First priority, MAKE SURE ALL SOUND CHECKS ARE DONE at least hour before anyone arrives. Start off with opening speech i.e. Good Evening, Welcome to (Insert Name) 30th Birthday Party here at (Venue name), (Introduce yourself and your staff if you have any), tonight we'll be playing music from the past 5 decades, and your requests as well.
Normally some music from the mid to late 90's or recent (but not too loud that people can't speak) Remember the first 1 - 2 hours of any gig - PEOPLE LIKE TO TALK. Music such has Sugababes, All Saints, Texas, Blue etc for the first hour or so (however it is possible to get bookings where they want good dancefloor filling music straight from the start). Announce buffet in usual way, e.g. Well its that time of night you've all been waiting for, the buffet is now officially open and situated (State where in room, so you can now go and help yourselves. Play some quieter music, such as the love album, Artists like Feargal Sharkey, Forei gner, Annie Lenox, Chicago, George Michael, Celine Dion, you get the gist.
Buffet usually I give them 25-45 minutes to eat.
At the end of the buffet, let the birthday person do there speeches, don't limit there time on the mic, let them thank everyone they want to, cut the cake etc.
Then after speeches, thank the speaker, get everyone to sing happy birthday (and play the theme music for people to sing to), after Happy Birthday, then do three cheers etc. Announce your plans for the next 2 hours - the types of music you going to play etc, and invite the guests back onto the dancefloor as the disco begins.
Start off with classic 80's dance hits Tiffany, Culture Club etc - remember there 30, they were in their teens in the 80's, and went clubbing in the 80's, They love it especially when there drunk. Move into some of the latest chart, dance & RnB, do not do Commercial dance / trance or beat mix it all the way through, you will probably clear the room, re member also, dont play any more than 3-4 dance tracks at a time. Its best to keep swapping the decades around, you should see when you change the music the danxe floor clear, then the older or younger generation get up, I call this stock rotation. Near the end of the night, the last hour or so.
At family functions, I play a lot of party stuff like, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones, Steps, John Travolta, Shania Twain, Ricki Martin and loads of classic 70's disco hits - Jacksons, The Groove Generation, Mud etc. Okay, now its about 11:20, and we finish at 11.30 so time to slow things down and play a Love song that everyone knows. At this gig, I would play Mariah carey - Without You. She did it in the 90's, Nilson did it in the 70's. So most people will know it.
Don't forget to periodically invite requests from the guests over the microphone, and if you have printed request slips, then these should have been distributed to each table earlier in the evening.
The Last song.
Well its this persons birthday - they are the reason that you, and everybody are there!. So get everybody into a circle with the birthday person in the middle (with their partner if they have one), if you can put a white spot light on the couple. Then play Tina Turner - Simply the Best. Make sure you use the mic to get everybody up and announce where you want the couple etc, don't leave it up to them to guess what you're planning. Once you have the circle and Tina Turner playing then leave it to them - they know what to do now. At the end of the song about 10 secs left, announce that was the last song of the night, one last time can we have 3 cheers, after 3 cheers, say, as everyone had a good night? If you've do the night really well, you should get a big cheer back from them. Then say, Thanks very much, you've been a great crowd, glad you've enjoyed it, have a safe journey home, Goodnight.
Switch off and un-plug some leads from your mixing desk, make sure people see you pull the leads out. They then know your serious and you don't get all the hassle of Play one more etc.
Remember though, at most private functions, a lot of the guests may be there just out of politeness or in response to the invitation!, and not everybody may like dancing or discos. However, just because people may not be spending as long as you would on the dancefloor, or are slow to leave their table, doesn't mean that they are not enjoying your music and appreciating your efforts. So don't become too disillusioned if the dance floor has only a few people on it!.
For more information and advice on being a DJ or running a mobile disco, then please visit our DJ Community at http://www.dj-forum.co.uk
Author:: Chris Pointon
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