Happy Halloween!

If you live in and around Unionville you have probably driven by this home on Main St. owned by friends of mine, Juanita and Pete. They spend countless hours turning the outside of their home into the notorious pirate ship "The Black Pearl" with masts and all. It is really quite impressive.

However the interior has just as much going on as the exterior which sets an awesome backdrop for a fantastic Halloween party held every year.

The Black Pearl

When I first met Juanita a few years ago Djing down at The Bistro she asked if I could Dj her Halloween party. Sure glad I accepted since the last two years have been truly amazing. The guests come out fully dressed in costume and come to dance and party into the wee hours of the morning. This year just like last did not disappoint!

Took me a while to figure out what to wear (last year went as Austin Powers) but last second decided to go with a Canadian cousin of the Duck Dynasty brothers. All I needed was a beard, bandanna some sun glasses and some camo from our friendly neighbourhood hunter across the street.

Moi as a Duck Dynasty cousin....

Wine and Drink was enjoyed out of ghastly goblets, Captain Jack Sparrow never left the dance floor and the one eyed alien kept watch over everyone! This year I decided to bring my sub woofer.   A little over powered for the space but the low end punch made the sound so much better.  Just carefully moved a few vases in close proximity :)

Alien Eye checking out the dance floor!

Didn't play hardly any Halloween-esque music tracks this year... I forgot to play Nightmare on My Street by the Fresh price.  But did play one of my favorite remixes of Michael Jackson's Thriller - The Soundbluntz Bootleg Version.  If u can find it check it out. Song of the night though had to go to Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf.... By request.... Oh boy....

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

It's a Small World...

Yes as the saying goes...it is a small world. Last night I Dj'd a 40th birthday party. A good friend of mine Lahav was in charge of putting together a play list for his friends birthday.  Instead of a playlist he brought me in to DJ the party.  As I was loading in gear I heard someone call behind me "John?  Is that you....?"  I turned around only to be greeted by an old high school friend.  Someone who I have not seen in over 20 years!  We were really close in our later high school years only to lose touch when I went off to University (yeah back then we didn't have Facebook or cell phones...)

Myself with an old high school friend Bob!

 

What a surprise!  Anyhow party was hosted at the home of the birthday boy and was catered.  Finger foods were amazing as was the bar service.  I set up in the backyard as it looked like the rain would hold off.  The humidity was killer but didn't seem to bother the guests.  I kept it pretty chill at the beginning and then slowly ramped it up.  Was fun to play a lot of the older classics. Got a little nice classic house set going just before they brought in the birthday cake.  The reaction from some of the guests was fun to see.  I love some of these tunes:

Follow Me - Aly Us
Do You Know What I Mean - Number 1
You Used to Hold Me - Ralphi Rosario
I Can't Get No Sleep - Masters at Work Feat India
I'm Hot for You - Lil' Louis
Deep Inside - Hard Drive
In & Out of My Life - Adeva
Good Live - Inner City
Twilight for Some - Mark Rogers
Work it to the Bone - LNR

Yep those are some classic tunes.  Anyhow good times had by all!

RTC 12th Annual Gala

On Friday my friend Carmen invited me back to Dj the Richmond Training Centre's 12th Annual RTC Gala.  About 180 parents, friends, honoured guests (Richmond Hill Mayor David Barrow and CBC commentator PJ Kwong made it out!) and figure skaters filled the Sheraton Centre North for the annual fundraiser. 

This was my second time DJing the event and this time around just like last did not disappoint.  Both parents and kids were ready to party and it didn't take long for the dance floor to fill up.

The set list was very top40 heavy given the younger crowd.  Doing these types of events with a large age gap can be tricky.  Music with sexual references and profanity is pretty much the norm these days so you have to be care full in your music selection.  Luckily being a member of the ZIPDJ music pool  downloads come in many flavours including clean edits without swearing.  I cringe when I ref hockey and there is a young lad playing music off his smart phone during stoppages in play....yes Eminem is great...but he uses the F word a lot!

As soon as the party started glow sticks were handed out and the lights turned off.  With my small light set-up the dance floor was rocking right off the bat and stayed that way well past most of the kids curfews!

It is apparent this is very tight nit group of individuals.  The support for each other was apparent throughout the night especially during the awards ceremony.  I guess you have to be.  Figure skating being an individual sport can put a lot of pressure on an athlete therefore support is all you can rely on sometimes when battling through adversity.

In all it was a great group of people last night and I hope to work with them again in the near future.

Here is the set list.  Unfortunately no pics...

1 - Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 featuring
2 - I Got That Feeling  - Black Eyed Peas
3 - Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
4 - Sexy And I Know It  - LMFAO
5 - We Found Love  - Rihanna
6 - Feel So Close (Extended Mix) - Calvin Harris
7 - Shake Senora  - Pitbull ft. T-Pain
8 - Good Feeling  - Flo Rida
9 - Levels  - Acivii
10 - Hello  - Martin Solveig
11 - Only Girl (In The World)  - Rihanna
12 - Back in Time - Pitbull
13 - Give Me All Your Luvin - Madonna
14 - The Time (Dirty Bit)  - Black Eyed Peas
15 - Dynamite  - Taio Cruz
16 - Club Can't Handle Me  - Flo Rida
17 - Firework  - Katy Perry
18 - Give Me Everything  - Pitbull
19 - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
20 - Village People - Y.M.C.A
21 - Rasputin - Boney M
22 - Boyfriend - Justin Beiber
23 - Love - Jennifer Lopez
24 - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce
25 - Young, Wild & Free - Wiz Khalifa
26 - Just Can't Get Enough  - The Black Eyed Peas
27 - Life Of The Party - Aleesia Life Of The Party
28 - On The Floor  - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
29 - Beautiful People  - Chris Brown
30 - Without You  - David Guetta 
31 - Sexy Chick - David Guetta
32 - If We Ever Meet Again  - Timbaland
33 - We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool VS D Cup
34 - Bon, Bon  - Pitbull
35 - I Know You Want Me  - Pitbull
36 - Suavemente (Kiss Me)  - Nayer ft. Mohombi & Pitbull
37 - Oh My Gosh  - Usher
38 - Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like A Love Song
39 - Ghosts N Stuff  - Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire
40 - Whip My Hair  - Willow Smith ft. Nicki Minaj
41 - Dance (Ass) - Big Sean
42 - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
43 - Night Fever - Bee Gees
44 - All Night Long - Lionel Richie
45 - American Boy (Remix)  - Estelle ft. Busta Rhymes
46 - Crazy - Alanis Morissete

Novotel Holiday Party

On Saturday the 14th I packed my gear and headed into the city to work a gig at the Novotel Convention Center on the Esplanade.  It was a holiday party for hotel staff, a gig that I got being refered from a Christmas party back in Decemeber (thanks Julie!!)

Usually with larger hotels it is very difficult getting the gear into the room however hotel staff let me park in shipping and recieving and it was a short walk to the service elevator.  So much easier then sharing elevators with hotel guests let me tell you!

Jeff Day the housekeeping manager hired me for the gig and he did an excellent job of organizing the event.  The room was clad with black drapery with LED lights shining through tubes of colored fabrics adding a real nice touch.  The table set-ups were immaculate giving it that touch of class fit for a king and queen or for tonight the hard working hotel staff...

Room is a view...

Jeff also hired an illusionist to perform during dinner.  Vladomir the Magnificent did a handfull of tricks with his act very comedic at times.  I was impressed with his table trick shown below...

Vladomir the Mangificent!

Another nice touch was the use of the projector.  We had several movies playing during the night.  Dance favorites...Footloose and Dirty Dancing made the movie playlist and I couldn't help but to throw on Breakin' a movie from 1984 about the world of breakdancing....horrible movie...lol.   Thinking back though Saturday Night Fever would have been even better.  Travolta rocks...but I digress...

The hotel staff ethnicity was varied bringing with it different musical tastes.  Top40 was still the common theme with some reggae and latin thrown into the mix.  Dinner started at 8pm so by the time dinner finished I only had around 2 hours to play since they wanted to close down early to prep for some big events the next day.  I only wish I had more Calypso music with me.  I played "Follow the Leader" which was probably the track of the night bringing everyone together on the dance floor.  But that track along with "Hot Hot Hot" is a rather (poor) selection of Calypso a genre I am lacking severely...but I am working on fixing that!

Dance Floor Opens

Follow the Leader!

Pitbull's "Shake Senora", Don Omar's "Danza Koduro" and "Lengon" by Banda Blanca also seemed to be the crowd pleasers on the night.  I have to say I had a great time.  The staff was there to enjoy themselves.  They were super nice and very hospitable.  Probably why they are employed by the hotel to begin with.  I am hopefull for some future events with this group and am thankfull to Jeff for hiring me. 

Oh and on a side note...special shout out to Jeremiah...thanks bro!

Here is the set list:

1 - September - Earth Wind & Fire
2 - Got To Be Real - Chery Lynn
3 - Don't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
4 - Village People - Y.M.C.A
5 - Moves Like Jagger  - Maroon 5
6 - I Got That Feeling  - Black Eyed Peas
7 - Party Rock Anthem  - LMFAO
8 - The Time (Dirty Bit) - Black Eyed Peas
9 - Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
10 - Lady In Red - Chris De Burgh
11 - I Got That Feeling  - Black Eyed Peas
12 - Good Feeling  - Flo Rida
13 - Shake Senora  - Pitbull ft. T-Pain
14 - I Know You Want Me  - Pitbull
15 - Calabria 2008 - Enur feat. Natasja
16 - Rasputin - Boney M
17 - Le Freak - Chic
18 - Life (Is What You Make It) - Colonel Lite and Frighty
19 - Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus
20 - Twice My Age - Shabba Ranks
21 - Action - Nadine Suntherland
22 - Follow the Leader - Soca Boys
23 - Danza Kudoro - Don Omar
24 - Club Can't Handle Me  - Flo Rida
25 - We No Speak Americano  - Yolanda Be Cool VS D Cup
26 - Bon, Bon  - Pitbull
27 - Suavemente - Elvis Crespo
28 - Lengon - Banda Blanca
29 - On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull
30 - We Found Love  - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
31 - Only Girl (In The World)  - Rihanna
32 - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love  - Usher ft. Pitbull
------------
Prizes Interlude with some fun tunes...
33 - Chicken Dance
34 - Macarena - Los Del Rio
35 - In The Navy - Village People
36 - You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
-------------
37 - You're Still The One - Shania Twain
38 - Angels - Robbie Williams
39 - All Night Long - Lionel Richie
40 - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
41 - Just Can't Get Enough - The Black Eyed Peas
42 - Suavemente (Kiss Me)  - Nayer ft. Mohombi & Pitbull
43 - Give Me Everything  - Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
44 - Memories  - David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi
45 - Dirty Talks - Wynter Gordon
46 - S & M Remix  - Rihanna Featuring Britney Spears
47 - Mr. Saxobeat  - Alexandra Stan
48 - Criminal  - Britney Spears
49 - If We Ever Meet Again - Timbaland featuring Katy Perry
50 - Sexy And I Know It  - LMFAO
51 - Levels  - Acivii
52 - Latin Moon  - Mia Martina
53 - You Make Me Feel… - Cobra Starship

New Year's at The Ben Wicks

Four years ago a good friend of mine Larry hooked me up with a New Year's gig at the Ben Wicks Restaurant and Pub in Cabbage Town.  Last night was my fourth time Djing, owner Robert and his wife Andrea having me back to ring in the new year and as usual it was good times.   No where near as hectic as last year...apparently a facebook post went a bit viral causing mass numbers to show up... however the vibe was great as usual. 

The Ben Wicks Restaurant and Pub

The pub being a hangout for local residents draws in lots of people with varying musical tastes and age groups ranging between 25 and 55 and thus requring a wide range of track selection.  Top40 was still the main genre with lots of disco and retro 80s added in the mix. 

Here are some pics thru the years...

Larry, Karen & Myself 2011

Early on in the night 2011

Packed dance floor 2010

New Years 2009

I am getting in the habit of forgetting to save the set-list...I keep getting distracted at the end of the night and then shut down before remembering :(  Anyhow, here is hoping to a super 2012!

If you happen to be Cabbage town make sure to visit The Ben Wicks the Burgers are fabulous.

Happy New Year everyone!

Andrej's Management Christmas Party

The first holiday party of the season for me this year was a gig held at the Novotel Hotel near Vaughan Mills. A group of 100 people or so gathered for the annual Andrej's Management Christmas party. A good friend of my sisters, Josie, who works at the company was nice enough to suggest me for the job!

Dinner was buffet style and the food selection was amazing. The Concord room, the larger of the three meeting rooms, was cozy but opened up into a large reception area with it's ceiling sharing that of the lobby one floor up with a huge open staircase connecting the two. Kind of an interesting set-up since with the doors open I was probably entertaining not only the parties guests but the people checking in or having a drink at the bar above!

Great crowd!

There were lots and lots of prizes raffled off as well as spot prizes for the people on the dance floor. Thankfully the people running the show were smart enough to hand out all the raffle prizes b4 dancing started. Nothing is worse for a DJ than to stop the music every 20 minutes or so to do another draw!



Myself with Josie...

November was a slow month this year so it was a great opportunity to try out some new tracks that I picked up since the last party! Loving some of these new top 40 tracks...

Avicci - "Levels"

Flo Rida - "Good Feeling"

Benny Benassi ft Gary Go - "Cinema"

Pumped Up Kicks - "Foster the People"

Anyhow as always... met some great people and had a great time as usual!