If you could go back in time would you still be a DJ?
Without a question! Only, I would……. ?

Favorite place you’ve played?
Probably the cruise ship we guest DJ-ed on during the Millennium New Year cruise.

Favorite song/artists to play?
WOW! I think I actually can say I like the newer hip-hop and adult contemporary music, because it’s not the same music I hear all the time.

What song do you wish you never had to play again?
Probably Celebration or Love Shack. But, they are both crowd pleasers (most of the time.) What we hear every week, some guests only hear once a year, if that!

What is a “go to” pack the dance floor song?
If I could tell you the answer to that for every wedding, I would be lying. Every reception reacts differently. If we create the right atmosphere of fun, we can play many different songs for a “go to” pack the dance floor song. We do, however, open the dance floor with a slow song (usually Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately?”) We pack the dance floor EVERYTIME; and I will bet you the cost of your wedding.

What is the craziest song request you’ve ever had?
Probably a Prince song that I couldn’t list the title to here, but you would hear it at clubs in the 90′s and the second part of the song’s name is “control.” This could be a blog within itself; I have so many crazy requests.

What is the craziest attire request you’ve ever had?
A Toga!

Best DJ experience?
Of 5000 plus events in 23 years, it’s difficult to really nail one down. But, probably a wedding we did back in 1999 when just as we started to have dinner, the fire alarm went off, followed by the sprinkler system.. it ruined everything and everyone.. I was able to be in such a spot where my equipment wasn’t damaged. The wedding was over,, we were packing up and I heard the bride and groom were inviting everyone over their house to have a backyard reception, and would order in some food.. Without their knowledge, we followed them to their house, set up in the garage.. and played the rest of the night. There were 150 guests out of 250 that were at this house and I will honestly tell you we stayed till 1am playing music, even though we were supposed to be done at 11pm.. It was one of the most surreal weddings we every did. The bride and groom and their families loved the fact we automatically came without being told.

Worst DJ experience?
Weddings in the weeks after 9/11/01. Of the 4 weddings in the month that followed, over 70% of guests could not come because the airports were closed. All guests did was talk about 9/11 and it was our job was to get their mind off of it.

What’s your favorite part of wedding receptions?
At the end when more than half of the guests are still there dancing. Also, when a bride and groom both give you a hug and thank you over and over again for exceeding their expectations.

Next: Part 3: About Selective Sound Entertainments information?

Where did the company name come from?

Honestly, I can’t remember!

What is your role at Selective Sound?

I am the marketing director, accountant, human resource manager, scheduler, promoter, performer, worker, operator, technician and… owner!

Why did you start to DJ in Cleveland?

In 1987, I joined a youth group because I was able to play the music on the sound system at the youth group school dances. By the touch of a button I was able to make 300 people go crazy and by that same touch of a button I was able to also calm them down. For a moment I felt like a god.

How did you get your company started?

I bought my first mixer/amplifier and rented speakers. I was using cassette tapes. I made $25 for my first gig, $60 for my second gig and the rest is history. We’ve done over $2 million in gross sales since then.

Where do you DJ now?

In Northeast Ohio for private affairs. Ninety percent of our business is weddings but we also do corporate events and bar/bat mitzvahs.

How many DJs do you employ every weekend?

We can do a maximum of five weddings and two other events per evening. Our busiest weekends are usually holiday weekends and we’ve done up to 19 events in one weekend!

How many weddings does your staff work in a year?

We average about 160 weddings per year.

What does your set-up consist of?

We are more refined in the DJ world. We use the new Bose l1 series 2 systems and a few Yorkville Unity systems (for the big events), a few wash LED lights and a compact computerized touch screen DJ system. Our systems are designed to blend into the decor, not be gaudy or noticeable.

How/where do you buy music?

Once a week we get CD with the top songs from each category from TM Century Prime Cuts. We own every song we every play.

What is a common misconception about your work?

That we just show up and play music. People don’t know about the 5 to 6 hours, pre-planning, coordinating, and music programming and so forth that we do before we even set up a speaker.

next week: part 2.. About the Jay r (CEO) of Selective Sound Entertainment.