The Songs That Never Miss at Weddings

New Year’s Eve doesn’t give DJs room for autopilot, it demands intention. We kick things off with the tiny details that matter on the biggest night of the year: clean transitions, tight loadouts, smart routing, and why “Happy New Years” needs to finally retire. Then we break down a viral clip of a planner sliding down a staircase to save a dress train and use it to talk vendor awareness, timing, and how to help without becoming the main character.

But the heart of this episode is a deep dive into the reaction records that never missed in 2025. From Montell Jordan into a Fresh Prince flip, to Pitbull heat, Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” Nicki’s “Super Bass,” a Hollaback Girl × Unwritten mash that crushes peak hour, and a lean, chorus-first “Dancing Queen” - we unpack why these songs still hit. You’ll get practical programming notes on when to go original vs edit, how to use double-hook entries to keep momentum, and the surprise bridges that turn “oh no” into “oh THIS is fire.”

We also revisit DJC Recharge: why fewer DJs with longer sets created deeper learning, and how "connection sessions" replaced panels with real-time crate improvement. Plus, a look at 2026’s silent-disco learning model, designed to multiply voices without multiplying noise.

A listener question rounds things out: how do you keep a wedding on track when the bride warns her mom will overstep? We share calm scripts, firm boundaries, and our north star: protect the couple’s vision while keeping the night moving.

If you love timeless bangers, vendor craft, and sharper programming, this one’s for you. If it resonates, share it with a DJ friend and drop a review with your guaranteed floor-filler, we might feature it next week.

Transcript

Cold Open And New Year Rant

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, beautiful party people. What's up? Welcome back to Beyond the DJ Booth. I am one of your hosts, Joe Bunn. That right there is my boy Brian B. And last year. Yeah, before we go any further, happy freaking new year. This is the this episode will come out on the last day of the year, December 31st.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

You always say this. I think you catch anybody who says this, I think, if you're the one. I can't remember.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

I am the one.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Yeah, you don't like it with the apostrophe.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Fuck it. No. It has to have the apostrophe. It has to have the it it it here we go. Do you remember this little thing?

SPEAKER_02 2:16

If I if you hold on. Let's go to the off the record.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Uh off the record. Let me talk my sugar on the icy. They throw a shame while I'm sipping on this icy. Don't care if you hate on it like me. You know my possessions on ice me. I'm gonna say what I want to say. Time to rant and ready. Get out the way.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

All right, go on with your rap. If I hear anybody tonight or tomorrow, come up to me and say happy new years. I'm gonna slap the shit out of you. It's not happy new year. It's happy new year. And today, when this episode comes out, is New Year's Eve. New Year Apotrophe S Eve. There is no incident. There is no way that you should ever go to somebody and go, Happy New Year! Doesn't fucking make sense. So please, please don't say it. Please don't write it. Please don't do it because it doesn't make sense in the English language. Thank you. End of rant. Oh man. And you got a wedding tonight. Oh shit. So do you, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:45

I do. I'll be out of town. You'll be in town. Are you nervous about driving home from that thing? Or here's the good news.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

You got another driver. No, it's right across the top. It's three minutes away. Oh, three minutes away. Three minutes. We're Merriman Wynn. Oh, okay. We're Merriman Wynn. We're where we're at. Oh, that's good. The DJ Collective this year. And so it's right around the corner. And to be fair, I think we will be out of there way before two o'clock. We'll be home. Okay. Loaded out in bed by 1 15, I'm calling it. Yeah. Including the loadout. So we're we're going to miss the two o'clock. And then of course we'll miss the 12 o'clock rush from the people leaving downtown where the priority so far. So we kind of are in that middle spot. And I don't drink when I play. So I think I'm safe.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

And we're in a giant sprinter band. So let's go. Get out. Yeah. The A-Team had a big, you know, black van, and they were always safe. Yeah. We're good. We're good. Shout out the A Teams. You didn't know what the A Team is. Yeah, I do. Who was in it? Who was the black guy?

SPEAKER_04 4:46

Mr. T. Yeah, Mr.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

T. I want to make sure that somebody in their 20s knew where the A-T was.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Well, let's uh thank our friends, as we like to call them. Ooh, our friends. And they are our friends. Yeah, from Patreon folks. Hell yeah. Trent Warren from uh Colorado. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

I haven't seen him in a hot minute. I haven't seen him in a hot minute. Trent, where are you?

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Yeah, come back to come back to us.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

Brad from Queen City DJs. You think that's Charlotte? That's the Queen City.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Or is that New York City? Is that also the Queens? Queens. I don't know. Queen City, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

I think it's Charlotte.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

John from Ohio, Bulflighting.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

Yeah, good dude. Both Lighting, shout out.

Patreon Shoutouts And Community

Viral Planner Slide And Vendor Etiquette

SPEAKER_02 5:24

And then this is one where we got uh a double name in the uh username on the Patreon. A couple. Yeah, a couple. Shout out Nick and Rebecca. Clark. Thank you guys for tuning in and for also just supporting the channel and supporting the Patreon. Appreciate it. Thank you guys. Yeah. Well, uh, let's see what's on our next segment here. Um, oh, so pop culture saw this uh a few weeks ago, so this is gonna be definitely dated by the time we see it, but I just thought this video clip is worth talking about because it has to do with weddings. So this it's a minute and some change, so just let it roll. Okay. I did, yeah. Okay. I did. That is nuts. What is your take on it? I I mean, I don't know. I think there's certain ones where that can be no big deal. I think there are certain hyper like if that's a celebrity wedding, I don't know, man. Like, I probably would not be that's going everywhere, right? Like, and so if it was happening at a Florida venue of mine, no one's gonna care at all. You know what I mean? But something that is so high profile. Now, I don't know about this one, wasn't obviously, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 8:31

I would be No, I I guess I'm looking at it more from a standpoint of like, do you think that the the the wedding planner is in the wrong for sliding down, or do you think that like she went above and beyond?

SPEAKER_04 8:42

I think. Well, I don't even know. We don't know the situation because it looks like maybe she should have already looked like she should have already been down there. Yes. Okay, good point. Good point.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

But she also had to get it right then. She had to get down there, right? And so then I in in it also let's let's keep in mind that is a crowd shot video. Right. That's not that she's nowhere in the videographer's shot of her and her dad walking down. Well, she came across the back.

SPEAKER_04 9:12

No, she went on the side though.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

No, she does come across the back and then hits the side, but but but during the main the the res uh processional down the stairs out of the way, she's out, right? And she she cruises down the side to fix I dude. I gotta give her props. I mean, it's a bold stunt move, though. Like, it is nuts. And it's like leads me to think like, has she worked at the avenue before? Did she know she was gonna do that? Was it like just like like I would have rather seen I I don't give a shit about the bride's side. I wouldn't I want to like call up that lady and go, what's this planned? Have you done it before? Right, what made you slide down there?

SPEAKER_02 9:50

My guess.

SPEAKER_03 9:51

And she damn near broke her damn leg. A little concussion, right? Like she's out for two more weeks, hobbles over there and fixes the dress. I mean, I think the lady's a freaking. Right. Like her leg is damn buckled under.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

No, um, the other thing is I just know wedding planners in general and coordinators, they've got a million things going on. A million. So they're probably like, and she maybe she had something else that would call her attention and she had to rush over there. So there's a lot of factors that we don't know.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

I think it's badass.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

It's very Jason born.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

But okay, it leads me to this, I guess, with the DJing side. Do you ever think about that in terms of like when you're doing something like our guest looking or a thousand percent when you have an assistant?

SPEAKER_03 10:34

A thousand percent. Saquon and I scatter multiple times a night during different moments from behind that DJ booth to not be in the video, to not be in the pictures.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

That's where I was going with it.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

And in fact, when we had that vendor panel, you heard somebody say Joe is really good at getting out of the way. Yeah. It is very important to me.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Officiance. That's like a big one. Yeah, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Or the first kids have to get out of that picture. Like even the ones that have no clue what they're doing up there, right? I feel like that is the one thing that they've been told. Right. You know what I mean? Like the people that signed the the church or whatever online and get their certificate and have never officiated. For some reason, I feel like the the planner at least says, look, if if if you remember nothing else from this, get the f out of the way during that last or during that first kiss.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

So what are the I'm just curious because maybe I'll learn something here from you. What are what are the uh moments that you kind of get out of the way for?

SPEAKER_03 11:32

Anything special dance-wise. Okay. Um if if I know that I'm in a shot or know where they're shooting from, I'm I am definitely moving out of the shot.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Not a duck. What do you mean?

SPEAKER_03 11:44

Ducking. No, no, no. I don't think you've got enough width to duck behind the car. Not the booner. Not behind the booth. Not that booth. If you got a TV booth, you can duck. Yeah. You can hit the duck. Just like yeah, just go down low. Tokyo. Eat a little snack. You see someone's hands.

unknown 11:57

Just go.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Have a little snacky snack back by but behind those TV boots, you can get a lot done.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Now, let me ask you though, if they wanted a shorted dance, shortened, shortened dance.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

Yeah, which most people do.

Staying Out Of Photos As A DJ

SPEAKER_02 12:09

How are you juggling like I mean, could you are you watching the screen from that far off? Are you not that far away where you can still see it?

SPEAKER_03 12:15

I'm not that far away. And again, normally it's it's it's um video. I'm probably in it, but photography, photo-wise, I'm trying to get out of that picture. And and again, you know, it's like they also know the know the room, know where they want to shoot it. Right. You know, a lot of times they don't want the DJ in the background, even though we have this gorgeous gear. Yeah, they would rather have the picturesque window or you know, uh 150 guests or whatever. Like, but I if I see them shooting our way, we're just both like, whoa. Or or a family picture, you know, that's gone. Hey, family picture in front of the DJ booth or family picture over here. Saquon and I are both like, whoa.

SPEAKER_04 12:52

Or like if they do toast. Toast? Yeah, toast is another one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

Especially if the toast are right in front of the booth, you know, I'll introduce them, walk out in front of the booth. Ladies and gentlemen, the father of the ride, you know, John Smith, boom, hand him the mic. I'm yeah, like I don't want to be standing beside him, like I'm just some shit freaking, you know, uh like lost nephew over there, like, hey, what's up, guys?

SPEAKER_02 13:13

The other one where I I don't get this as much. I did have one this year, so I I this is fresh because it just happened. But when they do the choreographer choreographed dance, yeah, and they're everyone's got their phones out, everyone's doing this for the mother and the son or whoever, father or daughter. Sure, that's when I get out. I hit play. Plus, yeah, uh, if it's a bad mix that they put together themselves, just like it doesn't look like you're up there train breaking it. Yeah, right. No, they put this together, right?

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Right. You know what I mean? Yeah, with like the thriller in the middle type shit.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

Okay, so we're doing the same, yeah, basically.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Yeah, I just I just I don't want to be in that picture, man. Totally as much as I would love photographers to shoot me, I don't want to be in those.

Peak Reaction Songs That Always Hit

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Well, let's move to some music. Okay. So when we did the episode with Mike Walter, we kind of hit this a little bit. We talked about top songs of 2025, but I feel like we kind of just talked about songs that came out in 2025 for the most part. Okay. We weren't talking about biggest reaction songs in 2025, meaning songs that could have been from the 70s or you're just your your biggest reaction songs you're getting in gigs in 2025, which could be old tracks, whatever. Um, I know we're gonna put you on the spot in a minute, but like top 10, or even if you give me top five, I can start because I actually made a list. I'm not gonna play these, but let's just say there'll be some bonus content if you are on the Patreon with the channel. Winky, winky. Yeah, I'll just leave it at that. So this is in no particular order. Um, but one of the biggest ones, reactions for one is one that I put together from a routine I kind of put together, which is This Is How We Do It, which is a great song, anyways. Great song, you're right. Into uh Fresh Prince of Bel Air over that same beat. And it always crushed for me. I had it um This is something you made a while back. A while back. And basically when I sent it to Joe Bunn, though. I haven't sent it, I haven't sent it. Uh, but what I'll tell you is that it uh has an a cappella out, so it's like a cold out basically, so that I can drop into anything after that. Okay, it's just unexpected. Fresh Prince of Bel Air still crushes. Are you playing that anyways in shows?

SPEAKER_03 15:41

I have, I have, but it's it not often. Should play it by the way. I know because it's the right demographic. Great demographic. It would have killed at that Epic Games Party. Yes. Epic Games Party would have killed. I need it, I need it.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

All right. So, what would be just one of ten that you can think of? I'm not expecting you to have.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Um, I I'll I'll say, man, anything is still, and and I know it's been God, probably 10 years since he was super hot. Anything pit bull still kills for us. Really? Hotel room service smashes. Give me everything tonight, smashes. Uh, even like the old like OG Pitbull stuff, like Kaylecho, yeah, um uh um Timber with Kesha. Like to me, man, it uh and I'll say the same thing. I'll I'll I'll ditto it for for Flow Rider, man. Yeah. I mean, uh Lowe Steel Crushes. Uh we've played um uh in the A or A or have you played that in a while? No, I haven't played that one. I mean save some of these. And we and I was gonna go back fourth. All right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

So you let's go with your pit bull. Okay. Biggest pit bull song is what, hotel room service?

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:51

That was on my list.

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Reactionary. I mean I'll switch out.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

Oh, tell, oh, tell.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

Like where you can like literally hear over your music, and I'm like looking at Segwall, I'm like, oh, we got a banger. Like, if you're hearing people scream, yes, that chorus, oh yeah, holiday in. I'm like, oh, we're we're in it.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

So my number two is Hollowback Girl versus Unwritten.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

It is undefeated in my book because that is your go-to version of Unwritten.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

And I got it originally from DeVille. Okay. It's DeVille's shout out DeVille. However, I didn't like it because it just had the blend only. Like it was just unwritten over the hollow back girl beat. And I'm like, you need hollow back girl in this track. Okay. That's like a go. Like, if you play that blend and you do not have Hollowback Girl in there, you're wasting a great song. Yeah. So I blended the two together so that I have a little bit of Hollowat Girl in there.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

I do have that.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

Then it goes into the surprise of Unwritten. Right. I know you play the scooter edit of Unwritten primarily, but I feel like that one's kind of got like a drag of a instrumental behind it. And you have to play it later. This one plays peak hour for me.

SPEAKER_03 18:00

Crushes. I don't, I can't seem to get off the the scooter surprise edit with the the marshmallow Bastille beat.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Interesting. Happier.

SPEAKER_02 18:09

Yeah. So is that still, would you put this in this list? A thousand percent. Number like one of your biggest. Yes, sir. All right.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Yes, sir. You're hearing it whether you want to or not.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

Number three.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

Same with We Found Love.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

Okay, that's gonna be on this list. So let's go with that. We found Love OG version.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Absolutely. Okay. I would I would never bastardize it. Know that I want to dance with somebody with that. Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

So are you playing a short edit? Are you playing just DJ intro in?

unknown 18:39

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

No, there ain't even a DJ intro. It starts with bam, bam, bam, bam, baby.

SPEAKER_03 18:43

Oh, wow. Interesting. Because it's got to go long, it does like don't care. You're gonna keep below it. You're gonna sit here and absorb how good this is.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

It's a buildup, man. It is, man. It it just that lasts 30 minutes, and you're probably gonna get a cryo blast in the face with it. Okay. You know what I mean? It just That's your number three. It just goes.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

My number three is any Nicki Minaj. Yes. But I'm gonna say Superbass has been my biggest one. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Bottoms up, though, is up there. Starships is up there. All hitters. Bottoms up, hitters.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Yep. Hitters. That would go. I think we need to bring that back out. Bottoms up. Oh, you're not playing that? No, we need to bring that back.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

You need to bring it back. You need to play the Even Steve edit with Nicki Minaj verse only.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

Yeah. I got that.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

So play that.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

That'll crush for you. Yep. Smasher.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Number four for me. I mean, I think you've said this one too, probably on your list. Pink Pony Club.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

I was going to put that on my list a thousand percent, even though it came out next time.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

What version are you playing? Is there a version in it?

SPEAKER_03 19:41

It's a fuse chorus first edit. The disc, it's the fuse first. Shout out fuse. Shout out fuse. It's the only one I don't. That's it. Yeah, fuse disco, chorus first. Chorus first. No, if it starts with that. I'm not in a fucking jazz club. I'm trying to, I'm playing bangers right now. I don't need a ballad in the middle of it.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

No, totally agree. Shout out fuse.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

Shout out fuse.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Uh, what's my number five? Um oh, no hands.

SPEAKER_03 20:11

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

Biggest, probably one of the biggest songs at every show I play.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

You're playing the the the I play a bunch of different versions.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

It just depends.

SPEAKER_03 20:17

But If you ever play like a 130 BPM version? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Mike D. Interesting. Mike D. Yeah, I've got that. Yeah. I don't usually play their OG version. No? I mean Mike D's version to me is almost But it's double time. It's double time, but you really don't feel it. Like it because it's double time. It feels like it's not No, it's in Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:35

It's not the beat. Right. He hasn't quantized the vocals or messed up. It sounds so great.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

And I like to play that when I'm faster up in the BPMs and get me back to hip hop.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

I think I use it the opposite way and just play the original when I'm trying to go back down. Yeah. When I'm when I'm going for a break. Number six. Not a break, but into the ratchetity.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

Okay. Number six for me is the song Complicated. Avril Levine smashes for me. With lip gloss. With the lip gloss. Yeah, I knew it.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Yeah, I got that from you. But that it goes crazy. And everybody's doing that dance.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

And that's another one that was a Deville starter. But then what happened was he never had lip gloss. And people were going mental that I was not playing a little bit of lip gloss. Right. So I had to add that in. Right. But it's such a surprise. That it comes in, and people at first are like, Why is he playing Avril? And then when the verse drops, it's like they are singing at the top of the What you know about me. What you what you know about me?

SPEAKER_03 21:30

Great track. That that would be online. I think that was me.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

Uh, this is a throwback. Any ABBA, but I'm gonna say Dancing Queen is by far the bigger one of than Gimme Gimme.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

What kind of edit are you playing?

SPEAKER_02 21:41

I've got a couple. Um, I've got a short one. I always feel like I slam it in with that piano. Yeah. I'll play the original. Because we play it so early.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Yeah. What's that? Gimme gimme hits. Oh, gimme, gimme.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

Yeah, it hits hard. Yeah. I don't do you play the whole song too. Uh I feel like that verse is so weird. No, no, no. Of um of Gimme Gimme. It is weird. The verse. Dun dun dun dun dun dun. It's a weird. The energy just drops. Yeah. So I just play the hook and I'm out. Uh two hooks in a row. Oh, double hook it. Double hook it. It's made. Made. Send me that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

We're on number eight. Uh, another one for me. The whole podcast is basically just me learning about what I should be playing and then asking Brian to send it to me later.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Uh, still crushing for me, love story. Taylor Swift and the disco lines version. The disco lines version.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

I'm um I'm with the Dua Lipa Don't think Scooter. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

That's a good one too.

SPEAKER_03 22:34

And also the whole podcast is me just hyping scooter. Uh it's a good one. I love that one. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Uh let's see. Um, that dynamite, don't stop believing. One of the biggest realities. Number nine for me.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

I mean, it doesn't matter where it is, it doesn't matter in that same. Add that. I was gonna say that. Yeah. Shout out even crushed. Shout out even Steve.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

And I would even say dynamite. I'm surprised how well that's doing in general.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

It's just it's just generational.

SPEAKER_02 22:58

I mean, it's it fell off my list a long time ago. Now it's back.

SPEAKER_03 23:01

I think it definitely fell off my list, but I this brought it back in the greatest way. Yeah. Because it's a call and response. I mean, it do something, put your hands in the air without me sitting there going, put your hands in the air.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

It came across like there was a point where it was played out and it was kind of cheesy.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

It went, it went into uptown funk territory.

SPEAKER_02 23:19

Yeah. But now it's back. And then my last one uh is kind of a random one, but your love, Outfield, dude, crushes for me. I had so many versions of that.

SPEAKER_03 23:29

Same. And but I like the OG. I do too. But I'm gonna tell you this. I got a that's one of those. I don't give a fuck if you want to hear it or not. Yeah, I'm playing it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

It's really rare.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

Sugar were going down? I don't give a fuck if you want to hear it or not.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

It's coming out. That'd probably be because I'm at 10 now. So would you would you say sugar you're going down or would you say or my own worst enemy? Okay. Any of those? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

Yeah. Yeah. Uh uh, what's my what's my age again? Or how all the small things. Right. Those all kind of go together. Okay. And they may just be in that like a little mini pocket set, Ryan B set. Got it.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

Well, that's all I got on the music. I just was curious if uh anything you would have as honorable mention on the show.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

I'm just trying to think of anything. Yeah, else that like is an honorable mention. I mean, so we're playing pretty similarly. Yeah, but you you play a lot.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Um like the same reaction songs, though. I'm saying like you got the bangers.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

Yes, yes, but your your other stuff in the in the in the gaps is so much more well curated, I feel like. Yeah. And when I was going through some of that stuff that I got from you, I was like, man, he's he's digging in the crates. Yeah, this is good shit. You know what I mean? And some of it I was like, man, um, I would never play this. Right. But the ball is also you play a lot of different parties after parties. Right. Some of it, and and actually was kind of sitting on the couch, like working on something. And and like we would both perk up at the same time. And that's how I knew it was like a good barometer of like, oh, this is if this is like transcending or or or you know, translating for her as a banger, it this is a banger, right? You know what I mean? Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Anyway, that's our music segment. Um I wanted to hit before we get into the question today. Uh, this is the last day of the year. Should we talk about DJC 2026 before the price probably goes up January 1, is what I'm guessing. Great, great call, great call. Um, we're at almost we're over the 40% threshold for sure. Think about that, man. We were trying to get 50.

SPEAKER_03 25:24

Like, that was it. Uh, dude, I'm I'm serious. Yeah, I I know I said this the other day, but like every once in a while just be like, damn, dude, like I'm proud of us. Like, we really did it. Like, we yeah, listen, to those of you that have been to a DJ collective of any sort before, we did some really over-the-top shit. Brian will have the memories pop up on Facebook or whatever and send me pictures sometimes. And I'm like, dude, I barely remember that because it was so crazy how big it got.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

We actually haven't even talked about a recap. Maybe we should just spend like a minute or two on what was your favorite part of this year's DJC recharge or anything that stood out in general, just doesn't have to be your favorite part.

SPEAKER_03 26:02

Man, you know, I I feel like the party was probably my favorite part. I I went and got my fake Gucci tracksuit.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Did you change like in the parking lot?

SPEAKER_03 26:11

I walked in the parking lot. The van was out there because I've been like, wait, what did you do?

SPEAKER_02 26:14

Yeah, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 26:15

I had only this at dinner, and then I was like, I started, I started had a couple drinks with dinner, and they started clearing the tables out of the restaurant, and I was like, and I'd put it in the in the van, and I was like, I'm feeling the Gucci, fake Gucci tracksuit right now, and a pair of Jordans, and I just went out there and just and that's when I was like, I'm going nuclear. I kept saying that. I'm like, and I did, I went straight to the moon. Great party. Pierce killed it. Uh Icon killed it. Two perfect guys for that event, and played completely different types of sets.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Uh let me ask you this. This has happened at I've seen this trend at a lot of shows. And I don't know if it's I I don't know how I feel about it. I like the idea of less DJs, longer sets because they can actually see them like get into the party. Right. But then the trend has been less time, more DJs. I mean, I get the appeal of it because you know, you're seeing a different DJ, and you're but they all are playing like you can only flex for so much for 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

It and it takes you away from the the vibe. Right, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

That's where I felt like Pierce won in the sense of opening that party. Like he could go in in any direction. And props to him, man. Starting a party off for a room of DJs when there's nothing eating a bunch of Chinese food.

SPEAKER_03 27:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

Like he kicked off pretty much curated that so well. And then by the end, I mean, he had people he set up Icon perfectly. He really did. Like he knew what his job was, and that is not an easy task. No, all DJs.

SPEAKER_03 27:45

Shout out both of those guys. They killed it. And then I guess the other thing, and it had mixed reactions, is the vendor panel. So we had a photographer, a videographer, a wedding planner, uh, a venue owner, and myself, and and a content creator. And I kind of I kept it under control as best I could. But a few of them kind of said some things that would rub DJs the wrong way. Like out the gate. Out the gate, and it went sideways quickly. And Brian looked at me at the end and he goes, We're never doing that again. That was a shit show. But then two seconds later, I'm going to the bathroom and people are like, That was the best thing I've seen all week. And I'm like, Wow, yeah, man. Was it a shit show or was it?

SPEAKER_04 28:29

I think it was a great polarizing because nobody like really wants to hear what they have to say. Right. And then when they say it, it's like, whoa.

SPEAKER_02 28:41

Well, my my my only issue with it was like, I feel like maybe we should have prepped them a little bit better of like, hey, listen, we want to start positive before we go negative. I mean, I you did. But the first thing was like, I think the question was like, what's something of that um the the DJs do that you appreciate? Like something like could it be more of a softball question? Right. And then one of the panelists, I won't say who, was like, you know, one of the things that really pisses me off about DJs? And he just went down this road, and you're just like, yo, like we just handed you a softball question. And it went. And you went here. And um, and then, you know, then to Saquon's point, you you sometimes some of that stuff needed to be said.

SPEAKER_03 29:20

I know, I agree. And and listen, the point of the vendor panel was that to let people ask questions to people that are not in their market. Right. So that you you don't rub somebody the wrong way. You don't know these vendors, they don't know you. Right. So get it out. Right. You know what I mean? So I kind of expected it, but like a couple of people were like, man, I don't think we represented ourselves in the best way. And I'm like, as DJs, not us, like me and you. But I mean, anyway, I I loved it and at the same time. Right. It was a good mix up. Absolutely. I think next year, speaking of next year, uh, I'm gonna do a couples panel.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

So, you know, we we did this from past couples or couples that have not booked yet, or maybe both didn't? Maybe both.

SPEAKER_03 30:01

That would be interesting. You know, a couple of past couples, a couple of people that we you know have coming up. Um very diverse, you know, get a diverse crowd. Right. You know, uh different races, right? Same sex. Like just get some real diversity up there and just and it's not something I see. I dude, I think it would be great. Me and Mike did it 10 years ago. I remember that DHCJ workshop, and it went over great. Because again, you can ask these couples anything, they're not your couples. Yeah, you know, ask them what they like, ask them what they don't like. Yeah, you know, don't take my word for it.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

Totally. Anyway. Um my favorite things, um, you know, uh, one of them was the I love the connection sessions. I thought those were great because it really mixed it up.

SPEAKER_03 30:42

You masterminded that based off something that you had attended in Mexico. And when we got the surveys back, I've never seen a hundred percent. Shocked that people love that.

SPEAKER_02 30:52

Um, and then Drew and Fuse left a review or they didn't leave a review, they did a recap on their their podcast, which we'll know I haven't listened to, but yeah. But they were just saying that um they wish those were longer.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

And I was like, you know, almost all of them were about an hour long, so you're talking about six hours of time dedicated to these things. And I'm like, I don't know how how we could do it.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Just briefly kind of tell people what that weren't there, what it was. So the idea was, you know.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

Yeah, the idea was to have the hallway conversations be a little bit more um controlled or yeah, and also the idea too is that uh in a hallway conversation, you might catch one or two people coming out. Can you meet more people at a hundred person conference in a more controlled environment?

SPEAKER_03 31:37

And dig so what we did is we took all hold on, and to get off of the talking heads just standing up there blah blah blahing all day.

SPEAKER_02 31:45

Sometimes uh my best takeaways have been people that are sitting right next to me. 100%. And so it's not somebody standing at the front. But what we did was we took all of these names and we put them in a sort of like an AI tool that was like a wheel of names, so that the groups that you were in changed every time. You might get a few repeats, but for the I for ideally you would have a different set of group of they were groups of 10. So you'd have a group of, you know, maybe eight of the ten were different than you had in any other session. So hopefully the goal was that you'd meet as many people as you could and you have an hour to have a discussion. We would prompt them with a different question for each session. So round one, let's call it, was you know, uh something like, well, I think one of the questions was like, What's your business superpower? You never know what people are gonna say. Uh another one was music driven. Yeah, you know, those always go crazy on those. Those are the ones that probably are never long enough because you could go into that forever.

DJC Recharge Highlights And Lessons

SPEAKER_03 32:38

People had their laptops out and you could hear, like, I would walk around and kind of just shadowed, and you would hear like somebody drop something, and like the whole group of eight or ten DJs would be like, Oh shit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

And I feel like that space worked for that because it was a house that had like a bunch of different rooms. That's right. You could you were getting out of the main room, if you want to call it that. Yeah, stretch your legs, you know.

SPEAKER_03 33:00

And it was gorgeous here, and you know, it was it was cool.

SPEAKER_02 33:03

So that was one of my favorite, and then the second favorite, which I need to go get because I completely lost it. Oh no. Let me go grab it. My second favorite thing of the whole thing, and we have these still for sale. The uh unused crust about those unused urinal cakes. So these got talked about a lot. So is that you that actually might be used? I might have just watched that. Oh, you must just get involved.

SPEAKER_03 33:31

It says target locked J and I.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

So we put these in the bathrooms, you know. These venues, we always try to find some way to touch them up somehow. And we definitely uh, but the fact that there actually is a company that makes these brands. What were they called?

SPEAKER_03 33:45

Pee-pee head, pee pee, pee pee face, pee pee face, and Brian said his wife is going through the credit card bill. Yeah, she's like, What is this? What is peep?

SPEAKER_04 33:53

Like you got on some side or something. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 33:58

We had stuff like this for the women's uh bathroom.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Yeah, so we blew up some of these kinds of nose because they were dropping bombs in there.

SPEAKER_02 34:05

Just the idea of like we're thinking of everything, you know, or something you were thinking of everything. Just like random stuff. So, like wherever we can do those little touches, wherever. We've done them in other things before, but like trying to think of the spaces. So, my idea, I guess we can give us away a little bit. I haven't actually talked to you about this, but um because of the connection sessions, uh-huh. I think we because it's one big space, there's not like a lot of separate rooms, and I was like, gosh, how are we gonna do this? I know. I think we go silent disco headphones. Holy shit, dude. Like we did at the podcasting thing.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

That's exactly what we did at the podcast thing. We're doing that. I think we should. We're doing that, and that way we we it doesn't matter where it's at in that room. The oh, just the main, the moderator probably needs to be the mic. Yeah. But then you'd have to pass the mic if somebody's talking.

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Yeah, well, it's it's like he's gonna prompt it. And it's actually a little bit more controlled that way because everyone's got to have the mic. Right?

SPEAKER_03 34:55

Dude, and everybody's comfortable with the mic in the DJ comp. Yeah, god dang, you're a genius. Is that a good idea? We're doing it. Simon Rimmer, we're we're gonna be calling you, bro. Um, uh, what are they? Silent activations?

SPEAKER_02 35:06

I don't even know.

SPEAKER_03 35:06

That's who did the podcast convention.

SPEAKER_02 35:08

But I was like, gosh, why don't we just do it?

SPEAKER_03 35:10

We are gonna do it. Shout out Simon Rimmer.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

So get your ticket for 2026 activation today. Yeah. Uh, because it's gonna go up probably January 1st.

SPEAKER_03 35:19

Yeah. So www.the DJ CollectiveOfficial.com. Again, we've already sold 40 of 100 tickets. Going to be right back here, Raleigh, North Carolina. Do you have the dates off the top of your head?

SPEAKER_02 35:28

November 17th or 19th or somewhere in that, it's that week. 16th or 18th, something like that. Yeah, Monday.

SPEAKER_03 35:33

If you want to come in Sunday, yes, hang out with us, a little cocktail party welcome, all day content Monday, all day content Tuesday, party Tuesday night.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

VIP stuff maybe Wednesday.

SPEAKER_03 35:44

And then that'll be yeah, you can leave noon Wednesday.

SPEAKER_02 35:48

Yeah. Uh let's hit the question and then we'll hit this one off.

SPEAKER_03 35:52

Question of the day. You read it. Uh Eric Rasmussen.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Via Instagram. By the way, you can send us questions through Instagram, any of our channels. Or you can send it to us directly if you want. But yeah, we'll take it beyond the DJ. During the final consult with my couples before their wedding, the bride says, My mom's name is Sue. She's gonna ask you to to do things. Do things and change things. Don't do anything she says. Jesus. Obviously, I'm grateful for the heads up, but now I have these marching orders from the bride. How would you guys handle this?

SPEAKER_03 36:31

This is tough, man. I've definitely been put in this situation. Have you? Uh once. We had a situation.

SPEAKER_04 36:38

That's what I thought. She was trying to do everybody was doing speeches. Yep. And she came over to us wasted. Yep. And she and then the sister of the bride came over to the body. Pulled her away from us. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:50

Mother of the bride tried to uh put herself into the toast rotation. Yeah. That's stuff. And she was ape shit, and you know, uh she was pissed off that her husband had remarried a younger brother. Right. Like I was she was gonna fight us. Oh, she was she was pissed. This was uh less than a year ago. Anyway, um wow man, this is so can you answer first?

SPEAKER_02 37:12

I mean, I had that once where the the they they told me that the mother and the the daughter don't get along. Yeah, this is the bride telling me this, yeah, and so she's like there's some tension there, and uh, we're gonna try to mitigate it as best we can, but just know that whatever she says, don't do it. Wow. And so um, sure enough, dude, she came up like during dinner of the bride, the mother of the bride, wanting to hear some random tracks that weren't part of her and she literally stood by me. Oh no, dude, watching over my shoulder, and I'm like, hey, uh, you know, I can't remember the bride's name, but yeah, she curated this. The mom's name is Sue, so this would be right uh Jane. Jane, Jane's curated this, she's uh got this all in her must-play. I really can't deviate, even if it's a parent or a family member. So she's like, Well, I'm paying for this, was kind of her response.

SPEAKER_03 38:01

Yeah, that's I was about to say I knew she was gonna pull that out.

Connection Sessions Format And Ideas

SPEAKER_02 38:04

And I was like, I would talk to her, is what I told her. I said, talk to her and have her come up here, and then we can redo the order. But like this stuff is stuff that we've already locked and loaded for this this dinner hour. And then during toast, she wanted to say something. So she's standing by the DJ booth waiting to grab the mic, and I just kept moving it quicker than I normally would just to like get her off of here. And then finally, I think her she was remarried, so her stepfather, I guess, just like kind of took care of her for a little while. But she was already longer. Oh, yeah, she did she uh she was she was a couple of the sheets of the wind. Yeah. I mean, I'm glad to know about it ahead of time, but I always walk into those with intrepidation because I'm just like or trepidation, because I'm just like, I uh you never know what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_03 38:45

It's a wild card, it's a joker, right? I I did I did not get a heads up at the one that Saquon was talking about. If I got a heads up, I would be very um conscious of what could possibly happen. I would have, Eric, uh a bunch of canned responses kind of in my brain. Like Brian said, hey, she's carefully curated this. I've already programmed all this stuff in. I can't really change it. Hey, look, we're on a strict timeline. Um, we've got three toasts, and that's all we've got time for. Everybody's waiting to get to dancing. I can feel like the energy shifting, and I think everybody just wants to party. Like you, you, you just gotta be a diplomat in that case, man. And you got to ride the rails of of what's right and what's wrong. They're gonna pull the I paid for it card, which is probably not even true. Right, yeah. You know what I mean? Like I just it is the bride's day at the end of the day, man. And that's what people, no matter if it's a parent, a guest, an aunt, an uncle, they have to understand that. Right. You are a fucking bystander to an amazing moment. Right. And you should be you should thank the lucky stars that you are even here invited. Right. You know what I mean? You are on a list of only 150 people in the whole world that they felt should be here. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 40:00

I feel like regardless just focus on making the bride happen.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

Yeah, that's it. That's all you gotta do. That is the that is the end goal. That's and that was when I coming back to that vendor panel. That's what I kind of uh tried to bring it all home at the end. I was like, look, at the end of the day, man, everybody sitting up here is is trying to pull off one simple mission to make this the greatest day ever for these two people. Right. Period. Yeah, all work together. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:28

You had a tough job up there because these are your friends, these are your friends.

SPEAKER_03 40:31

Bro, it was tough.

SPEAKER_02 40:32

And then you James who look up to you too. So you were like, hey, stick up for your your your your.

SPEAKER_04 40:37

And I kind of was trying to ride that line. It was tough. It's like this. Yeah. I didn't know you were doing that. Like they started showing up, and I was like, Yeah. I was like, what's going on here?

SPEAKER_03 40:46

It was uh it was tough. I don't know. We might take a year or two off on that one.

SPEAKER_02 40:50

Eric, the best thing I could just recommend is just like treat it with kid gloves, man. Like you know, you gotta figure out a way. Don't be polarizing like that person is probably gonna be. So uh the best of luck, buddy. Yeah, that's what I can say. But I don't have it. Uh let us know how it goes, though. Let's thank our sponsor, DJ Event Planner. Thank you for uh sponsoring us. And for those of you that are looking for a CRM, this is a great one to use. We are have been on it for years. Um super satisfied with it. So with that, we'll We'll see you guys next week. Thanks, everybody.