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Mobile DJ's. |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15
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Mobile DJ's.
We are having a Birthday bash this year and I want to hire a mobile disco.
It got me thinking that this is something you maybe only do a few times in your entire life….getting married, birthday or anniversary… You hear lots of people complaining about mobile DJ’s and you also hear of some good ones…..horses for courses…..in my opinion. Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with mobile DJ’s do tell. |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,141
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Quote:
You hear lots of people complaining about mobile DJ’s and you also hear of some good ones…..horses for courses…..in my opinion.
Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with mobile DJ’s do tell. Well, I used to be one! The only time I ever had one for a personal birthday was when I was a kid. HOWEVER, I can give you some practical advice. You do indeed hear a lot of complaints about mobile DJs and it really is the same with any service out there - you have some right clowns doing it for incredibly low rates, and the professionals, who generally (though not always) charge a higher price. Sadly, I can't just say go for a more expensive option and you are guaranteed to get a great DJ - I knew a load of contemporaries who charged a fortune for a night, had the greatest sound system, the best lighting that money could buy etc. but no personality and quite a limited record collection too. The best bet is to ask around your friends/family/colleagues - somebody is bound to have hired a DJ in the past and/or will know a reputable one. You really have to rely on word of mouth and past experience. However, if you get a recommendation and they charge more than somebody you randomly pick out from the Yellow Pages, ask yourself - is it really worth risking not paying a bit more and not have somebody who has a recommendation? Suffice to say, if you get quoted anything less than £150 - £200 for a night (the going rate varies around the country) I wouldn't touch it. I went to a friend's birthday recently and her other half had paid some guy £80 for the night and he was playing everything off of one ipod, one of his speakers had blown, there were large gaps between each song as he wasn't able to fade in and out with one ipod, PLUS he didn't say a word all night and then to top it all, the ipod battery went flat with over an hour left to go. I have loads of horror stories, and I'm sure many others will be willing to share! The other thing you need to take into account is the type of music you are looking for - certainly when I was doing it, there had been a great rise in the number of specialist mobile DJs who concentrated on Garage/R & B/Rap/Dance stuff, which is probably not what you would want unless you were having an 18th or 21st birthday for example! Make sure in advance that the person you hire can assure you they have the right music. This is going to sound very stereotypical but say if you are hiring somebody for a 40th birthday, try and get a DJ around that age group. There are some exceptions (I was one) and you will find some young DJs have an excellent knowledge of 60s,70s and 80s music, but then again you may find they only have a limited amount of it. On a final note, if you already have a venue in mind for your function, it might be worth asking them if they have a resident DJ and asking to have a look at what they are like. You never know, they may be good! |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,141
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The other thing I should mention is as you say, it is horses for courses!
Unfortunately even the best mobile DJ in the world can have a lacklustre night for all sorts of reasons - they could be doing everything right, playing everyone's requests but not getting a lot of people up dancing. I've been to loads of parties as a guest, sat down and caught up on old times with friends I haven't seen for years and listened to some of my favourite records without leaving my seat all night. If you are going to have lots of family members coming over from Australia or something, some of your guests are just going to want to catch up on old times rather than dance the night away. Furthermore, a DJ can be great for a particular crowd, but just plain wrong for another - it all depends on whether they click! |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15
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On an iPod........
![]() What's the point in that...??? Thanks so far.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: a wobbly disco
Posts: 1,012
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all ipod djs must die!!!
as an ex-mobile dj, one thing you should provide for the dj is a good old fashioned family feud! seen some brilliant and funny drunken brawls, makes the night go faster lol
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15
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Quote:
Well, I used to be one
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15
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Quote:
Well, I used to be one
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 15
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There's an echo......
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: a wobbly disco
Posts: 1,012
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^ circumstances change....
plus, the music suitable for weddings and the like is not the kind of music i got into it for. so i gave up the public playing and just buy records to play at home - life is miles easier now lol |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,141
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Quote:
Well that two.....why give up?
![]() However, here are some of the main reasons why I decided against a long-term career: 1) I am convinced some people don't go out to enjoy themselves - they go out to pick fights. I had to deal with too much crap to be frank and I just thought no way am I doing this for the rest of my life. In my time of doing them, I had to put up with countless threats against my person from total scallywags EVEN at functions like 60th birthday parties, generally all because they didn't like whatever music I was playing. Unfortunately, instead of being civilised about it, I would constantly get shouted at and told things like "change this **&&**! song now, or I'll kick your head in" and stuff like that. The final straw came when I was asked for some indie record that I didn't have and the guy went beserk and tried to hit me - he was so intoxicated, his hand-eye co-ordination was off to say the least, and luckily I escaped a bloody nose. But that was it - I stopped doing them after that. As Peaceflaps said, there is an issue with the music wanted at weddings etc. and with such an age range at an average wedding, HOW ON EARTH can you cater for everybody? Sadly, you resort to party classics from years ago (because these are the most commonly requested) to keep a packed dancefloor, but this alienates the youngsters or people who didn't like the songs at the time etc. who then moan at you to play something else. However, as soon as you would play something post 1987, or something a little left-field, you would have a load of angry punters saying "oh this is too modern" etc. There is no reasoning with drunks and I gave up trying to reason that playing the latest drum & bass track wasn't going to go down well at a 50th birthday party full of middle-aged people where the requests thus far have been for ABBA, Status Quo and Hi Ho Silver Lining etc. 2) Working every weekend - giving up your Saturday nights and missing countless mate's birthdays and chances to go out and unwind took their toll on me. Some guys do it for 30+ years but I know three DJs whose marriages broke down because hubby was never home. The sad thing is, if you do them with such regularity, you end up hating the idea of going out clubbing - why would you want to go back to an environment that you always work in on a night off? 3) Loneliness. I could never convince mates or whoever I was seeing at the time to come and do a gig with me and as a consequence, used to spend the entire night on my own in a room full of strangers. Seriously though, it gets boring - especially if you have an extrovert personality (like I do) but nobody to talk to.All in all I have no regrets at ending it when I did. Funny thing is, I only did it for a couple of years and every now and then somebody rings me and asks if I still do them.
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,141
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Quote:
^ circumstances change....
plus, the music suitable for weddings and the like is not the kind of music i got into it for. so i gave up the public playing and just buy records to play at home - life is miles easier now lol Finally - boy don't I harp on - I totally agree with what peaceflaps has said here. Whilst I myself don't mind SOME of the type of music you play at weddings and the like, it gets a bit tedious when you get asked for the same stuff time and time again. On the rare occasion that I got asked for something actually good, like a record by The Jam or George Benson for example, I would be over the moon, but sadly all I used to get was "oh can you play "Simply the best" by Tina Turner?" or "when are you gonna play "Dancing Queen?" YUCK! |
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