Welcome to the inaugural edition, post, article or whatever you want to call it of the Beats Blog. Here I will try to document the highs and lows of an aspiring Wedding and Events DJ. Having always been told that I write well, it is something that I have fallen back on in somewhat more boring circumstances. I hope to not bore any potential following to sleep with my ramblings.
I anticipate using this blog to talk about the services that I offer as an events and wedding DJ. To share footage and audio from gigs, and generally to try to poke fun at my rather strange but exciting new profession, wedding DJ-ing. So I guess I’m going to have to start with addressing who I am, and why I have decided to invest mentally, emotionally and of course financially in starting a Mobile Wedding DJ business?
Mr Beats – The early years
Well my name is Evan and I’m 37 (at least for another week). I am a separated father of two amazing children, who had been a full-time stay at home Dad. Prior to the vocational issue being forced by separation, it was a role that I fell into by circumstance. Let me tell you, there aren’t too many jobs that compare for work load, stress, poor remuneration and on the positive side reward. Prior to this I had a long career in Financial Services, but never quite found the role that really made me tick. Fortunately, being an Wedding and Events DJ mixes business with pleasure.
Going back to my youth, I always had a love for music. Through friends owning old belt drive decks I found my true love in life, DJ-ing. Initially, playing back to back with my mates’ record collections I was at the mercy of their musical tastes. Ironically, having to learn through mixing the musical choices of others, I have been presented with a wonderful transferable skill set. In the early days, we would DJ House, Garage, Jungle as well as some 80’s classics from the parental vinyl collections. We’d host some pretty wild parties, and I had great fun playing my part in providing the beats .
The Uni Days
Fast forward a couple of years to the Uni days. I quickly found both my Dj-ing clique and the attached raving crew that came with it. By this time I had my own decks, an ever-growing vinyl collection, mixer and crappy sound system. Again, my crew were the go to people for banging out the soundtrack to some pretty messy parties. I played at Student Union events, bars and local clubs. It was part of me and allowed me to have a great time in my formative years. It never yielded much more than phone numbers and beer money, but it was great fun whilst it lasted.
After Uni I started my city career within trading and broking. Although DJ-ing took a back seat it was still present. Unfortunately, the night life in Chelmsford wasn’t comparable to Brighton where I studied, but I still scratched my itch by hosting a regular internet Radio show with my original DJ-ing buddies, playing at several local club nights and starting to produce my own music.
Although I DJ practically any genre you could think of, Drum ‘n’ Bass was my thing. I was very proud to be invited to DJ on the opening session of Drum ‘n’ Bass Arena TV. DNBA is the leading Drum ‘n’ Bass forum and website. It was the first to do live video studio streams of DJ sets, long before the current flood of ropy wannabe DJ’s who live stream themselves getting out of bed on Facebook.
Mr Beats Events DJ – The evolution
My first exposure to being an events DJ believe it or not, was actually at my own wedding. I had a pretty pro set up by then, and many of my DJ pals were there. I figured, lets build a line up from some of my guests. It turned out to be a great success, there was a really great range of music throughout the night. The dance floor was packed from start to finish with old and young skanking out to Soul, Funk, Rare Groove, House, Garage and Drum ‘n’ Bass.
As the years went by I got a growing amount of requests to DJ at friends’ (and their friends’) wedding receptions and after-parties. I’d like to think that this was down to reputation and tight mixing skills rather than their desire to save money. Nonetheless, I approached it with professionalism, consultation and intense preparation. Coming from a clubbing mecca like Brighton, my friends know their music and a good Dj when they hear one. I was building some epic sets based upon what the couples wanted, and the feedback I was getting was phenomenal.
Mr Beats Today
It was the above experiences that laid the foundations of the services that I offer today. I believe in a truly consultative approach and then backing my skills as an Events DJ to deliver results.
Have a listen to Mr Beats at Chester Racecourse, my favourite wedding set. The Groom being a Londoner, wanted UK garage. The Bride being from Chester, and more of the Ibiza type raver wanted a more Northerner friendly Housey feel. Have a listen to how it turned out and let me know what you think?