Brides 'Laptop' concerns.

[ckpr2]

Its the old "turn it up" / "turn it down" syndrome.
You cant please everyone.

I would just reassure her you will chat as much as she wants you to.
The customer is always right even when they are wrong as its them you need to extract the fee from later.

I did a TA gig and while everyone was eating I just used a MP3 player to play background music softly.
On one table someone stood up and said "Turn it up !"
So I turned it up.
Then an elderly gent came up and asked me to turn it down as the sound was screaming in his hearing aid !

Then someone shouted "well say something !"
I was quiet because everyone was eating.
Once the dancing started I started being chatty.

Trying to please everyone in a crowd of 200-300 is almost impossible.

Then I got slated because I didn't have a certain Lily Allen track.
I tried to explain I cant buy every single track ever written and still only charge £100 a night but it was on deaf ears.
She stood in the middle of the dance floor screaming abuse at me.

[Nakatomi]

Its the old "turn it up" / "turn it down" syndrome.
You cant please everyone.

I would just reassure her you will chat as much as she wants you to.
The customer is always right even when they are wrong as its them you need to extract the fee from later.

I did a TA gig and while everyone was eating I just used a MP3 player to play background music softly.
On one table someone stood up and said "Turn it up !"
So I turned it up.
Then an elderly gent came up and asked me to turn it down as the sound was screaming in his hearing aid !

Then someone shouted "well say something !"
I was quiet because everyone was eating.
Once the dancing started I started being chatty.

Trying to please everyone in a crowd of 200-300 is almost impossible.

Then I got slated because I didn't have a certain Lily Allen track.
I tried to explain I cant buy every single track ever written and still only charge £100 a night but it was on deaf ears.
She stood in the middle of the dance floor screaming abuse at me.

Don't let them get you down. I had some twonk making an 'L' sign at me because I said I wouldn't play 'Born To Die' right after a rock & roll selection on Saturday. She kept coming back & making more daft requests too, bless her. I'd have been interested to see how she'd dance to Lana Del Rey, but I wasn't willing to bet a packed floor on it.

Now there I disagree. This is something which we've discussed many times before. It only takes one DJ with the laptop set on automix, paying little attention to the job in hand to justifiably sow the seeds of doubt in a customer's mind. I've seen such " DJs" at work.

There've always been bone idle DJs though, Peter. You could say that about vinyl DJs, or CD.. or (shudder!) cassette tapes too.

The very first mobile DJ I ever saw was the guy who inspired me to become a mobile DJ myself.. was a lazy bugger who played a compilation album, side to side.. TWICE during the night. That was back in er... hmmm... 1987 or so.

Back before I quit mobile DJing in the mid 1990s I was called in to do emergency cover for a gig where the booked DJ couldn't make it. Because he was already booked in the same venue doing another room as it turned out. At buffet time he came in to talk to me. "Who's running your disco now?" I asked. "Nobody. I left a CD on repeat. It's only a 60th birthday party". He stayed in the room where I was playing for way over an hour. I sent him to Coventry after the first half hour & then he stood yakking at the bar for the rest of the time. And he was on about twice the rate I was getting

My work ethic is completely over the other way. I feel guilty turning autopilot on for background music!

It's easy for people to generalise about anybody who provides a service. I worry that any plumber who comes to my house is going to suck air in through his teeth & try to charge me a grand for changing a washer worth 2 pence... and that every time I take my car to a garage they're secretly laughing their "we saw you coming, mate" socks off.

As DJs some of us are going to be hard to please. I might not enjoy some forms of music but I know when somebody is at least trying to do a good job - and of the mobile discos I've seen as a guest in the last 25 years or so.. I'd say maybe FOUR have been much cop. There's a lot of dog rough mediocre out there folks.

[yourdj]

Just tell her you can bring your records and spend half the night looking through them with your back to the guests!

this is someone who needs reassuring.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

If it were me I'd advise her that yes, I do use a laptop too but it is for both back up and reference purposes.
I'd tell her that should my main playout system go down for whatever reason, she wouldn't know about it because I'd still be able to continue with a smooth transition from the main system to the back up system.
One of my 'pet hates' is seeing a DJ with his head down looking at a laptop screen all night and to agree with Peter too, I have also witnessed the old 'chuck it on automix' scenario.

I was at a venue once a few years ago and there was another wedding on in a different part of the venue. I'm standing there when all of a sudden a guy comes over in a black suit and bow tie and says "Hello". I thought he was a guest so I asked "How can I help?". His reply was that he was DJing in the other room and nobody was dancing so he'd put Traktor (or whatever it was) on a playlist and nipped out for a cigarette! I even recall him saying "They probably won't even notice I've gone".

I didn't think DJ's like that existed but obviously they do!

[ukpartydj]

I didn't think DJ's like that existed but obviously they do!

I love it when people come up to me and say "what's track is next" ... "can I see your playlist" as if I've got a predefined list of tracks that unless they interrupt with a request will be played in a certain order.

I do plonk it on automix for background music - I just move the tracks around if I feel the mood changing. I've got a few different lists of background tracks for different audiences and I'm probably just going to play those tracks in that order anyway!

[yourdj]

I must say my 15 minute dirty dancing mix (non cheesy) has some in handy at times.
I like Serato as you can't do any auto mixes or syncs.

[Shaun]

Doubtless, young Shaun will reassure the bride that she can have exactly the level of interaction she wants. Simple customer service.

Indeed I did.

I'd assume she means (and I could be wrong) that he spent most of the night with his head stuck in the laptop instead of interacting with the guests.

that's definitely the impression I got from reading her email.

Hope you get a good booking out of this Shaun & show em we're not all lazy so & sos.

Cheers. All she needed was a little reassurance.

[Brian A Crossland]

Just tell her you can bring your records and spend half the night looking through them with your back to the guests!

this is someone who needs reassuring.