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How a man of the woods inspired me to be a better performer

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It’s no secret. If you’re a DJ, you’ve played a Justin Timberlake track at least once in your career. He’s become a staple in the music industry for now nearly 30 years. He’s enjoyed similar success as the king of pop, Michael Jackson as an international superstar. From his time at the mickey mouse club all the way to Madison Square Garden, and appearing in films and doing voice over work, there’s no aspect of the entertainment industry he hasn’t had a hand in.

It is this kind of drive and determination that inspires. He is the driving force behind the music in every song and every stadium he peforms. He is creative, adgile, talented, funny, and from what we see, an all around good guy. This is a great formula for success. But along with all of these amazing attributes that contribute to his global success, it all boils down to the performance.

3 weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Madison Square Garden for his Man of the Woods tour. Let me tell you, it was by far one of THE BEST shows I have seen in decades. The stage spanned the entire rink at the garden and there was not a bad seat in the house. For 2 and a half hours, he engaged with and performed for 20,000 screaming fans. His energy was infectious. There was not a low point in the show.

One of the highlights that I found to be both unexpected and entertaining was when he stripped his performance down to the basics with a campfire, acoustic guitars, and performances by several of his bandmates singing some of their favorites. This spoke to me especially as a DJ because often times, we always think bigger is better. But in the midst of organized chaos that was probably the event production from hell for the tech crew, this small moment enveloped the audience and gave them a very intimate moment with Justin.

The show spoke to many generations, spanned across several genres, and kept the audience engaged. And THAT is the goal with every event I do. I felt inspired on the ride home and began thinking to myself, how can I push myself even harder to bring the best performance possible to my clients and guests? How can I push the envelope and leave my guests wanting more.

The Man of the Woods gave me a challenge. To work harder, leave no stone unturned, and perform like your life depended on it. That will be the theme for Pryme Tyme moving forward.

dj playlist, wedding playlist, wedding music, wedding dj, club dj, connecticut dj, wedding djs in ct

Why Professional DJs Don’t use playlists

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Why Professional DJs Don’t use Wedding Playlists:

Playlists. They are the new DJ replacement according to some. What’s better than your own customized playlist for an event? Nothing! But, a playlist made by one person only caters to one person. If you’re having a wedding for example, that would mean that there would only be one or maybe a handful of people in the room who might enjoy your playlist. But being realistic here, the average wedding is around 150 guests.

That’s 150 different personalities, age ranges, music preferences, and dance preferences and thousands of possibilities for what will help guests to the dance floor to celebrate. This is why professional djs don’t use wedding playlists. A professional DJ is a master of observation. Every moment of every event we do, we are constantly scanning the room with our eyes to see who is in attendance and look at the demographic as a whole. Then we throw out a few tests to see what kind of an audience we have. Once we get the reaction we are looking for, we can then customize what we play on the fly seamlessly to ensure that all of your guests, young and old are able to enjoy the music and have fun.

It’s a speculation but, by all of the stories that are heard at meetings and events themselves, I can understand why some people are steering towards the playlist over having their DJ do their own thing. And that’s a matter of preference. But you have to go beyond the typical DJ stereotypes. When I do a wedding, it’s not the Aaron show. It’s all about the celebration. It’s my job to make sure that the people in attendance know that and are able to enjoy themselves as much as possible. But if you’ve ever experienced a DJ who wasn’t quite up to snuff who played only what their preferences were and did not fit the environment, that’s the equivalent to making your own wedding playlist. It’s the same result just driven by different means.

It is for this reason that it is so important to really choose the RIGHT dj for the job and not just the cheapest one that you found on Thumbtack.

Still not convinced? Here’s an example.

2 years ago I was helping a couple celebrate their wedding in Simsbury and the bride was VERY specific as to what she wanted played at her wedding. She was a huge fan of hardcore hip hop. Not the light and fun stuff you’d hear on the radio but, underground and pretty heavy duty hip hop. She handed me a wedding playlist at our last meeting and said, “Play these songs in this order from start to finish. Do not derive from this list you are not to take any requests. This is MY day, it’s not about them. It’s about me.”

That’s a pretty bold statement. And when you make that statement, you take 100% responsibility for the success of your wedding. The DJ becomes no more than a jukebox or ipod at that point. Because I always put my best foot forward to make my clients happy, I obliged her demands and during the wedding, started playing her list from start to finish. Besides the dirty looks I was getting from the audience, it was only her and 2 friends on the dance floor. Everyone else sat and just watched with a look that burned a hole in my stomach. I felt bad because I wasn’t able to do anything for her guests and my hands are tied.  A few songs into it, she ran up to me and said, “Why aren’t they dancing? Make them dance.” I reminded her of our conversation and she simply replied, “They should be dancing, this is good music.”

When she left the room for the safety of her bridal suite, I snuck in a few favorites and like magic, the guests ran to the floor to dance but when she returned, she demanded that I not play anything except for her wedding playlist, so we went back to it and everyone sat down and began to leave early in groups of 5 and 10.

Remember, what one person’s favorite song may be, might be someone elses least favorite. Think about your guests and the outcome. 2 things that a guest will remember most about your wedding are if the food was any good and if they danced.

o face, favorite wedding song, favorite song, thats my jam, music playlist, wedding playlist, wedding dj in ct

Wedding Throwbacks: Show your ‘O’ face at your wedding.

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Wedding Throwbacks: Show your ‘o’ face at your wedding.

Wait. What?

Yes, you read that correctly. Showing your ‘O’ face at a wedding has a little different meaning than one might think. It’s the face you make when you hear a song that brings back a memory. Typically followed by the phrase, “THAT’S MY JAM!” Maybe it was a high school dance with friends or that song you and your girlfriends used to sing together in college using hair brushes and curling irons as microphones. What ever it is, it was a great time in your life.

What not a better way to commemorate those glory days with a guilty pleasure song. So what’s your guilty pleasure song?

In the 80’s it may have been Mony Mony.
If you were a 90’s kid, it was probably a boy band like New Kids on the Block or Backstreet boys.
Either way, the songs that you publicly shame and secretly love are a great way to get people up and moving. So the next time you are thumbing through your wedding playlist, add a guilty pleasure to the mix and watch your guests making the ‘O’ face. If they do, it’s their guilty pleasure song too.

 

Unconventional First Dance Songs

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10 Unconventional First Dance Songs you may have overlooked.

Choosing the perfect first dance song that really speaks volumes about your relationship is tricky. And then there’s the very predictable common wedding song list.
Music has many different meanings for everyone. Some couples enjoy the same music and some don’t. There’s no rule that says you have to have a soupy sappy first dance song at your wedding.

Your wedding is a celebration. And the beginning of your wedding reception is a great time to set the tone for the rest of the day. Do it with YOUR style!
Check out DreamWedding.com‘s 10 quirky first dance songs you wouldn’t have thought of..

Here comes the bride, wedding ceremony music

Here comes the bride. 38 Wedding Ceremony Songs You’ll Love.

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If you’re looking to have a non-traditional or secular wedding ceremony, you may have the option to have some personalized music for your ceremony. Here are 38 wedding ceremony songs you’ll love.

1. I do – Colbie Calliat

2. Joy – Apollo 100

3. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

4. Mint Car – The Cure

5. All I want is you. – Barry Lousi Polisar

6. Modern Nature – Sondre Lerche

7. Tenderness – General Public

8. City of Blinding Lights – U2

9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Michael Buble

10. You make my Dreams – Hall and Oates

11. Accidentally In Love – Counting Crowes

12. Love you Madly – Cake

13. M79 – Vampire Weekend

14. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap

15. You are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne

16. Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit

17. Signed, Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder

18. I do. – The Marvelows

19. All you need is love – Beatles

20. Wouldn’t it be nice – 1999 (Remaster) – Beach Boys

21. Happy Together – The Turtles

22. Gimmie Some Lovin’ – Spencer Davis

23. Ain’t that a kick in the head – 1997 (Remastered) – Dean Martin

24. Dog Days are Over – Florence + The Machine

25. The Adventure – Angels & Airwaves

26. Ho Hey – Lumineers

27. Everlasting Love – Love Affair

28. Arms – Christina Perri

29. I’ve just seen a face – Live on MTV UnPlugged – Paul McCartney

30. Silver Lining – Rilo Kiley

31. Dance Tonight – Live @ Citi Field – Paul McCartney

32. Lovers in Japan – Coldplay

33. Feel Again – OneRepublic

34. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

35. Home – Phillip Phillips

36. You always Make me Smile – Kylie Andrews

37. You got it – Roy Orbison

38. Best Day of My Life – American Authors

 

2014 Tower Ridge Country Club Bridal Show

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2014 Tower Ridge Country Club Bridal Show

January 4th was a wonderful day for a bridal show. The air was crisp, the sun was bountiful, and there was not a single cloud in the sky over Talcott Mountain.

Over 100 brides came to visit the Tower Ridge Country Club Bridal Show yesterday. Many of them were just engaged over the Christmas/NewYears holiday and were in the beginning stages of the wedding planning process. It was great to see so much excitement from these newly engaged couples.

After the show, there was a tasting in the dining room and guests dined on some of the delectable selections that Tower Ridge Country Club has to offer. About 20 wedding vendors were in attendance ranging from banquet facilities to photographers, DJs, and more.

Thank you to all of the brides that came to the Pryme Tyme Entertainment booth at the Tower Ridge Bridal Show yesterday! We look forward to entertaining you!

 

wedding djs, wedding dj videos, wedding dj mixes, can I come to a wedding to see the dj

Wedding Disc Jockeys in CT – Try before you buy…

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It’s time to find your DJ for your wedding. So you do a Google search for Wedding Disc Jockeys in CT and come across hundreds of listings for Disc Jockeys in CT. Where do you begin? At the top of course.

As you browse around, you read how every Wedding DJ in CT will make your day everything you’ve always wanted, how lighting will enhance your experience, and just how awesome the DJ’s mixing skills are. What you’re reading is on the first page of the Wedding DJ website handbook.

Now that you’ve seen the pictures of wedding lighting, DJ setups,  DJs with the golden microphone and a Cheshire Cat grin , you ask yourself, where do we go from here? What’s the difference? How do you know which one to choose? You don’t have much time with work, school, and the daily routine and your year of planning your wedding will fly by faster than you think. But don’t worry, there’s hope.

Make sure you pop onto wedding pages like WeddingWire, TheKnot, Brides.com, and others and take a look there. Also, if you have chosen your venue, ask them for references. Connecticut Wedding Venues like The Aqua Turf, Grand Oak Villa, and Hawks Landing Country Club will more than likely have a book with preferred vendors to help you find the perfect wedding vendors for your wedding day.

Ask your family and friends for references as well. If they’ve been to a wedding in the last 5 years, chances are, they have run into some of the Wedding Disc Jockeys in CT you’re looking at on Google. With all of these resources, you should be able to find a good jumping off point. Read reviews from past clients that will tell you their experiences with the Wedding DJs you’re looking at. Watch their Wedding videos on YouTube and Vimeo to give you an idea of what they can do for your Wedding Reception.

Once you’ve researched your Wedding Entertainment options, contact your choices and set up appointments with them. From that point, you can ask questions about their experience, their technique, their business, and everything you need to know to make an informed decision when choosing your Wedding Disc Jockey.

timeless music, wedding music, wedding favorites

Timeless Music – A DJ’s secret weapon

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Timeless Music is the key to any packed dance floor.

Recently, we’ve been doing some late night mixes in preparation for New years Eve. The playlists have been ranging from today’s hits all the way back to 80’s club mixes. One of our listeners had said, ‘WOW! this really takes me back. I feel like a teenager again boppin’ around on the couch

That’s exactly what we were going for. As a DJ, our job is not just to have the latest and greatest but to fire up the memory time machine once in a while and take people back to those thrilling days of yesteryear in their youth. When you have a dance floor full of people of all ages, it’s important to engage the audience as a whole.

When you’re playing a set and you hit that one gem and mix it in perfectly, you see people’s eyes light up with joy. They’re instantly transported back to the age of 16. That, ‘AH HA!’ moment keeps people coming back for more and more every time.

When it comes to entertaining, there are no rules. If the beat’s alright, they will dance all night.

Pryme Tyme is Everywhere!

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Pryme Tyme is EVERYWHERE!

Looking for a disc jockey for your wedding in ct has never been easier. You can also find photographers, videographers, photo booths, and many other wedding vendors by visiting the links below.

WeddingWire

Facebook

Thumbtack

Waterbury Direct‎

Wedding Ceremony Music

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While browsing the WeddingWire forums today, I came across a pretty common topic for DJs. Ceremony Music. Jen writes the following…

“Ceremony music

I am having the most difficult time picking out wedding music. Our wedding is outside at an apple orchard and will be a non-religious ceremony. I really want some different from the traditional wedding march (it’s not my style). But everything I find just seems so cheesy. Suggestions?”

Jen, your wedding is whatever you want it to be. Years ago, traditions of church services, here comes the bride, and the grand entrance were all very common. Now the question is,  do you want to stay traditional or would you like something a little outside of the box?

Today, it’s very common to see live musicians taking care of the ceremony music as well as some secular or ‘non religious’ music at wedding ceremonies. The demand for all in one on site weddings is on the rise. So what should you pick for your ceremony music?

Usually I tell my brides who want something non-traditional is to choose something that is pretty sounding. Piano and or acoustic music is a good example. Artists like Jim Brickman are perfect for setting the tone. For recessionals lots of brides are going to country music these days. Country ballads are simple, honest, and heartfelt. AND PRETTY!

But regardless of what your musical tastes and style are, at the end of the day, choose something that best represents your love for one another. To get some ideas, visit the website below. Good luck and happy planning!

To get ideas for music for your wedding, check out http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-songs