Rachel and Ben’s Wedding Celebration at Brick - Liberty Station

Rachel and Ben’s wedding ceremony at Brick events center in Liberty Station. 

Rachel and Ben put together a fabulous Friday night wedding party at Brick on April 6, 2018. They packed in 200-plus guests in the event space located in Liberty Station and had both their ceremony and wedding dance party inside.

Here’s a look at their setlist for the night.

First Dance
Leon Bridges - Comin’ Home
The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl

Cocktail Hour and Dinner

• HAIM & BloodPop - Little Of Your Love
• Chris Malinchak - Magic
• Snakehips & MO - Don't Leave (Throttle Remix)
• Halsey - Colors (Blonde Remix Radio Edit)
• Sia f./Sean Paul - Cheap Thrills (Le Youth Remix)
• Lost Frequencies f./Sandro Cavazza - Beautiful Life
• Christina Aguilera - Telepathy (Rare Candy Radio Edit)
• Hotel Garuda - Smoke Signals
• Muse - Dig Down
• Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
• Judah & The Lion - Suit And Jacket
• Imagine Dragons - Thunder
• Lord Huron - The Night We Met
• Weezer - Feels Like Summer
• TLC - Creep (Select Mix Remix)
• Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack (Select Mix Remix)
• Bill Withers - Lovely Day (Full Phatt Remix)
• Chromeo - Old 45's
• Maroon 5 ft SZA - What Lovers Do (Slushii Remix)  
• Angie Martinez ft Sacario & Lil Mo - If I Could Go
• Carl Carlton - She's a Bad Mamma Jamma
• Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy (Select Mix Remix)
• Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Edge Remix)
• Blackstreet - No Diggity (Figgy Remix)
• Duke Dumont f./Jax Jones - I Got U
• Sam Feldt & Alex Schulz - Be My Lover  (Radio Edit)
• DJ Dan & WhiteNoize - Hey Ho  
• Lika Morgan - Hit Me  
• Lika Morgan - Sweet Dreams
• Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber & MO - Cold Water (Kue Remix)  
• Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely
• Bruno Mars - That's What I Like

Father/Daughter Dance
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Mother/Son Dance
Sam Cooke - Tenderness

Open Dancing First Set

• Al Green - Let's Stay Together
• Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
• Usher f. Lil Jon & Ludacris - Yeah (Acapella Out)
• Bruno Mars - 24k Magic (Rock It Scientists Hype Edit) (Dynamiq Cutdown)
• Party Break - Montel Party Break
• Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (DJ Ragoza Acapella In)
• House of Pain - Old School Jump Off
• Nicki Minaj ft Drake - Truffle Butter (Jester Remix) 
• J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente
• LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
• Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

Honeymoon Dance

• Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
• Meghan Trainor f./John Legend - Like I'm Gonna Lose You
• The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl
• Chicago - All That Jazz
• Bob Marley - Three Little Birds
• Lauv - I Like Me Better  (Radio Edit)

Bouquet Toss
Iggy Azalea - Fancy (Seize Where The Ladies At Edit)

Garter Toss
N.E.R.D. ft Rihanna - Leon (Mr. Collipark Remix)  

Open Dancing Second Set

• Queen, Notorious B.I.G. - Fat Bottom Girls Hypnotized
• Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
• V.I.C. - Wobble
• Miley Cyrus f. Jay-Z - We Can't Stop (DJ Scooter Twerk Remix)
• Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A.
• Nelly - Hot In Herre
• Jagged Edge - Let's Get Married
• Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
• Spice Girls - Wannabe
• Britney Spears - I'm a Slave For You
• Backstreet Boys X Jonas Blue - I Want It That Way X Fast Car (DJ Ragoza Bootleg)
• Calvin Harris f./Rihanna - This Is What You Came For
• Salt N Pepa - Push It (Mayeda Remix)
• Flo Rida - I Cry
• Casper - Cha Cha Slide
• Aretha Franklin - Respect
• Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
• Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
• Cupid - Cupid Shuffle
• Bon Jovi - Livin’ On A Prayer
• Journey - Don’t Stop Believin (Live)

Last Dance
When In Rome - The Promise

Gigi and Casey's Wedding Celebration at Brick - Liberty Station Wedding

Casey and Gigi's ceremony set-up at Brick in Liberty Station. 

Gigi and Casey put on an extra big party at Brick in Liberty Station on October 15, 2017. With catering from Curiocity, a photobooth and plenty of dancing, their guests were entertained all night.

Here’s a look at the setlist:

First Dance
Adele - Make You Feel My Love

Mother/Son Dance
Rascal Flatts - My Wish

Father/Daughter Dance
Phil Collins - You'll Be In My Heart

Open Dancing

• Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
• Al Green - Let's Stay Together
• Calvin Harris ft Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean - Feels (Fabian EWF Mix)
• Pitbull f./John Ryan - Fireball (Radio Edit)
• Bruno Mars - 24K Magic (Promo Only Clean Edit)
• Usher - Yeah
• Griffith, Marcia - Electric Boogie
• Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is
• Michael Buble - Everything
• The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud To Beg
• Cupid - Cupid Shuffle
• Otis Day & the Knights - Shout
• B-52's - Love Shack
• Earth, Wind & Fire - September
• Michael Jackson - P.Y.T (remix)
• Flo Rida - Low
• Kool & the Gang - Jungle Boogie
• Grover Washington Jr. - Just the Two of Us
• Bruno Mars - That's What I Like (Promo Only Clean Edit)
• Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet
• Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
• Madonna - Holiday
• Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
• Whitney Houston - How Will I Know (Select Mix Remix)
• New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
• Jimmy Buffett - Cheeseburger In Paradise
• Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling!
• Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk (Select Mix Remix)
• Cali Swag District - Teach Me How To Dougie
• Future f./Kendrick Lamar - Mask Off
• Janet Jackson - Let's Wait Awhile
• Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa
• Naughty By Nature - Feel Me Flow

Vendor Team
DJ/Master of Ceremonies/Uplighting: Justin Kanoya, DJ Kanoya Productions
Venue: Brick
Event Coordinator: Brick Coordination
Catering: Curiocity

Chew The Scene 2017 at Brick - Liberty Station

The 2017 San Diego Asian Film Festival kicks off with a party at Brick in Liberty Station.

Kicking off the 2017 San Diego Asian Film Festival Season

It does not matter if it's a wedding or a food and film event (as shown here). I'm all about creating the right vibe for the right moment.

DJing this years Chew The Scene, which took place at Brick in Liberty Station, as well as other Pacific Arts Movement events during its 2017 San Diego Asian Film Festival season, always calls for that. It's not about getting people to dance (although a few did toward the end of the night), but providing the right beats, for the right moments at the right volume at the right time. That's what enables others to enjoy the atmosphere they are in.

During the set a woman came up and complimented how much she enjoyed the music. I jokingly asked if it was better than last year, to which she replied, "yes."

I was the DJ last year ... but hey, I'm always happy to outdo myself.

Here's a look at the setlist.

• Robert Palmer - Every Kinda People (Joey Negro Multicultural Multitrack Mix)
• Fugees - Ready Or Not (Cheyenne Giles Remix)
• Justin Bieber vs Aaliyah - Let Me Love You vs Rock The Boat (Hype Intro Kerry Glass Edit)
• Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Simone Nu Disco Remix)
• Lauv - I Like Me Better
• Chromeo ft Toro Y Moi - Come Alive
• Snakehips & MO - Don't Leave (Kue Remix)
• Stoned Butterflies - Love The Music (70's Mix)
• DJ Dan & WhiteNoize - Hey Ho
• Ivan Jack - The Dock Of The Bay
• Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You (Disco Killerz Remix)
• Chachi & Paige - Land Down Under
• Halsey - Colors (Sam Feldt Remix)
• Soul ll Soul - Back To Reality (KLATCH Remix)
• Calvin Harris vs Tinie Tempah - Girl Bounce (Schoeny Bootleg)
• George Michael - Careless Whisper (DJ Amor & DJ O'Neill Sax Remix)
• Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This
• Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Something (Hot Classics Remix)
• Ce Ce Peniston - We Got A Love Thang (Select Mix Remix)
• DJ Dan & DivaDanielle - I Got A Man
• Lorde - Green Light (Chromeo Remix)
• Sage The Gemini - Now & Later (Merk & Kremont Remix)
• Felix Jaehn f./Jasmine Thompson - Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) (Promo Only Intro Edit)
• Next - Too Close (Andrew Masta & The Disco Punk Nu Disco Dance Edit)
• HAIM & BloodPop - Little Of Your Love (BloodPop Remix)
• Bruno Mars - 24k Magic (Rock It Scientists Hype Edit) (Dynamiq Cutdown) (Dirty)
• Calvin Harris ft Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean - Feels (Fabian EWF Mix) (Hype Edit)
• James Brown - Soul Power
• Destiny's Child - Jumpin' Jumpin' (Jean Tonique Remix)
• The Weeknd ft Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming (Mr. Collipark Remix)
• Clean Bandit ft Anne-Marie & Sean Paul - Rockabye (PeteDown Moomba Mix)
• LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl (Untouchables Remix)
• 99 Souls ft Destiny's Child & Brandy - The Girl Is Mine (DiscoTech Midnight Remix)
• Starley - Call On Me (Ryan Riback Remix)
• Palm Trees - Casanova
• Blackstreet - No Diggity (Bondax Edit)
• Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft Zedd - Starving (Kay Stafford At The Ibiza Beach Remix)
• Drake - Passionfruit (BPM Supreme Remix)
• Jamiroquai - Cloud 9
• Hall & Oates - Out Of Touch
• Seinabo Sey - Younger (Kygo Remix)
• A-Ha - Take On Me (Kygo Remix)
• Lost Frequencies f./Janieck Devy - Reality
• Tori Kelly - Hollow (Promo Only WestFunk Intro Edit)
• Bingo Players - Cry (Just A Little) (A-Trak & DiscoTech Remix)
• Flo Rida - I Cry
• Disclosure - Latch (Lost Kings Remix)
• Sam Feldt & Kimberly Anne - Show Me Love (EDX Remix)
• Everything But The Girl - Missing (PB Remix)
• Tom Petty - Free Falllin'
• Naughty By Nature - Jamboree
• Arrested Development - People Everyday
• A Tribe Called Quest - Bonita Applebum (Remix)
• Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa (Remix)
• Bruno Mars - That's What I Like
• Mariah Carey - Fantasy
• Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It
• Mann ft 50 Cent - Buzzin (Remix)
• Nicki Minaj ft Drake - Truffle Butter (Jester Remix)
• Bruno Mars - 24k Magic (Rock It Scientists Hype Edit) (Dynamiq Cutdown)
• Usher - Yeah (Wedding Crasherz Break)
• K7 - Come Baby Come
• Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do
• Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie (Select Mix Remix)
• HAIM - Want You Back

Five Ways Instagram Helped Me Book a Wedding Client

Imagine my surprise (and satisfaction) when “Instagram” was the answer to the question “How did you hear about DJ Kanoya.” I was even more ecstatic when that inquiry turned into a signed contract for a 2017 wedding.

I booked a wedding because of Instagram (well, there were certainly other factors), but there is no doubt that Instagram was the catalyst.

By dedicating part of my marketing plan to Instagram it has elevated it to one of my most important (and cheapest) marketing tools to my business.

Here are five tips that I believe were instrumental in this sales conversion.

A quick note: This was written from a DJ’s perspective, but the tips are applicable to anyone looking to maximize the marketing benefits of Instagram.

Create an Account
This should be obvious, but this potential client would not have found me if I wasn’t on Instagram. She was routed to me via a photo that was on the Brick account (@bricksd). Brick is an event venue in San Diego, where her wedding is taking place. Brick was taking photos during an event I was DJing and their social media rep came up and asked for my account name so she could tag me.

That photo tag, led this customer to my account, which led to my website, which eventually led to a booking.

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Brick Events

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Instagram for DJs

Potential followers and customers will tap on your user name and take a quick scroll at your three photo wide feed and make a determination if you are someone they want to follow or potentially do business with.

High Quality, Relevant Photos
Instagram is a visual social media platform and it is important for your account to be visually appealing. The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is so true, especially when it comes to Instagram. Users scroll through their newsfeed to primarily look at those square images, not to read descriptions and comments. You have seconds (maybe even less) to capture someone’s attention and get them to look - and potentially read - your content.

As a DJ, users and potential users follow me because I am a DJ. I keep them engaged because my feed is filled with photos of me all centered around that aspect. My account is made up of photos from weddings, yoga sessions and corporate events. I also create infographics about music or about me as an entrepreneur. But the constant is always me as a DJ, providing a glimpse of moments from my vantage point.

I do not post photos of food, my wife and I strolling on a beach or my daughter in her Halloween costume. Because as amazingly cute as my daughter is dressed as a 50s soda shop girl, my Instagram followers are not following me to see that.

Instagram is a powerful, slick option to show off your business. When posting to it, consider if the image is something you would want inserted into your businesses printed brochure or other marketing material. When thinking about it in those terms, you likely wouldn’t be putting a random image of a bowl of soup or your cat in your DJ brochure.

Posting non-relevant content is the quickest way for your followers to lose interest and subsequently unfollow your account.

Potential followers and customers will tap on your user name and take a quick scroll at your three photo wide feed and make a determination if you are someone they want to follow or potentially do business with. Having a professional appearance, via those photos, is important.

“Nice pictures” are nice for a reason. They are composed and framed properly (google search “rule of thirds). Attractive photos have colors that are enticing and the subject matter in the photo is interesting, and most importantly relevant to your business.

If you do not have a knack for photography, consider taking an introductory class or looking through online tutorials or books. When it comes to editing, I use Snapseed on all of my photos. There are many mobile tools, but Snapseed definitely does the trick for me.

Regularly Scheduled Posts
This tip is important to consider as a means to retain your followers, but also to entice new ones. Have you ever scrolled through your feed of the people you are following and found a particular user has batch posted several photos within seconds/minutes of each other? Those photos clog up your feed and for many people this is an annoyance when they are just trying to see updates from others.

There’s no need to “live-Instagram” something. Take pictures at an event, and afterwards choose one really good one to post at an ideal time. Unlike Twitter, most of the people viewing your content are seeing it well after the event you are posting from. As a result, there is no need to post quick, unedited snapshots of something with a caption that reads “I’m here right now, come see me.” Because when someone actually views that image, you are no longer there.

Being strategic about when to schedule posts ensures you are reaching your followers at the peak times they are using Instagram. The "Insights" tab within Instagram is a host of great info such as when your followers are on Instagram, what city they are in, what gender they are and much more. 

I use the free app and website interface, Hootsuite, to schedule my posts. 

By the way, as a general rule, schedule one or two posts per day. This gives you time to carefully craft the content you are posting, taking the extra effort to edit the photos (using Snapseed or other photo editing program) and writing a good caption for those that are taking the time to read it.

Engaging with users is the key to social media success. In this example, @thatjenncheng commented about the lighting and I made sure to thank her.

Engaging with Your Audience
Engaging with followers is one of the primary recommendations of social media. As such Instagram is a two way street. To build your following and legitimize what you are doing, you need to engage with the users that are taking the time to engage with you. This means if someone leaves a comment, acknowledge it with a thank you. If they ask a question, answer it.

You should be taking time to search through Instagram for users similar to your line of business and within your industry. Like, comment and follow when appropriate. As you start to build a network of social media followers and followings, you are creating connections with other vendors and potential clients.

Relevant Hashtags
As I mentioned earlier, this client found me because her wedding venue’s Instagram account tagged me in a post. This is important information to note and to understand that this is one method your potential customers are conducting research.

Yes, people are “Googling”, but they are also likely hitting the “image” button, especially true for people planning their wedding who want to see what previous weddings and events looked like at their venue.

This is why hashtagging your photos is important. Hashtags, when used properly, are a direct pipeline to you from potential customers and followers. Despite the fact that generic tags such as “wedding” or “DJ” are being searched by millions at any given time, it still gets your content viewable to potentially millions for a few seconds. But more specific tags such as a venue name, or even “wedding DJ” have a little longer shelf life.

According to Quora, the number of hashtags allowed per post is 30. “That includes # in the caption and the comments section both. Instagram doesn't allow more than 30 hashtags per post. That said, some of the hashtags are filtered to prevent spamming.”

Conclusion
As DJs trying to maintain sanity on the plethora of marketing opportunities available, not to mention the horde of social media platforms to try and keep with, realize you do not need to use all of them. However, the marketing and social media tactics you do choose to engage in should be managed strategically and most importantly used properly.

2016 Pacific Arts Movement Chew The Scene - Brick Liberty Station

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The 17th San Diego Asian Film Festival takes place November 3-12, 2016.

Brick in Liberty Station was the venue that the 2016 Chew The Scene event took place. 

The Pacific Arts Movement’s Chew The Scene Event is a sign of two things … good food and the annual San Diego Asian Film Festival is just around the corner. ‘Chew,’ which took place on October 11 at Brick Event Center, serves as the official kick off event to the festival, now in its 17th year.

The event combines food and drink tastings while giving attendees first opportunity in San Diego to preview the film festival’s lineup of films and programs. I was there to set the tone with music and lighting, in cooperation with San Diego Event Pros.

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Here’s a look at the setlist.

• Palm Trees - Casanova
• 99 Souls ft Destiny's Child & Brandy - The Girl Is Mine (DiscoTech Midnight Remix)  
• Outkast - Rosa Parks (Mister Gray & Michael Methods Twerk 130-104 Transition)  
• Zedd ft Selena Gomez - I Want You To Know (Amenzo Remix)  
• Wyclef Jean ft Avicii - Divine Sorrow
• Beyonce - XO
• Hailee Steinfeld f./DNCE - Rock Bottom
• Craig David - Officially Yours
• Zayn - Pillowtalk
• Magic! - No Way No
• Major Lazer f./Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley - Powerful
• Nicki Minaj - Pills N Potions
• Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Simone Nu Disco Remix)
• The Police - Walking On The Moon (J-Art & Madan Edit)  
• Ashanti - Foolish (Lemi Vice & Action Jackson Remix)  
• Kygo ft Parson James - Stole The Show (TWRK & Doobious Remix)  
• Marvin Gaye ft BJ The Chicago Kid - Whats Going On (New 2016 Version)
• ZHU - Generationwhy (Original Mix)
• Mike Perry f./Shy Martin - The Ocean
• Rihanna ft Drake - Work (Lost Kings Remix)  
• Chris Brown f./Tyga - Ayo
• Fifth Harmony - Write On Me
• Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber & MO - Cold Water (J Rythm BPM Supreme Remix)
• Charming Horses feat. Grace Grundy - Higher Love (Original Mix)
• Fetty Wap f./Snoop Dogg - Westside
• Kygo ft Ella Henderson - Here For You (DAO Remix)  
• Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) (Mennska Remix)
• Discotron - Disco Ballin'  
• Chainsmokers ft ROZES - Roses (Adam Foster Remix)  
• Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Kandy Space Remix)
• Justin Timberlake - Let The Groove Get In (Wanna Be Starting Somethin' Remix)
• Don Bravo - My Love  
• Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling (Loud Luxury Remix)  
• Nina Simone - Feeling Good (Goldcash & RIVAS Remix)  
• Sam Feldt & Kimberly Anne - Show Me Love (EDX Remix)  
• Halsey - Colors (Blonde Remix)
• The Chainsmokers ft Halsey - Closer (Not So Typical Remix)  
• The Weeknd - I Can't Feel My Face (DJ Jam HeaterVille Remix)
• Palm Trees - Casanova (Intro Clean)
• Tori Kelly - Should've Been Us (Lost Kings Remix)  
• Kool & The Gang - Get Down On It (DJDX Extra Beat Edit)
• Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots  
• Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This
• Wham! - Everything She Wants
• Babyface - It's No Crime (Hot Classics Remix)
• DJ Dan & WhiteNoize - Hey Ho  
• Kiiara - Gold (J Farell Remix)  
• A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (Remix)
• Adele - Send My Love (Country Club Martini Crew Remix)  
• DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air (Le Boeuf Remix)  
• Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind (Joey Negro Extended Disco Mix)
• The Police - King Of Pain (Edge Remix)
• Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream (Razz & Zack Martino Remix)  
• Joe Stone vs Montell Jordan - The Party vs This Is How We Do It  
• Music P & Marque Aurel - The Feel Good Funk  
• Ce Ce Peniston - We Got A Love Thang (Select Mix Remix)
• Mariah Carey - Emotions (Select Mix Remix)
• Calloway - I Wanna Be Rich
• Sia ft Sean Paul - Cheap Thrills (Xemi Canovas & David Pateo Mambo Remix)  
• Battle Beats - Scratch Sample Two
• Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive  
• Drake ft Majid Jordan - Hold On We're Going Home (Panic City Remix)
• Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake - Love Never Felt So Good
• Felix Jaehn ft Jasmine Thompson - Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better)  
• Zedd feat Foxes - Clarity (Shoe Scene Symphony Nu Disco Remix)
• Hailee Steinfeld, Grey, Zedd - Starving (Select Mix Remix)
• Omarion ft Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko - Post To Be (Dennis Blaze Remix)
• Justin Bieber - Sorry (Mr Collipark Remix)  
• Lady Gaga - Disco Stick (Marc Stout aka DayDrunk Remix)  
• A-Ha - Take On Me (Kygo Remix)
• The Internet f./Kaytranada - Girl