NAMM 2016 (Nat'l Assoc of Music Merchants)

  Music industry people already know, but the NAMM show in Anaheim every January is the CES for all things music.  Manufacturers roll out all their brand new products for introductions to the public.  Pioneer Pro DJ always brings their best.  Check out these fully operational CDJs  (DJ CD players)

Evert type of music related item you can think of is on display, software, hardware, instruments and to make a great impact on show attendees many of the booths will schedule recording artists and other celebs to visit their booth or host a party. I normally hit the show on Sundays as the show winds down but this year AGIPRODJ hosted a Video DJ party with DJ 2nd Nature and Fatman Scoop headlining the party at Heat Ultra Lounge. 

 As a DJ I don't always enjoy watching another DJ perform but 2nd Nature is one of a handful of exceptions.  He was a leader in the 1st Regeneration of Video DJs and made  name for himself building original content around his performances and Fatman Scoop is arguably the best Hype Man in the business today.

DJ & Uplights at Omni La Costa

  Ever wonder what the Omni La Costa Resort's Del Sol Ballroom looks like all set and lit up?  Here's a little clip and some photos shot at a recent corporate party I covered for a colleague.

Corporate Event at Petco Park

This was a unique event as we were in Hall of Fame Bar & Grill (Also known as The Loft) int eh Western Metal building overlooking the field area which was in full conversion for the SuperCross Event this weekend.  No Video for this one but a few pictures from before start time.   Also a couple shots that captured the brand new custom case for the new #Pioneerdj #DDJRZ  The DDJ-RZ is a brand new state of the art All-in-one DJ System. 

 

Brittany & MIchael's Reception - Santa Luz with Uplights

  What a nice couple and their friends and family were nice and rowdy at the same time, no better combo for the DJ to have a little fun with them.  A couple of highlights that I loved about this party.  The first was after the Father of the Bride tried to play a joke on me after his welcome and acted like he was dropping the microphone as he handed it back to me....  hahaha I think.  2nd was the personal recorded song and toast from country music artist Collin Raye to the Bride and Groom.  He was friends of the family and couldn't make it to the wedding with his tour schedule but recorded part of his show where he dedicated a song to them and then gave a short toast from his tour bus. 
  12 Uplights in pale blush were the final touches on this wedding.  #greatparty
The location of the camera was getting vibrations from the speaker, sorry about the sound quality.

  

Darlington House Wedding - La Jolla

  Brent & Chris tied the knot with a very boutique wedding style that fit them perfectly.   Diane Kern the Wedding Planner did a fabulous job of outlining the details.   The day started with a small ceremony in the courtyard overlooking the fountain.

 

 For the ceremony music they brought in a pianist to play on the Darlington House piano located inside the house, this presented a unique challenge because the Ceremony was outside.  I used a wireless solution to transmit the piano mic signal back out to the Ceremony PA system.  It worked flawlessly.

The Cocktail Reception was held in the adjacent patio and library 

while the final touches were put on the dinner area in the Rose Garden.  

 Let's get this party started... An amazing choreographed first dance charged the Reception and its guest with the energy top get them revved up for the night.  They danced until the very last song.

So many great pictures came from Anika London Photography, I'll just post some of my favorites.

Video Mapping for Weddings

  The time is now 2014, its time to get with the latest and greatest.  Video Mapping is the next generation that brides and grooms will be asking for.  Ever since the infamous Disney Youtube video of the Cinderella Carriage on the Wedding Cake.  Its been gaining popularity and interest, but video mapping isn't new.  Its been in use for years, there are festival of lights events in Europe that feature Video mapping of entire buildings.   The custom animation of the Disney video can get costly pretty quick but there are a few options that are more cost effective and will still wow your guests.

  The Association of Bridal Consultants in San Diego hosts a monthly meeting and each month covers a different aspect of the wedding industry.  Whether it be tips and trends or technology, their goal is to educate and help their members excel to being the best.  I spoke briefly about video mapping to the group and here are the highlights.  Thank you to Laura Christin Photography for the Photos and thank you to Nick Covino for being my video mapping tech for the session.

Start with a normal ballroom and wedding.   

Dim the lights and add some color

 You can bring in each of these colors individually or all at once.

 If you're like me, you're thinking "yeah, great. Colored squares on furniture" why would a bride want that at her wedding"?    

Exactly! let's put something on those surfaces 

that a bride and her entire guest list would want to see.

Let's put the Bride's picture montage on the faux cake table and

Let's put the grooms montage on the 6ft banquet table stage right.

 Then on the big drape behind the stage let's put their engagement video footage playing behind the other images.

 You can leave the color images as we've done in this picture or you can turn them off.  You can use pictures, color swatches, logos, and videos.  The possibilities are endless.

This is however is not a DIY task just yet, there are some variables to be considered, type of surfaces to project to, projector specs and placement AND it just takes the proper software, a good amount of technical knowledge and a technical professional to get the job done right.

But It's a really cool to see upclose!

Rancho Santa Fe Country Club - Wedding, Uplights and Monogram

  Katy & Kevin got married this summer at the Rancho Santa Fe Country Club and had a blast!   Their closeness with family and friends was infectious and it showed all day long.   I started the day off by providing the Wedding Ceremony microphones and music on the East Lawn which went flawlessly except for being a little humid that day.   When the doors to the main ballroom opened we were home free.  The bridal party and family were so close that they couldn't help but enjoy the over the top grand entrance (complete with a few Dancing with the Stars style moments),  dinner, and the toasts were some of the best I've seen.  The Monogram looked great and the gold accented uplighting really warmed the room and gave the perfect amount of color to the room while keeping it elegant.  Hats off to the incredibly talented event coordinator and planner Keli Christenson of Monarch Weddings and thanks to Eddie Garcia of E3 Photography for the images.
  A few of the highlights of this event include the King Size Donut in place of the Groom's cake, the uplighting and of course the dance party that followed, but my favorite part of the night is when Kevin stopped to thank me just before heading out for the grand exit.  He was soaked from dancing all night and gave me a very simple "thank you it awesome".