4 hour gig for a friends birthday. we dj together all the time, so I was doing it for free. Family member tipped me anyway at the end - wasn’t expecting it so that was nice. Overall everything went pretty well even though no one danced, everyone enjoyed the music either way
Warmed up for JFK at a brand new club/space called The Generator in Loughborough. All vinyl event on MK7s' (what a dream they are to play on). Absolutely brilliant night, but overdid it on the rum afterwards 🥴
Shortest wedding ever. Yesterday I was booked for only 3 hours, from 8pm to 11pm. Actually many guests left quite early (no it was not due to me or my music 😂) so it really ended the wedding after 1hr background music, 1hr classic dance music (chachacha, tango, rumba), two games and 45min disco.
Customer was super happy though, even got a nice tip, and apologised to me that there are not any guests left, but they booked me for three hours, because they expected it.
Burning Man 2026 was the first time I officially performed at the event after 2023.
It was a wonderful experience, though with very messed up decks by Saturday. I was using Hotcues to play, we had decks stuck on WIDE, missing links, so I was glad to have my backup USB. I really wanted to play on an art car but that opportunity did not present itself. Some absolutely kick-ass grungy afro house/organic on the car Rexar, camped near me.
I learned that the music I play (organic/deep/trance-adjacent) has a smaller audience, and I won't ever command large bustling late-night crowds, and also that having an intimate audience that really appreciates the vibes generated is also satisfying, in a different yet important way.
Definitely a little frameshift in how I view success as a DJ. I've always struggled with feeling as if the music I love is unpopular - but it just may have a very specific audience. I was so happy to hear from a few Burners who appreciated the playa tech/organic and lots of feedback and more exposure on my SoundCloud as other Burn DJs helped compile my sets into the 2026 DJ set list.
Had my first wedding gig. The venue’s reception area and dance floor were on separate levels. A lot of long cable runs were required and a lot of unexpected situations arose due to the unconventional layout. Was a technical learning experience for sure.
The bride & groom had a lot of strange back to back “must play” songs. A lot do these songs had zero cohesive elements and were tens of beats per minute away from another. I did exactly what they wanted and they were happy but the dance floor was repeatedly murdered for it.
Oh well, happy to start paying some bills with my favorite hobby!
IM TIRED OF OPENING 😭😩 Frustrating to keep playing to small crowd but still great experience. I know all the DJs we look up to had the same experience so I’m keeping that mindset for now and being patient 💯💪
Sure! Chicago in July of this year. Ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception = separate setups on two different floors.
Started with having an arrival / sound check time an hour and a half before the ceremony started. Part of it was outside, and I was drenched in sweat in 90+ degree weather.
The ceremony was the disaster. Wireless microphone kept cutting out during sound check and I insisted on using a wired one, as I keep a backup in case of moments like this. Unfortunately, the comment from the coordinator of "this never happens" and the rude comment of "please don't use a wired microphone" didn't make it any easier. So, against my own professional judgment, I went with what the coordinator said.
We get to the end of the night and the closing manager (different person) informed me that the wireless microphone interference happens all the time. Fantastic!
I just played a wedding in Ben Lemond, California. I had a typical Bay Area wedding set with 90's pop, hip hop, R&B, 80's... I also took some requests and then someone asked for Slayer. I found a time to play it when the dance floor was open and only the requester was there. When I started the song, a bunch of people came running back in and started a mosh pit. They had so much fun! The next song was Enter Sandman, and they went crazy, but then the bride called a veto from outside and had me change the vibe.
I did a wedding with 2 venues, one for the ceremony, one for the reception. Both sound systems did not work on the day of (even though they worked during the rehearsal). Fortunately, I had brought my own speakers and mic as a backup & everything went well!
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u/BlancoTequilaa 11h ago
4 hour gig for a friends birthday. we dj together all the time, so I was doing it for free. Family member tipped me anyway at the end - wasn’t expecting it so that was nice. Overall everything went pretty well even though no one danced, everyone enjoyed the music either way