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When
DJs gather by the thousands this month in San Francisco
for DJ Expo West, we’ll be swapping war stories and trade
secrets; we’ll attend seminars to elevate our business acumen
and improve our “interactivity” quotient; we’ll be drooling
over all the new technological gizmos and party props on
the exhibit floor. And while we’re in California, some of
us may be wondering how mobile DJs out here on the left
coast compare with their counterparts throughout the rest
of the country.
I know I had similar questions when I visited California
during last year’s DJ Expo West. Going from my Southern
“Dukes of Hazzard” roots to the “CHiPs” atmosphere of the
West Coast left me dizzy, partly from intoxication, partly
from feeling like Jethro from “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Here, where the cement ponds are numerous, the traffic zany,
the sushi addicting, and the liberal lifestyle nothing short
of breathless, is there a single characteristic that defines
the mobile DJ culture?
I decided to spend time with three California companies
to gain a birds-eye perspective of how things are done on
the West Coast. The gigs I visited included a nurses’ convention
right here in San Francisco, a Filipino reception down in
Anaheim and an L.A.-style mitzvah at which I personally
pinch-hit as the DJ.
The
Bay Area’s Most Requested DJs
Like
many of Denon & Doyle’s employees, DJ Mark Haggerty cuts
an image of an executive, not your stereotypical, flipped
baseball-cap and nose-studded DJ. This lends him instant
credibility, I’m sure, with D&D guests who might worry about
a snot-nosed punk screwing up their event. On this particular
night, Haggerty was assigned to entertain at a large convention
of nurses downtown at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.
Set-up
was quick and painless. The six JBL powered Eons matched
the large 400-plus capacity room perfectly, with the vocals
sounding especially clean and the sound carrying well to
the back of the room. No lights were requested for this
gig. The room’s classy-looking chandeliers sufficed nicely.
To
start off the music during cocktails and dinner, Haggerty,
dressed in his customary black tuxedo, played an uptempo
medley of vintage jazz and big band music from the likes
of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Throughout this evening,
Haggerty selected a host of disco songs such as “Boogie
Shoes” and “Brick House,” tons of oldies like “Pretty Woman”
and “Twist & Shout,” popular interactive favorites “YMCA”
and “Electric Slide,” and more recent radio hits like Santana’s
“Smooth” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’ It.”
As
do many mobiles throughout the country, Denon & Doyle utilize
props and interaction to engage their guests. During “Shout,”
Haggerty passed out maracas and streamers to the participants;
during “Celebration” he tossed streamers into the crowd;
and during “Hot Hot Hot” he formed a conga line and adorned
the dancing queens with leis. The fact that most of the
guests were female definitely made it easier to engage this
crowd, and the nurses were quick to “let their hair down.”
Although Haggerty never left the stage during the night,
it wasn’t really necessary because these professionals were
ready to party.
Standard
songs like “I Will Survive” and “Love Shack” were huge hits.
And while remixes and club mixes of songs are not typically
received well at many mobile gigs, for this party they were
a hit, in part because of Haggerty’s ability to beatmix
like a pro. The only lull occurred during a country song
(”Chattahoochee”), which cleared the floor as it packed
the bar.
A
couple unique things I observed during the evening were
Haggerty leading the ladies in a backward version of the
“Macarena.” Then things got a bit racy when a rather phallic-looking
inflatable guitar proved to be too much of a temptation
for some nurses who were…oh, never mind. Let’s just say
there are few occasions where you can witness two inebriated
nurses sandwiching a third.
Toward
closing time, when the audience was ready to go hit the
club scene downtown, no song was popular enough to keep
this party going. Actually, they probably did not need to
wake up early the next morning for seminars – much like
last year’s DJ West Expo, where our “early” seminar was
at noon. “Happy Trails” was played as the ladies exited
the ballroom, and they sang along and cheered as the song
finished, offering two separate standing rounds of applause
for their DJ entertainer this evening.
Bigger
Is Better?
While a number of mobile companies have started up “budget
divisions” to capture the bottom-feeder market in their
locales, Robert Arthur instead founded a high-end division.
“Why go after the pisser jobs,” he reasons aloud, “when
you can do far fewer jobs and make much more money?”
To
capture the high-end market in Southern California, Invisible
Touch employs top-of-the-line intelligent lighting effects
(the very expensive lights that touring bands typically
use) with personalized gobos that lend a classy feel to
events. These are gigs for which the company earns, in some
cases, up to $10,000 a night, proving Arthur’s thesis that
more can indeed be better.
Of
course, this is the location for Disney, Universal Studios
and Hollywood, where “Bless the Mouse” is often substituted
in place of “Praise the Lord.” There’s much more money here
to spend on parties than in sleepy communities such as Hazel
Green, Wis., or Ferrum, Va. As Arthur disclosed at a recent
employee appreciation party, high-end events helped Invisible
Touch to increase their profit margin last year by nearly
$100,000.
While
I was in Anaheim, Invisible Touch entertained for 250 guests
at a Filipino wedding. For this reception – and for many
of the company’s other high-end events – three staff members
were dispatched: a DJ, an MC/motivator and a lighting technician.
Tonight,
the Invisible Touch staff did an incredible job of reading
the crowd, often anticipating requests before they were
made.
Interestingly,
these three party hosts actually spent the night trading
off duties. One minute the DJ would be spinning, and the
next minute he’d be leading an interactive dance while the
MC mixed the music, after which the lighting technician
would trade off his job to the MC and dictate the tunes
for a while.
This
wasn’t the usual routine of fading from one song to another
either. Tight slams and perfect beatmixes gave the programming
at this standard IT party the sound of an Open House Party
CD. Furthermore, I was impressed with how Invisible Touch
handled their money dances. Instead of the traditional slow
songs many DJs play for “dollar dances,” these DJs played
about a minute’s worth of several popular party tunes, with
guests spending that minute dancing with their choice of
the bride and groom and pinning dollars to their clothes.
Immediately following the money dances, the MC sounded like
a charismatic Southern Baptist preacher stirring his congregation
to become involved in his message. It worked. At one point,
I couldn’t believe how he had every single person in the
hall, from young to old, gathering in a huge half-circle
around the bride and groom for a Friendship Dance.
From
there a Conga Line started, with glow necklaces being passed
out to all the guests. With four Technobeams and 250 red
glow necklaces, the lit party atmosphere was a sight to
behold. In all, the impressive light show and the seamless
inter-workings of the three quality entertainers made this
reception a unique event. Indeed, their touch was far from
invisible.
I’m
a Girl DJ?
The best part of my DJing for I’m a Girl DJ Entertainment
was not having to undergo sex-change surgery that I feared
would be mandatory.
I
had just attended my first-ever mitzvah party in Chicago
a mere two months before, although in that case the event
had been closer to a simple 13th birthday party. This night
it was a full-blown affair in a Jewish synagogue’s banquet
facility, featuring Lisa Capitanelli sharing entertainment
time with a full-size cover band.
In
the hours leading up to this formal and ritzy event, 30
professionals could be seen running around to coordinate
final preparations for this party. Photographers, videographers,
caterers, temple staff, band members and roadies, Capitanelli’s
crew and parents of the honored child worked to straighten,
clean, organize and prepare the room.
Two
EAW speakers were mounted on stands on either side of the
stage, and although the client had paid for a lighting upsell,
we didn’t even bother to unload it from Capitanelli’s vehicle
because the band had already set up a trussful of lights.
From
the beginning of the night, Capitanelli’s crew coordinated
a host of formal mitzvah traditions – the parents’ dance,
the motzi, the hora dance, the candle lighting.
Early
on in the party, we passed out glow necklaces and sunglasses
that helped to get the party started in colorful style.
Old and young alike ended up wearing the necklaces, providing
a colorful backdrop and festive mood for the room during
the mitzvah.
Two
of I’m A Girl DJ’s dancers accompanied us on this strangely
warm January evening, and were not only useful for entertaining
guests with their skillful dance moves but also proved indispensable
for motivating kids when handing out props.
Because
our entertainment time was shared with the band, Capitanelli
ended up leading follow-along dances with her dancers and
her famous headset mic, even during sets by the band, and
as soon as a band set was completed I would start Capitanelli’s
music.
With a young crowd of teens and pre-teens, we played a heavy
mix of contemporary hits by Ricky Martin and the Backstreet
Boys, plus party favorites by artists such as Will Smith
and Sir Mix-a-Lot. The music program included a couple years’
supply of Promo Only disks, plus numerous soundtracks and
best-of compilations.
Our
modern, radio-friendly music selection proved much more
popular with the kids than what the band could provide,
and if Capitanelli had not led the interactive dances during
the band set, we surely would have lost our crowd early.
As a result, we were hired for an extra hour and a half.
Sure,
we played the every-gig party songs like “Electric Slide,”
“Cotton-Eyed Joe” and “Footloose” at this Hollywood mitzvah,
but most of the requests this night were for Top-40 standards.
This, along with Capitanelli’s award-winning ability to
dazzle audiences, made the event a total success.
As
I flew back to the Midwest, I was struck by the fact that
10 minutes after watching sailboats in the Bay I was flying
over snowcapped mountains. Although the differences between
California and the rest of the country may be winter and
summer, DJing around the country is still similar, but with
some cool regional twists.
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