You Want What Song!?

Just a very quick blog today, of a story from Xmas party season that still makes me chuckle.

As you may know, I was working with the fabulous Waterfront for the second year in a row for Christmas parties. The way it works is, I’ll do the background music during the meal, do the table shout outs / introductions towards the end of the meal, then get party kicked off. Around half an hour after I’ve kicked it off, Waterfront come on and do a 45 minute set.

So, the story… I’m around 15 minutes into my first set and a gentleman, who must have been in his late 60’s, come over and asks for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Havin’ a Good Time.

He proceeded to sing having a good time.

Now, I’m a fan of the Chilies, but this was a new one on me.

My plan was to play a wee bit of rock after the break, so I told the gentleman that I’d have a flick through the Red Hot Chili Pepper tracks I had whilst the band was doing their first set.

15 minutes later, Waterfront had were on stage and ready to go. So, I gave them the grand introduction and warm welcome they rightly deserve and passed over to them.

The hit the first few bars of I Gotta a Feeling. As Mairi Clare gracefully sung the first line…

“I gotta feeling, ooooooooooo,  that tonight's gonna be a good night”

The Gentleman rose of his seat with a beaming grin on his face. He pointed at the stage and shouted over to me

“That’s the one!”

For one night only, he strutted his stuff to The Black Eyed Chilli Peppers!

Wedding Show - Georgian Hotel

Just a quick blog tonight.

I’ll be exhibiting at the wedding faire at the Georgian Hotel tomorrow. I’ll be demoing my mood lighting and will be handing out Teach Yourself the Time Warp & Macarena postcards!

Last time I entertained at a wedding at the Georgian, I Mood lit the room Blue, it was truly stunning...

But of course I’m going to say that!

Come along and have a chat, even if you’ve got another venue in mind.

Wedding Caricatures

It's often a huge headache for couple when trying to decide what favours to get for their wedding guests.

If you're looking for something a little bit different, get in touch with Neil Thomson at www.neilsart.co.uk

Neil makes caricatures of your guests whilst they mingle. He truly is amazing, his fantastic sketches are sure get your guests talking, a great ice breaker for guests who haven't met before.

For Those About to Rock...

I'm not ashamed to admit it, the first album I ever owned was the timeless classic, Appetite for destruction by Guns 'n' Roses.

It's an album that, in my opinion, redefined music as we knew it. The album encapsulated the raw and gritty edge that the individual members brought to the band.

This album was my introduction into, not only the world of music, but the universe of Rock.

Growing up with two older brothers, who listened to bands like Motorhead, Frank Zappa, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith (before they were commercial), The Alice Cooper, etc. My childhood was entrenched with rock royalty and musical genius.

When I've finished playing a gig, whether it's a wedding, birthday, engagement party or corporate doo, these are the bands that I listen to on the way home. Rhianna, Black Eye Peas & David Guetta seem like a distant memory by the time I roll into the driveway with Slash blazing out a guitar solo on my car stereo.

Although Disco Therapy has, in many ways, been a culmination of dream for me, my next brand / project truly Rawks!

I'm bringing my childhood musical influences to a party near you!

So, if you prefer Black Sabbath to the Black Eyed Peas, Kiss to Keisha, Cream to Coldplay, Disturbed to David Guetta, Pearl Jam to Paulo Nutini and Metallica to Michelle McManus (lol), then RAWK DJ is for you.

We're bringing good old-fashioned rock to a party, wedding or corporate function near you. So, break out your air guitar and stay tuned (excuse the pun) for the launch of Rawk DJ.

For those about to RAWK!!! We salute You!

In the mean time, please visit http://www.discotherapy.com/

DJ - A Dirty Term!

I was having a look at a well known UK Wedding Directory website and stumbled upon the below:

“In terms of music, people in the UK tend to hire a cheesy DJ with flashing party lights and a bit of microphone banter, safe in the knowledge that he will play all the old disco favourites, from Sister Sledge to the Bay City Rollers.”

Unfortunately, articles like this do not help the perception held by the general public about DJs, especially when it is contained within a website that advertises the services of professional wedding DJ’s.

Articles like this have seen many DJ move away from calling themselves DJs and shift towards calling themselves Wedding Entertainers, MCs, Presenters, Hosts, etc.

Certainly, there is a huge spectrum of DJs within Central Scotland in terms of quality and experience, some of which definitely match the description of being ‘cheesy’ with ‘flashing lights’. However, there are also those (me included J) who dedicate a lot of time, money & effort into honing their skills, musical knowledge & ensuring that they have the best possible equipment available.

As mentioned in previous blog entries, I truly feel honoured when someone chooses me to entertain / DJ at the Wedding. When I DJ, I want people to have the best possible time & remember their wedding reception or party for all the right reasons.

The term Disco Jockey shouldn’t be something I’m embarrassed of - after all, it’s what I do. I’m also someone who cannot simply be described as someone with ‘flashing party lights’ or ‘microphone banter’. Infact the DJ industry as a whole has moved on vastly since the good old days of rope lights & light boxes.

Your wedding disco can be a classy & discrete, or as flamboyant as you want it to be. Choice within the Scottish marketplace has never been as good.

Client Testimonials

It's not often I take the time to blow my own trumpet, but one of the most satisfying parts being a DJ / Wedding Entertainer, is receiving positive client feedback.

We realise how important my role is on my clients' big day. Here's some recsent feedback I've

“Just wanting to say a big thank you Stephen for your services at my wedding, you certainly have a gift and will be hiring you for every other event that I am organising highly recommended the best DJ ever :)” - Lindsey Lane

"Thanks for a brilliant night Stephen!You were great! Everyone had a ball. Everyone commented on how good the DJ was...so job well done!" - Ali Ross

“Hi Stephen, just want to say a massive thanks from Paul and myself for the superb night you gave us and our guests at our wedding in the bentley hotel on the 18th June. Once again a huge thank you and we will definatley recommend you.xxxxx” Beth Hastie

Wedding Specialist

We're proud to say that we're now a member of The Wedding DJ Alliance.

This reaffirms our commitment to, no only specialising in wedding entertainment (Mood Lighting & DJing), but also to service excellence.

The Wedding DJ Alliance website states: "All member of the Wedding DJ Alliance are very experienced and specialise in providing first class wedding disco entertainment. Our wedding DJs agree to abide by a strict code of ethics, which is based on professional practices. They are committed to providing a high standard of wedding disco service for your special day"

Dunphail House mood Lighting

In my last post I spoke about last weekends wedding at Dunphail House. For the first time in my DJing career, my client requested that I did not use any disco effect lights, just mood lights.

The effect was stunning. Set in the African themed, custom built marquee, the mood lighting helped create the atmosphere and mood the client was looking for.

There was fairy lights on the ceiling, flowers hanging from the wooden structure, chill out areas and replica elephants.

It truly was a unique and special occassion that I was proud to be part of.

Highland Fling!

This weekend I had a 3 hour drive up to Dunphail House, in Morayshire, for a beautifully set wedding in the Scottish Highlands.

Not even the torrential rain could dampen (excuse the pun) the sprits in the custom built marquee, which had an African theme, complete with full-scale replica elephants.

I was joined on stage by the fantastic Dunphail Dance band, who played a few reels to get the party started. After that, it was over to me. We went an hour over time, but what difference does an hour make when you’ve got a three hour driver home!?

Georgian Hotel - Mood Lighting

A wee Pic - of me

I logged into my emails today to find that I'd been tagged in a Facebook picture from a recent wedding I entertained at.

The picture was tagged with - "Our Fab DJ Stephen Elliott"

It's small gestures like that and the wonderful feedback I get that makes it all worthwhile.


I never take my duties as a Wedding Entertainer / DJ lightly, I realise how important it is that people remember their big day for all the right reasons. This is why I always like to meet clients beforehand, gaining a good understanding of what's important to them on their day.


So, for the first time every, I'm putting a picture of myself out there! I'm the guy behind Disco Therapy - the DJ in the kilt!


Thank you to Beth Hastie for posting the pic!

Mood Lighting - Trade Halls Glasgow

The Bentley Hotel

As a DJ, I’ve had the great fortune to entertain in some fantastic venues in Glasgow & the surrounding areas – Cameron House, Glasgow Hilton, Oran Mor, Tinto Hotel & Airth Castle – to name a few.

The one venue I’d always aspired to play was… The Bentley Hotel in Motherwell. Built in 1874, the hotel has real character, Park delicious food, with nearby picturesque surrounds, such as Chatelherault country park & The Dutchess of Hamilton it’s an ideal wedding venue.

However, the Bentley’s main asset is its wonder & efficient. The Manager Joy, is just that, a joy. Nothing is too much trouble for her & her team.

Being a local Lanarkshire lad, my motivation to play at The Bentley was always deeply personal. My wife & I experienced the superb service first-hand when we had our wedding reception there in 2009.

With that in mind, it was a huge pleasure to finally entertain at a wedding in the Bentley, just two weeks ago. It was an even greater pleasure to have my second booking there the following week.

I truly cannot say enough positive things about The Bentley Hotel & Joy. If you’re from the Lanarkshire area & mulling over your wedding venue options, I’d strongly recommend you have a chat with Joy.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Just a short & simple post today. This is one of my favourite songs, it's a beautifully power version of the Arlen & Harburg classic, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

This version is by the late Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole. Ok, it's not very disco, but it's perfect for any wedding reception, playing during the meal or buffet.

I hope you enjoy it... please click here to see the video.

For more about our Wedding Entertainment & Mood Lighting services, please visit our website - http://www.discotherapy.com/

DJ Reliability

It amazes me how many calls we take on a weekly basis from people who've been let down by their DJ. Some people call when they arrive at the venue to discover the DJ is not going to appear. They are then left in a blind panic trying to find entertainment for their party.

We took a call last night from a client who had a slightly more considerate DJ, he let them down a week in advance. The reason / excuse he gave the client... His lights aren't working.

This was a new one, I think he perhaps meant, the lights are on but nobody's home!

If this was a genuine reason, it really emphasises the fact that DJ's should ALWAYS have backup gear.

The harsh reality is, however, he probably got offered a gig that is going to earn him more money. This type of person tarnishes the reputation of the whole mobile disco industry.

Fortunately, we're not all like this, there's some of us that still believe in giving fantastic customer service and being 100% reliable.

Heyyyyyyyyyyy Macarena!

Wedding Videographer

Being a Wedding specialist, we often bump into other suppliers who offer clients an amazing service. We’re always delighted to recommend these companies to brides who perhaps need pointed in the right direction.

One of these suppliers is Mark Devine from Devine Videos - http://www.devinevideos.co.uk

Besides the fact that mark is an amazing human being, he offers a fantastic service. Like Disco Therapy, he offers a highly personalised service, and has over 15 years experience in producing the best wedding DVDs possible.

Choosing the right DJ / Disco

With disco equipment varying greatly in quality & price, the DJing profession is more accessible than ever. With this, there is a multitude of DJ’s within the marketplace, which brings a huge amount of choice for clients. Therefore, what should you look for when making your decision?

This first question that we’re often asked when someone is making an enquiry is, ‘How much do you charge…’

Of course, this is a valid question as the vast majority of clients have a budget for their entertainment. However, there are many more factor to consider other than price; a bigger factor is value for money.

Many DJs price they’re jobs very cheaply and their service reflects this. They may have a poor sound system, a cheap lightshow, have very little musical knowledge & have bad microphone skills.

In many cases, the more expensive DJs in the marketplace also offer a service that reflects the level of service you can expect from them, they are legally run and professional companies with a fantastic lightshow, crystal clear sound system and excellent microphone skills. They will also have an extensive musical knowledge, with the ability to read a crowd and play the most appropriate for them.

So, when considering a DJ for your night, the main question is – how much value do you place on having the best party possible?

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'.