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For
most folks, the dawn of a new millennium will inspire inebriated
self-reflection and bubbly sentiment. But for us DJs – for
us DJs who are working, that is – it promises to be the
most important and highest paying gig of our career. What
job coul d be better? On Friday night, December 31, we’ll
party like it’s 1999 and then we’ll sleep better Saturday
with a padded bank account.
What will you be doing when the ball drops? As for me, I’ll
be DJing at the home of a wealthy family here in Iowa. Being
that it’s such a special occasion, I’m bringing along my
wife and daughter. I won’t be afraid to cry at this type
of intimate gig – I get sentimental, too, you know. Besides,
if I cried while DJing at a bar, I might get my ass kicked.
We
spoke with DJ Times readers throughout the country
and asked about their expectations for New Year’s Eve. Ten-nine-eight-seven-six…
Paradise Mike Alexander, Paradise Mike Entertainment,
Santa Barbara, Cal.
Where will you be on December 31?
“It will be an Elks Lodge. In our area, these places are
really big.”
Expectations for the night?
“I think a lot of people celebrate New Year’s Eve usually,
but this year, even those who don’t usually observe it,
will. Our facility already is sold out, with 800 guests,
and I think it’s going to be literally insane.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“I’m not concerned about it. The facility we’re playing
at is very cutting edge, even though it’s an Elks Lodge,
and I’m sure they have everything taken care of. And if
they don’t, I get to go home early!”
First song of 2000?
“I haven’t given it any thought, what I’ll play after ‘Auld
Lang Syne,’ but I hope not to have to play ‘Dancing in the
Dark’ or ‘Highway to Hell’!”
Mark
Ashe, Mark’s Rolling Dance Review, Agawam, Mass.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll be playing in Boston for a private function with approximately
300 guests.”
Are you going to party like it’s 1999?
“I expect the night to be an absolute gimmie. It’s obvious
that this will be the party of parties, and I think people
are gonna be fired up about it. I think the level of excitement
is going to be enhanced greatly – much more so than any
party any of us has ever worked at. This will be the night
of all nights.”
Any Y2K fears?
“I’m not personally worried about it, but I do own generators.
I think the Y2K concern is not really there anymore.”
First song of 2000?
“I haven’t decided yet, although I will be pulling out all
the stops in terms of snow machines, intelligent lighting
effects, a giant video screen and everything else that helps
make it a grand entrance.”
Paul Binder, California Music Express, DJ Times’ scribe,
San Ramon, Cal. 
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll personally be working at the home of romance novelist
Danielle Steele. The house is ridiculously huge, complete
with a ballroom and about 20 employees working for her.
It’ll be fun.”
Expectations for the night?
“This has been a steady New Year’s gig for me the past couple
years, and there’s usually a bunch of celebrities there,
like George Hamilton and the mayor. It’s not a nutty crowd,
so it’s pretty much a low-key gig.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“No, we’ve got our computer network tested, so we’re cool
over here.”
First song for 2000?
“Huh?”
Lisa “Do The Dance” Capitanelli, Los Angeles, Cal.
Where will you be “doing the dance” on December 31?
“I’ll be in a private home in north San Diego for an exclusive
family affair with about 150 guests.”
Expectations for the night?
“It will be a very festive, high-energy event. I’ll be totally
interactive that night.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“I think everything’s pretty much squared away in terms
of electricity and things like that, although I have talked
to them about getting a generator just in case.”
First song for 2000?
“We’re still in discussions about that with the client.
The client is actually picking that song out, so I can’t
answer yet. They want ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at midnight, but
they haven’t decided what comes next at this point.”
Doug
Darrah, Hot Wax DJ Service, Norwich, N.Y.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I had turned down my regular job earlier this year because
of what I had been told of the Y2K situation. Since then
I’ve kind of mellowed out on the Y2K thing, and I think
if I put my name out there with some of the other DJ services
that are getting overbooked, I can probably still get a
job.”
Expectations for the night?
“I have no idea. This is going to be amateur night, in terms
of the drinkers, but you can only get so drunk. It’s going
to be interesting to see.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“Several knowledgeable people who worked for the government
and utility companies stopped by my computer club and painted
a pretty gloomy picture for the Y2K thing, and I figured
at that point that I would not let any of my systems out.
Even if you have a generator, if the power goes out a lot
of people will get scared and leave anyway. Lately, however,
I’ve stopped going to that computer club. I just want to
store up some extra food and get 30-40 gallons of extra
kerosene, just to have in case we need it.”
First song of 2000?
“I haven’t thought of that yet. My first song last year
was ‘1999,’ and that will probably be my last song this
year.”
Bob
Deyoe, Desert DJs, Tuscon, Ariz.
Where will you be on December 31?
“My guys are doing some house parties, but I’ll be staying
at home with my kids and my fiancée. It’s kind of hard to
keep a five- and seven-year-old awake until midnight, but
we’ll try our best.”
Expectations for the night?
“I don’t think it’ll be anything catastrophic, but I think
there will be a two- to three-percent fringe element that
will take the opportunity to do stupid things.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“There’s nothing here that will cause a problem. CD players
will keep playing, and I’m not concerned at all about our
computer programs.”
First song for 2000?
“I haven’t even asked my guys yet, but I’ll have to bring
it up at our DJ meeting. Maybe someone will come up with
a decent song about the millennium between now and then
and put it out as an MP3 file on their website.”
Brian Doyle, Denon & Doyle, Concord, Cal.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I don’t have any plans yet, and I don’t think I’ll personally
be working. I think I’ll either be enjoying a yacht party
in the San Fransisco Bay or I’ll be flying out and crashing
a friend’s party out in New Hampshire.”
Expectations for the night?
“I think all the stops will be unplugged, and there will
be a lot of love in the room – that’s what I’m looking forward
to. I kind of like it because you don’t have to bring booze
– it’s just kind of given to you by all your new friends.
New Year’s Eve typically has a kind of ‘peace-on-earth’
type of feel to it, and I think it’ll be even more so this
time.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“We figure if the lights go out, there’s gonna be a lot
of love going around anyway. We’re ready for the group grope
thing.”
Fred
& Teri Elwyn, Music To Go DJs, St. Louis, Mo.
Where will you be on December 31?
“Well, first of all it’s ‘turn of the century,’ not millennium.
As DJs, we can really scam on this. Next year we can say
millennium, but this year it’s a turn-of-the-century party.”
Expectations for the night?
“Our only expectation is to triple our income for a typical
New Year’s Eve.”
Any Y2K fears?
“No, not at all. We think it’s just a big hype.”
First song of 2000?
“We’ve got a call into Prince right now, asking about any
upcoming hits for the new millennium, but haven’t heard
back from him yet. Seriously, we’re still getting suggestions
from our employees at this point. Several alternatives will
be out there, and we’re letting our employees be flexible
with what they choose.”
Greg
Mancini, Mancini Emcee & Sound Production, Visalia, Cal.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’m going to be playing music in the town of Fresno. I
booked this party way back on January 2nd, for about 250
business associations and friends who will be staying in
a block of rooms. Everyone will know each other, and we
plan to do a lot of interactivity.”
Expectations for the night?
“Everyone will be staying at the hotel, so it will be a
crazy night. We plan to go until they don’t want to go anymore.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“We’re not concerned about it. I think any potential problems
will be minor, and not of any major inconvenience. I think
institutions have had ample time to work on it, and I’ve
gotten to know a lot of people in the computer field who
are not concerned about it.”
First song for 2000?
“I know we’ll play ‘1999’ just prior to midnight. ‘Mambo
No. 5’ will be really close, too, since that’s becoming
such a huge song everywhere.”
Michael
“Scooter” Miller, Scooter’s DJ Service, Orlando, Fla.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll be DJing for the public at the Epcot Center. It’s
a huge gig that I’ve been doing now for seven years, and
it’s great. I’ll have a couple thousand people in front
of me all night. I’m pretty pumped.”
Expectations for the night?
“It’s gonna be insane. I’ll come on at 7 p.m., and I’m done
at 11:45 p.m., just before the big fireworks show. They’ll
have noisemakers and hats everywhere, and it’ll be total
insanity. Most of them will have been in the park all day,
and they’ll be dying to party.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“No, I don’t. They got through 1899 to 1900 alright and
survived, so I’m alright.”
First song for 2000?
“I won’t be DJing that long, but with Disney it’s usually
the corny, canned ‘Celebration’ or something else that everyone
knows, because you’ve got whole families and kids there.”
Bobby Morganstein, BMP, Philadelphia, Pa.
Where will you be on December 31?
“It’s hard to say, because we have so many parties going
on that night. Hopefully, I’ll be at my own place, Beat
Street, although nothing is booked yet. We also have three
very large parties at peoples’ homes, and I’ll probably
float between them and stay at the funniest one. Personally,
I don’t want to work that night unless I have to.”
Expectations for the night?
“I think it will be a wild time. Everyone is ready to have
fun.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“No, I’m not worried. One of my friends works for a water
distribution company, so I have cases and cases of water
here just in case. We’ll just pray.”
First song for 2000?
“I don’t even know yet what I’ll play, although I’ll want
something with a ton of energy. I’ll definitely play ‘Auld
Lang Syne’ at midnight, and then I’ll kick in with something
high-energy like Ricky Martin’s ‘Cup of Life.’”
Brian
Nicks, DJ, Springfield, Mass.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I won’t be working as a DJ. I decided that I can make as
much money at a good-sized corporate function or bar mitzvah
without having to blow that night. I’ve received call after
call and I’ve turned them all down. I would rather do something
fun and listen to someone else play for a change, because
I don’t see a weekend free more than once or twice a year.
I can take the cut and have some fun for the night.”
Expectations for the night?
“I’ve had a lot of people invite me to different functions
on New Year’s Eve this year, and I think I’m going to go
down and hang out on the island where I DJ a lot these days.
They’re having a big party and a couple live bands, and
I’d rather do that.”
Dave Pawelek, Spinnin’ Discs, Chicago, Ill.
Where will you be on December 31?
“Our company is doing 13 shows that night, but personally
I’ll be playing music for a corporate event with about 200
people at the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago.”
Expectations for the night?
“The top of the Sears Tower at the end of 1999? It’s going
to be total madness!”
Any Y2K concerns?
“Our company is compliant. The only concern we have is with
the facility we’re working in, but not our gear.”
First song for 2000?
“Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘The House is Rockin’.’ ”
Randi
Rae, Randi Rae Productions, New Jersey
Where will you be on December 31?
“I will be performing for both adults and kids at a township
family party at a restaurant in Toms River, N.J.”
Expectations for the night?
“Personally, I don’t really expect my party to be absolutely
crazy, since there will be kids and I don’t think the kids
will really grasp what a millennium is.”
Any Y2K fears?
“I’m not worried about my gear at all, but now that you
bring up the potential of problems with electrical power
plants I might consider throwing a large boom-box and batteries
in with me for the night. I have no intentions of buying
a generator for one night, though.”
First song of 2000?
“I haven’t even thought of that. I know that just before
the ball drops it will be a lot of hot, heavy disco and
club music, such as ‘1999’ and ‘We Like to Party.’ When
the ball drops I have a club disco medley with ‘Auld Lang
Syne’ during the countdown.”
Gerry Siracusa, Golden Note Entertainment, New Jersey
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll be holding my own party for about 200 of my clients,
friends and family. The facility will be charging me per
guest, and I’ll be charging a ticket price.”
Expectations for the night?
“It will be an absolutely crazy night. We’ve gone out and
bought new lights and a new sound system just for this party.
One of our biggest competitors will be at the ball dropping
over in New York City, so we’re advertising ‘Forget about
the ball – We’re dropping the bomb!’”
Any Y2K concerns?
“No, not really.”
Rich
Strage, DJs To Go, Liverpool, N.Y.
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll be playing for about 350 guests at a country club
up here.”
Expectations for the night?
“I think I’ll have an older group of people and I don’t
expect them to get too crazy, although at midnight everyone
gets a little crazy no matter what the age group. It’s usually
the one event during the year that costs me a piece of equipment.”
First song for 2000?
“I have no idea at this point. When the ball drops we’ll
play the standard ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ but I have no clue if
we’ll do anything special. Maybe someone will come out with
a millennium song by then?”
Bill Teater, Great Day Productions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Where will you be on December 31?
“I’ll be playing for 500-700 people for a big millenium
blow-out party at one of the biggest hotels in Cincinnati.
The hall is getting $125 per person. We’re supplying tons
of party favors and confetti cannons, and rooms are included
in the hotel packages.”
Expectations for the night?
“We anticipate a very adult crowd, although it’s been our
experience that everyone between 25 and 70 will be there.
It’ll be like a wedding reception, but magnified about 20
times. I anticipate that as the mood builds toward midnight
everyone will get very crazy.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“On the computer side of things, we have Y2K-compliant discs
from Microsoft, and on the CD side of things we don’t anticipate
any problems.”
First song for 2000?
“Right before midnight we’re planning to play ‘1999’ and
then ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as the ball drops, but we’re still
discussing what comes next. I don’t want to play Kool &
The Gang’s ‘Celebration’ because it’s way overused.”
Scott
Timberman, TNT DJ’s, Hamstad, Md.
Where will you be on December 31?
“Presently I’m not booked, for several reasons. The main
reason is that I’m trying to market that last-minute customer,
plus I do a lot of club work and the club is still unsure
whether or not they’ll be open.”
Expectations for the night?
“I think it’s gonna be a great night – a big party, lots
of fun, lots of energy – no matter where I’m at.”
Any Y2K concerns?
“My system, except for a couple minor programs I have, is
Y2K-compliant. I’ve been on top of it, since I’m a computer
nut. I think it’s gonna be an issue somewhere, though.”
Russ Harris, Show on the Road, Naperville, Ill. 
Where will you be on December 31?
“I don’t work New Year’s. I usually throw a party at my
house.”
Are your DJ employees working?
“I don’t insist that they work. We did have a staff meeting
where everybody named the price that they would go out for
– the lowest was $1,500. If my guys can convince a client
to bite on the price they’re seeking, I let them book the
gig and keep all the money. It’s my way of saying thanks
to my guys. Right now, two of them are booked at $1,500,
and another one is asking $2,000, although nobody has bitten
on that one yet.”
What songs are you recommending they play when the ball
drops?
“Definitely ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – anything but the regular
version. I did create a party medley using the Acid software,
with snippets of the stand-bys like ‘Celebration,’ ‘Holiday’
and ‘Jock Jams’ type of stuff. This way, they have a professional
sounding opening, one that you really can’t do on the fly.”
Y2K Fears?
“Have those generators ready, baby!”
Where do you think the Backstreet Boys will be when the
ball drops?
“Ha-ha. I don’t know, but it’s funny you mention them. I
just DJed at a Backstreet Boys after-party in Chicago, for
like 50 people. They were all real cool, and [Backstreet
Boy] Kevin spent most of his time at the booth – he wanted
to dedicate a Metallica song to a friend, so he was sifting
through all the songs. He chose ‘Enter Sandman.’ ”
Scotty
O’Brien, Sunshine Entertainment, Ballwin, Mo. 
Where will you be spinning?
“I’ll be spinning at a place called Dave & Busters for 1,000
people. I’ve ordered a lot of Flutter-Fetti, and we’re going
to do a video screen, what I call a Wild Video Dance Party,
which is just like MTV, really. We’ll put folks out there
in a dance club atmosphere and while they’re dancing, we’ll
put them up on a huge 9-by-12-foot TV screen.”
What will you be dropping at midnight?
“St. Louis is a fairly traditional town, so people will
want to hear the old standards – ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ If I
can get my hands on a hype remix of that, it’d be great.”
What instructions are you giving to your DJs?
“With St. Louis’ alcohol laws, we have to shut down by 1:30,
so I’ll tell my guys not to do any slow sets after midnight.”
Christopher
Roman, Numark Industries/mobile DJ, Wrentham, Mass.
Where will you be spinning on New Year’s Eve?
“Believe it or not I’m actually playing for about 200 friends
at a small function hall in Foxboro, Mass. I’ve had a lot
of offers, but chose this since my family would also be
there. I originally had great dreams of a wild party this
night. I’ve had offers for weddings, clubs, and plenty of
private parties. In some ways it’s one of the smaller New
Year’s Eve events I’ve done, but sure to be also pretty
nice.”
What record do you expect to play “when the ball drops”?
“Haven’t thought about this much yet. I’m sure at some point
the usual ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ but I’m thinking maybe Blur’s
‘Song 2.’”
Will you be doing anything special or thematically different
that night?
“I’ll certainly be going all out. Obviously the millennium
is the real theme. The one big difference I see is praying
the power doesn’t go out before I complete the countdown.
That could be a little embarrassing.”
Stu
Chisholm, Stu & His Crew, Center Line, Mich.
Where will you be spinning on New Year’s Eve?
“Barrister House Banquet Hall, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Moderate-sized
banquet facility. I’m doing a combination wedding/New Year’s/millennium
party. This is one groom who will never forget his anniversary
date!”
What record do you expect to play “when the ball drops”?
“We have a local band here in Michigan called the Polish
Muslims. (You might have heard one of their songs on ‘Dr.
Demento.’) They did a medley of Christmas songs set to the
tunes of different classic rock songs. At the end of it,
they play ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to the style of ‘I Wanna Hold
Your Hand’ by The Beatles. I’ve used it for years, but it’s
so unique and slap-you-in-the-face cool, I’m giving it one
more spin.”
Will you be doing anything special or thematically different
that night?
“It’s not often that we can do a thousand-year review! Of
course, there was no recorded music 1000 years ago, but
that won’t stop me! Should be a great way to break the ice
during dinner – making up musical ‘history’ as I go along.
Should make a funny, one-of-a-kind dinner set!”
Bernie
Howard Fryman, Gemini Sound Products/Bernie Howard Entertainment,
Northbrook, Ill.
Where will you be spinning on New Year’s Eve?
“The Seville Banquets, Streamwood, Ill., for the 18th year
in a row. It’s 800 people at $130 per head.”
What record do you expect to play “when the ball drops”?
“The ‘New Year’s Eve Countdown Medley’ by MFSB, the Philly
International Records studio band, into the original ‘Auld
Lang Syne’ by Guy Lombardo.”
Will you be doing anything special or thematically different
that night?
“I’ll do drops throughout the evening. Example: The year
19??, and then the coolest song of that year. I’ve already
programmed the 360 Systems’ hard-disk player. Plus, there’s
projection TV pickups from New Year’s at Times Square at
11 p.m. Chicago time to get the crowd warmed up. Then it’s
midnight from Chicago’s Navy Pier – video, no sound – and
again at 2 a.m. from California.”
Chuck
Lehnhard, Santa Rosa, Cal., school party king
Where will you be spinning on New Year’s Eve?
“I’m doing a private party for the Stornettas, which is
a big farm family. It’s going to have about 150 people at
a private home in Sonoma about 20 minutes from my house.”
What record do you expect to play “when the ball drops”?
“At midnight after the big count down and yells and screams
I plan on playing ‘What Do You Want From Life?’ by The Tubes.
I played it last year and people seemed to like it. It’s
not a great dance song, so I play it as people are still
kissing and wishing each other great days and so forth.
I just plan on making the night a party! I have games (limbo,
walla balla, balloon stuff, musical scavenger hunt) and
other activities (trivia) lined up to play.”
Jose
Osorio, DJ Joey O, Latin music specialist, www.djbosc.com
Where will you be spinning on New Year’s Eve?
“Don’t know where I’m playing. I’m a mobile jock.”
What record do you expect to play “when the ball drops”?
“As the ball drops, it will probably be one of these: ‘Abriendo
Puertas’ by Gloria Estefan, ‘Allegria’ by T. Rosario or
‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ by Ricky Martin.”
Copyright
© 2000 DJ Times Magazine
TESTA
Communications Publishing
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