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Thanks for asking! This shot was captured by Aimee Custis (www.aimeecustis.com). It’s of Ally & Adam's beautiful ceremony. I DJed their reception at City Winery in Washington, DC, on November 10th, 2019. #SchachingUpWithTager

As of this writing (Jan. 2020) I have done over seventy-five weddings. The majority of these were ceremony & reception, while some were reception only (less than ten).

My DJing style can vary somewhat depending on the playlist I’m given. For reception dance parties, right now I feel like the best fit for the majority of the receptions that I do is 90s & 2000s Top 40, with a mix of popular songs from today & classics from the 50s, 60s, & 70s. The pace is normally upbeat throughout the party to keep things lively. Dance Parties work the best when there is flexibility for me to respond to the crowd. If there is a response to hip-hop, then I’ll play more to keep them dancing. Same with country, rock, etc. Knowing what genres get a response out of your friends & family ahead of time is always great, but I am generally ready to adjust as long as your flexible.

My personality is laid back, but detail-oriented. Song choice matters to me in a dance party, and when I choose a song to play there is most likely reasoning behind it. Also when it comes to MCing, I normally make announcements as necessary, but refrain from behing a “hype man” and talking to or hyping up the crowd all night. I try to let the music do that for me.

Once I’m booked, I’ll send you a link to a Google Doc file specifically for your day that you & I (& other people you’d like to have help) can view & edit. This file is laid out similar to your event timeline & it allows for you to enter your specific songs (or artist names or genres) that you’d like to have played. There’s also a “Do Not Playlist” section for things that you want me to leave out. This doc is updated in realtime so we always have the latest version, and you don’t have to worry about e-mailing attachments back & forth, which is great!

If you download the Google Docs App (available in iTunes & Google Play) you can open this file & add music that you enjoy at anytime! This is great for when you’re both in the car together & an you come across a track that you want to remember!

Just as a reminder, be careful with who you allow to have access to this file! I often use this Google Doc on the day of to view items like your “Do Not Playlist,” and other items like that. I can’t be responsible for changes that they make!

Sure! If you’d like to see it either during our vendor meeting (or through FaceTime or Skype) please let me know & I can load up my DJ software so that you can see it. In most cases, for venues or vendor meetings, I bring my iPad & not my laptop, so if this is something that you would like to do please let me know ahead of time.

This question is a bit of a quirky one for me…if you want to know that I have a large library of music then I guess this is a good way to do it. I, like most DJs, have a LOT of music on my laptop. I think what separates a great DJ from the crowd is their ability to know what songs to play & when, and not just by having the largest library available. You can honestly have an incredible set with a library of three to four hundred songs or so.

Also, to me, the library of music in my DJ software doesn’t really reflect my individual tastes, simply because the music that I have is generally built around what my clients want.

With that in mind, you are also welcome to view my Spotify page (a little more personal, but still mainly client playlists) at anytime by clicking or copying/pasting the link provided: http://open.spotify.com/user/jbuniverse/.

As I typically work events on my own, I don’t normally break from DJing to record videos. On the rare occasion that my wife is serving as a day-of coordinator, or if she tags along with me to assist on an event and isn’t busy, she will take time to do a short recording for me. I have a few videos (including the one that is on my website at the top) on my YouTube page. I’ll be working to hopefully get more recordings this year.

Of course! Although there is some music for your day that I find very personal, I can definitely help out with or make these selections if you’d like. I always tell couples that the more you put into your day the more personal it is, but there are couples that simply don’t have the time, or aren’t big music lovers that would like this handled on their behalf. 

Through our Google doc, you can enter in the selections for the different parts of your day, or you can leave me a note & let me know that you would like for me to work on this for you. You are welcome to give me ideas (“We want a Sinatra style cocktail hour, or a Smooth Jazz dinner”), or you can give me a few artist/song choices & then I can fill in the rest. 

I do encourage all of my couples to pick the music for their ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and first dances, but I am more than happy to guide you in making what can sometimes be a tough decision. 

As of 1/11/19, here is a breakdown of the equipment that I use for DJing (please note, all of the listed equipment is not needed for every booking & will depend on which setup we decide will work best at your selected venue. You are welcome to click the item to view more about the specific product from the company’s website):

• Pioneer DDJ-SZ2 Controller
• Pioneer DDJ-SX2 Controller
• ElectroVoice ZLX-15p Loudspeaker (x2) w/ Stands
• ElectroVoice ZLX-12p Loudspeaker (x2) w/ Stands
• ElectroVoice EKX-18SP Subwoofer
• Mackie PROFX12V2 12-Channel Compact Mixer
• Shure PGXD24/SM58-X8 Wireless Microphone
• Shure BLX188/CVL Dual Channel Lavalier Wireless Mic System
• Epson Home Cinema 730HD 3LCD 3000 Lumens Projector

For packages that include uplighting, right now I am using diyuplighting.com to order & provide packages. I charge slightly over their rates to include the extra time needed for setup/breakdown & for convenience. If you have a venue or a day-of coordinator or event planner that is familiar with setting these up, you are welcome to have them order & set them up! 

Please send me an e-mail for my most current hourly rates. I will e-mail you a .pdf or .png file that shows my hourly rates along with the equipment that I use for reference.

I charge one hour total for setup & breakdown. Setup, depending on the package that we decide on for your event, can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour & a half. I work with the venue to see how much time they allow for me to be on site before the start of the event, and base my recommended start time on the amount of equipment I’ll need to bring, and the location of the equipment. Things like taping cables down can add more time onto a setup, so if speakers are setup away from my booth/table that style of setup will require a little more time. I’ll work with the venue management to make sure that I have enough time to get everything setup & ready for your event! 

This has not come up yet, but it is something that is available depending on the size of the event, the setup involved, etc. This counts a “special” hourly rate, and the normal rate packages that I have can be adjusted to account for the assistant. Please let me know if this is something that you are interested in so that I can further discuss it with you. 

Under normal circumstances I typically setup, DJ, and break down on my own.

I typically don’t require a special “break” as I normally just work rest/break time into the event timeline. For instance, at a wedding, when dinner is served, I normally eat the provided vendor meal in between speeches, toasts, or announcements while music continues to play. The only other thing that may come up is a short run to the restroom, and those are planned so that actual DJing isn’t interrupted. 

This is difficult to answer, because it never (or hardly ever) happens. I have only had to cancel on one client, and it was two days after I was booked (and eight months before her wedding). My service agreement is the same as a contract and it guarantees my services for your specified date & time. I gave my client that I had to go back on $100 towards booking another DJ, and also recommended a few other DJs that she could speak with about her day. This has served as my standard since. Your events, as well as my reputation, are extremely important to me, and I want to make sure that they are each given the respect they deserve! 

I am also in message groups with multiple other DJs that are available should an absolute emergency arise, but you should be fully confident that I will be there as contracted on your day!   

I am currently using Quickbooks Online for estimates, invoices, and payments. Once I have the hours I am needed for & your event location, I can send over an estimate for you to look over & approve. Once you’re ready to book, that same estimate (with changes, if needed) will be converted directly into an invoice for you to make your minimum 20% deposit. You are welcome to deposit more or pay all at once if you’d like, but a minimum of 20% of the total must be deposited in order to secure your day/time & take it off of my availability calendar. Details will be outlined on the invoice & in the corresponding e-mail.

***REMINDER that your date/time is NOT SECURE until you make your minimum 20% deposit!***

Your remaining balance is due in full no later than two weeks before your event. If I am booked within two weeks of your event your payment is due in full upon receipt of your invoice.

Cancelling an event is hard on everyone, but unfortunately sometimes it happens. My policy on this is simple:

• Only the deposit for your day is non-refundable. This covers the fact that this day/time have been taken off of my calendar & has been “unavailable” to other clients that were interested in booking. If you have made additional payments those will be refunded back to you, up until two weeks before your event. 
• Once we’ve reached the final payment due date (two weeks before your event day), refunds will no longer be issued for cancellations. 
• We can attempt to reschedule for another date, but I can not guarantee availability.  

I typically handle this on a case-by-case basis. The preference is definitely for performers with amplified instruments to have their own equipment, simply to ensure comparability and so that they can set their levels to their liking, etc. Singers with tracks are normally okay as long as I have their track in good time, and they are there early to check levels, etc. I just need to know ahead of time so that I can be prepared for their performance & have what I’ll need in order to make it work. Please let me know about this during our planning stages, and I will let you know if any additional cost is necessary in order to cover the time needed for additional setup & other items.  

As long as you let me know about these items ahead of time I’m sure they’ll work out great! 

My wedding/event shirts are a fun way to personalize your day, and they also serve as my gift to you for allowing me to be a part of your special event! There are a few different designs/styles that I use, and they include your names, wedding day, and hashtag (if you have one & would like to incorporate it) along with my logo. I also do these shirts for companies for their specific events, normally by just using both of our logos, or by using the name of the event if it’s a named event and you would like for me to do so. You’re welcome to be super involved in this, or you can simply leave it to me. Photographers & family LOVE seeing these and they are always a big hit at events! 

If you have family, friends, or colleagues that would like one they are available in the shop for up to one month after your event date. 100% of the proceeds from all of the shop items are split between Autism Speaks & the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, two organizations which are very near & dear to my family. I typically make one each for the couple & in corporate cases one for the event manager.  

If t-shirts aren’t your thing, I also can wear a branded polo or a branded dress shirt (with/without tie &/or blazer) if you prefer.   

I’d certainly like to think so! Every venue is different, and nine times out of ten I will make it out to the venue beforehand to scope out the area & make recommendations on where my equipment should be setup (if you’d like). I also have to make sure that there is power within a reasonable distance, etc. Venues & other vendors alike are welcome to e-mail me at joel@batchelor.co with any questions. 

I normally don’t require much from vendors. I may need to wait for a caterer to setup a table linen if you have special linens for your reception (or ceremony), and a photographer may ask to put flash repeaters or other equipment by my equipment (or store camera bags by the booth, etc., which is totally fine. I am totally fine with day-of coordinators as well. If I have any questions or receive different direction from what we discussed I may try to confirm with either you or someone in your wedding party, but other than that, it should be smooth sailing! 

I am a “mixing” or “transitioning” DJ, meaning in most cases I blend one song into the next. There are occasions where either for dramatic effect, or a request is made from a “VIP,” etc., that I will “cut” a new song in (make an abrupt switch from one song to the next). This is still done on beat. As a request honoring DJ, know that getting to your request may take a little time because of the way that I spin music. In most cases, a request is at a different tempo from the current selection playing so I have to either speed up or slow down the tempo before getting to your request. Just something to keep in mind when making requests! 

The mixes on my main page are great examples of my DJing style. Please listen to them if you haven’t already. 

YES. Unless specifically requested, all of my music at a corporate event or wedding is “radio-friendly,” meaning there may be some cursing, but it would be accepted for daytime radio play. Some couples have let me know in the past that after a certain time in the night they’d like to change up the party a little bit & allow for unedited music, which is totally fine. The music that I used for nightclubs/bars is typically unedited or a mix of both, which is why some of the mixes on the site are not radio-friendly. Don’t worry though. If you forget to ask about this, by default the music will be “edited” for your event.