Which of us mobile DJs or wedding DJs hasn't experienced this? You arrive at a venue, motivated to deliver an amazing and unforgettable party for a lovely couple and their guests. Everything has been discussed – the schedule, the songs, etc. The bride and groom have assured you that "the venue" is fantastic and that you can celebrate there "without any problems." Then, as the DJ, you arrive, and after introducing yourself, the next question from the staff/service or the owner/manager is: "How long are you booked for today?"...

"Well, as long as it takes, you know...!"

At this point, at the latest, the first major wave of hostility towards the DJ begins, and the situation becomes a sack race through a minefield...

I've been wondering about this for a while now: where does this come from? There are many reasons, such as overwork and too few staff, the bride and groom not booking the DJ recommended by the venue (because the owner/tenant knows the party will be over by 2 a.m. at the latest), there have been problems with other DJs regarding the volume (not all DJs are the same), the DJ has an oversized ego and couldn't behave, the DJ gets drunk, and so on and so forth... I could go on and on...

So what does this actually look like for the DJ in practice? He's simply ignored; no drinks are served, or only after repeated requests. The staff/waiters then approach the DJ with requests that don't fit into the setlist. If this is politely pointed out, they might try to stir things up with the guests, for example, at the bar, you'll hear conversations like, "Has everything been great so far? Except for the DJ? Don't you think the DJ should play some German pop music?" etc.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in the wrong movie. I'm not trying to interfere with the restaurant's job, but when, for example, empty glasses are left unattended for hours, table service is offered from the wrong direction, the waitstaff wear expressions as if their dog has just died, are rude, etc... I could write a whole book about this by now...

Then there's the issue of volume. Well, I understand if you have difficult neighbors and someone is always complaining, and I'm the last person to ignore that and run a wedding party at 92 dB (any DJ can confirm that at that volume, neither a good atmosphere nor excessive dancing develops, except for tea dances, bingo events, and senior citizen dances). But dear venues, a DJ has the huge advantage of being able to turn down the bass. Try asking a drummer in a live band to do that—good luck with that...

It's always a balancing act, putting on a brave face so the customer doesn't notice anything and can relax and have a wonderful, unforgettable evening...

Unfortunately, I'm increasingly finding that couples looking for a wedding venue for their special day are often given unrealistic promises to secure the booking. They're told things like, "We can party until the early hours," there won't be any noise issues, there will be plenty of staff on the day, and so on.

In reality, things often look very different these days; corners are cut everywhere, sometimes 100 guests are served breakfast with only 3-4 staff members, and while table 1 has already finished eating, table 8 is still waiting for its main course.

But anyway, just as some venue owners interfere in my work, I can also talk about yours, only with the background that I have completed chef training and most venue owners are just MP3 collectors...

("Hey, can you put some of your music on my hard drive? - Uh - No)"

Therefore, dear venues, please be glad if you have a DJ on site and not a band. You can talk to him about the schedule, volume, or similar things (music while the cake is being brought in, etc.). Respect his musical preferences from the client (don't speak negatively about him – you're not paying the DJ!), just as we have to respect your guidelines in your venues. And please spare us the subtle request to "play bad music and not too loud so we can finish early today!"

Because I can't reconcile that with my conscience; if couples want to book me for a wedding with German pop and folk music, I don't tell them that this is my favorite sound, but I clearly state that I am the wrong DJ for this type of music...

You should clearly and openly discuss any issues with the bride and groom. If you have a neighbor causing trouble, let them know so the DJ can adjust his equipment (sound system) to suit the venue (e.g., no subwoofer). If your schedule requires the party to end at 2 a.m., say so. Plenty of parties don't want to celebrate until 6 a.m. The key is communication. And don't just start dismantling the bar at 12:30 a.m. without asking, because the partygoers will come to the DJ wanting drinks.

How often do I unfortunately hear in the aftermath that "the party was awesome and the music took everyone back to their youth, but the service was terrible, too slow, closed at 1 a.m. or after 1 a.m. you had to go looking for the staff to get something to drink, etc..."

We DJs are often asked where to find good places to party for a long time, and many venues seem to forget this. Because of their regional location (right on the lake, panoramic view, stylish location on a mountainside, vaulted cellar, castle, fortress, etc.), they think they don't care what some "small," low-level DJ says. Plenty of people still come and get ripped off or cheated. And what's worst of all, something I only learned this year (after six years as a full-time DJ, and a total of 22 years behind the turntables), some venues are even known to the police for thefts from guests...

I know that good staff are hard to find, but the selection criteria should still be tightened, which unfortunately hasn't happened yet. Even I had to submit a police clearance certificate for my apprenticeship as a cook...

But there are exceptions, venues that rely on our expertise, that are happy when we come, venues where the staff also (somewhat) enjoy their work, venues where the DJ doesn't have to pack up after a gig as if he were on the run – venues that I can recommend with a clear conscience...

I wish that the relationship with us DJs would improve again and that we could create and host unforgettable evenings TOGETHER for our guests – but unfortunately, life isn't a wish-granting machine...