Is your wedding DJ, JUST a DJ?

Your wedding day.
Its one of the most important days of your life, and you can spend an extraordinary amount of money on it. So have you considered the impact that your entertainment has on the day?  Think about this for a moment.

If the cake is not enjoyable, its tasteless and bland, does it have a huge impact on the reception?

can the same been said

If the entertainment is not enjoyable, its tasteless and bland, does it have a huge impact on the reception?

take care when booking the entertainment.

West Australia's Best

I would like to thank all of my past brides and grooms for what has been, so far, a fantastic journey. You have given me a beautiful scrap book of memories, over the past 22 years. And a thanks also to those still to come, there is still an excitement and thrill every time my phone rings, and its a couple looking for my involvement in their special day. Thank you.

A very special thank you to those 2011 brides and grooms, you have kindly rated my company as West Australia's best Wedding DJ and also the best Wedding MC's as well. Its very humbling to think that you regard us so highly. The ABIA's that you have given us, have enthused us, and encouraged us.

Thank you once again my friends
Bernard Sutton-Power
Owner of
Party Sounds Professional DJ Services
2011 ABIA winners

The busy, and yes, the silly season

That time of the year is upon us, the two months that I both dread and cherish at the same time. While October is a good month for the guys and gals behind the decks, its November and December where we really earn our stripes.

Weddings rule Novembers calendar, well mine at least. Then there are the school formals and balls, the end of season windups and the usual assorted birthdays and other functions.

December is just as crazy, now the weddings do slow down a bit due to the heat, but every one has work functions and of course end of season events to get to. Then there's new years eve keeping us very very busy, quite a few of the team out and about getting the new year off to a banging start. I'm covering a show that we have done every NYE since 1992, and that Scott has worked since 2000, lucky bloke will be spending it in Times square this year.

Now remember dear viewers, if your planning a bit of a bash your self, source your vendor's now, because its one night that gets booked very early.

Its not what happens to you, its how you handle it.

Tonight I was working one of my pet projects and I had to share this with you.

Its a small room, with a small crowd, 21 kids and a handful of "Leaders" and we're bopping along to an assortment of Top40 dance tracks, party stuff from the last few years and those die hard party classics that you cant kill with a stick.

The kids are enjoying it all, being kids and running around like they've been doing double shots of espresso washed down with a redbull.

I notice a few of them huddling around someone on the dance floor, and I think to myself that something, or someone's gone down. Then they all get down on their knees and start to dance while kneeling. A wheel chair gets pushed out of the huddle and rolls gently to the wall. In the middle of the huddle there is a young lady with the biggest smile and some dance moves that MJ would have copied if he'd seen them. These guys are having a blast, loud music, great friends and junk food. Just like every youth disco I've ever done, just like everyone you've ever seen. Except they're on their knees dancing? A few more songs and the wheel chair gets rolled back onto the floor and a young man gets whirled around in it for a bit, pushed by the girl with the smile and the fancy moves. Most of her fingers are only one knuckle long, and both her legs are amputated well below the knees, and tonight, shes the best dancer on my floor.

These kids all suffer with Juvenile Arthritis, and its not the kind of arthritis that make your joints a little stiff, or makes it a little hard to get up in the morning. This is Arthritis with attitude. This is Arthritis that takes digits and limbs, it fuses femurs to hips, and causes these kids pain that brings them to tears.

But not tonight, not for the time they're on my floor. 10.30pm rolls around way to soon, its time to packup my gear and head the 100kms home. Shes still laughing and dancing with her friends, I play one more, and another few for good measure. Its Midnight when the "Leaders" and I decide that we really should wrap it up. The kids all gather around and form a circle, arms draped over each others shoulders as they sing at the top of their lungs to Freddie and the boys - "We are the champions" and they are.

The pleasant surprise.

You would think, that my age, I would know better than to go on first impressions of a situation.
Last week, on Thursday, I received a phone call from a DJ company in Melbourne asking if I could cover a Wedding on Saturday, as the DJ they had arranged had cancelled at the last minute. I was free and after some back and forth decided that I'd jump in and help out. Then the work sheet arrives and the music selection was peppered with artists and tracks that had all the warning bells going off. I mean really, Slipknot, System of a Down and Smashing Pumpkins? do you want to give your poor old Gran a heart attack during the reception?

We played some party stuff and some top 40 dance stuff, and I threw on a few classic Aussie Rock anthems, all the time dreading the question, "when are we going to hear X". So I eventually built it up to a point where I could slide one of their floor killers on, and..........it didn't! they rocked hard! like I said, you think I'd know better. I was pleasantly surprised. Now we didn't mosh the rest of the night, but they all had fun, and no, Gran didn't have that heart attack either. :)

More Happy couples

Welcome back, and thanks for joining us :)
I had to share this with you, I had the privilege to DJ and MC at Nadine and Kim's Wedding on August 27th and caught up with some old friends. One of the Bridesmaid & Groomsman couples are past clients of mine, and as they had recommended me to Nadine and Kim, I had expected to see them there. But also in the guest list where another couple who had me as their DJ/MC at their wedding back in '08. It was a bit of a laugh as we recognized each other and arranged a group photo of all 3 couples and myself.

Now while its not a rare thing to have another couple at a wedding who have been past clients, I don't recall having a 3rd couple. Except when I've been invited back to DJ/MC at other family members functions. I have a wonderful family I work with who have had me preform at 3 weddings so far, 2 of the daughters and one of the sons, and they still have another daughter and son to go !!.

Got to love modern tech

Just a quick update from my new phone. I love the techie toys. Next addition to the DJ setup should be new DMX light controller and a fancy laser that can draw pictures.

Share the love.

Hello again listeners ( yeah I know )
Well two new developments this week, the first is that my Youtube channels seem to be taking off. There's one for my fellow DJs, where we review each others work and give feedback. Thank you guys and Gals. The second one is for clients to look at past functions and ideas, so they can get a small idea of some of the things we can do to help make their day, THEIR day.

The other development is that I got hit upside the head (lame song reference) yesterday with the paradigm shift: there are as many people using mobile devices to surf the web as there are those using PC's and laptops. Most websites are not optimised for viewing by mobile devices. I know mine currently isnt. Am I missing out on getting my message across to a large section of the DJ curious because of it? hmmm I think so. damn, thats another project to add to the list now.

An interesting twist

I have a young couple who have booked me to act as the MC and DJ at their reception. They have a very clear idea of the mood they want created on the night and we have discussed at length, what methods I have at my disposal to help make that happen. So the time comes for them to meet with their venue and go over the running sheet for the night. The venue is suprised that they have a DJ, and even more suprised that I want to use my own equipment. Now normally this wouldn't be a problem at all, a brief discussion and all should be well in the world. But no, not this time round. This time the venue is opinonated and difficult, an even an expert in MY field as well as his own. There is no allowance for the Bride to be's vision of her night (it is not outrageous or over the top in any way) and there is no need for a running sheet, as they will tell us when each step should happen through out the evening.

Now I know I'm new at this, I've only been at it since '89, but I thought it was a service industry and more importantly, its the Brides night. It appears that the Bride see's it that way too, because we're off to another venue now, and they get "it". Just watching the Bride talk to them over the phone I could see her relaxing and stressing less.

So here's the closing note, and take note please.
NO ONE VENDOR IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY OTHER.
and
ITS THE BRIDES DAY, not the vendors.

Its been a long time.

What a weird and yet wonderful world you get to gaze upon from behind a DJ desk.

There are moments of extreme joy and happiness, and unfortunately there are also occasions when bad judgement, bad luck or bad planning rear their heads. As a DJ since '89 I've seen most types of functions, I've worked the pubs and clubs, and I've worked the mobile scene too. That's where I'm looking out from at the moment, the mobile side of DJing. I'm loving it, a different crowd every show, with a different beat and a different rhythm. A wedding one show and a school ball the next, one week its a corporate function at the ritzy hotel in the CBD, and another week its a presentation night for a bunch of footy lads in a local shire hall.

I've had slightly unsober bridesmaids barter favours for requests, and very large gentlemen with very short necks ask in firm tones to stop playing particular songs because its making them cry. You get to see people having the time of their lives from my side of the decks, good company, good wine and good song, its a great way to make your way through the world. Drop by often, I plan on telling you all about it.