would seem with all the different couples, cultures, ages, styles and personalities that nothing would be the same for sure except a Bride and a Groom get married right? Wrong.

 

The first thing you can count on is that there will always be something that is not as planned, no matter how much planning and coordination is put into the wedding. You can pay the best planner, hire a great day-of coordinator and be obsessive about the details but there will always be something that demands a quick change in plans. Sometimes is an Uncle who can’t make it due to health. It may be a storm that keeps one entire family detained because of cancelled flights. An Aunt you haven’t seen in ten years may demand that her son of eight years be part of the Bridal Party without taking no for answer and making even a bigger scene than she has already. It doesn’t matter what it is but there is always something that requires the professional Wedding DJ to switch gears and smoothly transition to whatever needs to be adjusted without anybody else knowing there was a shift in the program. An experienced professional wedding DJ can do this seamlessly. It is what you pay us more money to do. You want that confidence and security to know it will be OK no matter what and that we will make it work without adding to the excitement that already exists.

 

The good news is that the second thing you can count on as a professional Wedding DJ is that everything will be amazing! I do not know how it happens but it does. Every wedding somehow is remarkably exceptional. I wish I could take credit for this but I can’t. It seems as if there is a force that directs the wedding toward amazing in spite of all of us involved. In spite of the crazy Aunt, the drunk Cousin, the always late Brother and the rain on the day that the weathermen promised no rain with a zero chance of precipitation. It ends up amazing.

 

I can’t tell you how many times it was raining les than an hour before an outdoor ceremony and stopped till ten minutes after the Vows and photos! It is uncanny. Last summer I had a wedding that the weatherman predicted one hundred percent chance of rain and not a drop! I was hired as Wedding DJ the weekend of Hurricane Irene and the venue canceled the day before. Somehow the Bride’s Mother was able to find an alternative venue in three hours and the next day all but a handful of people were seated at the Chapel eagerly anticipating The Bride and Groom. It was amzing!

Groomsman preparing for Wedding Ceremony on NJ side of Hudson River looking at NYC

Somehow it all works out. It is the one thing that I can count on besides organized chaos at every wedding. Couples get married. Families sparkle. Friends celebrate. How they get married, what makes the family sparkle and the style of celebration are as different as the couples themselves but it happens. Trust me it happens. You will get married and it will be amazing. Count on it!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz

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I find it both confusing and invigorating when a musical genre somehow steps into another market where others have tried unsuccessfully. The latest example of this isPanjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, a song rooted in Bhangara.

 

Bhangra is a form of dance and music that originated in the Punjabi Region.  Bhangra dance began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi farmers to celebrate the coming of the harvest season. The specific moves ofBhangra reflect the manner in which villagers farmed their land. This dance art further became synthesized after the partition of India, when refugees from different parts of the Punjab shared their folk dances with individuals who resided in the regions they settled in. This hybrid dance became Bhangra. The folk dance has been popularized in the Western World by South Asian communities and is seen in the West as an expression of Indian and Pakistani culture as a whole. Today, Bhangra dance survives in different forms and styles all over the globe – including pop music, film soundtracks, collegiate competitions and even talent shows. And now Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz.

 

Its is not surprising to me that Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz has made its way into the Hip Hop and Dance club market, it is a fun song to dance to and easy to mix for a professional DJ. What does surprise me is that Jay-Z is involved in this song and how his name attached immediately makes it a hit. As if the thousands of Bhangara and Bhangara/Hip Hop songs before did not matter till an American pop star was featured. This is nothing new to the pop music market in America. Till The Beatles included Ravi Shankar in their recordings, the Sitar was not known very much in the West and certainly not in pop music. I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check this out as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!

I think it is great that more folks are hearing different forms of musical styles globally, one of the positive uses of the internet. I have recently had the opportunity to professionally DJ a Punjabi event and most of the music was traditional and popular Bhangara. Panjabi MC has many great songs, check-out Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz, as well as other popular cross-over stuff like Bhangara Two Step!

Panjabi MC Featuring Jay-Z Beware of the Boyz:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Art of Noise Featuring Tom Jones Kiss

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When music videos were first hitting the clubs, us professional DJs had to insert a large tape similar to VHS but bigger into a machine like a VCR for each video. It was cumbersome but we loved the idea of adding video to what people were dancing to. One club I was professional DJ during this period had a large video screen in front of the dance floor. It was fun watching peoples faces as each video played on the screen, it was still novelty then. Hard to imagine that there was a time a music video was considered novelty in a club!
One of the best at the time was Art of Noise Featuring Tom Jones Kiss. The fact that Tom Jones who was an old man by then, rockin’ out this Prince song and video made it that much fun and funnier. The graphics were more creative than most at the time and Art of Noise had created a unique sound that provided an opportunity for alternative and mainstream clubbers to share the dance floor, another rarity in those days. Professional DJs enjoyed the cross genre appeal of Art of Noise Featuring Tom Jones Kiss.

Art of Noise Featuring Tom Jones Kiss:

http://youtu.be/zdb0mfp6TQE

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Roxy Music Dance Away

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Roxy Music, an American enigma. They reached international acclaim for their string of singles from the late 70’s through the 80’s. They reached as high as number 1 in the UK several times including number 2 for this song, Roxy Music Dance Away.

 

Some attribute Roxy Music along with David Bowie for the shift in the music business to include electronic instruments and melodies with horns for making a new, danceable pop music for teens, adults and professional DJs. Their music was sexy and clean at the same time.  Many bands like The Police, Duran Duran, U2 and a host of others have paid tribute to their success following that of Roxy Music Dance Away.

 

I had the opportunity to see them at Carnegie Hall in the mid-80’s. A great show and with a real performer who understood the fine balance between showmanship and quality sound. There are many songs of theirs that I have appreciated over the years. Roxy Music Dance Away I still sneak into certain professional DJ gigs when it makes sense.

Roxy Music Dance Away:

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ