Frequently Asked Questions

What Music Do You Play?

Essentially "whatever you want". As a listener I'm mostly into indie and rock  but my vast collection includes motown/northern soul, r&b/hip-hop, 80s/90s/00s pop and dance, disco, electronica...you name it - so I cover almost every genre.

Below is an A-Z of some of my most commonly requested bands and artists: 

AC/DC,  Arctic Monkeys, Beyonce, blink-182, Blur, The Beatles, Blondie, Courteeners, Charlatans, Chemical Brothers, The Coral, The Cure, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, Fatboy Slim, Florence & The Machine, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Foals, Franz Ferdinand, Gerry Cinnamon, Guns 'n' Roses, Green Day, Hall & Oates, Harry Styles, Hot Chip, James, The Jam, Joy Division, Kasabian, Kate Bush, The Killers, The Kinks, Libertines, LCD Soundsystem, Lizzo, Metallica, MGMT, My Chemical Romance, New Order, Nirvana, No Doubt, Oasis, Offspring, Paramore, Pearl Jam, Primal Scream, Pulp, Queen, Rolling Stones, Royal Blood, Sam Fender, Scissor Sisters, The Smiths, The Strokes, Stone Roses, Tame Impala, Taylor Swift, Talking Heads, T-Rex, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Wheatus, Wet Leg, The Wombats, White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

How much do you charge?

A typical evening do lasts around 5 hours (usually 7pm-midnight) and my standard rate for that is £450. But depending on location and equipment requirements this could be less or more. eg a five hour slot in Manchester in February at a venue with it's own PA system will cost less than a wedding which requires a full set-up  in the Lake District in July and August,  

For a detailed quote specific to your event please fill in my contact form or call me on  07732693021

What areas do you cover?

I'm based in Salford and cover Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire - basically anywhere within an hour's drive. But if you're further afield I'm happy to travel, although I'll need to charge a bit more to cover the extra travel time/expenses. I have been known to go as far as Scarborough, Penrith and mid Wales and a few years ago I ended up doing more weddings in York than I did  in Manchester - probably because not many York based DJs offer a service like mine.

What equipment do you use?

I work completely digitally, only using high quality MP3s. My standard setup (pictured) easily blends in to any surrounding, meaning that my presence won't detract from a venue's decoration. ​Setup time is usually 30-60 minutes from arrival, depending on venue access and room turnaround requirements. My 8 channel PA system is PAT tested and operates at 1000W (plus subwoofer) - perfect for venues that cater for up to 150 guests. As a standard venue requirement, I also have £10m public liability insurance cover) - all I need is a power source and enough space to set up my booth, decks, speakers and lights. 

What lighting do you provide?

My set up includes two sets of 4 x colour changing, sound activated LED lights (2x PARS, 2 x Derbys), incorporating strobe lighting, which is more than adequate for most venues and dancefloors, from hotels to tipis and marquees.

Some DJs may offer much more by way of moving heads, uplighters, smoke machines etc, but a lot of work goes into setting a venue's atmosphere without the need for over the top dancefloor lights - in my opinion too many DJs use their lights and "LOVE" letters as a selling point (and then charge a higher fee to cover storage, transport and insurance). Don't even get me started on DJs who also provide donut walls and photo booths! A DJ's priority should be to provide the music that will make your night as memorable as possible.

That said, if you want any additional lighting I'm happy to help source anything (where possible)  as I have a number of contacts who deal with various dancefloor accessories. And if you don't require lighting at all, then I may be able to offer a discounted rate as it's less for me to transport and set up.

Do you take requests?

Of course! In fact, I'd encourage it. Most clients take advantage of a Facebook request group, which gives their guests a chance to request songs prior to the big night. I can't promise to play everything  but it's my job to curate a playlist that seamlessly flows between genres, keeping you happy and the dancefloor full. With a digital library it's easy to source anything I don't already have (legally of course - it's a huge red flag when a DJ uses streaming services for their music*) - all you have to do is ask! And if anyone wants to request anything on the night, no problem...as long as I've got it and it will fit with the vibe

For any event I like to meet up (or at least video call) with all my clients beforehand. Not only is it good to put faces to names, but it's important to to go through the finer details (time of first dance, what announcements to make, requests from people who aren't on social media etc) 

*no joke, I once went to a venue where the coordinator told me the guy from the night before came only with a mixer and two iphones so he could play  songs from his Spotify account all night. Sigh.

any recommendations for our first dance?

As with the playlist, this is entirely down to you. Some people choose a slow dance that's personal to them and some people choose a song that goes with a dance routine but, really, it's whatever you're comfortable with. If you don't want all your guests staring at you while you dance, maybe choose something that everyone can dance to. First dance songs don't always have to be slow either - songs like 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' are great floor fillers and good fun for everyone to dance to, providing a great opportunity for your photographer to capture the energy. One of the best first dances I've seen was a couple who did a slow dance to The National's 'Slow Show', but then had a brass band come in and interrupt it with a cover of 'Uptown Funk'.

But you can be sure that I'll build up to the moment with a blend of music to cater for all your guests (and any nicher tastes) and I'll follow it up with tunes to keep the floor full.

I'm thinking about doing the music myself to save some money. Do you have any tips?

Obviously I'm biased but I don't see any point in scrimping on the main source of entertainment for all of your guests. The average evening do is five hours long, which is a significant portion of the day and one that most guests (and indeed ALL the evening guests) will remember the most, so it needs to be right and is arguably far more important than a lot of elements that add up to the costs of a traditional wedding day (chair covers, anyone?). At an average cost of £18,400 for each wedding in the UK, the hire of a DJ is relatively small (around 2-3%) so it's certainly a good investment.

​For more on why you should hire a DJ (i.e. Me!) have a look at my blog post here... ​bit.ly/2eBnbOW