los angeles dj, santa barbara dj, and ventura dj. based in thousand oaks, ca.

What makes a party? Well, of course you need people! But you can’t forget a good spread of food and some music (maybe a DJ!). But even with these things, what separates a “party” from a “gathering?” Lighting is a good way of raising the energy, which is why we provide at least some lighting with every event, we don’t like being without it! But to top it off a good haze of atmospheric fog makes a big difference. Not many people encounter fog without it being tied to an exciting event, and so our minds immediately shift from our normal operation, to raging party mode when we see lights cutting through the air. See for yourself, below is a video of one of the basic lights that we bring to events made by Martin (their California office is right in Simi Valley!). The patterns it produces are beautiful yet look at the difference in shots where a fogger is used. The effect cannot be achieved without fog! As a side note, the fog we use is water-based and will not generally set off smoke alarms nor will it create oily residue like oil-based fog.

Let me start off by mentioning that kids these days really think they know how to party. I do a lot of youth events and college parties across So. Cal. and I can tell you that as absolutely wild and crazy kids parties are, the past generations from the disco and hard rock days have some real shindigs. Last Friday I had the pleasure of providing Malibu DJ services for a surprise birthday party in Malibu at a beautiful modern home. The attendants we ages 30-50, but by the way they play you’d think they were at a raging Guns N’ Roses concert back in the 80′s or even Studio 54 at the top of the disco era. In fact, I was hired to fill in for a Studio 54 DJ whom is touring in Japan. The party never had a dull moment, with The Kings of Leon, Talking Heads, ZZ Top, Gap Band, and some 80′s remixed with Underworld and Daft Punk while a rocker busted out his guitar and amp, not a song got by without someone on the dance floor. I have to give props to the host for putting on such a gathering, and the guests for having tireless dancing feet. Here are some of the songs that kept this party moving:

• Proud Mary – CCR
• Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash
• You Shook Me All NIght Long – AC/DC
• Colt 45 – Aftroman
• Heart Of Glass – Blondie
• Dirty Little Rockstar – The Cult
• Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
• Cold Hard Bitch – Jet
• Sex On Fire – Kings of Leon
• Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
• Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
• Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
• Rock You Like A Hurricane – Scorpions

DJ Tech Tools has posted up some free holiday tracks for new years, Christmas, and Hanukah. They’re free and may be useful leading up to the end of the holidays. Enjoy!

Every other week I get a call from a client desperate for a DJ because their scheduled cheap DJ has canceled, sometimes even the day of the event. I always ask how much their DJ was going to charge and generally this is a number below $300. The fact is, you get what you pay for when hiring a DJ. Real, professional DJ’s cannot survive off $300 or less per event, period. These bargain DJ’s are likely not career disc jockeys, with low quality equipment and very little professional experience. Professional DJ’s come with a higher price tag, certainly, but along with that comes a level of service that is of high value. When we book with a client, we are bound by a contract to perform on your scheduled date. If we get sick, we have understudies, if our equipment fails, we have backups. These are things that the “bargain DJ’s” can’t provide. So if you see a price that looks too good to be true, ask the DJ these questions:

• Is my event date guaranteed by a contract?
• Do you carry insurance?
• Do you have references?

The above are basic items which professional disc jockey’s will certainly have. I hope this helps guide anyone looking to hire a DJ!

A disc jockey is a relatively new kind of musician that creates music from previously sampled material: be it a sample from a movie, the sound of a car alarm, or an entire track. Copyright laws are put in place for a good reason, however when it comes to the art form of DJ-ing there should be a perhaps a blurred line. This is where Creative Commons comes in. Creative Commons is a type of licensing that allows people to utilize media, modify, and remix as they wish and it’s something that we are big supporters of. In 2010 I will be releasing several tracks under the “CC” license for the music community to enjoy. We’ll talk more about copyright soon, but in the meantime, take a look at the two videos below for some perspective on this issue in the present day. The first video is of the remix/mashup artist Girl Talk, and the second concerns the most important sampled drum loop to date, which you have certainly heard hundreds of times and may not have realized! Ciao!

Electronic grooves to start off a new year

New Years Eve. 2009.

• DJ Lucid (Loud Djs)
• DJ Elixir (Groove Mafia Productions)
• DJ Also (DV Resident)
• and special guests
• BLACK LIGHT PARTY
• Free champagne toast @ midnight
• only $5
• 21+
• 1644 E. Thompson Blvd. Ventura, CA 93001
• THIS EVENT WILL SELL OUT please arrive early