Silent Disco | creating an epic reception after Covid changed their wedding plans.
I absolutely love music. A lot of people say they do, but I truly live it. I’ve seen over 500 live shows. I’ll DJ my 800th event during the summer of 2021. To say that my heartbeat can be measured by BPM’s is not a joke. I see my heart beat the way I see the audio file waving in front of me along the Serato DJ software. DJ’s form a bond with their crates (playlists), mixer, and software. It becomes a part of them, like a second nature of how their bodily functions unconsciously move throughout a set - like a behind the back pass on the bball court that you know will bounce perfectly. For me, a perfect wedding dance can’t ever miss a beat, even one break in the flow would literally crush me. I prize myself on being perfect. It’s anal and crazy to some degree; but the anal and crazy qualities we all share are also the magic stuff that makes us the best we can be.
So, when a couple hit me up with their venue change because of Covid, we had to get creative. The reception was now on an outdoor lawn on a lake. This was a great idea as we can be outside (fresh air is ideal during Covid) and we can have all the space every individual desires. In my opinion, this type of wedding can almost always be allowed. People at risk should always avoid larger gatherings and this type of risk of spread is similar to going to the grocery store. We are all trying to find the balance and this solution was brilliant.
However, this couple wanted to party and cities love their noise ordinances, especially if you’re around water. Under normal conditions these parties can still get by in many areas with a 10-11pm close time but then you still have to shut down early and, honestly, I’m a fan of the late nights. I suggested some silent disco options and offered to price out the best value. They loved this idea.
Silent discos mean going the extra mile. I had my number 1 DJ, Ryan McKeen to our studio the week before the gig to perfect the plan. He’s an experienced DJ but most DJ’s have never DJ’d on 3 separate tracks before. It’s next level. Of course, I’ve done everything and often all of it also topless or sockless. So, we prepared a whole set on one track for auto play. I created all the transitions and had 4 hours of the perfect set to crescendo and climax right as the clock struck midnight. It was an epic rage. The key to the perfect silent disco is variety. You want to have one track be the DJ track, feel it out and go nuts. The other track, I call the perfect classic wedding from start to finish. An evolution in time from the rat pack to the best of the 70 and 80s, 90s and modern. Hitting every genre from country to funk to top 40. It’s basically my crafted banger list that hits the best songs of all time. You could flip your headphones to green and ride that wave all not long and be happy.
But everyone’s more ADD these days. Basically all this data and information is thrown at us more and faster all the time. Inevitably, we start vibrating at a higher, faster frequency. We have to when we play with the beat of society. Attention spans get shorter because things are changing all the time. We start to like it. “I just heard 45 seconds of that song, what’s next?” I can relate to this. This is why the third track has to be a mystery track. You don’t want it to have any rhyme or reason. The mystery is what intrigues us. Moreover, you want it to be songs that people die for. They are individual bangers that have resonated with groups all over the country in fraternities, late night bars, small town festivals or even while alone in your bedroom. Things like a Crazy Game of Poker by O.A.R. , (That lasts 7 minutes and I’ve been at dances where every moment of that song got better and better). Call Me Maybe, Elton John - Tiny Dancer, Country Grammar versus Sweet Home Alabama in the perfect Nelly - Skynard combo, Doses & Mimosas, Fireball (does someone need a shot to up their party game? We are about to find out), Call Your Girlfriend (someone is about to make this song all about them), Walk it out (who has good leg game?).
And when someone finds their tune that they never thought would be played, it’s like a shot of positive endorphins and they’ve discovered gold. They love it and they will find me to tell me, point to the color on their headset, I’ll match it, it’s playing. I feel you! We get crazy. This is why I love silent discos! They have everything I ever wanted in a party night. A mood waiting for me and I’m just one click away. To be dissatisfied at any point during this dance would be to quite literally be dead inside. I know it sounds harsh but if that were you, you’d already know this, too.
And sometimes I take my own head phones off and I observe the sea of people dancing and laughing. I turn away and hear the water hitting the shore. I can hear the Loon call in the distance. There’s a rage going on right next to me but all you hear is random chatter and giggles like everyone’s about to sit down for a dinner party. The silent disco is nature’s cure to fitting in seamlessly with any environment. It’s less disturbance outwardly while sacrificing little to nothing inwardly.
Flow on my friends!
DJ | Flow Event Group
PHOTOGRAPHY | POIMA