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Don’t hire Ruben Mendez (aka DJ Quick from quickmixxxpromotions.com)

Every once in a while we run across a DJ that needs to be pointed out for a complete lack of professionalism. Unfortunately this is one of those times. His name is Ruben Mendez, he also uses the alias DJ Quick from quickmixxxpromotions.com. Despite using his service in the past without incident he was a no-show for a Halloween party in San Antonio, TX that was to take place on 10/12/13.

Despite numerous attempts to reach him both via email and phone he has not returned any of our messages. We have a zero tolerance policy for situations such as this and immediately terminated our relationship with him. If we were able to verify he was involved in an accident or some other unfortunate circumstance we would have gladly reinstated him but so far nothing seems to point to that.

As much as it pains us to post this we want to inform as many people as possible so they don’t accidentally hire him only to find out he took their money but never provided a service. Thankfully we were able to fully refund the deposit but if someone hired him directly there would be no such guarantee. Be careful and learn from our misfortune, don’t hire Ruben Mendez (aka DJ Quick from quickmixxxpromotions.com)

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Everyday Heroes: Local DJ Tom Farley

Portland, Oregon DJ Tom Farley has been playing music at a monthly dance for developmentally disable people for 27 years! He is a pleasure to work with and a gem in the mobile DJ industry.

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Portland Students Kick off 2012 With Formal Dance

On Friday, January 6, 2012, DJ Rich Mason performed at the Open Meadow School Winter Dance in Portland, Oregon. Hot hits from Flo Rida, LMFAO, Rihanna and more went over well and these high school freshman and sophomores had a great time.

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How much time does a DJ need to setup?

This ultimately depends on how much equipment the DJ is bringing. The more equipment you need the DJ to provide (ie: separate sound system, video projector, lighting effects, etc) the more time you should allow. On average it takes about 30 minutes for simple sound system setups or an average of about one hour for the average sound and lighting setup.

If you are not having the event at a private residence a very important item to look over is the contract with your venue. Some people will book a hall, hotel or other similar location for 5 hours thinking they also have time before and after those 5 hours to setup and teardown. That is not always the case; some venues will charge extra for that time. Make sure that you schedule enough time for the DJ to properly setup and teardown. If the DJ has to rush to setup his or her equipment there is an increased likelihood that he or she will make a mistake during setup. That could require troubleshooting a problem or problems during your event as opposed to working out all the bugs during setup.

If you were told by another DJ that he or she can setup in 5 or 10 minutes you have to ask yourself, what in the world are they using? A boom box? One of the longest processes of setting up is the wiring off all the different audio and lighting components. In addition to the wiring a professional DJ will also take extra time to neatly tuck away cords from the view of guests. It may look simple enough at a glance but there is a lot more work into setting up and tearing down than the average person realizes.

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Do cheap Wedding DJ’s exist?

You bet they do and we work with them! Some couples don’t need the DJ to provide the normal full “wedding DJ service” as they just need music and nothing else. Instead of selling you an expensive elaborate package you don’t need we will supply you with a private party DJ who will just play music for your wedding as if it were a regular dance such as a club, grad party, block party or any other similar type of party.

However if you need the full service Wedding DJ who will also Emcee, coordinate the entire evening, make all the announcements, provide a wireless microphone and other typical equipment and services we can do that to! Just remember, the less you need the less you pay and visa versa.

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How important is beat matching?

Beat matching is an art where DJ’s seamlessly blend two songs together by starting a new song before the old one finishes. For example you will be dancing to one song and without knowing it you are dancing to a new song in the same tempo as if the song never changed. This is a nice skill for DJs to have but ultimately is not crucial as it all boils down to the song selections. As long as people are enjoying the music played and that there is no “dead space” in between songs then seamlessly beat-matching from one song to the next is not a deal-breaker.

Another common song transition is called a segue. A segue is similar to what radio stations do. As one song is about to end they start another so there is no “dead space” in-between the music. These songs do not necessarily have the same tempo and most of the time is easily identifiable when a new song starts. As long as the music is good then the listener will stay tuned in. This is the same concept for mobile DJ’s, as long as the music relates well to guests they will stay on the floor.

All in all beat matching is a nice skill but should not be a prerequisite when choosing a DJ. Look at the DJs past references and talk to their past clients. If they were happy with that DJs service then they enjoyed the music. In fact most of the time they wouldn’t even know if the DJ beat-matched or just transitioned with traditional segue’s or did a combination of both at their event. Ultimately they just remember if they had a good time and if they enjoyed the music.

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How To Control Your Wedding Costs

Although very few people have $10 million to blow on their wedding, getting hitched is certainly getting more expensive. The average cost of a wedding reached $23,330 (Canadian) in 2011, up from $20,129 in 2010, while the average price tag for a wedding gown rose to $1,798 from $1,093, according to Weddingbells’ Annual Reader survey. Read More

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Wedding Elegance On A Small Budget

Brides and grooms who desire an elegant wedding but need to proceed with a limited budget should select a few elements that are most important to them. A wedding is not about showing off. It’s about creating moments and memories. The best way to do that is to concentrate on a few “wow” items. Beyond that, following are a few other ways to save… (Read More)

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Do’s & don’ts of choosing music for your wedding

Of course every bride and groom wants to hear music they love at their wedding and every DJ should be sensitive to that. However newlyweds should also consider what their guests will enjoy or not enjoy. We run across this time to time where the bride or groom or sometimes both will come up with an elaborate list of selections that are not mass appeal. The more focused and narrow the music list becomes the more alienated their guests will also become. Once guests have become alienated the more likely they will leave early or complain about the music. If guests are not having a good time, the newlyweds will also begin to feel the same way.

The trick to a successful event is balance and not to lean too heavily in one direction. Take for example a wedding we recently did. The bride and groom came up with a large list of music and a very large Do Not Play list. The songs the bride did not want to hear were the top 100 most popular weddings songs. Immediately that alienated most of their guests as these were the songs that they wanted to hear. In addition the groom wanted unedited versions of songs. Keep in mind they were a young hip couple but there is a thing as being to cool for the room. By playing unedited music the “high-class feel” of the reception was soon lost…especially to the older generation. That may have seemed cool to about 20% of the entire wedding party similar in age to the newlyweds but that left a majority of 80% that did not appreciate it.

Of course it’s OK to come up with a list of “must play” and “do not play” songs but keep it within reason. Think of a wedding reception as give and take. Yes it is your special day but it wouldn’t feel that way without your friends and family there to celebrate it with you. Yes you are providing food for them but they also are giving you gifts in return. Yes you are providing entertainment for them but if you don’t also think of their needs then it won’t be entertaining to them at all. The more fun they have the more fun you will have in return.

Remember this one basic rule of thumb, just because you like something doesn’t automatically mean that everyone else will. As we all know music is important, it sets the mood and it’s what makes or breaks the overall feel of any party. Just make sure you set the right mood for everyone you invite. Otherwise you might as well save some money by reducing your guest list down to just those who only like the same music as you.