Komodo Music

Komodo Music

Ok strap yourself in folks for some ground breaking revelations!...people's music taste can SUCK*!

*compared to what you like

However the truth of the matter is if people are dancing to music they like the atmosphere and vibe will make the night! If I offered one of my brides $10,000 and all they needed to do was tell me 5 songs I played in order I would never lose a cent because nobody will remember what song was played (unless it was a personal favourite or was REALLY BAD) but they will remember a full dance floor and how the party felt!

Our DJs are able and always happy to take requests as it will show us what the crowd wants but at the end of the day our number one priority is ensuring your wedding is the best night it can be.

So let's give you some practical advice of what to do:

On the RSVP, allow guests to pick THREE songs that will GET THEM DANCING

By giving guests three options it allows you to filter some of the more "interesting" choices. By also stating that they need to be songs that will get them dancing it ensures they have an obligation to dance if they want to hear it.

Create a DO NOT PLAY list.

At Komodo Music we allow couples to create a Must Play, Play if Possible, and DO NOT PLAY list. The DNP list is probably most important to ensure the DJ knows what songs are allowed and what is not. A good DJ will read the crowd and extrapolate from the lists you give them but if you are not a fan of Taylor Swift and a guest asks for ‘Shake it Off’, the DJ will know not to allow it

Allow requests on the DJs discretion and when it will have the best effect.

Allowing guests to request on the night is fine, but the DJ is not a juke box and a request is just that, a REQUEST. The only one who can DEMAND any song is the Bride and Groom as it is your wedding. An experienced DJ will see what the crowd is dancing too and use that to keep the momentum going.

For example, if you are all dancing to some 80's classics and someone requests Madonna's ‘Like a Virgin’ there is a very good chance the DJ can mix that in fairly quickly. If however the next person requests Usher's ‘Yeah!’ it can certainly make an appearance but probably not for a fair few songs as the DJ needs to bring the crowd with them so the crowd transitions gradually without noticing they were listing to 80's and now a few songs later are dancing to RnB. It’s a skill Komodo Music specializes in.

At the same time, if someone comes up and asks for Metallica's ‘One’, we will probably refuse as it is not suitable for the mood (unless the B&G are metalheads and then it becomes a 'later' request)

So the TL:RD

Yes guests are perfectly fine to make requests, just ensure you have a good DJ to filter what won't work for your wedding :-)

-Dave, Komodo Music DJs, PERTH

Komodo Music

Hi!
So I can't speak for every DJ or band (especially since different states also have different pricing structures) but I can certainly give you an idea of how we do our pricing for events outside of Perth.
So generally speaking we would charge $110ph of travel. So if the venue is 2 hours outside of Perth that is a 4 hour round trip so the travel fee would be $440. Anything over 2 hours we would usually also charge an accommodation cost too (as nobody wants to be driving 2+ hours at 1am in the morning.) Depending on where this is and what time of year it is the accommodation can be anywhere between an extra $100 to $300.
We usually offer 2 options- One where the travel fee is just the travel time and the customer takes care of accommodation for us, or a second option where we charge for travel and accommodation which we will take care of.
This allows the customer to potentially save some money if they have a deal with the onsite accommodation.

We have also done interstate and international weddings where we essentially do the same thing but instead of travel time its tickets and the accommodation is anywhere between 3-7 days. We usually also need to charge a equipment hire fee as well as the cost of bringing over speakers and lighting is not cost effective. Depending on which location this can also add significant costs to the quote (for example- hiring from a local AV company in Melbourne is going to be different from hiring from a company in Bali).

I would suggest getting a quote for the baseline service in local areas and then finding out their travel fees. Sometimes a travel fee may be much higher than normal because the company doesn't really want to travel but sometimes the accommodation might be in such high demand that the only place the DJ can stay is at the over priced B&B.

Hope that gives you a starting point :-)

Kind regards,

David Green

Komodo Music DJs
Perth, WA

1300 87 5635

Komodo Music

Ok- Strap yourself in! I'm about to give you the key to creating the best wedding playlist that has served my company for 15 years!

Nostalgia!

The trick is not to play "Old" or "New" songs but songs that create a memory for you. I call them my "OMG I haven't heard this song in AGES" songs and can come from any era and any genre! Now the trick for a DJ is looking at the crowd, their ages, temperment and backgrounds (is this a country wedding or a city wedding, etc) and then knowing which songs will get that reaction.

It is also important to have this reaction all through dinner so by dessert people are litterally itching to get on the dance floor.
I will give you a few of my personal favorites to play during the dinner part which will I know work for 90% of weddings:

• Follow Me- Uncle Cracker
• Take Me Home Country Road- John Denver
• Superstar- Jamileia
• Tribute- Tenatious D
• Daydream Believer- The Monkees
• I'll Make A Man Out Of You- Mulan
• Stand By Me- Ben E King
• I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys

Hopefully this will give you an idea of what I'm refering to. General rule of thumb is if you can see yourself singing in the car with your friends to a song chances are everyone will sing it at their tables at the wedding!

Hope that helps :-)

David Green

Komodo Music DJs, Perth