How do I differentiate between DJ services

The DJ is the glue that holds your celebration together, so making a well-informed decision is key. That said, choosing a DJ service can be confusing and overwhelming. How do you decide which DJ to hire? How do you make a decision about price and quality? How do you determine which company will truly provide service that ensures that you and your guests are the focus of your celebration?

Figuring it all out is not as hard as you might think. The DJ industry pretty much falls into two types of services. Although they come in all shapes and sizes, there are some general reoccurring themes within the two categories.

Type One companies view their DJs as entertainers. These DJs perform best when they are the center of attention. Props, games, line dances and lots of interaction on the microphone.

Type Two companies view the DJs as facilitators of music, announcements and events. Attention is focused on the clients, the guests and the music being played. The DJ’s interaction on the microphone is most often reserved for coordinating events and making formal announcements.

Elite Sounds falls in the Type Two category.

When will we hear from the DJ?

Depending on when you book your event we try to contact 6 months out, 3 months out, two weeks prior and then the week of.  The first three contacts are to make sure you don’t need any help with the planning and music selection and then the last one is a more comprehensive conversation about all the details so we get everything perfect.

What sets you apart from other mobile DJs? 

We are young enough to know what is popular and will get people dancing, but we are old enough to know the event is not about the DJing being the center of attention.  Its about providing the client exactly what they want for their event.  We do not talk on the Microphone all night long, we try to focus the attention on the client and the guests throughout the night.  We always bring backup equipment in case something does go wrong we can fix it right away and move on to the rest of the event.  We are able to read the crowd and keep them dancing wether they are 17 or 70 years old.  We never do anything that would come across as “cheesy” or cheapen your event.  We provide unlimited planning and consults so that we understand your vision of the event and we can execute it perfectly for you.

Can we choose music for our event?

Of course! Keep in mind if its a wedding you essential have two distinct parties taking place during the wedding reception.  There is a cocktail/dinner time where we play music that most everyone knows and enjoys at a level that allows guests to still converse and move around without yelling.  This is a great time for us to mix in music that would be on your playlist that is not what you would consider “Dancing music”.  The second part of the night is more of the “Dancing” part.  This is the more high energy music that gets and keeps the guests not he dance floor. You can have as little or as much say in the music selection as you like.  We provide you with online planning and request forms that make planning the event easy and convenient for you.  The DJ is a master at reading the crowd and knows what songs will work and what songs usually don’t, so we do suggest not sticking to a pre determined playlist all night.

Do you Take Requests?

YES! In fact we can’t figure out why a DJ would not take requests, it allows us to know what guests want to hear.  We will make every effort to get all appropriate requests played while trying to stay within the established feel and style of the event.  If a song is on the DO NOT PLAY list we will not play it, even if your favorite cousin asks.  We only play “clean” or radio edits of songs to avoid any cursing and offending guests.

What types of music do you have?

We have all types and can get almost everything as long as we are given enough time.  We have been DJing for over 17 years so we have a very extensive collection of 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80′, 90’s, 2000’s, todays hits, Rock n Roll, Hip Hop, Rap, House, R&B, Disco, Soul, etc.  The music of today changes so quickly and thats why we subscribe to multiple music sites to ensure we have the most up to date music possible.  We will also acquire any commercially available songs that you request that we do not already own, at no cost to you.

Do you have a contract and require deposit?

Yes for every event we do require a contract to be signed, it is digital and gets emailed to you and digitally signed and sent back to us.  In keeping with “Green” environmentally safe method it not only saves paper but time and postage as well.  You click on the sign portion of the document and then it is legal and binding for both parties.  This gives you peace of mind that you have a professional doing the event and they are legally obligated to be there.

We do require a retainer of half the total cost of your event to secure the date and they are non-refundable.  When you pay retainer you are securing that date and preventing the DJ from booking another event.  On average clients book 5 months to 18 months in advance so usually the earlier you book the more likely we are to have your date available.