Xmas Top 10 Tunes!

In keeping with the festive spirit, I’ve decided to put together, what I believe to be, the tope 10 Christmas tunes of all time!

Yes, it’s a bold statement, but it’s just ones man’s opinion, please feel free to comment once you’ve had a read at the list:

1.     Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

2.     Merry Xmas Everyone – Shakin Stevens

3.     I wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day – Wizard

4.     Step Into Christmas – Elton John

5.     All I want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

6.     Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea

7.     Christmas Wrapping – The waitresses

8.     It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams

9.     Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid

10.  Thank God It’s Christmas

The list is in no particular order, but my favourite’s Fairytale of New York!

Go on, have your say.

DJ... pft, I Fart In Your General Direction

Christmas party season is over for another year, and what a fantastic time I had in the Kerrydale Suite at Glasgow Celtic!

My first post Xmas parties blog will not, however, be about the parties… I’ll get to that in the next one.

I was working with the wonderful Waterfront again this year. The basis of this blog entry is on a conversation I had with the sensationally talented lead singer from Waterfront – Mairi-Clare Maloy.

This follows on from the previous two blog, slightly tongue in cheek, but there’s definitely plenty of realism in it.

I’d often thought that it’s just DJs that people think they can talk to however they want, often in a belittling and condescending manner. However, Mairi-Clare, who has a very well regarded full-time occupation, mentioned that people talk in the same manner to bands as well.

I did feel for Waterfront as people tried to get up the stage and dance as they were performing! Imagine that happened in any other workplace!

The classic example relates to my previous post of… play this, everyone will love it! If you don’t play that all important request, because your experience and common sense tells you that it won’t work, it somehow gives the person permission to hurl abuse at you.

It’s not just confined to when you’re at a party though. A good example happened to me only a few days ago. I’d liked a Facebook page, which I will not name, but it was wedding related.

Like the kind hearty and friendly soul I am, I post a nice wee welcome message there. The reply, from one of the page administrators, astonished me. It read:

“I hope you don't do those lasers that burn our camera sensors!”

Now, that is hardly an open armed welcome from a page administrator. Interestingly enough, as a wedding specialist, we understand that a laser show is not appropriate for a wedding. However, our stunning ambient Mood Lighting is perfect for weddings.

In truth, the amount of guests I get talking to me in this manner is few and far between.  So, I can now take my tongue out my cheek and resume normal business with my next blog and beyond.

Remember, be nice to your DJ and/or band, we’re just there to make sure everyone has a great time.

Speakers… Or Are They?

Blog number 2 in the cynical, tongue in cheek life of a DJ is about speakers.

I’m really proud of my sound system / PA. It’s a 2400 watt bad boy, with beautiful bass tones. Having a good sound system is really important to me, I truly believe it can make a huge difference to the quality of the night.

I’ve mentioned in previous blogs about how accessible DJing is, with a plethora of ‘DJs’ opting for cheap speakers from Maplin.

Yes, the speakers take their toll on my back, but it’s worth it for the well-rounded sound.

As much as I love my PA, I feel like I’ve been a little short-sighted when spending my £2,200 on it. However, many guests at parties have spotted the error of my ways and found another usage for them.

With such a lofty price tag, the speakers really should serve more than one purpose. The other function for them… a drinks stand!!!

Genius, I’m equally disappointed and astounded with myself why I didn’t think of this. In fact, it’s a little bit ignorant of me not to supply coasters as well.

You can imagine my joy when the rumbling bass tones cause a glass to topple over. I don’t think you can beat a bass bin that smells like lager, red bull and vodka!

Play This, Everyone Will Love It!!!

I’ve decided I’m going to post a few blogs about the life of a DJ, shedding some light on the little intricacies of the job that keeps it interesting.

The first topic is… quest requests that threaten to destroy your full dance floor.

Part of the skill of a DJ is being able to read a crowd and play the correct genre of music. It’s always my goal to get as many people on the dance floor as possible. I also like to play as many requests as possible.

And herein lies my dilemma!

Let’s take an example; I might be playing some good old rock music. Everyone’s got their air guitar out and loving the tunes. Someone comes up and asks, ‘can you put on some scooter?’ Not only do they want Scooter, but also want it next!

Now, as much as I appreciate the evocative lyrics and melodic beats of Jumping All Over the World, it’s not exactly my natural choice when considering what might mix well with a Slash solo or a John Bonham beat.

It’s difficult to explain this, especially when the guest insists that the other guests will love it and will all dance to it. Sometimes, in these circumstances, you need to take their word for it. After all, they know the people at the party better than me.

So, you can literally see my face drop when you played the said request and… everyone sits down, including the person who asked for the song!

Sometimes you have to trust your DJ in what will and will not work. Sometimes it’s a matter of building to a different genre, using bridge songs that make the transition smoother.

The Bentley - Next time I’ll bring the camera!

I was back in the Bentley Hotel Motherwell at the weekend. Unfortunately I wasn’t in DJing as I’ve been on a short self-imposed sabbatical from spinning the tunes, which will officially end on Friday!

I went in to set-up mood lighting for a wedding there. In a previous post I spoke about how much I’d always wanted to DJ at the Bentley. Well, the same can be said for Mood lighting it.

I finally got the opportunity to Mood Light it, and… forgot my camera!

I was gutted, but I hope I’ll have the opportunity to mood light it again soon. In fact, I hope to be working with the Bentley a lot more next year and beyond.

Joy, the manager their, is a joy to work with. Please excuse the pun there!

If you’re thinking about having a wedding in the Lanarkshire area, it’s well worth going to check out The Bentley in Motherwell. You get fantastic value for money, delicious food and super efficient and friendly service.

Next time I’ll bring the camera!

Memories Matter

Fiona & David's Wedding - Alona Hotel Lanarkshire

I was having a look through some pictures from last year's wedding disco's and I stumbled upon the one above.

It was taken at the Alona Hotel in Strathclyde Park Lanarkshire. It really is a beautiful venue, especially the marquee, which we were in that night. The white walls of the marquee lend themselves ideally to Mood Lighting.

The picture got me thinking about my caption / company slogan - Memories Matter, which will feature more heavily of the new Disco Therapy website.

I take great pride and put a tremendous amount of time, money and effort into ensuring Brides and Grooms have a wedding reception to remember for all the right reasons.

However, Fiona & David's wedding was particularly memorable for me too. We had a fantastic night from beginning to end, going through the genres. From The Time Frequency to The Time Warp, it was just a fantastic celebration of a wonderful couple.

I'm delighted to say I'll see Fiona & David again at Caroline & Dougie's wedding at the Parkville in Uddingston next year.

Get you dancing shoes on and your glow sticks ready!

Tonight Your DJ Is...

My good friend Stephen McCann, AKA Flatsteve recently got the below snap of me when I was DJing at a wedding. The wedding was in Largs, which is just outside Glasgow and just inside civilisation!

The picture captures me in full flow during the party. As you can tell, I'm certainly not a DJ who stand motionless behind my decks.

My ethos is, if I'm not enjoying myself then nobody else will.

Feel free to print the picture off to keep the kids away from the fireplace!