What Kind of Professional DJ Are You Michael?

Folks ask me all the time, “Michael, what kind of professional DJ are you?”

 

“The kind of professional DJ that plays music and makes fun.”

 

“No. I mean what kind of music do you play?”

 

“The fun kind.”

 

“No. Really. What kind of music do you play as a professional DJ?”

 

“It depends on my client. I play what they want. I am not a kid and do not need to hide behind one genre or a certain style. I am here for my couple’s and families that hire me. I have a diverse library of professional DJ music and appreciate new opportunities to learn about music and cultures through our conversations and preparations.”

 

“Yeah that’s great but what kind of music do you play.”

 

“You want me to list the genres?”

 

“Yeah. But I want to know what kind of professional DJ you are.”

 

“I am the kind of professional DJ that has fun and creates fun for others. As far as styles of music; I am very comfortable with Top 40, Dance, Rock, Hip Hop, Oldies, 70’s & 80’s, R&B, Soul, Motown, Disco and am even getting competent with Country these days too. I continue to grow my collections of World/Global Music including Reggae, Reggaeton, Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and smaller collections of African, Indian and Middle Eastern Music. I enjoy getting the opportunity to use my different Lounge and Mood Music collections of Buddha Bar, Café Del Mar, Hotel Costas and New Age for environments and events that this is what is best suited. I like music and my library grows weekly. Does that answer your question?”

 

“Well yes and no. Now I know how diverse your library is but still have no clue what kind of professional DJ you are.”

 

At this point I give up and smile. Not everybody understands that it is 2011 and being a professional DJ that plays only one genre or style is out-dated due to the advances in technology and the variety of music that folks enjoy today.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

The DJ Plays A Great Last Song!

It was a really fun wedding to DJ. Everybody had a good time and the smiles and high-energy on the dance floor let me know it was going great. I wanted a great last song. I approached The Bride and Groom to let them we had about a half hour left and wanted to see if there were any songs they definitely needed to hear before we shut-down. They both looked at each other, laughed and in a chorus, “No”, and she continued “Everybody is having so much fun!” and pointed to the dance floor, which was still packed with happy guests at 11:30.

 

We had not set in advance a last song since they wanted to see how it would go. They thought none of their friends and family would dance as she said in our meeting, “We’re not real dancing people but I hope at least some people will dance.”  They did, all night.

 

“What would you like me to close with?”

 

They looked at each other again, “Whatever you think will be best is fine with us. You’re the professional Wedding DJ”

 

“OK” And I walked back to my DJ station for the last bunch of tunes.

 

I glanced over the list of songs we had created together to see what was not played yet that would be a perfect closing song.  Typically we close a wedding with a few slow songs to bring everybody down and leave it with a nice happy, romantic feeling. Then I saw it near the bottom of the list: Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, “Havin’ A Party”. Perfect!

 

 

I knew it was going against the tradition of ending with slow songs but this was a fun group and they didn’t follow many of the typical wedding trends; why should the closing be any different?  My assistant DJ looked at me skeptically but I stuck to my guns and cued it up. Two minutes later I cranked the volume and all the guests that were left including The Bride and Groom rushed to the dance floor singing and clapping to the song with joy pouring out of their smiles! It worked. When the song was completed they were all standing there hugging each other and sharing ‘High Fives’.  The red cheeks and bright eyes told the story and gave me all the confirmation I needed. This was the right song for this wedding and guests.  A true celebratory group needed a celebratory conclusion.

 

This may be my new closing song for the right wedding or party…

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJs Need To Support Our Military and Our Local Police & Firefighters

For reasons I have not completely figured out, when I first started my journey as a professional DJ, I was booked on a regular basis by local police and firefighters for parties. Many of these parties were reunions and local chapters of P.A.L. and other fraternal organizations. These events were all good times and primarily the music was Oldies centered, which typically make fun parties.

 

Today I still get to do some of these kinds of events but what has manifested recently is the opportunity to serve our troops by offering discounts to our military service men and women at their weddings. Last night I met with a young couple. The Groom is home in between deployments for his wedding.  After spending time with both of them, I felt good about the decision I made a while back to offer professional DJ discounts to our troops.

 

The wedding should be fun.  I look forward to being able to support them and be a apart of their day.  We set-up the music and coordinated the events of the cocktail hour and reception.  All systems go for a beautiful August wedding.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Popular Bouquet Toss Songs

Here are some Great Rock and Pop Songs followed by a list of the most popular bouquet toss songs nationally.

Uptown Girl        Billy Joel

Foxy Lady          Jimi Hendrix

American Woman The Guess Who or Lenny Kravitz

Just A Girl          No Doubt

Pour Some Sugar On Me Def Leopard

She’s A Beauty The Tubes

Stray Cat Strut The Stray Cats

All I want To Do Sheryl Crow

Maneater          Hall & Oates

Oh Yeah           Yello

Walk This Way Aerosmith or Aerosmith & Run-DMC

Another one bites the dust
Bad boys
Da Ya think I’m sexy
Do you wanna touch me
Fever
Girls just want to have fun
Girls girls girls
Guys do it all the time
I’m too sexy
It’s raining men
James Bond theme
Jeopardy clock
Kiss
Ladies night
Legs
Let’s get it on
Macho man
Mission impossible theme
Oh! pretty woman
Peter gunn theme
Shameless
Sharp dressed man
She’s a bad mama jama
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)
The distance
The stripper
Theme from star trek
U can’t touch this
Whip it
Wild thing
Wild thing
Why don’t we do it in the road
You can leave your hat on
You sexy thing
Queen
Inner Circle
Rod Stewart
Joan Jett
Peggy Lee
Cyndi Lauper
Motley Crue
Mindy McCready
Right Said Fred
Weather Girls
TV Theme
TV Theme
Prince
Kool & The Gang
ZZ Top
Marvin Gaye
Village People
Larry Mullen
Roy Orbison
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Garth Brooks
ZZ Top
Carl Carlton
Beyonce
Cake
David Rose
TV Theme
M. C. Hammer
Devo
The Troggs
Tone Loc
The Beatles
Tom Jones
Hot Chocolate

Popular Bouquet Toss Songs - Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Here are other posts that may be helpful to you Top 50 DJ Wedding Last Dance SongsHow To Hire The Best Wedding DJ,  Popular Garter Toss Songs, Wedding DJ Father-Daughter Dance SongsWedding DJ Mother Son Dance SongsTop 50 Wedding Cake Cutting SongsPopular Bridal Party Introduction Songs for Wedding DJs and Popular Bouquet Toss Songs.

 

What are your favorite Bouquet Toss Songs?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

Ask about my Rhode Island Wedding DJ & Rhode Island Party DJ Guarantee!

How Do You DJ So Many Weddings?

Last week I was meeting with a couple whose wedding I will DJ this later month. I like them as I do most folks I get to work with on their events. The Groom asked me with genuine curiosity, “How do you DJ so many weddings and not get bored? Aren’t they all basically the same?”

 

“No. They are never the same. Every wedding and every couple are different. There are many similarities in style and music but the wedding itself is always unique. I get fired-up before each wedding. I think they are fun and they mean something. They actually mean something. Brides and Grooms only plan on doing this once. Most other celebrations you hope to do many times – graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  Weddings the hope is that it is a one-shot deal and makes it so much more intense. As a professional Wedding DJ, I connect to this”

 

“I agree! That is why we are getting married and chose you to be our Wedding DJ, but I still think it must be hard to get up for every one.”

 

“I think they are exciting. And I get to part of such an important part of a couple’s life. They know that they have the fun part covered when they hire me. They take care of everything leading up to the day and I will take care of the fun for their guests. How can I not get-up for something like that?”

 

“I hear it in your voice and know that you are telling the truth since we found you through a friend whose wedding you were Wedding DJ  last year and he had such good things to say about you. That is why we picked you after meeting with you first during the winter. You seemed genuinely excited about every aspect of the planning. I would think as a Wedding DJ this part would be boring for you.”

 

“Not at all! I love it. Sometimes I have more fun helping plan the wedding with the couple more than the wedding itself. I have a lot of experience and most couples don’t have much experience planning a wedding. I can offer them ideas and things to think about, then they come up with what works best for them. It’s your wedding, not mine. You get to choose. It’s fun for me as a professional Wedding DJ.”

 

As usual, I am busy getting the music together for their wedding. They have a nice mix of Pop, Dance, Salsa, Rock, Merengue, Hip Hop, Bachata, Oldies and Cumbia. Should make for a great event!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

What to Look for in A Professional Wedding DJ

Experience. Experience is the most important aspect of choosing a quality professional Wedding DJ for your wedding. A professional  Wedding DJ needs to have experience with DJing many kinds of events, and most importantly; weddings. Weddings have a certain rhythm and flow to them that can be overwhelming when you are new at providing professional DJ services for weddings.

 

Let’s face it, the intention is to do this only once and it has to be something that you and your guests walk away feeling like having experienced a slice of heaven for a day.  One of the least thought about but often key decisions is choosing a professional Wedding DJ. Your music and Wedding MC go along way towards making this a memorable and fun event for all. An experienced professional Wedding DJ has the skills and confidence to make certain that the bride and groom, and all their guests can appreciate the honoring of tradition and this moment at the same time. The right music can do this. There is a large gap between knowing music, spinning music and being able to meet the needs of those attending your wedding.

 

An experienced professional Wedding DJ will have very high quality equipment that is well taken care-of and looks appealing for your guests and photos.  Do you want your wedding photos to look like a concert hall? Of course not. Does your Wedding DJ look like a guy off the street or someone who respects you and their profession?

 

At the end of the day, it is YOUR wedding! Make certain your wedding DJ realizes how important this is to you and your guests. It is your music, your photos, your celebration. An experienced wedding DJ knows this and is ready to honor and embrace your needs and can do so seamlessly while having fun participating in this unique event.

 

Experience is the key to finding the right professional Wedding DJ for your wedding.

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DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Dinner Music for Professional DJs

When playing music for a group as a professional DJ, dinner music can be either one of the easiest or most challenging aspects of a gig. How can dinner music be challenging you ask? Good question.

There are the ‘guest wars’ over volume and musical styles. Uncle Joe wants “Some nice old Italian music, you know, Jerry Vale and Frank Sinatra” and the Groom is concerned that “My Polish family will go crazy without any Polkas at a wedding” then the Bride, who booked the event to begin with wants “Slow, Soulful music” and the original playlist you discussed called for Western Classical music during dinner with some Smooth Jazz. You can see how this can be confusing. So what does a professional Wedding DJ do to satisfy all these contrasting tastes and requests?

Play them all!  Since the dinner potion of an event, especially a wedding, will last about an hour; this is when you can spread your wings and let them all get some airtime.  Maybe start with some Smooth Jazz and segue into some Slow, Soulful music. When that has run its course, a Polish Polka or two will make the Groom and his family happy knowing that a couple more Smooth Jazz tunes will be needed to transition to the Italian favorites Uncle Joe demanded. As dinner hits the main course, relaxing Classical Music is always a positive choice being mindful that many of these pieces will have slow gentle beginnings but full-bodied upbeat middles that may not be suitable for dinner music.  It is important to always pre-cue your selections and take a quick listen to make certain it is good dinner music for this event.

Dinner music is a time for letting people enjoy food, conversation, connecting, maybe even introductions and getting in the mood for whatever will follow.  The middle of dinner should be the mellowest of music with the coffee and desert portion moving a little bit more upbeat to segue into the danceable music to follow. Be warned though, if your music is too good, you may have people leaving their full plates and heading to the dance floor. I have experienced this several times as a professional Wedding DJ and am sure if it is a sign of doing a good job or taking from the event itself. You be the judge.

I encourage all new professional DJs to not fall into the habit that many professional DJs do of running dinner solely on Auto-Mix and not paying any attention to what is going on. Remember, dinner sets the mood for the event and you want to be sure everybody is being prepared for a great night! Watch and feel what is working with the guests even though they are not dancing.  Feel the vibe and energy and choose your selections accordingly. We are the entertainment and entertainers do not go on auto-pilot. Bring the same energy and focus to dinner as you do to the rest of the gig and it will provide the foundation for a successful event for everybody!

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DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ