Enjoy The Silence

Silent Disco adds a different feel to the dance floor

The dancing is normal, the listening to music though your own individual headphones is not. This is a silent disco. 

The silent disco concept is something I had heard about in the past year when I saw it on a news program. However I had never experienced it, either as a DJ or an attendee at an event.  The idea of a silent disco is a completely silent dance floor, with no music coming from any speakers. Instead, music is transmitted to headsets that are worn by all the guests.

When I was hired to DJ Lululemon Fashion Valley’s one year anniversary party and was told a silent disco was going to be part of the party, I was excited but also a bit unsure.

I had many questions. How does it work? How do I transmit the music to the headsets? What music should I play? And most importantly, would people even be into it?

Lululemon used Silentstorm, based in San Francisco, to provide the headsets. The devices also came with a wireless transmitter, which I connected my main output to. My “how” question was quickly answered. That transmitter is what is sending the music to all those headsets, 100 in this case.

The headsets have the capability to receive three different signals. This is ideal for a party that has multiple DJs, each spinning a different genre of music. Even more interesting, the headsets have an LED light corresponding to the channel it is set on. This way guests have a visual cue of who is listening to the same music as they are.

In the case of this party, I was the sole music provider and therefore everyone was listening to the same thing. In doing research on past silent disco parties I was clued into the idea of playing familiar music that people typically enjoy singing along too. I thought this was a perfect idea and had a handful of songs at the ready. In the end, during the 30-minute silent portion of the evening I played these songs:

• Journey - Don't Stop Believing
• Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
• Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
• Usher - Yeah
• Montell Jordan - This is How We Do It
• Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way
• Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
• Spice Girls - Wannabe
• Cupid - Cupid Shuffle

It was a fun experience. Although it does present some challenges for a DJ, which I will likely write about in a separate “for DJs only” post … no need to bore everyone else here.

Truly though the proof of how fun it is in the video below, which captures a few clips from a few of the sing alongs. It also answered my last question, “will they really be into it?”

The video basically confirms, yes, indeed everyone was into it. Also, for a complete recap of the party, check out this blog post. 

5 Things I Love This Week - Episode #1

A singer, a turntable, a comedian, a store and a pan

Gin Wigmore is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand. Her latest album is titled, Blood to Bone.

1. Gin Wigmore
While no one is going to duplicate Amy Winehouse. Gin Wigmore comes pretty close.

Admittedly her sound is new to me, despite having a third album recently released. Hailing from New Zealand, perhaps a fellow single-named Kiwi, that Lorde girl, with huge pop success has overshadowed Wigmore a bit. But her high pitched, yet “throaty” voice is what perked my ears when I heard it the other day. The sound is a little rock with some pop beats. Spotify lists related artists such as ZZ Ward, Ingrid Michaelson, Kimbra and Anya Marina … all faves of mine.

And "Gin" is about the greatest nickname I've ever heard for someone named Virginia. 

2. Reloop RP-8000 Turntable
Everything old is new again. When I started DJing in the early 90s I used turntables and lugged around crates of records -- yes, I too have that badge of honor. After using an assortment of controllers, CD-Js and other DJ gear, I’m incredibly excited to add a turntable set-up to my gear line-up.

I opted for the Reloops because of their MIDI functionality and other features such as digital display and torque adjustment. It’s a nice hybrid of an analog turntable and digital DJ controller.

All of my past set-ups were built on streamlining and convenience. A turntable set-up is neither, in fact, in some ways it’s more work to set-up and even more work to operate. But it’s 100x more fun. I’m also looking forward to honing my craft as a DJ, something that really can only be done with a couple of pieces of vinyl and ‘tables.

The Reloop RP-8000 turntable, with it's MIDI functionality, adjustable torque and a host of other features is part of a new breed of DJ turntables. 

3. Comedian, Michael Jr. -The What vs. The Why
I was introduced to Michael Jr. via a video that was posted on Facebook. He is a comedian and during each of his shows, takes time to chat with members of the audience. He does this, because in his own words “comedy just happens.”

The particular video I saw had him explaining the concept of “what vs. why.”

• What = The things we do. For example, I am a DJ. I play music at parties, that’s what I do.
• Why = The reason we do things and when you know why you are doing it, and you believe in that why, you put more into the what.

Now, the video below is not the same one I saw which has him explaining the concept (for some reason I could not find an actual way to embed that one). But it is of a man singing "Amazing Grace," which Michael used to illustrate his concept. See the difference when he is asked “what to sing” vs. “why he is singing.”

Pitbull Audio is the perfect place for a DJ to come into and try out various controllers and turntables. Nearly every piece of gear is connected to it's own computer. 

4. Pitbull Audio
San Diego DJ’s and audio professionals are pretty lucky when it comes to shopping around for new gear. Between DJ specific stores, Guitar Centers and other places there are plenty of choices. When I was shopping for my new turntable set-up, I checked with a handful of online sources as well as one local place … and I went local.

Pitbull Audio has been a great online retailer for the past few years and just over a year ago opened up a location in National City, CA, just south of downtown San Diego. I was impressed with their selection and even more impressed with their set-up. The DJ section of the store not only has nearly every popular controller on display, but they are also hooked up to their own Macbook so customers can try them out.

Customer service is great and because of my rather large order, they did a great job working with me on the pricing and helping me stay within my spending budget.

If you are local to San Diego check them out. And if you’re not, be sure to visit their website.

5. Lodge cast iron
I’ve been loving cast iron pots and pans for many years. But lately, I’m using my various Lodge skillets exclusively. I also use Lodge Dutch ovens on our family camping trips. No other pan can go from the cooktop, to the oven to the open campfire flame like a solid piece of cast iron.

My go to recipe utilizing my Lodge 12-inch skillet is pan-cooked chicken thighs. After seasoning chicken with kosher salt and pepper:

• Heat oven to 400°; put pan in oven
• Once heated, place pan on stovetop and sear thighs skin side down
• Flip thighs and sear opposite side
• Place entire pan inside stove and finish cooking chicken (internal temperature should be 180°)

You’ll have a juicy piece of chicken with a delicious and crispy exterior skin.

Wedding Reception Sing-along - Hotel Del Coronado

Some songs are just meant to be sung with a group of friends. And when those songs come on, you sing them very loud. I loved creating this moment, espeically loved seeing the bride with her group of girlfriends singing with a smile. 

Friends and family sing along to the Backstreet Boys, “I Want it That Way.”

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Raw Lyrics and Dope Beats: My 5 Favorite Tracks from “Straight Outta Compton”

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Twenty-plus years later, N.W.A.'s “Straight Outta Compton” still remains as one of my favorite albums of all time. 

The release of N.W.A.’s biopic “Straight Outta Compton” has been a much anticipated moment for me. I remember the first time I heard “gangsta rap.” I was in 7th grade. This might have been before that was even a genre. Back then, it was just “rap.”

The first moment I heard it was on the school bus. My friend brought his radio/tape player (yes it was a ghetto blaster) onto the bus. He popped in Eazy-E’s, “Eazy Duz It” album and played “Still Talkin’.” We wore that tape out, repeatedly listening to lyrics and beats that were so new to us.

And for some reason the bus driver didn’t mind us blasting these explicit lyrics.

I later was introduced to N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton.” I don’t recall if I actually hid the fact I was listening to such raw lyrics from my parents. Then again, my parents have always been pretty open minded, and never really restricted what I listened to or watched. I’m certainly thankful for that.

But I was hooked. Let’s also not dismiss the fact I was an Asian American kid, growing up in the Midwest, surrounded by mostly white kids. Were were listening to music that was literally “straight off the streets of Compton.” We watched as Rodney King got beat up. We watched as riots spilled onto the streets of Los Angeles. We could only imagine what life in LA must be like, far from our rather calm Midwest surroundings.

N.W.A. may have been harshly criticized back then because of the words they used. Just the style of the music, rap, was already getting a bad rap -- pun intended -- because it was so different. For people that already subscribed to the idea that “rap is crap,” were certainly not going to be converted once they heard lyrics like “fuck tha police” and “taking a life or two, that’s what the hell I do, you don’t like how I’m livin’ … well fuck you.”

But as the members of N.W.A. have said all along, they were just talking about what they were seeing, what they were experiencing in their own neighborhood. They were bringing this to the surface, outside of LA, outside of Compton … they were shoving it in the collective faces of the rest of the country. And they were doing it though music, with clever lyrics and head bouncing beats.

It was brilliant. It was art.

The history of N.W.A. spans, off and on, between 1986-2002. During that time, they officially released two studio albums, “Straight Outta Compton” and “Niggaz4Life.” While I enjoyed the second album, it primarily was like many rap albums in the early 90s. Full of explict sexual content and diss tracks (they didn’t like the recently departed Ice Cube so much when this was recorded). Since it was sans Cube, who not only contributed vocally to “Straight,” but wrote many of the lyrics second album just was not the same.

To me, it was that first album that was a masterpiece. The one that balanced raw story telling with danceable beats. If I could only pick five songs to listen to right now, these would be the ones.

1. Straight Outta Compton: I want you to think about a different song for a moment. Conjure up in your head that beginning guitar riff from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. That was the sound of a whole new genre of music being ushered in … grunge. Same goes for those 11 words that started track No. 1 on the album, “You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.” Gangta rap was born.

2. Compton’s in the House: This could have been the unofficial Compton, California  anthem. A gangsta rap beat personified and MC Ren and Dre flowing like a perfect wine.

3. Something Like That: The song starts out by asking DJ Yella to “kick me one of them funky ass beats.” And if there wasn’t so much cursing this would be a great dance track to play, even in 2015.

4. Gangsta Gangsta: This is when we really got to know the members of N.W.A. and their distinct rapping styles. With a great hook and a hard hitting bass beat, it basically was THE song what tested out the bass kick of anyone rolling with a 15-inch sub in their car. Remember when car stereos were a thing?

5. Something 2 Dance 2: A clean song that you could actually play at a high school dance. It was a departure from raw gangsta rap and showed that N.W.A. could even bust out with a freestyle beat. The sound was very Planet Rock. At the two minute mark I basically lose it every time when Eazy says “let the bass kick.” The beat that follows will have you standing up wherever you are and bouncing your head. Guaranteed.

Here's the audio for “Something 2 Dance 2.” For an instant party, go straight to the 2:00 mark.

Do you agree with my top 5?

Do yourself and favor and take a listen … maybe for the first time or the 100th. Just do it.

And yes, I listened to the entire album while I wrote this.

Offer Added Value, Not Discounts

A lesson learned from East Coast DJs

At the 2015 DJ Expo, attended by hundreds of wedding and mobile DJs, ideas are traded around among the attendees that represent all corners of the globe and of course, the United States. Of course this presents different points of view, particularly on the topic of sales. 

Temecula, California based wedding DJ, Jay Brannan and Wisconsin based wedding DJ, Brian Redd, picked up on a noticeable difference on how East Coast DJs sell themselves differently than West Coast DJs (and Midwest, I'm assuming for Brian).

The not so secret sales tip: They don't sell themselves short. 

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The DJ Expo is lit up by manufacturers such as American DJ, who are on hand to promote their latest product offerings. 

Inquiring clients are always looking to save money. But they are also interested in added value. That is exactly, in general terms, the East Coast DJs sales approach.

Think of this situation than many of us have likely been in ... making a big DJ gear purchase. You've got a package of two speakers with stands offered to you for $1,200. A three year service plan on the items will cost you $300 and speaker bags an additional $100 -- a $400 combined value. You are hoping to pay a little less on the speakers so you can afford the additional $400. Your salesperson explains while he cannot offer any lower on the speakers, he can provide the service plan and bags for $200 (instead of $400). 

You've just been offered something that will provide you exactly what you want, and although you'll need to spend an additional $200, you are actually saving some money too. You've been offered additional value and take the deal.

In a competitive wedding DJ market, you will always experience customers that need to cut costs. Understandably, those customers are comparing once price to the other and unless they understand the difference in value, they will ultimately go with the lesser price. However as a professional, you/me/we need to convey why we are a better value because of our experience. We need to be ready to explain why we are charging more and why we are a better value. 

Now think of your own scenario. Your offer a quote for wedding DJ service for $1,400 and someone else has quoted a potential client $995. Naturally they are looking to you to match that.

The East Coast DJ mentality would be to simply say no, but offer added value. Perhaps it's a wireless speaker set-up, a cake pin spot, an additional hour of service, etc. Whatever it is, it's something that you are equipped to offer that the other guy does not. And you are able to do so because you've been doing this for 10+ years. You have added value, both in terms of your experience as a wedding MC and host, and in terms of extra pieces of gear that will enhance that potential clients event.

Now that potential client is an ACTUAL client because they recognize your value.

Thank you to Brian and Jay for sharing these thoughts. Here's the video:

Brian Redd and Jay Brannan, DJs who specialize in wedding DJ entertainment, describe how the East Coast DJ mentality helps them earn what they know they are worth.