Mastermix Label Manager Richard Lee reflects back on his first experience at a live gig!

I started buying records on a regular basis in 1980. I was approaching my 10th birthday and realised that music meant more to me than anything else so that’s what I spent my pocket money on. I was, and still am, a massive Madness fan and would buy everything they released or appeared in…Smash Hits, Look In, Number One etc.

A few years later, 1984, and I felt I was old enough to attend my first live gig! It made sense that it would be Madness but at that time they weren’t touring as much as they were in their early 80s hay day so I had to look elsewhere.

It so happened that I become a fan of another group who had burst onto the scene in 1983. They achieved 3 consecutive UK number ones and became an over-night phenomenon! Their name…Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

I bought all the singles, including several versions of ‘Two Tribes’ on 12”, plus the debut album and even kept newspaper cuttings to follow their progress.

In 1985 the front page of the local newspaper featured a headline that two of the biggest acts around were to appear at the City Hall in Sheffield. One was Paul Young, who was huge at the time having scored numerous hits, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

I had been saving my hard-earned pocket money for this occasion and now it was time to purchase tickets for my first live gig!

I remember being apprehensive about attending my first live event as any 16 year old would be. Not only was this my first live concert but I was also showing off my new threads that I had bought especially for the gig…this included a black Harrington jacket, imitation Rayban sunglasses and a Frankie Goes to Hollywood flat cap that I had purchased outside the venue…basically I was trying to look like Holly Johnson but please don’t tell anyone!

I was on the upper circle back row! The lights went out, the band appeared on stage and we were off…this is it…my first live gig!

The band performed all their greatest hits including:

Relax
Two Tribes
The Power Of Love
War
Born To Run
Welcome To The Pleasuredome

As I left the venue I remember 2 girls commenting that I looked a bit like the lead singer as he wore a similar get up to what I was parading around in!
“Thanks a lot”
If I only knew then what I know now!!!

What are your first gig experiences? Let us know on our Facebook Page or our Twitter account!

When it comes to the ‘First Dance’ things have evolved from when I first started DJing in 1986.

The concept of a First Dance is still as popular as ever at weddings, but there’s been a huge change in the music style and even performance over the last few decades.

Back then it was a given that the first dance at a wedding would be a classic love song that was popular at the time:

Spandau Ballet – True

Carpenters – We’ve Only Just Begun

Chris De Burgh – The Lady In Red

Lionel Richie & Diana Ross – Endless Love

Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight

During the 1990s these were replaced with tracks like:

Shania Twain – From This Moment

Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On

Aerosmith – I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

Westlife – Flying Without Wings

Bryan Adams – Everything I Do (I Do For You)

These songs represented the standard wedding first dance that I was asked to play. Occasionally there would be a request that was slightly different whilst still being a love song:

Beatles – Something

Madness – It Must Be Love

Elvis Presley – The Wonder Of You

If you look up Top 10 Wedding songs you will find songs like these creeping in:

Joe Cocker – You Are So Beautiful

Lonestar – Amazed

Van Morrison  – Have I Told You Lately

Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross – You Are Everything

Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings

Robbie Williams – She’s The One

Wet Wet Wet – Love Is All Around

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You

Enrique Iglasias – Hero

Since 1986 I have seen music trends change including the traditional wedding first dance. Whilst all of the above are acceptable, especially as each song is special to each couple, there are more brides & grooms using their imagination and selecting different songs that are special to them:

Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody

Red Hot Chili Peppers – I Could Die For You

Chuck Berry – You Never Can Tell (when the couple re-enacted the dance scene from Pulp Fiction)

I have played at a few weddings where the first dance has been something completely random…but has worked really well:

Green Day – Basket Case

Julian Cope – Jellypop Perky Jean

AC/DC – Highway To Hell

At my own wedding my wife and I chose our favourite song for our first dance, not a massively well known song and not a ballad, but the lyrics and the song were personal to us:

Belle & Sebastian – Funny Little Frog

I personally haven’t witnessed this at any of my events but I have seen You Tube footage where the first dance turns into a full-blown dance routine. Amongst the top tracks used for this are:

Michael Jackson – Thriller

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean

Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back

John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – You’re The One That I Want

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life

There’s a definite trend at the moment of the bride also having a featured dance with her Dad, which tends to be a poignant moment signifying the shift in their relationship:

Mariah Carey – Always Be My Baby

Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely

Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl

Heartland – I Loved Her First

There was also a period where the wedding first dance would suddenly turn into the You Tube phenomenon ‘Evolution Of Dance’ where the bride & groom would emulate the dance routine. Such was the demand that Mastermix painstakingly re-produced the mix:

Evolution Of Dance – This is the ONLY place where you can download this mix legally – remember, editing music yourself is illegal!

The first dance will continue to deliver a variety of music. From the traditional love song, the couple’s favourite tune of all time and the surprise song/dance routine that invariably ends up with several million hits on You Tube…just make sure you have it in your collection for the special day!!!

www.ourfirstdance.co.uk has more First Dance suggestions!

The debate over what to play in the early stages of an event continues…

…some DJs use a selection of Grandmasters, 70+ minute megamixes from Mastermix, including:

These mixes feature a selection of 70s, 80s & 90s soul classics from Luther Vandross, Chic, Alexander O’Neal, Real Thing, Barry White & others and offer a selection of tracks that create the right atmosphere for a whole range of events including weddings, birthdays & older birthday parties.

Other mixes in the Grandmaster range are perfect for anniversaries, weddings & events where the audience are slightly older or a more refined music style is required:

These 2 mixes feature a selection of 50s & 60s classic swing anthems and create a stylish atmosphere when played.

Mastermix has recently created the first in a range of Grandmasters that feature a selection of tracks that, whilst still popular, would not usually make up part of your main set so can be played without fear of duplicating songs later in the evening. The first mix in this new range features a selection of urban hits and is perfect for weddings, 18th birthday, 21st birthday & general events where there is a younger audience present.

Some DJs choose not to use mixed albums and prefer to create their own playlists as part of their warm up/background music sets. Each set is catered to the audience and can include anything from Chill Out to Jazz & Urban to Pop depending on the event.

When the topic of what to play as part of the warm up set comes around it throws a variety of suggestions from the greatest hits of Simply Red to Michael Buble.

Mastermix have created several albums for DJs who would rather create their own playlists:

And of course there is a music database of several thousand tracks that allows a DJ full control when creating warm up/background playlists.

Many DJs are now digital and choose to load up their own warm up playlists and allow the wonders of modern technology to smoothly segue each song…almost seamlessly!!!

There are also a selection of shorter mixes that offer DJs the option of adding them to their warm up/background set:

Chillout Mix (Issue 311)
Essential Chillout (Issue 290)
Essential Summer Chillout (Issue 264)

There is no perfect answer when it comes to warm up/background music but by speaking to your client to discuss their event in more detail and by using the music tools available, especially from professional DJ music companies like Mastermix, then you can create the right music playlist for each event and build a night in a professional and structured way.

At a recent meeting the subject of theme nights came up and was discussed in great detail by the DJs in attendance. Some loved them…some didn’t!

Personally I love them! The majority of people attending a theme night will be there to enjoy the music which means you can be far more creative with your set, safe in the knowledge that, providing you research and plan your music carefully, you will get the required reaction on the dancefloor.

One theme night that was mentioned was Soul & Motown. The discussion centred around how to keep an audience on the dancefloor playing only one style of music.

Before I became the Label Manager for Mastermix I was a professional DJ and specialised in theme nights including Soul & Motown.

Most theme nights will feature a band/DJ combination. If this is the case then it immediately makes the job that little bit easier as the band will take at least one hour of the night away. All you have to be careful of is not to repeat their set list of course!

So let’s start at the beginning. Assuming the average night runs from 7:30pm to Midnight, that means you have to find almost 5 hours of Soul & Motown! A tall order…or is it?

Most events will either have a buffet to break the night up or a meal before the entertainment. If the guests eat at 8:00pm then you will need to provide ambient music during the meal.

Good Groovin’ Grandmasters feature a selection of 70s/80s Soul classics and are perfect for use as part of the early evening set or during the meal/buffet.

If you want to offer a selection of 60s/70s Soul & Motown for your background music then I find the Classic Cuts Early Soul albums perfect for compiling such a playlist.

Classic Cuts Early Soul 4, 15, 43, 61, 77, 94 & 98 feature classic tracks such as:

Judy Clay & William Bell – Private Number
Diana Ross & the Supremes – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
Isley Brothers – Summer Breeze
Bill Withers – Ain’t No Sunshine
Temptations – Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Detroit Spinners – Rubberband Man
Al Green – Tired Of Being Alone
Four Tops – Walk Away Renee
Tams – Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me
Sam & Dave – Hold On I’m Coming

By carefully selecting the tracks from these albums you can build a 2 hour playlist featuring a selection of major Soul & Motown artists/tracks that will be perfect for warm up and during food without using all your best songs that you would want to play later but still keeping your audience interested and building the atmosphere throughout the early part of the evening.

Then you come to your main set. If you are playing with a band then it will probably be an hour before and an hour after their performance…give or take a few mins. If you are on your own then it will be more like a 2-3 hour set. Either way, there really is no need to panic. It’s all down to careful planning and programming of your music.

I always like to kick off a theme night with an appropriate instrumental track that allows me to create the mood whilst making my introductions.

Here are a few suggestions:

Booker T & the MG’s – Green Onions
Ramsey Lewis Trio – Wade In The Water
Love Unlimited Orchestra – Love’s Theme

The first few tracks I play will be absolute bankers in order to get as many people on the dancefloor as quickly as possible before dropping into various sections in order to cover as many tracks & styles of Soul & Motown in the night:

You can start the tempo high and continue to build or start slow and build up using tracks such as:

Stevie Wonder – Superstition
Jacksons – I Want You Back
Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke
Mary Wells – My Guy
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – Jimmy Mack
Supremes – Baby Love

Before building the set up in pace using tracks like:

Four Tops – Reach Out, I’ll Be There
Supremes – Stop! In The Name Of Love
Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – Dancing In The Street
Four Tops – It’s The Same Old Song
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – Tears Of A Clown
Supremes – You Keep Me Hangin’ On
Isley Brothers – This Old Heart Of Mine
Temptaions – Get Ready
Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston – It Takes Two
Velvelettes – Needle In A Haystack

Any decent Soul night should include a healthy dose of Northern Soul:

Al Wilson – The Snake
Frank Wilson – Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)
Edwin Starr – Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S)
Frankie Valli – You’re Ready Now
R Dean Taylor – There’s A Ghost In My House
Dobie Gray – Out On The Floor

More tracks can be found on:

Classic Cuts 34 – Northern Soul
Classic Cuts 68 – Northern Soul
Grandmaster Northern Soul

Tip: During your Northern Soul set try turning a few of your lighting effects off to leave a slight colour wash only in the room. Northern Soul purists in the room will appreciate the touch! Also don’t be too worried if the dancefloor isn’t as busy during this section of music. Some people will use it to have a breather and the dancers will appreciate the extra space as there may be a fair amount of kicks and jumps going on…which looks spectacular when done right!

The occasional Extended Floorfiller can also be used:

Elgins – Heaven Must Have Sent You (Extended Floorfiller)
Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself (Extended Floorfiller)
Jackie Wilson – Higher & Higher (Extended Floorfiller)

Purists may frown at the thought of playing something other than the original 7” recording, but these tracks have been carefully engineered to give you slightly longer versions of classic tracks whilst still maintaining the feel of the original track so I have no problem adding these to my set list and neither should you!

These tracks will give you a solid selection of 60s Soul & Motown giving you a firm foundation to build on. You can choose to stay with the same style of music or take the theme night into a new direction:

60s Soul:

James Brown – Get Up Offa That Thing
James Brown – I Got You (I Feel Good)
Arthur Conley – Sweet Soul Music
Foundations – Build Me Up Buttercup
Sam & Dave – Soul Man

A little 70s Soul & Disco will compliment the night but be careful not to overplay this as it can quickly change the mood of the night if you play too many Disco tunes:

70s Soul/Disco:

Trammps – Hold Back The Night
Chic – Le Freak
Tavares – Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel
Barry White – You’re My First, My Last, My Everything (12”)
Billy Ocean – Love Really Hurts Without You

You could then go from 70s Soul/Disco into a bit of Philadelphia Soul:

Philadelphia Soul:

O’Jays – I Love Music
Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes – The Love I Lost
O’Jays – Love Train
McFadden & Whitehead – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now (12”)
Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes – Don’t Leave Me This way (12”)

If any of these sections are working well then you can choose to extend the section by adding tracks from the following albums:

Classic Cuts 22 – Disco
Classic Cuts 49 – Disco/Funk
Classic Cuts 82 – Philadelphia
Mastermix Soul
Mastermix Soul 2
Extended Floorfillers: Soul & Motown

You could also use any of the following Grandmaster’s as part of your sets either to play or to use as inspiration on which tracks go together:

Grandmaster Motown Party
Grandmaster Soul
Grandmaster 70s Soul

This blog features a small amount of song suggestions but should give you a start in planning a Soul & Motown playlist.

By taking the time to set out your playlist and create sections to play throughout the night you can avoid any panic later in the evening when you realise you have played all your best tunes in the first hour.

This same theory can apply to almost any theme night. This is in no way the definitive playlist but it should help you understand how to structure a theme night and help you create exciting playlists.

I have been a professional DJ for over 20 years now and in that time I have DJed just about every kind of event you can imagine… Youth Clubs, Kids Parties, Weddings, Birthdays, Retirements, Anniversaries, Nightclubs, Theme Nights, Awards, Stadium Announcing, Radio…you name it…I’ve probably done it!

Of all the work that I have done it is probably theme nights that I enjoy the most. Why? Because most people attending are coming to enjoy that specific genre of music so you don’t have to worry about different age groups wanting different styles of music, meaning you can be more experimental with your song selection and create a really exciting playlist which the audience will lap up as each track takes them back to their youth. There can be nothing more fulfilling for a DJ then watching their audience enjoy a rollercoaster ride of musical memories created from the music they are playing.

My particular favourite theme nights are the 50s/60s & 70s nights. Many years ago I started DJing for a group of people who arranged a Golden Oldies night to raise money for a local charity. The music was mainly 60s with a few 50s classics & Rock & Roll tracks thrown in as well as the occasional 70s tune to keep the night flowing. 20 years later and that same night is still going strong!

This night is so unique! The audience hasn’t changed much in all those years and we have become like one big family. I know exactly what tracks will work and when. They will dance to whatever I play and work with me to ensure the most amazing night is had by all and that each event pushes the boundary set by the previous one.

A recent event though caused me to realize that you never stop learning in this game…even after 20 years! It was a 60s night with a few 50s & 70s thrown in…perfect! I’ll give them a similar show to my tried & tested one as I know that gets them dancing all night. Once the guests had arrived and settled themselves I decided the time was right to start playing a few tracks to get them dancing before the pie & peas supper!

All the big hits were coming out – ‘Baby Love’, ‘Oh! Pretty Woman’, ‘Heaven Must Have Sent You’, ‘Hold Back The Night’, ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’, ‘Move It’, ‘Runaround Sue’, ‘I’m Into Something Good’, ‘From Me To You’…and did they dance? As they say in Yorkshire “Did they eckers like!”.

What was going on? This was the same set that I played only a few weeks ago and they were dancing from the first track. Was it too loud? No! I always check that people are able to hold conversations around the room, especially when it’s an older audience! Were the lights in their eyes? No! I’d used subtle LED lighting to create a colour wash that was bothering no-one…so what was the problem?

I played some of the biggest hits of the 50s, 60s & 70s and no-one danced. Right…that’s it! I texted my wife to inform her that this would be the last time I would DJ at this event due to no-one responding to the music I’m playing. I was officially having a ‘showbiz strop’.

My first set ended and the lights went up in the room to signal the start of the pie & peas supper. The guests were out of the blocks in order to be amongst the first to get their food. So they are all still alive then…I was beginning to worry!

I slumped off the stage and headed for the exit in order to get some fresh air and clear my mind, especially as I had another 2 hour set to come!

As I approached the exit I was confronted by an elderly gentleman and his wife. “Are you the DJ?” he asked. “Yes…yes I am” came the nervous reply as I waited for the barrage of comments telling me that ‘I’m not very good as no-one danced’ or ‘It was too loud which is why no-one danced’…but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. The couple wanted to congratulate me on playing “the best selection of 50s & 60s they have heard in a long time”. They commented on the level of the music and the atmosphere were perfect as they don’t really like “all those flashing lights”.

I was shocked but before I could soak up what the couple had said I was approached by another gentleman who also wanted to congratulate me on some wonderful music and wanted to apologise for him and his wife not dancing as they had both “recently had hip replacements”.

A third man also wanted to comment on my music and also offered an apology for not dancing but he “fell of his bike recently and his back still hurts”.

Suddenly the penny dropped and the light bulb above my head glowed into life! I wasn’t rubbish after all…I was still ok! The reason no-one had danced was simple. In the words of the organiser “We are all getting older!”.

So my ‘showbiz tantrum’ was all for nothing. I wasn’t a bad DJ…but I still needed to learn a valuable lesson! Just because people aren’t packing a dancefloor doesn’t mean that they aren’t enjoying themselves. By taking care with the music, sound level & lighting, I had managed to create the perfect environment for many of the guests who were content to sit and enjoy the music whilst still being allowed to engage in conversation with their fellow guests…often to reminisce about one of the songs being played.

Even after 20 years of experience I was still able to receive a lesson in life and DJing!

I texted my wife to inform her that I wasn’t retiring from DJing just yet and would probably be performing at their event next year after all…which prompted the simple reply…’x’

Richard Lee is Label Manager for Mastermix, Europe’s largest DJ only music service. Find out more about Mastermix via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

Mobile DJ’s have a lot to contend with from one gig to the next music wise. For one wedding you might have to play Swing and Jazz but the next you might be given an 80’s playlist or even a Rock evening. After all it’s the choices of the people booking you and we as DJs have to supply the best night possible so we have to carry a very wide variety of music along with the staple favourites that you will play at 80% of gigs.

This blog is designed to supplement the other playlists but with a leaning to requests for music from the club scene. This could come from the bride and groom as part of their request list where they may request an hour of  “club choons” and leave it up to you to decide what to play.

This poses a dilemma where you may not be familiar with the current club scene and the customer is vague with their music choices, you also have to take into account the other guests so a full hour of Dubstep and Dirty Electro may tempt Auntie Barbara to leave and only give you 3 people on the dance floor (how you dance to Dubstep is still beyond me) so I’ll give you a few choices that may help you keep your floor full and still keep your client happy.

An easy way to look for floor fillers is to look at charts such as Cool Cuts chart or in magazines such as DJ but they may be a bit too specialised as you have to remember that it is still a family occasion (normally). If you want a selection from the last 6 months then the DJ sets that Mastermix produce are really good and very commercial.

An easy way is to look at different mixes of current chart songs, this retains the appeal to the casual audience in the first instance and then you can move into more of a club only set and finish with more current track mixes or old school classics that still fill a floor on the club scene to bring more of the casual audience you may have lost back to the floor before changing genre. Pro Dance is a brilliant series of albums that offer alternate mixes of current chart hits every month.

The following is a set that will be about 70 minutes long providing a club element to a mobile gig. Many thanks to Danny Holland and Kris Chambers for their current big tracks to assist in this compilation:

Nicki Minaj – Starships
Rihanna – We Found Love (Fatman Scoop mix) – warning, this is explicit
Alesso & Ingrosso – Calling (vs. Diamond Life, eSquire Bootleg)
LMFAO – Sexy & I Know It (Dallas K Mix)
Afrojack – No Beef (Original Mix)
Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
John Dahlback – Life
Labrinth – Last Time (Knife Party Mix)
Madeon – Icarus
Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo – Let’s Go
Ivan Gough – In My Mind (Axwell Mix)
Nadia Ali – Pressure (Avicii New Generation Mix)
Kings of Tomorrow – Finally (eSquire Mix)
Flo Rida feat. Sia – Wild Ones (Basto! Remix)
David Guetta feat. Sia – Titanium (Arno Cost Remix)

Other tracks you could throw in would be:
Southside Spinners – Luvstruck (Luis Mendez Private Mix)
Dehasse feat. Princess Nyah – What A Night (Cutmore Mix)
Tiesto & Wolfgang Gartner – We Own The Night
Tinie Tempah – RIP (Haji Mix)
Jack Beats – You Should Know

Once you start playing out the big dance classics you will quickly find that the requests will start coming in and allow you to move your set into new and exciting directions whilst still keeping a full dancefloor.

Some mobile DJs may be put off by the thought of dance music and having to try their hand at ‘live mixing’ but modern technology helps and don’t forget that Mastermix have done the hard work for you by creating 100’s of dance mixes that have been produced by DJs for DJs.

Did you know that as a DJ you have to have several other skills as well as the ability to be able to play the right music to entertain your audience?

You are expected to have super powers too!

• X-Ray Vision: Useful for looking through walls. Perfect for surprise parties when no-one bothers to notify you that the guest of honour has arrived and would have walked into a room full of guests with no reaction had you not used your powers to avert disaster.

• Mind Reading: The ability to read people’s minds is a skill that all DJs will be expected to own. Many audience members will sit in the corner of the room complaining that “It’s too loud”, “That light’s too bright” or “Why won’t he play me something I like?” without any intention of walking up to you and engaging in conversation. Of all the powers you possess, this will be the one you may have to use more often than any other…especially for the person sat in the other room waiting for you to play some rock & roll or a waltz!

• Invisibility: This power usually comes into play after you have announced the buffet is open. Whilst waiting patiently to be asked if you would like something to eat you are ignored…probably because you are invisible…and the 400 sandwiches, 200 sausage rolls & numerous other nibbles that have been left over all go to waste. Use this power wisely for it will only lasts until the buffet is finished and you are required to play music again!

• Time Traveller: This skill allows you to transport your audience from one decade to another…musically speaking of course! Also useful when travelling to and from your gigs! Occasionally you may find yourself playing at an event where you feel you have actually gone back in time or visited a place where time has stood still. This skill also comes into play when someone requests ‘that song that was in the charts a few years ago.’

• Predicting The Future: Essential skill used to plan your set and ensure that everyone’s songs get played and that the night finishes on a high!

• Shape Shifting: The ability to squeeze into tight spaces. Especially useful when sharing a stage with a band who leave you with 2 square foot of space to set up. Also useful when packing up and having to navigate your way through the punters who are reluctant to move out the way whilst you struggle with a heavy speaker on your shoulder.

• Super Strength: Useful when unloading/loading equipment, putting speakers on stands, hoisting lighting stands, carrying gear up flights of stairs when the gig isn’t on the ground floor, or when a punter is giving you hassle for not playing their favourite song. Mear mortals would ask a higher power for additional strength in tricky situations whereas a DJ will simply call upon his super hero skills to deal with it.

• Super Hearing: Used to ensure that your speakers are not too loud, especially for the elderly couple sat in the next room who will still complain anyway! Also required when taking requests from people who insist in talking to you whilst stood in front of the speakers.

Remember DJs, with great power comes great responsibility… so use it wisely!

The Mastermix Superheroes are a team of extraordinary men and women who strive to produce the best mixes, mash ups, remixes and DJ friendly compilations known to man. You can experience their power on CD from www.mastermixdj.com or download the results of their brilliance directly to your computer at www.mastermixdigital.com

Bask in their glory on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

For the past few months I’ve been writing blog posts that encourage you to set up a Facebook page for your business, and not use your personal profile to promote your work.

This blog is a little different, as I’m about to give you some ideas on how to manage your Facebook profile if you have business contacts or customers as friends. Your Facebook profile is you on Facebook as a person.

I’m not going back on my word – you should still set up a Facebook page to promote your business, no doubt about it, it’s unprofessional to set up your business as a ‘person’ on Facebook and unfair to expect your customers to befriend it – but that said, I know that you can end up with a lot of business contacts as friends on your personal profile. This situation can sometimes become awkward; no matter how nice your customers are, you might never have actually met them, and you’re not particularly comfortable about them seeing photos of your nearest and dearest, or your status updates about domestic life!

But there is a way that you can manage your different types of friends on Facebook by creating lists and using them correctly; here’s how.

On the left hand side of your Facebook Homepage, underneath the tabs for Newsfeed, Messages, Pages, Groups, Games, etc. there’s a little arrow and the word ‘more’. Click on that and it expands to show you the word ‘friends’. Hover over that, and you’ll get another ‘more’. Click on that ‘more’ and it’ll take you to another screen. On here you’ll find that Facebook has already created some lists for you, one called ‘Close Friends’ and few based on where you live and work, etc. If you’ll never use some of these, click on the pencil beside it and click ‘archive list’.

To keep this simple, I suggest you work with your ‘Close Friends’ list. Click on this list and it’ll take you to a new News Feed, just showing you things that people in this list have posted. On the top left of this screen you’ll see ‘Manage List’ click on this and select ‘Edit List’

A pop-up box will then appear, on here, click on the bit that says ‘on this list’ and select ‘friends’ from the dropdown.

Now you’ll get a full list of your Facebook friends. Go through your list and click on any people who you are happy to see your whole profile, photos, status updates, the lot. Then click ‘finish’ at the bottom of that box.

Now you’ve got a list of the people you’re happy to share things with, and you now need to make sure all your settings are changed so that only these people can see things.

Go to the very top right hand corner of any page on Facebook and click on the little arrow, then select Privacy Settings. You’ll then see this screen:

Firstly, click on ‘try editing your timeline info’ and it’ll take you to your personal information page:

This page allows you to edit all your personal information that is shown on the ‘About’ page of your Timeline, and it also allows you to hide any part of this information from certain friends. For example, you might not want your business contacts to be able to see your family connections, or where you live. To hide any of this information, go to the arrow to the right of it, click on that, then select ‘Close Friends’. This information will now only be available to the people who are on your Close Friends list you created earlier.

Whilst you’re doing this, it’s also worth noting that you can allow people outside of your friends list to see certain information, for example you might want friends of friends or even everyone to see who you work for (assuming it’s your DJ Business Page!)

Ok now go back to Privacy Settings, we’re going to look at the bit that says ‘Control Your Default Privacy’ – this controls who sees things that you post on your Timeline, including from any mobile devices you use, your iPad, Blackberry, etc. You’ll see 3 big icons (refer back to the screengrab above) Public, Friends, Custom. Click ‘Custom’ and it’ll take you to a pop up box that allows you to change the settings:

Where it says ‘make this visible to’ click that and select ‘Specific People or Lists’ then in the box below that, start typing ‘Close Friends’ and your Close Friends list will appear. Click that, then hit Save Changes.

Now go to your Timeline, to the part where you’d create a new status update or add a photo.

When you click in the box to start typing, you’ll see next to the ‘Post’ button that it’s telling you that this will only be visible to your Close Friends list. Job done!

That’s all well and good, but what if you want SOME of your posts and photos to be seen by ALL your friends? Simple, when you’ve written a post, click on that arrow next to ‘Close Friends’ and select ‘Friends’ or, if you want the whole world to see what you’re saying, click ‘Public’. (If you do this, when someone who’s not your friend clicks on your Timeline, they’ll be able to see that status) You can do this before you post your status, or if you forget, you can always change it afterwards.

I’d recommend that you also go through your photo albums, and decide who can see each one. To do this go to your photos, and where you see the page of albums, below each album there’s that arrow again. Click on that and select Close Friends. (You’re getting good at this now aren’t you?)

You could change the settings for each individual photograph… but life’s too short to be spending that much time on Facebook!

This is just a quick guide to how you can manage your friends list, you can go into much more depth and have several lists of friends and carefully control the information you’re making available to each list, but by following the above steps, it’s a relatively simple way of making sure you keep your business contacts separate from your private life!

And one more thing…. please don’t start sending out a load of business information on your personal profile, keep that for your Facebook Page

Any questions? Pop over to our Facebook Page and ask for me.

Helen x

Mastermix is Europe’s premier DJ music service, offering mixes, remixes, mash ups and DJ friendly compilations on CD from www.mastermixdj.com and on download from www.mastermixdigital.com

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Recently a team of us from Mastermix and Promo Only UK & Europe headed off on a road trip for the MixMove Salon Du Deejaying in Paris, where we were exhibiting.

Our stand was loaded into the back of a hired transit van, we had the Tom Tom programmed, and off we set for the Channel Tunnel, having picked up David Brown from Promo Only on route.

The journey will be a breeze, we thought, a quick crossing on the Eurotunnel before driving into Paris, checking into our hotel, and sampling the delights of the French capital city before beginning the hard work the next day.

Little did we realise that crossing the channel in a long wheel based transit van wasn’t quite the easy ride that it is in a car…. After arriving at the Eurotunnel port on Friday evening and being ushered into the world’s longest queue of lorries, it dawned on us that there was no duty free shopping option on this trip. Instead we were directed onto ‘cages’ rather than trains, then taken by bus on to a very bizarre and rickety seating compartment that was attached to the front (or it might have been the back, who knows) of the freight Chunnel. Our travelling companions were exclusively male, mostly European, truck drivers, homeward bound after a week away from home, soap and water. So as you can imagine, 2 smartly dressed men and a girl in a ski jacket made quite an entertaining sight for them.

We shuffled into the train compartment and tucked ourselves into the corner, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible (not easy with a big neon arrow above our heads and a sign saying ‘they’re not meant to be here’ well that’s what it felt like anyway) but before we could sit down, we had to move the bright orange gas masks that were placed on every seat. Not sure why they were provided, but maybe it was to protect our senses from our fellow passengers…

Mercifully, the journey only takes half an hour, so just as dusk was drawing in, we were back on the road En France and heading for our destination.

Navigating around Paris isn’t the easiest task but thankfully we had our trusty Tom Tom to lead the way and soon we were through the suburbs and into central Paris. It was at this point that we noticed how low the petrol gauge had dropped. Oops, well it’s only a mile to the hotel, we’ll be ok. Except by the time we’d missed a few of Tom Tom’s instructions and gone round in a few circles, one mile turned into several more.

We were starting to sweat, it was 10pm and not a petrol station in sight. We drew up to some traffic lights, about to turn on to the road that would lead to our hotel, and out of nowhere, several Police vans pulled up and blocked the traffic off, followed by people on rollerblades. Rich and I were watching with interest (and mild frustration, we were tired and hungry and ready for a beer) when David commented on the amount of rollerbladers who were heading our way. Hmmm, we agreed, quite a few. No, said David, look over the bridge. As we glanced to our right we suddenly saw hoards of wheeled Parisians, seriously there were hundreds of them, and all we could do was sit waiting patiently for them to cross in front of us. It was like Starlight Express on acid.

Finally we were on our way again and the hotel was in sight. We drew up, unloaded our bags, then drove towards the car park… Which we then realised was underground. We’re driving a huge transit van. The two don’t mix. So it’s 10.30pm, we’re tired, hungry, in need of a beer, we have no petrol, and nowhere to park the van.

Things had looked better, at this point. If we listened carefully we could hear stains of Eric Idle running through our heads.

I’ll not go on about the next few hours, except to tell you that by 12.38am, yes AM, we had finally got fuel, parked the van a very questionable car park in the outskirts of Paris, got a taxi back to the hotel and managed to find a late night pizza restaurant that was still serving food and beer…

Finally, things were starting to look up!

Make sure you stay tuned for the next instalment of Les Adventures Des Mastermix & Promo Only!

Mastermix is Europe’s leading supplier of DJ only Mixes, Mash Ups, Remixes and DJ Friendly music compilations, find us on Facebook and Twitter!

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March 17^th is St. Patrick’s Day, the day that Ireland celebrates their patron saint. But it’s not just the Irish that celebrate this day, there are more Irish themed nights popping up in other parts of the world than ever before and none more so than in England!

Anyone who has worked at a regular venue, be it a hotel, pub, club or other, will invariably have been asked to put on an Irish themed night at some point I’m sure. So how do you approach the night and what do you play? I can only speak from my personal experience of DJing an Irish themed night but I have always found them to be great fun and a chance to create a unique playlist that reaches a pulsating crescendo at the end of the evening.

This blog is aimed at DJs performing an Irish themed night and is only to be used as a guide. The playlist is dependant on what type of venue you are playing at. If it’s a pub venue then you can play a variety of music without having to worry about filling a dancefloor but if you have to keep your guests dancing all night then the playlist will have to be tweaked to ensure the right tracks are played at the right time of the night. I will begin by planning the music content to give me a start, middle and of course an end to the evening!

Whenever I am programming a theme night I always start at the end and work my way back. Once I have decided on the final tracks of the night then I can begin building my playlist. The first part of the evening is where I would choose a selection of tracks to create the atmosphere for the early birds in the venue using a combination of traditional and contemporary tracks that allow people to soak up the ambience of the night without giving away any of the ‘bankers’ that I will be playing once the venue fills up.

Here is a small amount of suggestions to use in the various parts of the theme night:

EARLY EVENING TRACKS:

• Traditional – Molly Malone
• Traditional – A Bunch Of Wild Thyme
• Saw Doctors – Green & Red Of Mayo
• Pogues – Dirty Old Town
• Christy Moore – A Pair Of Brown Eyes
• Rose Marie – When Irish Eyes Are Smilin’
• Fureys – When You Were Sweet Sixteen
• Brendan Shine – Catch Me If You Can

Other artists to consider for early evening would be Christy Moore, Clannad, Enya, Chieftans & Mary Black. As the night continues I would play a few tracks such as:

• Saw Doctors – Never Mind The Strangers
• Corrs – Runaway
• U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
• Cranberries – Linger
• Ash – Shining Light
• Adventurers – Broken Land
• Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays
• Hothouse Flowers – Don’t Go
• Van Morrision – Moon Dance
• Feargal Sharkey – A Good Heart
• Sinead O’Connor – Mandinka
• Thrills – Big Sur
• Thrills – What Ever Happened To Cory Haim?

Once the night is up and running I start to increase the tempo and play a few rock/indie classics that help to create a livelier atmosphere in the room:

ROCK TRACKS:

• Undertones – Teenage Kicks
• Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town
• Divine Comedy – National Express
• U2 – Beautiful Day
• U2 – Pride (In The Name Of Love)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
• Thin Lizzy – Whiskey In The Jar
• Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap
• Thin Lizzy – Sarah
• Thin Lizzy – Waiting For An Alibi
• Thin Lizzy – Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In The Spotlight)
• Thin Lizzy – Killer On The Loose

Before dropping a few pop tracks:

POP TRACKS:

• Boyzone – Picture Of You
• Boyzone – When The Going Gets Tough
• Westlife – Uptown Girl
• Westlife – Bop Bop Baby
• Ronan Keating – Life Is A Rollercoaster
• D:Ream – Things Can Only Get Better
• B*Witched – C’est La Vie
• Moloko – Sing It Back
• Jedward!!!

And no night is complete without a party section:

PARTY TRACKS:

• Corrs – Toss the Feathers
• Sham Rock – Tell Me Ma
• House Of Pain – Jump Around
• Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
• Pogues – Irish Rover
• Pogues – Fiesta
• Bob Geldof – The Great Song Of Indifference
• Sharon Shannon – The Galway Girl
• Bill Whelan – Riverdance
• Nolans – I’m In The Mood For Dancing
• Val Doonican – Delany’s Donkey
• Val Doonican – Walk Tall
• Val Doonican – O’Rafferty’s Motor Car
• Van Morrison – Bright Side Of The Street
• Saw Doctors – About You Now
• Irish Rovers – Lily The Pink
• Irish Rovers – Donald Where’s Your Troosers?
• Altan – Dark Haired Lass/Biddy From Muckross/Sean Magure’s (Reel)
• Sean O’Neill Band – Hannigan’s Hooley/McNamara’s Band/Medley
• Sham Rock – Irish Stew

And to round the night off:

END OF NIGHT TRACKS:

• Dubliners – 7 Drunken Nights
• Dropkick Murphys – Cadence To Arms
• Dropkick Murphys – The Wild Rover
• Sham Rock – Danny Boy

The above is only to be used as a guide. As with any themed night it is down to the DJ to do their homework and research their venue/audience to ensure they are playing the right music on the night. A more traditional Irish night will require a selection of Jigs & Reels and possibly a Waltz or two! If the venue has a younger audience then the music will again need tweaking to cater for them accordingly. If you want to use pre-mixed music, take a look at our selection of Irish mixes and triple trackers here, as well as our range of Extended Floorfillers and Irish Karaoke!

Enjoy the party! Enjoy the music! Enjoy the craic!