SHOULD I ASK A DJ FOR A WEDDING MIX BEFORE I BOOK?
Couples frequently ask us if we can provide wedding mixes for them so they can hear the DJ they’re interested in booking. This is always a tough question for a few reasons.
First, we don’t record our weddings for various reasons. We respect every couple’s privacy and don’t think it’s a wise business decision as a DJ to hit record on their big day unless we’re going to use the recording for personal growth and to improve on our skills.
Second, every wedding is different and really dependent on the couple’s music interests, the age range of the crowd and the overall vibe that couple desires for the reception. If we provide you with a mix from another couple’s wedding with music that that couple specifically asked for, there’s a 50/50 chance you might hear the songs and think, “well I don’t want this kind of music at my wedding.”
In the past when I was booking weddings for myself, this exact scenario happened to me. I sent a couple a live wedding mix I had recorded for a couple I had recently played for. I don’t usually record my wedding sets but they had offered to pay me an additional fee for the recording.
The new couple who was interested in booking me reached back out after listening to the mix I sent and told me the mix was good but they didn’t like the song selection. They told me I played too many old songs and they were looking for a totally different vibe. I explained to them that every wedding and every crowd is different and that that specific couple had asked for older music because the majority of their guests were older. After that, I invited them out to one of my nightlife gigs so they could actually see me read a room and work a crowd.
They arrived around 10:30pm on a Saturday and watched the room build up over the next two hours. I had them in the DJ booth with me the entire time and just told them to listen to my mixes and to focus on the crowds reactions to the songs. Over the next two hours I played current hits, older classics and a ton of new remixes and song edits I was working on. I also hopped on the mic a few times to hype the crowd up so they could see that side of live DJing. I explained to them during my set that weddings were different than nightlife because of HUGE age differences with guests but the general concept of the DJ reading the crowd and working off of the energy of the room is what really matters in any live DJ setting. This couple was in their late 20’s too so they loved hearing me mix up more current music.
They left around midnight and ended up having a great time while they watched me work. The next day I got an email that they were ready to book.
Mixtapes are very important in the DJ world but they are tricky when it comes to booking a wedding DJ. I know some “DJs” that don’t even record their mixes live because they’re not great at mixing. They create their mixes using software on their computer. They piece together the songs like visual puzzles on the screen. This ensures that all of their mixes are flawless. I’ve heard stories of couples booking said “DJ” then being horrified when they realize that they can’t actually mix two songs together live. Many DJs like this will just play the full songs out, fade the volume down on one song and then bring up the volume on the next song with zero regard as to if the songs can or should be mixed together. This is NOT DJing. This is a vibe killer on a dance floor.
So What Should You Do? Here Are Two Easy Solutions.
Go see the DJ you’re interested in play out live if possible. This is BY FAR the best way you can educate yourself on their talent level. Even if you go see the DJ and the venue isn’t packed with people dancing, you can still listen to them mix songs live and get a feel for them.
Ask the DJ you want to hire to make a very short video mix (10-15 mins) for you live. Video is really the only true test to see if your DJ can mix songs together flawlessly. You can send them 20-30 tracks that ideally you would like played during your wedding reception and let them work their magic. They can send over the video when they’re done via Google Drive, Dropbox or even a private YouTube link.
A Few Things To Keep In Mind
There are a ton of DJs (even DJs on our team) who feel like they have nothing to prove and will simply disregard your request for a live mix. Don’t take it personally! Many DJs don’t have a hard time getting booked and they just look at this request as an extra step that they don’t necessarily need to take because their calendars stay consistently full with gigs. For them, the thought of setting up their equipment, hitting record and ultimately sending out a mix for you may be out of the question because it’s taking time away from other parts of their career they’re focused on.
That’s ok though! Don’t get discouraged if you deal with a DJ who doesn’t want to record a mix. If you’re still interested in booking them, you can always go check them out at a gig, read their reviews online and even ask them for a few referrals from past wedding couples they played for. If not getting a mix from them is a dealbreaker for you, simply look for another DJ who will record a mix and send it out to you.
Thanks for reading and hope this helps you understand the wedding mixtape conundrum a little more! - Adam (DJ Nugget)