Experience the art of bespoke fusion with DJ LIVE entertainment – mixing our dynamic DJs with our electrifying live musicians, instruments and outstanding vocalists!
Fresh from our 10 Piece DJ LIVE band’s 2 week stint at The FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we have written this comprehensive guide to assist you in understanding DJ LIVE entertainment and how to get the most out of these line-ups, helping to create an unforgettable and immersive experience for all your guests – young & old!
Over the course of this post, we hope to provide you with an in-depth look at the art of combining our DJs with live musicians, why it works, when it doesn’t, and the difference/pros & cons between DJ LIVE and our traditional show-bands. We will also explain how to select the right line up for your event, create the perfect set-list, decide on stage aesthetics, lighting and presentation and what to consider when booking DJ LIVE.
The Rising Popularity of DJ LIVE Entertainment & Why
In recent years, combining DJs with live musicians has become increasingly popular for a variety of events but the concept itself has been around for a long time
DJ LIVE is essentially the equivalent of a Club PA or ‘Public Appearance’. In the nightclub industry in particular, artists have been using this promotional tool for decades to help them easily promote their new music and be able to travel from club to club easily and effectively. They rely on DJs to ‘spin their original tracks’ as opposed to organising and travelling with a fully live band – easily adding on another singer to help with background vocals, or perhaps some percussion to elevate the track, maybe even saxophone. Often they may even perform solo along with the DJ. Back in the 90s there are countless stories of The Spice Girls et al, bundling into tiny cars to drive up and down the country, hopping from one nightclub to the next with their tracks in their back pocket. If it worked for them, you can imagine the impact these kind of appearances can have!
Recently, the private events industry has caught on to the capabilities and benefits of DJ LIVE and we are finding that for Weddings, Destination Weddings, club appearances, corporate parties and beyond, DJ LIVE entertainment is becoming the go-to choice for providing music and entertainment at a multitude of events. This is due to a number of likely factors, including;
- The simplicity of technical set up
- The ability to be completely bespoke in your line-up choices (it’s as easy to run a DJ/Vocal/Percussion line-up as it is to run a DJ/Saxophone/Trumpet band with DJ Live entertainment)
- The ability to customize the music to any event (it doesn’t matter if you want Marvin Gaye or Tiesto!)
- …and of course the million dollar question – budget and the economical elements of each package.
Although traditional and show-stopping in many ways, our fully live show bands are more complicated, require a lot of equipment/space and tend to be a little bit more rigid in the repertoire they can perform and line-ups they come in.
Flexibility: DJ LIVE is a great choice for clients on a budget, who are keen on a DJ and lighting as part of the package, would like full choice of adding certain solo instruments/building their own bespoke line-up and would like a wide range of party songs, classics and house/club floor-fillers.
Movement: Unlike our traditional smaller bands that are more rooted to the spot, DJ LIVE bands can nearly all roam! Instruments like singers, percussion, saxophone, trumpet, violin all use radio microphones which means they can wander amongst guests and dance with the crowd on the dance-floor. This makes them the perfect choice if you want performance sets during your wedding breakfast or event dinner.
Musical Versatility: One of the most notable reasons for the rising popularity of DJ LIVE is the wide range of music available. As mentioned above, DJs essentially have access to the entire world of music, from classic hits to the latest chart-toppers. With incredible recent AI updates in DJ technology like Serato, vocals can literally be erased from the original track itself – even on the fly! This opens up a whole world of high quality repertoire opportunity, allowing them to create a highly personalized soundtrack for any event – easily keeping up to date with all the current chart hits. In simple terms, it is far easier for our singers to learn new repertoire on top of an already built track, than 6 different band members who need to learn, rehearse and perfect each and every part… That said, we still include the backing tracks for our signature TWK medleys within DJ LIVE so the core repertoire can still be based very closely around our fully live bands.
Client Control: Additionally, DJs are able to take requests from guests, ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy their favourite songs throughout the event.
Affordability/Value For Money: The affordability of DJ LIVE Entertainment is another huge factor that has contributed to it’s rising popularity. The DJ LIVE bands are extremely flexible, compact and obviously include a DJ for the night, plus lighting and a DJ booth. Clients often ask us if they can add on instruments like a solo violin or a solo saxophone to our 6 piece live bands for example, which is doable but not ideal. Sometimes we get asked if we can provide a 5 piece fully live band due to space or budget restrictions. Again this is tricky due to the set up of those line ups, however with DJ LIVE Entertainment, you can book as low as a three piece in whatever configuration you want. Some recent examples of that have been a 3 piece with instruments like Saxophone, Violin at a Wedding in Exeter and also in Gleneagles, Scotland a 10 piece DJ, 3 x Vocals, Saxophone, Trumpet, Percussion, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass & Violin for The FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and our typical 5 Piece DJ, Vocals, Sax & Percussion line-ups for countless weddings in London, Europe and beyond.
Understanding how DJ LIVE Entertainment works: The Bespoke Fusion of DJs & Live Musicians
As we have covered, DJ LIVE entertainment is a highly flexible fusion of DJs and live musicians that has become increasingly popular in recent years. These type of bands combine the energy and excitement of a live band performance with the versatility and convenience of a DJ. It is a brilliant way to economically cover all bases.
At it’s core, DJ LIVE is a simple combination of a DJ and any number of live musicians/vocalists. Instead of a core band (drums/keys/bass/guitar) the DJ is responsible for playing the music, while the live musicians add the extra layer of energy to the performance and stage presence. The additions could be anything from a saxophonist or a vocalist, to a percussionist, or even a violinist or guitarist. The options are pretty much endless, although obviously when it comes to getting the audience moving, the more the merrier!
The beauty of DJ LIVE entertainment is that it can be tailored to fit any event or crowd, whether it be a wedding, corporate event, a private party, or even a destination wedding – it doesn’t matter if you love Chic, Stevie Wonder, Becky Hill or Calvin Harris. If we can get a track for it (and 99 times out of 100 – we can), then the answer is yes! DJ LIVE can literally cover every single base possible.
Customizing Your DJ LIVE Experience: Various Configurations
When it comes to DJ LIVE entertainment, there is no one-size-fits-all. Every event and crowd is unique, and we will always apply a customized approach to ensure that each suggestion is tailored to the needs of each event and crowd. As we mentioned above, our DJ LIVE bands are flown all over the world to perform for crowds as large as 40,000 at The World Cup, to small weddings in the corners of the UK for 100 people tops. There is no way we could treat both events the same! Our DJs will generally provide every service from building their sets to your preferences, to musically directing the band to hyping your crowd all night and more. Depending on the size and type of event, there are all sorts of configurations we can suggest and here are just a few that have worked well at weddings & events in the past!
DJ LIVE Options:
DJ with LIVE instruments i.e Saxophone | Violin | Vocals | Percussion | Guitar | Trumpet | Bass Guitar | Keyboards
DJ & Saxophone
DJ, Saxophone & Percussion
DJ, Saxophone & Violin
DJ, Saxophone, Percussion, Male Vocals, Female Vocals (Our most popular line up!)
DJ, Male Vocals, Female Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Percussion, Violin, Trumpet, Keyboards (The World Cup Configuration)
… & many many more!
Getting the most out of DJ Live Entertainment
We know that creating an unforgettable event requires careful planning and meticulous attention to detail and behind the scenes providing the entertainment is no different for us! Our DJs and performers have years of experience, over 100s of events, and are here to help you create the most memorable experience for your guests possible. Our experienced team will collaborate to work closely with you, offering suggestions and answering any queries you might have both before and during the event.
Production: One big thing to think about with DJ LIVE especially, is production. Due to the kind of repertoire performed, we would never travel without at least a basic interactive lighting rig and DJ Booth. You may want to consider upgrading this package. We can help you source stages, dance-floors & bigger lighting packages so please do ask if this is something you are thinking about. There is no obligation in comparing quotes!
Repertoire: Another point to consider is choosing repertoire, especially when it comes to corporate events which tend to have a far more varied crowd musical taste wise. When filling out our set list survey/sending in your requests, consider whether you are catering to the needs of a few people or many. We’ve done this over 1000 times, so we know the foolproof dance-floor hits, and the others that can be a bit hit or miss. We encourage you to be as open minded as possible when it comes to collaborating with us to choose the music for your event as this will allow us to read the crowd on the night and go with the flow of the evening.
The Rider: We aren’t divas here at TWK and we don’t ask for much, but DJ LIVE events in particular can be extremely full on for the band and especially for the DJ who literally doesn’t stop all night. They have often travelled for miles to get to you and once on site, it’s go-go-go to make sure timelines are stuck to. Things that will really help us be as efficient as possible are; a quiet and ideally private room (i.e a boardroom or hotel room) on site with plug sockets in close proximity to a decent mirror, a hot substantial, well-balanced meal that can be served quickly between or before sets and a member of staff that can direct us clearly to the correct areas at the correct times. Tea & coffee never go amiss either!
Q&A Summary
1. What is DJ LIVE Entertainment?
DJ LIVE are bespoke bands created specifically client to client, based around a DJ with the addition of live instruments and vocalists.
2. What kind of events do DJ LIVE perform at?
Due to their versatility and ease of travel, TWK DJ LIVE perform all over the world at weddings, destination weddings, private parties, corporate events, Jewish weddings, Bar-Mitzvahs and more.
3. What are the main benefits of TWK DJ LIVE entertainment vs traditional Band?
DJ LIVE is amazing value for money with a DJ and elements of production already included, are able to fit into very compact spaces, are able to travel with minimal equipment, have hoards of live instruments that can be tailored to nearly any line-up configuration, are nearly all able to roam amongst guests & have the world of repertoire at their fingertips. The list goes on!
4. What types of DJs and live musicians can be used in DJ LIVE?
Our small team of extremely versatile DJs all work on a very similar basis and are hired for their skill as opposed to alignment to any particular genre. They can be paired with pretty much any instrument, but the most popular choices are male singers, female singers, percussion, saxophone, trumpet, guitar, violin amongst many more!
5. How do I decide on DJ LIVE or traditional band with TWK?
Get in touch and ask us! Give us as much information about your event, the kind of music you love, the kind of guests that will be there, who you have seen in the past at other events, your musical expectations and of course, the million dollar question – budget. Both DJ LIVE and traditional wedding band are brilliant options with TWK that have equal amounts of pros and cons. We will be able to explain more in depth and advise you on which route we think you should take.