DJing - Easy?

People often say to me DJing is an easy job, after all, you just turn up, play your tunes, have a couple of drinks and go home. As the Meerkat would say – Simples!

My response to that is quite simple… here is what a mobile DJ faces for a wedding:
Pre-Event Advertising then getting the bookings, confirming all details and play lists, getting confirmation from the venues for access rights and times available.

MorningCheck dates for tonight; ensure you have correct contact details for party and venue, then check that all requests/play lists are complete and the collection that you will be taking tonight. Double check that your first dance selection plays including a second copy of it as back up. Check for any extra items that have been added for the event.

LunchtimeLoad up the transport with all the equipment required, check to make sure you have enough spares in case something breaks down. Get to the venue to rig up to find that the space you were told you can have is no taken up by Uncle Bob who has set up his video camera on the stage for the afternoon meal. Negotiate with staff at venue to get gear loaded up and put in. This takes time and when you have a number of locations to rig up increases the stress as you know you have to get everything in before the evening.

Find that the plug sockets are further away than you thought, the lights are too tall for the room, the speakers are too near the table where they’ve put all the old people, etc.
Leave everything there ready to go in the hope that no one decides to interfere with the equipment while you are out of the building. Sticky pieces of wedding cake on the CD players are normally a good giveaway.

EveningReturn to the function with all your CDs ready for the evening, all suited and booted looking good and ready to rock the party for a solid 4 hours then go home, easy isn’t it? Except during the course of the night you have to face:

Dealing with kids whose parents think you are a children’s entertainer and that it’s ok to stick their heads in the speakers.

Drunken guests who demand that you put Megadeath/Iron Maiden on straight after the first dance.

Getting paid for the evening before the groom/best man is too drunk to remember that they owe you money.

Distant relatives wanting to sing on the mic because back home they are professional singers (in reality they normally destroy ‘Simply The Best’ at the local karaoke night and the regulars there are glad they’ve got rid of her for the night).

The Groom and Bridesmaid going missing just before the first dance and reappearing together (and I’ve had this happen more than once).

Going to the toilet and coming back to find someone looking through your records.
Oh, and the little task of thinking every 3 minutes or so what record to play next to keep the dance floor busy all night.

Then after the event’s done and the B&G have thanked you (occasionally), you’ve got paid, survived another night and everyone has gone, there is still the rig to dismantle and load back up into your transport, get home, put into storage. It’s normally about an hour and half after the gig has finished by the time you get home, then back into bed to do it all again the next day on 5 hours sleep! Not forgetting that most of us have families that would like to see us once in a while at weekends.

So yes we do have it easy and just turn up and go – don’t we???????

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The Surfin Bird

Every so often you get caught offguard with a request. Sometimes it's a song that you've never heard of, one that you can't possibly play as it's too heavy, has swearing in it, too slow, etc, etc.

However, this Saturday I was caught off guard in a good way with a request at a wedding I was doing in Motherwell. For the first time I was asked to play The Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen. For all the Family guy fans out there, you'll be very familiar with this song!

It just so happens that this song has been stuck in my head for months now, it has that effect on you. I was however unsure of how people would react to it. Afterall, not everyone might have seen this piece of vintage '60's cheese on Family Guy.

Never the less, I plucked up the courage and play it. Much to my delight, the dancefloor was filled with people doing the Peter Griffin dance!

If you haven't seen it, treat yourself and click on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184

Oran Mor

I've played many venues throughout Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Lothian. From parties, to weddings and every type of occasion inbetween.

The type of venue I play in varies from gig to gig, from a plush house in Glasgow's South Side, extravogant ballrooms in posh hotels, to local Social clubs. Each venue has it's charms and challenges, but what is the best venue out there?

Personally, the winner every time, has to be Glasgow Oarn Mor.

Firstly, the accoustic within the building are outstanding. This is obviously of paramount importance for a Mobile DJ.

However, no matter how many times I play there, I am always in awe at the beauty of the building itself. A converted church, set within Glasgow's Byres Road, with orginal pagan stained glass and, as well as retaining many of the original features of the church, offering a contemporary setting in which to hold events.

What is perhaps most fitting, is the meaning of Òran Mór, meaning the 'great melody of life' or 'big song'.

Mood Lighting Picture

Modern Day Classics!

There's so many old classics that are played at Discos week in and week out. Bay City Rollers, Queen, Elvis, Roy Orbiston, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones...

The list goes on and on.

But what modern day songs will we still be playing in years to come? Will Lady Gaga still make the crowd go... Well gaga!?

Will we still have a feeling with the Black Eye Peas 20 years from now?

These are two artists / bands that seems to have tapped into what captures an audience, they've both churned out hit after hit over the past couple of years.

David Guetta also sees to have accomplished this, helped by his strategic parnerships with some of pops most popular artists.

Another honourable mention goes to the Scissor Sisters, I Don't Feel Like Dancing. For me, this song encapsulates what a Disco should be about - FUN!

Click the link below to enjoy a modern day disco classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9d7FcHMNC8&feature=related

This Weeks UK top 10

1. Yolanda Be Cool Vs D Cup - We No Speak Americano
2. Eminem Ft Rihanna - Love The Way You
3. Bob Ft Hayley Williams - Airplanes
4. Katy Perry Ft Snoop Dogg - California Gurls
5. Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up
6. Mark Ronson & The Business Int - Bang Bang Bang
7. Professor Green Ft Lily Allen - Just Be Good To Green
8. Enrique Iglesias Ft Pitbull - I Like It
9. Jls - The Club Is
10. 3oh3 Ft Kesha - My First Kiss

Song of the moment

Well, it seems that the song that's getting all the kids bopping at parties just now is We Speak no Americano.

It's a great wee tune that has a really catchy 1950's swing groove, which is great for young and old alike.

The song is by Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool and producer DCUP. It was released on the independent Australian label Sweat It Out on 27 February 2010. The song samples the 1956 song "Tu vuò fà l'americano" by Renato Carosone and written by Carosone and Nicola Salerno. "We No Speak Americano" has become an international hit, reaching the top of the charts in Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It peaked inside the top ten of the charts in countries such as Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Israel, Spain and Norway.

Question to Ask When Booking a Disco

Of course, we always hope that you'd decide to book with http://www.discotherapy.com/ if you don't though, here's some useful questions you should always ask when booking a Disco:

• Do you have Public Liability Insurance (PLI)?


• Is you equipment PAT tested?


• Do you carry back-up equipment?


• Do you accept requests?


• Can you provide references?

The type of DJ you require is entirely up to you, but they should always be reliable. If a DJ does not have PLI or their equipment is not PAT tested, there's a good chance that the venue may not allow them to perform.

Back-up equipment is also a must. No matter how new or reliable equipment is, it can always fail, make sure the DJ has a back-up.

We pride ourselves on being a professional and reliable company, with fantastic equipment and a great nights entertainment!

First Dance!

Your first dance song should be an extremely personal an emotional choice, but if you're in need of a little inspiration, here's 2009's top 10 first dance songs.

Aerosmith still sit at the top of the top 10 first dance songs with their modern day classic - 'I Don't wanna miss a thing'. Taking second place was another ageing rocker, Bryan Adams, with the Robin Hood track 'Everything I do, I do it for you'. Bryan's obviously still 'doing it' for you!

Top 10 Wedding Songs

Is your favourite here? The final Top 10 went like this:
Aerosmith - Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
Bryan Adams - Everything I Do (I Do It For You)
Lonestar - Amazed
Shania Twain - You're Still The One
Shania Twain - From This Moment
Van Morrison - Have I Told You Lately
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply
Robbie Williams - Angels
Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

Is old-fashioned best when it comes to your first dance song? Only three of the top 10 wedding songs date from the past few years: James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful', Robbie's 'Angels' and Savage Garden's 'Truly, Madly, Deeply'.

Unusual Choices

Looking for something a little less predictable? Our complete Popular Wedding Songs list contains a wide range of songs with something to suit every taste. Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Elton John bring classic romance to the list, with tunes that were simply made to be popular wedding songs.

But there are also plenty of unusual choices for your first dance song. Cool couples are choosing Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars), Jack Johnson (Better Together), or David Gray (Sail Away). And there's the mother's choice – Ronan Keating, Westlife or Robbie have plenty of tracks simply made to be first dance songs.

Father / Daughter Wedding Songs

Traditionally, the bride and groom will be alone on the dancefloor for the first dance song. Sometimes the bride's father will cut in and dance with the bride halfway through, but sometimes the second dance is reserved for the bride and her father. Brides who have more than one father figure may wish to dance with both during the song. If the father of the bride wants to choose a song, you might want to direct him to this page!

Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings
Bob Carlisle - Butterfly Kisses
Charlie Rich - The Most Beautiful Girl
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
Nat 'King' Cole - Unforgettable
Paul Simon - Father and Daughter
Temptations - My Girl

Mother / Son Wedding Songs

Shortly after the bride and her father take to the floor, they are traditionally followed by the groom and his mother. Finally, the newlyweds dance with their in-laws, and bridesmaids and ushers join the dancing.

Boyz II Men - A Song For Mama
Boyzone - No Matter What
Commodores - Three Times a Lady
Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Queen - You're My Best Friend
Robbie Williams - She's The One
First Dance Tips

http://www.discotherapy.com/

Wedding DJ

It's amazing the endless amount of planning that goes into your big day. The Dress, Cake, Flowers, Location - everything has to be perfect on the day. Yet, even after all this planning, many couples leave the Disco till the last moment or book the cheapest one they can find, regardless of quality, equipment or attitude. They then wonder why, after the excitement of the day, the ceremony and beauty, their guests leave feeling that they haven't had the best possible time. With Disco Therapy, we guarantee that we will do all we can to help your reception go as successfully as possible! We provide a professional & reliable Wedding Disco.

The main aim for us is to ensure that the spotlight is always on you at your wedding. And no, we don’t mean we’ll be shining lights on you all the time!

DJing at your wedding is not just another job. Each wedding is unique and a very personal, loving and emotional day, which Disco Therapy feel privileged to be a part of. We always provide a completely tailored service for your big day, meeting you beforehand to ensure your needs are fully understood and exceeded.

There are many add-ons we can offer, from mood lighting, to custom made highlight videos of the special couple during their time together.

It really is amazing how many Scottish artists and bands that have fantastic party music. The list includes:

• Paolo Nutini
• Deacon Blue
• AC/DC
• Bay City Rollers
• The Fratellies
• Marmalade
• Danny Wilson
• Orange Juice
• The Eurhythmics
• The slightly cheesy Kelly Marie

All of these fabulous can be heard at hundreds of discos every week throughout the UK.
Then, of course, you have the two best ones, the anthemic 500 Miles by The Proclaimers and the one that gives everyone an excuse to go mental! Loch Lomond by Runrig.
Scotland really is a country that has rich musical roots, which makes my life as a DJ a wee bit more easy!

www.discotherapy.com

I won! American Audio VMS4

Got great news yesterday, I won a swanky new Mixer from the good people at Phase 1 DJ Shop!

Check them out http://www.djanddiscostuff.com/ There's great guys there, really friendly and always have fantastic deals, they keep Disco Therapy up to date with the latest and best gear available.

The Mixer I won was an American Audio VMS4 (Velocity MIDI station). This all-in-one unit has all the features found on top-of-the-line professional mixer as well, such as: Balanced XLR outputs, Gain, Treble, Mid and Bass for each Midilog™ channel, crossfader assign and curve, and 2 Microphone Inputs with Treble, Mid and Bass control.

This will help take the Disco Therapy sound to another level!

Slash Plays Edinburgh

There's always a sense of anticipation when a gig you've been looking forward to arrives, but this was gonna be a big one - Slash was playing Scotland's capital! Tickets were sold out in minutes and I had one.

The Picture House in Edinburgh is a converted cinema/night club which, to be fair, isn't huge but acoustically is ideal for music and tonight was no exception. When the lights dimmed the noise level rose and before we knew it the top hat could be seen through the mist. Slash's guitar sound was crystal clear and the tightness of the band was astounding. He's pulled a master stroke by bringing Myles Kennedy on the road... the man's voice is unbelievable.

It was incredible to hear Myles Kennedy apologizing for feeling a little off color as his vocals were outstanding. None more so than when he performed "Starlight". The man has a range you would not believe.

The highlight of the night was just around the corner though when the opening chords of "Sweet Child O' Mine" began.

They played a energising 2 hour set, and there was only gonna be one ending here and "Paradise City" just topped the cake... what a night!

The tickets for the Dare to Care charity Halloween party will be going on sale soon.

This is an absolutely fantastic charity, supporting underprivelaged children within North and south Lanarkshire, giving them a Christmas they'll never forget.

Please take time out to read the letter in this post. It tells you about the brilliant work this amazing charity does.

The man behind this is one of a kind and has a heart of gold.

Hey Macarena! - Teach yourself the Macarena!

Disco Therapy - Sound System

We're very proud of the sound system we use at Disco Therapy, it's a McGregor Mytek 212. Not only does this system sound stunning, it also looks the part too!

This is an £1800 system, which delivers 2000 watts of crisp sound and can handle venues up to the size of the Glasgow Hilton or Motherwell Civic Centre!

The Mytek 212 is used in our premium setup, we love using it at weddings, where sound and asthetics are equally as important.

Uplighting

I'm delighted to say that Disco Therapy have now added venue uplighting to its services.

Uplighters can change the look of any function room or marquee by adding vibrant colour up the function walls or marquee lining.

This is a brilliant idea for weddings, we can match the colours to your colour scheme, which gives a really personal and stunning effect.

We use the latest LED technology as uplighters, which are low in power and rich in colour. LED uplighters are much safer to use than the traditional Parcan uplighters as they give off very little heat and use minimal amout of energy.

You can choose to have the lights set to static colours, or we can make them part of the light show when the Disco gets going!

Thank You Flat Steve

We're sad to say that the man that made the Disco Therapy website a reality, Stephen McCann (aka Flat Steve) is moving to Canada for 6 months. We'll certainly miss him whilst he's away, he's a salt of the earth kind of guy.

Stephen is a very talented designer, please check out some of his work http://www.flatsteve.com/

From me, Stevie E, thank you Stephen for making Disco Therapy a reality and I hope you have a smashing time in Canada.

The Disco Therapy Concept

Disco Therapy is much more than a mobile disco company. It's the combination of some very talented individuals, offering a complete solution for people organising a party, occassion or event. Each individual is a speacialist in their own service area, with extensive experience and qualifications.

We know that people can get a wee bit stressed out when organising a party, so we're here to take that stress away.

Aimed mainly at the wedding market, we give you everything you need to look & feel good on the dancefloor at your wedding, occasion or event – Mobile Disco / DJ Hire, Beauty Treatments to look your best, Invitation & RSVP service, Party Planning service to take the stress of planning away & Photography to capture your special day or event. Our unique service is available throughout Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian & the rest of Scotland.

Disco Therapy goes a bloggin'

Our IT guru, the very talented Mr. Stephen McCann, finally persuaded me to join the land of blog.

My aim just now is to update the blog at least once a week. Not sure exactly what the content will be yet though, although I'm sure it won't all be disco based.

Exciting times lie ahead in the land of blog, the Disco revolution has begun!