One of the very first things I'm generally asked is "do you take requests?" or "how do you arrive at the playlist you use?".

I am what some people like to call, interactive. I absolutely live for getting a good reaction to the music I play - it doesn't matter whether I like it personally or not - what really matters to me is that you, the customer enjoys it along with your guests. I use a mixture of 'gut feelings' (aka experience) and 'reading the room' (aka watching the crowd taking note of how they're reacting to the music) - but a lot of what I do is driven by requests. I don't have predefined lists & there's certainly no such thing as 'generic wedding playlist A' in the DJ programs I use.

Not all tracks requested by people are suitable for playing right there & then - some have to be worked in, which is akin to going on a musical journey. A good DJ should have some kind of flow in the music, not jump around genres & speeds like Spotify on total random play. That isn't to say that a complete change of direction isn't always uncalled for - sometimes that's just what a party needs. My aim is always to take dancers on a series of waves to the ultimate goal, the end of the night - a blissed out finale.

If I'm playing a wedding the perfect ending is the happy couple absolutely surrounded by their friends & family united in their admiration. At an engagement party it's pretty much the same story. The same also applies for birthdays. For other kinds of parties - who am I kidding - the ultimate goal is still the same - a roomful of very happy people who don't want the night to end.

When it comes to your party I'm more than happy to accept your requests before your big event. You can use my online music planner or just send me an email list. If you opt to use the online planner though, you have the option of sending your guests a link so they can make requests too - and of course you still the final say over what makes it through (yeah, thanks Aunt Doris, for requesting Man's Not Hot you scamp!).

Interaction though, as I've already said is important, so please remember to leave some options for requests during the evening too.