"The Music Just Took Us Away": The Twin X-Factors of Texture & Context
These two words may seem like abstract concepts to describe what a DJ can do for you. But both words have concrete meanings that affect the mood, the feeling, the whole vibe of your event.
Tex-ture. noun. the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance.
One of my rules of thumb for playing amplified music to a crowd has to do with the social or "cocktail hour". This as the time when folks are arriving, either from a wedding ceremony, or at the event, maybe grabbing a beverage, and greeting others. It is an important part of the event, as folks are touching base and acquainting or reacquainting with others. My rule for music volume at this phase of a celebration is to always make sure you can hear voices above the music. Not shouting or yelling, but normal, conversational "inside" voices. There's nothing more annoying than trying to have a conversation with someone and either not being able to hear what they're saying or having to raise your voice to be heard. When you hire Disco Royale to provide music at your event, this will never be an issue.
Of course once the dance party begins we turn the volume up. So the people can get get down. This is where texture becomes most important. Where the music, previously registering only in your ears, can now be felt in your whole body, and every body in the room. Which brings us to context.
Con-text. noun. the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.
We don't do cookie cutter. Every one of our events is planned in advance, from the equipment we provide -- floor standing speakers vs speaker stands on; subwoofer vs no subwoofer, etc. -- to the degree of interactivity of our emcees. Some folks want a charismatic front man to get the party started and motivate the crowd. One of my favorite emcee-intensive activities is the Anniversary Dance, where I call all the married couples to the dance floor to dance with their partners, then dismiss them, one couple at a time, based on how long they've been married, until the last couple left is the couple who has been married the longest. "And that", I like to say, "is what marriage is all about".
Others prefer a more organic and unforced feel, with the music flowing out of the speakers like a river. I have a concept I call the "silent announcement". At certain venues, such as The Corson Building, I work very closely with the staff behind the scenes to create an organic feeling vibe so every guest intuitively understands what's happening without having to be told. These events flow seamlessly from ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner to dancing with minimal emcee involvement, and thus a minimum of interruptions to distract your guests from being totally immersed in the moment, and taken away by the music.
