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Thread: Good Gig, Bad Gig.

  1. #5331
    Dinosaur Excalibur's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    So, until maybe the last hour, I believed I was dying on my feet. End of night arrives, and many people insist I've been brilliant, and that I'm top of the list if they have another party. It's beyond me.
    And this morning, a five star review arrives for this. A happy customer is a happy customer.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  2. #5332
    Imagine's Avatar
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    My faith in weddings has well and truly been restored after tonight

    Couple of lovely ladies on the 4th attempt due to you know what cancelling previous shots at tying the knot. The event was supposed to take place in Argentina (one of them is Argentinian) but they ended up deciding it'd be easier and quicker to get hitched here in the UK.

    So, local-ish hotel I've managed to never get booked in yet. The tiniest of function rooms (literally about 20x20 feet). Luckily I'd visited the venue with them a couple of weeks ago so knew the score and knew it was always going to be the combi-booth, one lighting pole and I could have got away with a single speaker but opted for symmetry. It's the smallest rig I think I've EVER put out!

    The idea was to set up, put on some background for half an hour until the first dance and then party time, with a 9 hour long list of suggestions (well....I was never going to guess the Spanish stuff off my own bat). It was all flexible through so no worries on that score (and my first ever attempt at using Tidal at an event for the Spanish side of the musical selections).

    No sooner had I arrived and I could hear chants of "Wayne! Wayne! Wayne!" coming from the patio where they were all eating the wedding BBQ. Yes, these ladies were exited about the party we'd agreed on and had egged the guests on. So....I'm a superstar DJ at last, eh?

    Setup done, just fiddling around with some bits and stuck on one of my Grandmasters for the half hour warm up before the first dance. Only to receive chants of turn it up!
    Yes folks, 7pm and they're well and truly ready to dance. Would it last the course or would they burn out? Hmmmmm......this could have gone either way.

    Eventually did the first dance (a Spanish house track which was a group effort as opposed to just the couple), and BOOM! Now it was never going to take much to make the dance floor look full, but with 80 guests all wanting to be in such a small room it was like a game of sardines at times! We literally went through the genres from Ibiza to Rock, to Spanish (yes....a couple of Tarantella's for good measure too!), to a fair sized slab of cheddary goodness. It didn't matter what I played, they danced....DJ HEAVEN!

    And such a well behaved bunch as well! Whilst there was a good amount of tipsiness, there were no raging drunks, no threatening requests to play their song next, and more importantly, they accepted the last song of the night being just that, despite me having one more lined up and permission from the venue to overrun by a couple.

    Said my thanks and goodbyes, and got a round of applause for my efforts. It almost feels like I've been on Peter's pills for the evening!

    One thing I was well and truly impressed with was my new projector. It didn't cost a lot, but will happily run movies across a venue ala animated gobos. Tonight was it's first run out as a freebie so I could test it out. The guests were impressed and so was I.

    The rest of the weekend? It's time for the wigs and loud shirts again with a couple more kids parties.

  3. #5333
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    they wouldn't be as good as this one! 60th birthday/30th Wedding anniversary. It was always going to be a corker, in a tent ( I expected a full marquee, but hey ho ) by a lovely pond next to the river flood bank. Real electricity too, no generator, it's under a high voltage line which has a dropper to a pumping station.

    It's a three minute drive from my house, so I set up in the morning, and rethought my lighting rig. Lost the EFX 500s as overkill, and used Chauvet bars for wash, the trusty Hadrons as lasers and moonflowers, and the abysmally built Crossfire XPs for gobos. In my humble opinion, it worked brilliantly. Also, it was time to give my new to me PA a test, HK Pro 18" subs and 12" tops. It acquitted itself admirably, even if technically it was a bit big for the job.

    Well, we started around 4pm with background music, and guests wandered about outside in the glorious weather, which was really kind to us. I didn't expect any dance floor action till the light faded, and I wasn't far wrong. I had full creative licence music wise, and tried to play a wide range of stuff, and having decided to go with some Soul and Tamla, the floor began to be used sporadically.

    The buffet was a " grazing buffet " which I think means people keep nibbling at it over a long period. There was a huge amount of top quality food from a local supplier, and by the end, there wasn't much left at all! Healthy appetites! Well, once darkness descended, we were away, and things got lively. Requests flooded in, I couldn't get the songs on fast enough as separate factions wanted their songs next.
    I finally finished at near three am, after five separate attempts at a final song. I broke most of the kit down, and went home, tired but happy.

    Here, I must admit to an indiscretion. As I was a guest, and the hostess had checked that I was happy about every fifteen minutes without fail, not only did I partake of the excellent buffet, but I also had a small sherry, as I didn't actually use a public highway to get home.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  4. #5334

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    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    Here, I must admit to an indiscretion. As I was a guest, and the hostess had checked that I was happy about every fifteen minutes without fail, not only did I partake of the excellent buffet, but I also had a small sherry, as I didn't actually use a public highway to get home.

    Eesh! You'll get your DJ licence revoked for admitting such conduct!

    Saturday saw me at a place I'm not entirely unfamiliar with, and on arriving at my specially reserved parking space (joke) I got a good idea how the night was going to go.

    "Ohhhh good luck with this lot tonight " the staff member said. They wouldn't enlighten me further but I took it as affirmation of what I'd spotted earlier. Well at least the crowd isn't rent-a-gran I said, to which came a reply I can't repeat here but it was surprising to hear coming from a lady lol.

    Loadin & setup were a breeze, and it wasn't long before the showstopping special effect for the first dance arrived & had to be filled with hot water. Yes, we were going to be treated with an opportunity to witness dancing on the clouds!

    Nobody around me had a clue what that was all about so I dug out a clip from YouTube. The photographer said she wasn't a fan, or words to that effect. Personally I think it can look awesome, but is it worth the risk on cold floor tiles? Hmmm.

    The cake was cut & the first dance was done then off we went.

    It was pretty much non stop dancefloor mayhem. We had to have a few minutes stoppage time for the floor to be cleared of spilled gin & smashed glass but other than that..

    Requests were plentiful & we spent the remainder of the night firmly in post 2000s bangers territory. I managed to get through over 130 tracks in five hours - something of an experiment - quick mixing. It certainly helped keep the energy nice & high for sure so I might roll it out more often in future.

    A request for anything by Shaggy came in near last orders time so I wanted out It Wasn't Me then thought it might be fun to visit Because I Got High afterwards. I was never a fan of either but to see an entire room going for it so hard was enjoyable.

    False ended proceedings with brightside (requested earlier) then the actual ending was DJ Sammy - Heaven. They loved their clubland... Two minutes past midnight I slow deckstopped the tune as it faded out, then stood for a minute or so ignoring deafening shouts for an encore. Up came the bride to pronounce she'd never seen anything like it & that I'd played a total blinder.

    Ah if only every one could be like that.

  5. #5335

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nakatomi View Post
    Requests were plentiful & we spent the remainder of the night firmly in post 2000s bangers territory. I managed to get through over 130 tracks in five hours - something of an experiment - quick mixing.
    Would be fascinated to see a played log of what you played during that gig!



    For me on Saturday, I was covering for a DJ who was covering for another DJ. All arranged last week, and not my preferred way to work, but it helped a few people out and was very local to me.

    Now I'm not overly keen on working through a third party, especially when I don't get to speak to the couple in advance of the evening. As the evening approached, I got a bit nervous, as there were a few unknowns here... firstly, I was being paid the balance on the evening in cash (again, not how I like to work), and second, it was in a village hall. For a couple I'd never met (and who hadn't booked me to be their DJ!), I started to worry about what sort of wedding it could be, in a venue with no staff, and therefore something I had no control over.

    Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about - it was an absolutely lovely couple who'd got married abroad and were having an evening celebration. The bride was wearing her dress, and the guests started to arrive from 6:30pm. Had a chat with the couple and they were really relaxed. The vibe I'd been given for music was "Kisstory" style. Can totally do that!

    7:30 had the speeches, followed by first dance, and then pretty much straight after that, the buffet opened.

    Things were slow on the dancefloor, as expected, with food being eaten, and the evening sun streaming through the windows!

    Come 9:30 and I was able to pick things up. Lots of Kisstory tunes, especially R'n'B classics, along with a handful of older tunes for the older guests.

    All going really nicely and the dancefloor stayed busy throughout.

    However, I had a niggle about how to end the night - I wasn't sure what song to end on. I like to end on something that's a bit of a sing along, and nothing was coming to mind that was fitting the brief. I'd asked the couple earlier if they had any preference on a last song and didn't.

    Around 11pm the bride came up and asked me for Florence and the Machine - You've Got The Love.... there's the last song I proclaimed!

    A further 30 minutes of tunes, ending with Florence and the Machine, and it was the perfect end.

    A nice 11:30pm finish, at a venue 10 minutes away from my storage unit, meant I was packed up, at the storage unit, unloaded, and back home just after 12:30pm. Perfect!

    The couple were really happy with the evening, which was great - as I was effectively a random DJ to them who they hadn't initially booked, and I really didn't want to let them down!

    One thing I noted though. Being a Village Hall, this was the first time in many years I had been set up on a stage - and I really disliked it. Very disconnected from the audience, and it makes it hard for people to make requests.

  6. #5336
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    Would be fascinated to see a played log of what you played during that gig!
    One thing I noted though. Being a Village Hall, this was the first time in many years I had been set up on a stage - and I really disliked it. Very disconnected from the audience, and it makes it hard for people to make requests.
    Now there are those of here that like the up on a stage in a village hall environment (well....not necessarily the village hall part). Provided it's high enough and there's no stairs to the public side of things, it don't half deter the boarders from invading

  7. #5337
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post

    One thing I noted though. Being a Village Hall, this was the first time in many years I had been set up on a stage - and I really disliked it. Very disconnected from the audience, and it makes it hard for people to make requests.
    Years ago when I played venues with stages I always set up on the floor in front of the stage with the lights on the stage for the same reasons.
    Last edited by Excalibur; 24-05-2022 at 07:33 AM. Reason: Fixed quote

  8. #5338
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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    I got a bit nervous, as there were a few unknowns here... firstly, I was being paid the balance on the evening in cash (again, not how I like to work), and second, it was in a village hall.
    Are you sure you're a real DJ? For some it's a way of life.

    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    One thing I noted though. Being a Village Hall, this was the first time in many years I had been set up on a stage - and I really disliked it. Very disconnected from the audience, and it makes it hard for people to make requests.
    Flippant response: Rule 1 in the DJ handbook- Take the high ground.
    Considered response- While I like a stage to get your valuable kit out of the way of muppets and flying drinks, I unreservedly accept and share your misgivings about the disconnect. Two Saturdays ago was a case in point, as the venue had a big notice forbidding punters from the stage. One guest had to pass me an important message, and would only go as far as the wings, refusing to take to the stage. Everyone else wants me to kneel at the front of the stage to hear there requests. Not ideal, at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by Imagine View Post
    Now there are those of here that like the up on a stage in a village hall environment (well....not necessarily the village hall part). Provided it's high enough and there's no stairs to the public side of things, it don't half deter the boarders from invading
    Now here we may diverge. I welcome steps. As Gavin says, with no access, you are indeed disconnected. Not nice. Steps are just enough to allow requests.
    Excalibur. Older than the average DJ.

    www.excaliburmobiledisco.co.uk

  9. #5339

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    Quote Originally Posted by rth_discos View Post
    Would be fascinated to see a played log of what you played during that gig!
    Correction: over 120 tracks (130 was typo) but VDJ apparently failed to log some because I played under 45 seconds See also, it kinda stinks VDJ doesn't track the seconds a track is played too.

    19:05: Gladys Knight & The Pips -Bourgie', Bourgie'
    19:12: Jamiroquai And Dimitri From Paris -Cosmic Girl (Dimitri From Paris Remix)
    19:19: Christopher Cross -Ride Like The Wind
    19:25: Michael Jackson -Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Nick* Disco Redux)
    19:30: Tweet -Boogie Tonight(DB Boulevard Mix)
    19:34: Dua Lipa -Don't Start Now (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
    19:38: The Supermen Lovers Feat. Mani Hoffman -Starlight (Original 12'' Mix)
    19:41: -Beyonce Wedding Intro (special edit I use often for grand entrances)
    19:43: Liam Payne & Rita Ora -For You First Dance
    19:47: Walk The Moon -Shut Up & Dance Juski edit (my own edit with changed intro, added drums for more welly, longer instrumental break for mixing out followed by acapella outro.
    19:49: Calvin Harris & Tom Grennan -By Your Side (Extended Mix) - Used stems to isolate the vocal & mixed over the looped Walk the Moon instrumental bit
    19:52: Daft Punk -One More Time
    19:53: Spiller -Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (Extended Vocal Mix)
    19:57: Robin S -Show Me Love Juski Edit
    20:00: Ce Ce Peniston -Finally Juski Edit
    20:03: Alison Limerick -Where Love Lives (Dancing Divas Remix)
    20:06: Shania Twain -That Don't Impress Me Much (UK dance mix)
    20:10: celine dion -I'm Alive Juski Edit - Went on a hunch this would go down being that the crowd were from a particular location.
    20:12: Haddaway -What Is Love Juski Edit
    20:16: Tina Turner -Proud Mary R Rrr - is there no escaping this turgid thing. Near the end, loop, fade out the instruments & mix into...
    20:21: Kenny Loggins -Footloose Juski Edit - No hard ending here but drums to mix with...
    20:24: Ray Charles -Shake a Tail Feather
    20:27: Outkast -Hey Ha Juski edit
    20:29: Scouting For Girls -She's So Lovely
    20:33: Taylor Swift -Shake It Off
    20:36: a-ha -Take On Me Juski Edit
    BUFFET TIME: -
    20:40: N Sync -Bye Bye Bye
    20:43: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell -Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    20:46: Vanessa Carlton -A Thousand Miles. Another hunch based on the room demographic paid off.
    20:49: Wilson Phillips -Hold On - Ditto
    20:53: Miley Cyrus -Party In The U.S.A - Ditto.
    20:56: The Jacksons -I Want You Back juski edit
    20:57: Five -Got The Feelin Juski Edit
    21:00: Beyonce -Single Ladies Crazy In Love Juski Edit - a combo of songs with a wordplay transition I used to (painfully) do live.
    21:05: Sean Paul -Get Busy Juski Edit Acapella Intro
    21:07: Shakira -Hips Don't Lie Juski Edit. Drum outtro.
    21:10: Busted -Year 3000 Juski Edit - Acapella outro.
    21:13: Will Smith -Fresh Prince of Bel Air Theme
    21:14: Kevin Lyttle -Turn Me On Juski Edit
    21:16: B*Witched -C'est La Vie
    21:18: Robbie Williams -Rock DJ
    21:21: Erasure -A Little Respect
    21:24: EWF - September Juski Edit - Mostly just quantised in Ableton. I can juggle the pitch, but why should I have to every time?
    21:26: Cher -Believe (Single Mix) R
    21:29: Livin Joy -Dreamer
    21:32: Paul Johnson -Get Get Down
    21:33: Chris Brown -Forever R
    21:36: Flo Rida feat. T-Pain -Low
    21:37: Oliver Heldens X Becky Hill -Gecko (Overdrive) R
    21:41: Nicki Minaj -Starships Juski Edit Acapella Intro
    21:43: Sweet Female Attitude -Flowers R
    21:47: Corona -The Rhythm Of The Night
    21:49: Sham Rock -Tell Me Ma
    21:52: Pitbull Featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer -Give Me Everything
    Down tools by order of da management – too much spilled gin!
    21:56: Neil Diamond -Sweet Caroline juski edit R. I quantised it & added beats. Does that make me a bad person?
    21:59: Queen -Don't Stop Me Now [2011 Remaster] R
    22:02: Kings Of Leon -Sex On Fire
    22:05: Blink-182 -All the Small Things
    22:08: Smash Mouth -All Star
    22:11: House Of Pain -Jump Around Juski edit - Acapella intro with beats - titbits of Panjabi Mc not shown
    22:12: The Sugarhill Gang -Apache
    22:13: Fatman Scoop -Be Faithful juski edit DIRTY
    22:14: Destiny's Child -Bootylicious
    22:16: Lil Jon & The East Side Boys -Yeah
    22:17: Kelis -Milkshake
    22:18: Akon Featuring Eminem - Smack That
    22:20: Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes -Don't Cha
    22:23: Nelly -Hot In Herre
    22:25: Gwen Stefani -Hollaback girl
    22:27: Scissor Sisters -I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
    22:29: Arctic Monkeys -Fluorescent Adolescent

    Guy moaned there wasn't enough for the older people, so play some 80s like he asked. Which he didn't dance to...
    22:32: Whitney Houston -I Wanna Dance With Somebody
    22:36: human league -don't you want me juski edit
    22:39: Eurythmics -Sweet Dreams Juski Edit
    22:42: Taio Cruz -Hangover Juski Edit Acapella intro mixes great with the outro of my sweet dreams edit
    22:45: Guns N' Roses -Sweet Child O' Mine EDIT (R play some heavy rock please)
    22:48: MeatLoaf -Paradise By The Dashboard Light R
    22:53: Freed From Desire (full vocal mix) -Gala
    22:55: Bellini -Samba De Janeiro
    22:56: Faithless -Insomnia Juski Edit
    22:57: DJ Jurgen presents Alice Deejay -Better Off Alone
    22:59: Ultrabeat -Pretty Green Eyes (Radio Mix)
    23:01: Scooter -The Logical Song

    'Play some 80s' guy is seen throwing big shapes.
    23:04: Scooter -Posse R
    23:06: Kernkraft 400 -Zombie Nation
    23:07: Cascada -Everytime We Touch
    23:09: Nakatomi -Children Of The Night R
    23:12: Special D. -Come With Me
    23:13: Basshunter Feat. DJ Mental Theo's Bassheadz -Now You're Gone
    23:15: DJ Aligator Project -The Whistle Song
    23:16: Interactive -Forever Young (Rave Mix)
    23:17: N-Trance -Set You Free - Accidentally played this from hotcue four. Whoops.
    23:18: Azealia Banks -212 FT LAZY JAY DIRTY VERSION R
    23:20: Masters At Work -Work (feat. Puppah NasT & Denise) [MAW Mix]
    23:22: Pitbull -Hotel Room Service Juski Edit
    23:24: Chris Brown -Yeah 3x Juski Edit
    23:26: David Guetta Feat. Kelly Rowland -When Love Takes Over
    23:28: Rihanna -We Found Love (Album Version) [Feat. Calvin Harris]
    23:30: Dario G -Sunchyme R
    23:31: Sandy B -Make The World Go Round Juski Edit Not shown in the record, acapellas thrown over the top including Dalziel - Pump It Up
    23:34: Ann Lee -2 Times
    23:35: Fragma Vs Coco --Tocas Miracle I Need A Miracle
    23:38: Don Omar -Danza Kuduro (Album Version)
    23:39: Vengaboys -We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)
    23:40: Vengaboys -Boom Boom Boom R
    23:42: Love Inc -You're A Superstar R
    23:45: Shaggy -It Wasn't Me R
    23:47: Afro Man -Because I Got High (Clean)
    23:49: Old Dirty -Baby I Got Your Money
    23:50: Beyoncé -Love on Top
    23:51: Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes -(I've Had) The Time of My Life
    23:55: The Killers -Mr. Brightside
    23:59: DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do -Heaven

    I'll add at this point that only one track got pulled before it'd run its full course because it was floundering. That was Paradise By The Dashboard light. It was either that she wanted or Celine Dion It's All Coming Back To Me & I picked the lesser of two evils.

    R = requested.

  10. #5340

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nakatomi View Post
    Correction: over 120 tracks
    Wow - what a night! Excellent selection there.

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