We were thrilled to provide our DJ services for the 17th International Conference for Emergency Nurses. The theme for the Conference Dinner was "Be bold, be bright!" and there were some excellent clothing choices befitting the theme, including Funk Bro Benny G looking resplendent in his Hawaiian shirt.
Adelaide Town Hall looked stunning. Their AV providers, Scene Change, had a seriously impressive lighting rig, top-notch PA including a Subwoofer (hello EQ effects!) and an AV tech on site throughout the event which definitely made our job easier. We can highly recommend Scene Change if you want top quality AV for your next event.
Shout-out to Anna from Conference Design, who the organisers had engaged to run their conference. Getting ourselves setup for the Conference Dinner was a breeze thanks to Anna and venue manager, Emma.
Now, onto the DJing! The organisers were looking for a party atmosphere and told us that the nurses were likely to dance all night. Based on our experience at Kristen's 50th birthday (many of Kristen's friends were fellow nurses) and other events we've DJ'd, we know this to be true! It's always enjoyable to DJ for a group who are definitely up for a party.
During the sit-down dinner, to start off the evening, we served up some fresh and tidy tunes, leaning heavy on instrumental numbers across a spectrum of jazz, groove and neo-soul. Some of our current favourites in this slot are: "Mr Wong" by Bella Vista (recently reissued on Adelaide's own Isle of Jura label), "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" by Maxwell and most of the songs off Lord Echo's 2017 LP - "Harmonies".
Post-dinner, the next item on the menu was to plate up a tasty slice of what we call "pre-dance" goodness - you know those tunes that get your feet moving under the table, and your head nodding along? You're not quite ready to leap outta your seat yet, but you're getting there (NB - The Staple Singer's "I'll Take You There" works quite well in regards to, well, taking you there!). Benny G and I are total disco-heads, so it's always nice to chuck on some music we're particularly passionate about e.g. "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" by Indeep, or, "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen. We mixed these in with some more well-known tunes e.g. the one-two punch of INXS' "Need You Tonight" into Hall & Oates "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" which worked quite nicely.
Following dessert, the time was ripe for dancing. The nurses were a really, really fun crowd. Lots of energy and enthusiasm on the dancefloor. Requests, which can sometimes be a minefield to navigate, were always delivered respectfully and with some playful banter. Some of the amusing and topical requests were for CPR training songs "Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees) and "Another One Bites the Dust" (Queen). One nurse was dobbed in by his colleagues as 'looking for a wife' and we received a handful of requests for songs to help a romance blossom. Best of luck, Tim. Some other great conversations included:
"Can you play some more of those filthy songs that have, like, no self-respect?" (file under "RnB Fridays"?)
"Do you have any Backstreet Boys (no), N*Sync? (no) Any boy bands? (Wham?) No, too old!"
(handing out glow sticks to the dancers) "Woah! It's a rave! Got any pills?"
Thanks ICEN 2019 for having us. We hope all the guests had as much fun as we did and we hope to DJ for you again.
We're available for hire as vinyl DJs in Adelaide if you think we're the right fit for your special event.