Tag Archives: Professional DJ

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

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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

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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 Songs, How To Hire The Best Wedding DJ,  Popular Garter Toss Songs, Wedding DJ Father-Daughter Dance Songs, Wedding DJ Mother Son Dance Songs, Top 50 Wedding Cake Cutting Songs, Popular 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!

Teen Parties Are Fun For DJs

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One of the biggest thrills as a professional DJ is seeing young folks get-up and do their thing on the dance floor. They do not worry about looking silly or ‘acting like a teenager’ because they are teenagers.  They dance as soon as the music is cranked up and allowed to to have fun. In fact, sometimes we have to stop playing dance music so they will sit down to eat or the caterers and parents might get angry. This is one of the joys of a Teen Parties for a  DJ.

I have written about this before but I still get great joy in seeing how young people today enjoy Hip Hop, Pop, Dance, House, Rock and Country all at the same time. I was this way as a teenager but I was one of the few people I knew that allowed themselves to listen to many genres. Today it is common and acceptable for teens to mix genres and have fun with all of it.

I get asked asked every now and then, “How are you able to relate to teens as a professional DJ since you are so much older than them?”

My answers are simple; “I still feel like a teenager most of the time and I relate to their passion, excitement and energy. I appreciate that they will tell you what they feel whether it comes out pretty or not.” For me, as a guy who was a counselor and social worker with teens and families for more than fifteen years, I feel very comfortable in the presence of a group of teens. I think they feel the same way about me, at least most of them. They get a kick out the way that I do not worry how people view or feel about me and just be myself. I have some Sweet Sixteens coming-up and look forward to getting back to working teen parties, I miss it.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Slow Music Works For A Good DJ Too!

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Most folks when thinking about their wedding and its accompanying playlist; they think of partying, up-tempo music. Every now and then a couple wants slow music as their preferred choice for their reception. It is not as uncommon as one would assume as a professional Wedding DJ.

Recently a Bride and Groom thought they had guests that did not like to dance, “We are Chinese and are too shy to dance, especially to fast music”. I smiled thinking in my head I have heard this before as a Wedding DJ  and saw the results of picking the correct songs for that audience and people not only danced, they grooved to fast and slow tunes.

The reception started out with folks requesting all slow songs but halfway through, The Maid of Honor began the trend of asking for dancing tunes. Her excitement and energy let me know there would be dancing and not just slow songs.

As soon as dinner was completed. I played a few slow tunes to get folks on the dance floor and it was less than two minutes later before it was full of couples dancing slow and lovingly.  After I sensed they were ready, I switched to some of the faster, popular songs as a bridge, and it worked.  They danced to everything non-stop till it was time for dessert.

Another great wedding with happy friends and family for the Wedding DJ!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Spins Another Totally Fun Wedding!

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If you have been following my blogs, you know that I had been looking forward to The Wedding of Yomi & Mark. I have really grown to know and like them very much. I can’t lie, I knew in advance this would be a fun wedding based on the music they choose and just spending time with them. The wedding was held at Stevens Institute in Hoboken, NJ right on the Hudson River with a fabulous view of Manhattan, NYC, NY.  The ceremony was outside near sunset with a scare by some swirling winds making us believe we would have to move inside due to possible storms but we were fortunate it styed beautiuful and even lowered the temperature a few degrees. Here is what the ceremony looked like:

With The Groomsmen looking stately:

And of course The Bridesmaids were stunning:

The Bride and Groom are such wonderful people that I knew they would look outstanding because they love each other and have great friends and family.

One of the unique aspects of their reception they decided in advance that since they were having a buffet, they wanted us to play dance and fun Wedding DJ music all night long without the often mellowing effect that dinner music can sometimes facilitate. It worked as it had at other weddings that we have determined this style was preferred for certain receptions.

This allowed people to come on and off the dance floor as they felt moved and ate when they needed a break or hungry. Another advantage is that there are people on the dance floor all night and not waiting for others to get started. There were couples and individuals choosing to dance without the need of a full dance floor.

After everybody was done eating and warmed-up, things really got rockin’ and nobody wanted the night to end, including the Wedding DJ himself.

A good time was had by all.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Wedding Ceremony Prelude Music

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A Wedding DJ often gets asked by Brides and Grooms preparing for their Wedding, “What is the best Prelude Music to have in the background before our Ceremony?”

 

The answer is actually pretty easy and painless. First,the Wedding DJ need to know what kind of music you are wanting to create the right mood for your guests as they find their seats and excitedly settle in anticipating  your ceremony. Most people appreciate either some nice calming Classical, Acoustic piano, guitar or harp or gentle Jazz.

 

Here are some popular Wedding DJ suggestions for you to consider:

 

 Jesus Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach) 8.96/10 (62
 Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach) 8.47/10 (10 ratings)
 Air on the G String( Bach) 8.1/10 (30 ratings)
Love of My Life (Jim Brickman) 8.03/10 (83 ratings)
Canon in D Minor (Pachelbel)
Arioso(Bach)
A Gift of a Thistle (James Horner)
Allegro from Brandenburg Concerto (Bach) 5/10 (13 ratings)
The Wedding Song (Kenny G) 4.74/10 (94 ratings)
Claire de Lune (Debussy)
Air from Water Music (George Frideric Handel) 2.78/10 (8 ratings)
 The Secret Wedding )James Horner)
Brandenburg Concerto #2 (Bach)

 

What ideas do you have?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Two Worlds Connect Through Wedding DJ Music

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I always get excited when hired to DJ and MC a wedding from a Bride and Groom of different cultures, which seems to be my specialty these days. The challenge and opportunity to blend styles of Wedding DJ music and genres during such an important celebration is fun and inspiring. In advance, I am often a bit concerned that it will not work. What if the family from The Groom’s culture will not appreciate the music from The Bride’s culture? Or the reverse?  What if it is too much of a stretch for them to connect? Is it realistic for everybody to just be placed in the same room and find a way to have fun and enjoy the magic of the wedding?

 

The answer is NO! It is not a stretch or a problem for an experienced Wedding DJ.

It is not something to fear or be concerned about. A good professional Wedding DJ with experience blending and balancing music will not have a problem making your wedding a fantastic success! Make sure you sit down with your professional Wedding DJ and take time planning your musical selections and playlists together. Listen to their experience and be clear what it is you want; it is your wedding. Listening to Brides and Event Planners, as well as that of your guests are some of the most critical skills of an outstanding Wedding DJ.

It is 2011 and we do not have to settle for Prima Donna DJs that are not interested in listening or respecting the needs of Brides, Grooms or Event Planners. Today’s professional Wedding DJs need to be able and interested in quality communication and direction, while being able to follow their own intuitive talents in meeting the needs of diverse groups and populations. This is not 1980 anymore where the Wedding DJ was in charge and everybody had to put-up with whatever they did because we didn’t know any better or were not able to find anoutstanding Wedding DJ.

Today there are many outstanding Wedding DJs. Take your time in hiring the right one for your unique wedding or event. The professional Wedding DJ is not the place to compromise. Know what you want and do not be afraid to ask for it and expect it be honored. It is your wedding or event.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Big Smiles For The Wedding DJ

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There is a point in every event that the professional Wedding, Party or Event DJ gets his/her reward for a job well done. You can see it in the smiles and posture of the guests at the party. They can’t help but let the great energy of celebration get the best of them. If no one is facing us, we see other forms of evidence if paying attention.  It is easy to be misguided by the packed dance floor. I have been at events when the dance floor is packed since people really want to dance even if they do not like the music the DJ is playing. Dancers will dance! It is the passion and excitement in how they dance that is a greater indicator of success for the professional Wedding DJ.

When I was younger, I used to worry that when too many people asked for requests it meant I was doing a bad job. This is not always so. Time and experience have taught me that often they are having so much fun that each new song gets them fired-up about another great song they want to hear. Requests can be an effeective means of determining success or failure as a professional DJ. The difference is how they ask.

 

A while back I was helping out another DJ at a wedding. The crowd kept shifting between wanting old and new music due to the varied ages of guests. Some folks were feeling avoided and angrily appraoched the Wedding DJ station with comments like, “Do you have any music from this decade?” or ” Do you know there was music invented before last month?”. These are indicators of the Wedding DJ missing what the crowd needs.

 

On Saturday night the requests were more like, “Wow! Marvin Gaye was great. Do you have any other Motown?” and “The Bride loved Pitbull so much she was wondering if you could also play his new song with Ne-Yo ‘Give Me Everything’? Please?” I played both Motown and Pitbull and they worked out great. The greatest reward for me was seeing The Bride smiling ear-to-ear.  At the end of the night, The Bride, Groom and her sister all gave me big hugs when I was leaving, as if they were about to lose their new best friend. It certainly made the ride home on the Garden Sate Parkway a breeze on that hot summer night from this beautiful outdoor, backyard Wedding DJ.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Last Minute Event DJ

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It is not often but sometimes I have an open date approaching the weekend. It is even rarer when that date is a holiday three-day weekend like the Fourth of July. Stranger yet was that two separate clients wanted to hire me last minute for the same day but at different times. One needed a professional DJ for a First Communion celebration in the afternoon and the other a unique form of Wedding Party in the evening. We somehow found a way to schedule both of them and serve the families that requested our services last minute!

 

Fortunately for me, I have been doing this for a long time and don’t need much time or preparation to get ready for a last minute professional DJ gig. Of course, I appreciate the prep time when I have it, but can show-up wihtout much notice or details and do an excellent job providing professional DJ services and great music.

 

I was speaking with a friend over dinner last night about the fact that I always try to create a ‘playlist’ of songs which is more of a music bank then playlist. I take the songs that the client has requested and place them in a ‘playlist’ for their event. I then add on a 2:1 ratio another group of songs that would compliment their requests perfectly.  These are where I will start from at the event till I get a sense of the crowd and get a nice request list going from those attending the event. Together with the original list they offered, the ones I added intuitively, what I can see and feel working and the crowds requests – we end up with an excellent event full of great music and fun!

 

I am excited about both of these gigs and an additional Wedding on Sunday. The last minute Wedding is actually a kind of Wedding I have not served previously as a professional Wedding DJ. The Bride and Groom have already been married and celebrated at a destination Wedding in The Caribbean. This party is for the friends and family that could not attend their Destination Wedding. Should be fun!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

DJ Top Songs of The 60’s

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I wanted to look at what are the songs that people today think are DJ Top songs fro the 60’s as a professional DJ. I searched the Internet for a current poll and found one that seems like a good fit. Let me know what you think.

 

1      ****  NUMBER ONE ****
Hey Jude, The Beatles
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (9 weeks)
2  (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
3  Light My Fire, The Doors
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
4  Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
5  Yesterday, The Beatles
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
6  The Twist, Chubby Checker
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
7  I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Beatles
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (7 weeks)
8  The House Of The Rising Sun, The Animals
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
9  The Sounds Of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
10  Suspicious Minds, Elvis Presley
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
11  El Paso, Marty Robbins
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
12  My Girl, The Temptations
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
13  Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
14  Like A Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #2
15  (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, Otis Redding
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
16  Paint It, Black, The Rolling Stones
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
17  Respect, Aretha Franklin
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
18  Come Together, The Beatles
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
19  The Theme From “A Summer Place”, Percy Faith
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (9 weeks)
20  Penny Lane, The Beatles
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
21  I’m A Believer, The Monkees
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (7 weeks)
22  Downtown, Petula Clark
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
23  The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The Tokens
1961 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
24  Turn! Turn! Turn!, The Byrds
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
25  She Loves You, The Beatles
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
26  Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix Experience
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #65
27  When A Man Loves A Woman, Percy Sledge
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
28  It’s Now Or Never, Elvis Presley
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (5 weeks)
29  Honky Tonk Woman, The Rolling Stones
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
30  Cherish, The Association
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
31  You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, The Righteous Brothers
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
32  California Dreamin’, The Mamas And The Papas
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #4
33  In My Life, The Beatles
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: did not chart
34  A Day In The Life, The Beatles
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: did not chart
35  Can’t Buy Me Love, The Beatles
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (5 weeks)
36  Mrs. Robinson, Simon & Garfunkel
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
37  Sugar Sugar, The Archies
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
38  Runaway, Del Shannon
1961 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
39  I Heard It Through The Gravevine, Marvin Gaye
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (7 weeks)
40  Will You Love Me Tomorrow, The Shirelles
1961 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
41  Help!, The Beatles
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
42  Love Child, The Supremes
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
43  God Only Knows, The Beach Boys
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #39
44  Are You Lonesome To-night, Elvis Presley
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (6 weeks)
45  Running Bear, Johnny Preston
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
46  Leaving On A Jet Plane, Peter, Paul & Mary
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
47  Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In, The Fifth Dimension
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (6 weeks)
48  Mr. Tambourine Man, The Byrds
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
49  Paperback Writer, The Beatles
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
50  All You Need Is Love, The Beatles
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
51  Ode To Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
52  Leader Of The Pack, Shangri-Las
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
53  Ruby Tuesday, The Rolling Stones
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
54  Wild Thing, The Troggs
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
55  Hello, I Love You, The Doors
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
56  Strawberry Fields Forever, The Beatles
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #8
57  White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #8
58  Daydream Believer, The Monkees
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
59  A Hard Day’s Night, The Beatles
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
60  I Got You Babe, Sonny & Cher
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
61  Someday We’ll Be Together, The Supremes
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
62  Stop In The Name Of Love, The Supremes
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
63  Hit The Road Jack, Ray Charles
1961 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
64  All Along The Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #20
65  Louie Louie, The Kingsmen
1963 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: 2 (6 weeks)
66  She’s Not There, The Zombies
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #2 (1 week)
67  The Loco-Motion, Little Eva
1962 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
68  Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Brian Hyland
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
69  Can’t Help Falling In Love, Elvis Presley
1962 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #2 (1 week)
70  Yellow Submarine, The Beatles
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #2 (1 week)
71  It’s My Party, Lesley Gore
1963 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
72  Stuck On You, Elvis Presley
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
73  Save The Last Dance For Me, The Drifters
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
74  Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #2 (1 week)
75  Somethin’ Stupid, Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)

The first song that surprised me by its placement on the list is #11 “El Paso”. I did not think that still today it had the same popularity as some of the others. I will be mindful of this the next gig I have that includes oldies. On the flip side, I thought  “Respect” would rank higher, since it is requested all the time. I also would have thought The Drifters “Save The Last Dance For Me” would be in the top 25. It never would have occurred to me, although one of my favorite songs of all time, that Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along The Watchtower” would even be on this list, forget about being #64. Glad I am wrong, even a professional DJ learns something from clients.

 

What songs surprised you?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ