The Brisbane and Gold Coast mobile karaoke DJ hire folks had another busy time this past weekend. Party hire jukeboxes went flying out the door as did our party hire DJs!
One of the highlights was Aaron and Lauren’s wedding reception at Virginia Golf Club, where a wicked time was had by just about all who attended. A few excerpts of the evening can be seen at the following link:
For those DJs who keep an eye on this blog, the Brisbane and Gold Coast mobile karaoke & party hire DJ team have released the following YouTube video, appertaining to the ever popular ADJ (American DJ) series of Micro lasers.
Whilst the Brisbane and Gold Coast karaoke jukebox hire side of things is in the normal post-Christmas slow down, the Brisbane and Gold Coast mobile party DJ hire area is going great guns!
For those that are interested, please take a look at the following few highlights.
This time we’re switching from Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire to Brisbane and Gold Coast mobile karaoke DJ hire.
The DJ fraternity generally is a friendly, welcoming one, especially to eachother. We all try to help other mobile or party DJs as best we can, exchanging advice, tips and useful information. Many DJs post videos on YouTube by way of regular giglogs, with a view to showing their peers how their night went. This enables or facilitates ideas on how things could be possibly improved or altered, given the benefit of hindsight. No job is ever perfect, after all.
To this end, one of our Djs attended Emma and Corum’s wedding reception at Mt Tamborine this past weekend. A giglog of the event has been published at
Both the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke DJ hire teams sat around this morning, took a look and discussed the event. Overall they were pleased with what they saw. I know other DJs read this blog and hopefully they’ll enjoy taking a look at the giglog as well. I know the jukebox hire teams from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast got a hoot out of it, mainly through watching some of the interesting dancing!
2011 was a reasonable year as far as new music releases were concerned. There were a good number of decent sounding hits produced, though no more nor less than any other year. The Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire offices however, did note one or two interesting trends that seemed to be developing.
The first trend that became noticeable in 2011 (more so than in any other year) was that of singers saying – or singing – their own name in their songs. A straw poll taken by the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire staff amongst themselves and a few jukebox hire clients during the week indicated most were against this idea. They couldn’t see the need for it, apart from simple arrogance or pretension on behalf of the singers.
Let’s take a look at some of these songs.
1. Scarlett Belle – “Loverboy”
“You can be my loverboy
You can be my loverboy
Are you ready for this?
Are you ready baby tell me,are you ready for this now?
Scarlett Belle is rare
Let’s go!”
2. Flo Rida with Aaron Carter – “Dance Wiv Me”
“I know you wanna dance with a star
Flo-Rida.. Aaron Carter baby
hey!!!”
Then a little later in the song,
“…move to the beat, get down with Flo-Rida”
3. Flo Rida also does a version of this song with Justice Crew, where he repeats his name at the start of the song as above, but when Justice Crew start singing, one of the Justice boys yells out, “JUSTICE CREW!”
4. Jason Derulo – “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
Before the song even starts, this man singss his name, presumably for those folk who may be wondering who he is!
Jason again sings his name at the commencement of the song.
6. Tinie Tempah with Kelly Rowland – “Invincible”
Again, even before this song starts, Tinie Tempah sings out both his own name plus that of his co-singer:
“Tinie Temah…. is she… Kelly Rowland… let’s go!”
7. Akon in a song dubbed with Michael Jackson – “Hold My Hand”.
Again, at the beginning of the song, Akon sings out their names:
“Akon and MJ…. oh oh… yeah…”
8. Qwote featuring Lucenzo and Pitbull (who he calls “Mr Worldwide” in this song!)
At the commencement of the song, the singers’ names are sung , thus forming part of the song:
“This is your boy Qwote
And my man Lucenzo
On your side Mr. Worldwide himself”
Then Pitbull appears, repeating his name in most humble fashion as “Mr Worldwide”.
9. Enrique Eglasias with Usher – “Dirty Dancer”
The song starts out with
“Enrique…. Usher…. this is for all the dirty girls around the world… here we go!”
10. Obie Trice featuring 50 Cent - “Everywhere I Go”
The song commences thus:
“Yeah
Ride wit me
Come ride wit Trice, man
I brought my man wit me
Curtis Interscope Jack (ha ha)
Mr. Mathers, my nigga Fif’ (Yeah)
Holla at ‘em!”
This one puzzled for a moment. Trice of course was Obie, announcing himself. But who was Curtis Interscope Jack? A quick piece of research showed this was in fact the singer 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III. And presumably, Mr Mathers and “my nigga Fif’” were either back up singers or members of the band.
But enough of these examples. I think you get the message here. It seems the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire people are right – there’s a creeping trend that some singers feel the need to announce or associate themselves with individual songs. As one jukebox hire client cheekily suggested, “Soon you won’t need to look at the jukebox menu to see who’s singing a song – all you’ll need to do is listen to the lyrics!”
The second trend that was noticed during 2011 was the increasing use of technology to create the musical backgrounds. Not so many years ago, our jukebox hire equipment contained heaps of songs containing real music played by real people, as opposed to relying on computer driven synthesisers and drum machines to provide the background. These days, so many of the songs, particularly the RNB ones, don’t really need live band members to play the music, so full as they are of computer generated effects, beats and noises.
The Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire people asked me to mention this trend was in part responsible for the demise of live bands playing on a Friday or Saturday night down at the local. These days, a smart musical nerd with a computer can produce a myriad of electronic sounds, mix them together, then label it as the latest new song. A session singer to provide some background vocals to round the whole thing out may or may not then be added. Or else these precocious nerds will simply remix current songs, adding a drum hook here, adding another bass beat there. Look at the likes of Daft Punk, Nick Skitz or all the “DJs” such as DJ Casper, DJ Chuckie or DJ Quicksilver, for example. Sure, many of these remixes sound great, but there’s a legitimate argument this is a lazy way to create music.
Will the above trends affect the hire of jukeboxes in Brisbane or the Gold Coast – or anywhere else for that matter? The answer of course is no. Music is music – who really cares if the singers are supercilious or egotistic enough to announce themselves at the beginning of their songs? And as for computer generated music - electronc – as long as the tunes are catchy, then the public will keep buying (or downloading) them. The primary casualties here are the budding musos themselves, those folks who’d otherwise love to play in a live band at their local venue every weekend. Their services are unfortunately largely no longer required. A mass of potential great musical talent is undoubtedly being wasted or underutilised here.
Other recent music trends have been noted by the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire offices. They seem to know what they’re talking about, as far as music goes. Expect more on this topic in the future. Ciao.
Well, 2012 has arrived with a vengence. There must be plenty of people with sore heads who perhaps partied a tad hard on New Year’s Eve. To celebrate the new year, the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire team have joined forces to form a Top 40 list of the best new songs of the preceding year, 2011.
As it turned out, compling such a list wasn’t an easy task. Mainly because what were the best songs for one group, didn’t necessarily accord with other groups. Rap fans for example, would have little interest in pop. So the music list had to be split into different music genres or types. For this particular article, the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire folk decided to concentrate on what were the best dance numbers for 2011. Please bear in mind though that the list encompasses predominantly mainstream music from more well known groups or artists, as opposed to songs from the many offbeat and largely obscure singers or bands out there, even though such music may well be as good as - or better - than songs from more familiar faces.
Though the list isn’t exhaustive, it does reflect a good slice of popular dance songs released during the past year. The Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire team wanted me to stress also that this list focusses more on songs appealing to younger listeners (say, under 35) as opposed to those many more mature folk out there (God bless ‘em!).
So in no particular order, here’s the cream of the crop Top 40 dance numbers (for younger folk) released in 2011, as compiled by the very energetic yet sage bunch from the esteemed Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire offices.
LMFAO - “Sexy and I Know It”
Rihanna – “Cheers Drink to That”
Cobra Starship – “You Make Me Feel”
Mann ft Snoop Dogg – “Return of the Mack”
Maroon 5 - “Moves Like Jagger”
Potbelleez – “Midnight Midnight”
Zoe Badwi – “Carry Me Home”
Short Stack – “Bang Bang Sexy”
Jessica Mauboy – “Inescapable”
Michael Mind – “Ready Or Not”
Pitbull ft Marc Anthony – “Rain Over Me”
These Kids Wear Crowns – “Jumpstart”
Aloe Blacc – “I Need a Dollar”
Calvin Harris ft Kelis – “Bounce”
LMFAO – “Party Rock Anthem”
Alex Guardino ft Kelly Rowland – “What a Feeling”
Black Eyed Peas – “Don’t Stop the Party”
DJ Havana Brown – “We Run the Night”
Jason Derulo – “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
Stan Walker – “Loud”
Willow Smith – “21st Century Girl”
Bombs Away – “Super Soaker”
David Guetta – “Little Bad Girl”
Israel Cruz – “Party Up”
Michael Mind – “Ready Or Not”
Katy Perry ft Kanye West – “ET”
Yolanda ft Crystal Waters – “Be Cool”
Enrique Eglasias – “Dirty Girl”
Black Eyes Peas – “Don’t Stop the Party”
Luciana – “I’m Still Hot”
Jason Derulo – “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
Jay Sean – “Hit the Lights”
Roger Sanchez – “2Gether”
Snoop Dogg – “Sweat”
Rihanna – “S & M”
Pitbull – “Bon Bon”
Vandalism – “Vegas”
Chris Willis – “Louder”
Guy Sebastian – “Who’s That Girl?”
Kesha – “We R Who We R”
Chris Brown ft Benny Benassi – “Beautiful People”
Well folks, there you have it. An interesting slice of the best dance songs for 2011 as awarded by the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire teams. I guess they should know what they’re talking about, as they’re in continual liaison with music afficianados and jukebox hire customers on a daily basis.
I notice some of the video clips are a bit risque – LMFAO’s “Sexy & I Know It” falls into this category. I had to laugh when I saw a lady at a party cover her eyes in amused mock shock as she was viewing the clip via the big screen data projector. As the song says, “Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle wiggle”. Wiggle what, my wife asked!
One must feel pleased in knowing that two Aussies are in the list – Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian. Way to go, guys! Success for both of these artists seems to have been achieved by launching themselves into the US market – it wouldn’t surprise me if both of their hit songs (“Inescapable” and “Who’s That Girl?”) were penned by US writers. Australia with its relatively small population – less than one tenth of the US - still has a ways to go for singers if they want to achieve global success. It’s difficult to achieve locally unless they’re bold enough to venture OS where all the significant action is.
As far as bookings are concerned, the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire team inform me the inevitable post-New Year slump has started. Jukebox hires traditionally fall in January after the frenetic months of Sept through to December. They begin to pick up again in March/April, around Easter or so when Christmas credit card debts finally begin to be paid off by those many families residing restlessly on Struggle Street.
All in all, 2011 was a reasonable year as far as new music releases was concerned. Some interesting trends were noticed, that will form the basis of later posts on this blog. The Brisbane and Gold coast jukebox hire offices relocated during the year, reflecting an increasing level of jukebox hire success. On a wider perspective, 2011 wasn’t a good year for many hapless people. Natural disasters were an unwelcome affliction to many, ranging from the Brisbane floods through to the Christchurch earthquakes through to the terrible Japanese tsunami where 200,000 people died, et al.
2012 itself is predicted to be a memorable one. Take the Mayan calendar, for example – it completely stops on 21 Dec 2012, a sign seen by some as an ominous forewarning of potential armageddon. Several hundred years ago, the Mayans predicted the apocalypse on this date, with their 5,125 year old calendar resetting itself to 0.0.0.0. at this time. Rather eerily, the I Ching (also known as the Book of Changes) prophesies something strange is going to happen on this exact date also. Hmm. One mustn’t scoff , denigrate or dismiss all of this too lightly as scholars have revealed that the I Ching in fact predicted relatively accurately modern events such as World Wars 1 and 2. Some say that Nostradamus also predicted dire events for 2012, but analysis of his writings show nothing specific to 2012 was actually clearly specified. Suffice to say that due to all this, there’s a lot of scare-mongering going around in certain segments of society. As December comes closer, it wouldn’t surprise me if actual panic ensues in some obsessive population sectors.
But enough of this. Let’s get back on topic. Jukebox hire and music. Suffice to say that overall, the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox hire office predicts a mixed year ahead, depending on whether or not the European debt crisis escalates out of hand. Both Greece and Italy are in dire economic straits and anything could happen. Hopefully not another GFC! And let’s hope for no more terrible earthquakes for our brothers and sisters in Christchurch, many of whom are forlornly locked in there due to plummeting real estate values combined with oppressive mortgages (given what little their houses are now worth).
It’s said though that in order to forge forward, one can’t become mired in the desolation and despair of the past, nor the duplicitous quicksands of the present. So on this note, happy new year to all and please have a wonderful and fulfilling 2012 (at least up to 21 December when the Mayans say we’re all doomed!). Our jukebox hire staff will be most pleased to help out with music for any parties you may hold during the year, regardless of what areas in greater Brisbane or the Gold Coast you may reside in.
We’ve spoken about George Michael in this blog on more than one occasion, what with his proclivity to drink and drive and take the occasional recreational drug. But the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire team were surprised to learn that poor ol’ George in the last week or so suffered a severe bout of pneumonia, bad enough to warrant a stay in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Vienna Austria. Fortunately, he’s pulled through okay though apparently had experienced two or three days of quite severe symptoms where anything could’ve happened. Many people in the past have died through acute pneumonia, it’s no laughing matter. George had to cancel all the remaining shows on his European ‘Symphonica Tour‘ .
A hospital staff member told Austrian newspaper Osterreich: “He’s feeling a lot better. He’s doing so well, he’s able to fly again.”
Last week, the singer’s boyfriend and celebrity hair stylist Fadi Fawaz advised the pop superstar would be flying back to England for Christmas.
“Christmas at home. I cannot stop smiling today, the best day ever. He is getting better and better. Nothing to worry about, happy days,” he said.
He really needs to cut back on his drug use though. In an interview withThe Guardian some time ago, Michael explained he had cut back on cannabis and now smokes only ‘seven or eight’ spliffs per day instead of the 25 he used to smoke. On 24 August 2010, the singer pleaded guilty in London to driving under the influence of drugs and on 14 September 2010, was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, a fine, and a five year ban from driving. Michael was released from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk on 11 October 2010, after serving four weeks. It’s more than a little passing strange for celebrity multimillionnaires to end up in prison, hence the major kerfuffle this caused at the time.
As a piece of little known trivia, in 2003 he paired up with Ronan Keating on a celebrity issue of the UK version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire?” and won £32,000, after having their original £64,000 winnings halved after missing the £125,000 question. I doubt it worried them much however, both gentlemen being in the happy position of being multimillionnaires. Who said there’s no money left in music, given the millions (if not billions!) of global illegal downloads out there!
Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire staff report that George’s song, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go“ remains a favourite dance number, some 27 years after its initial 1984 release by Wham, the band that launched him into mega stardom. In later years, George’s hits have slowed to a crawl, with the last reasonable one being “Flawless (Go to the City)“, released in 2004. The single performed well in the charts reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight there. It became a huge dance hit, especially in the United States reaching number one on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs. It’s a good tune actually, though doesn’t have the sheer vibrancy and dynamism of the “Go Go” tune. The “Flawless” video clip is quite interesting to watch and is reputed to have been shot in just one four minute take. This is amazing, given the huge budgets and vast number of takes that certain other song video clips from other megastars have no doubt required.
George Michael in his younger days wasquite a handsome gentleman – I remember my female flatmate back in the eighties drooling over him every time he appeared on TV. Back then of course, his homesexuality was a closely guarded secret, akin to the situation concerning another good looking pop star by the name of Ricky Martin, who also had been adored by female fans until his sexual leanings were released only two or three years ago. In a 2007 interview, Michael admitted that he had hidden the fact he was gay because of worries over what effect it might have on his mother. Hmm, I think there’s more to it than that, if the truth be told.
Curiously, Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire staff report that despite George Michael’s popularity with the dance set, hardly ever are any of his songs sung in karaoke evenings. It seems a good karaoke song needs to have more to it, than simply possessing an uptempo beat.
In any case, everyone is relieved George is back on his way to full health. He’s a great talent, after all. Certain members of the Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire office have now resolved to sing “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” at our next office shindig in his honour – way to go, guys!
Staff at the office have reported by the way, a continuing surge in both jukebox hires as well as karaoke hire in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast. This is to be expected of course, as we’re currently in the midst of the annual holiday season. The test will come next February or March, when bookings for both jukeboxes as well as karaoke traditionally wane each year. The dip in 2012 may be greater than normal though, if the dire predictions of a European economic meltdown come to an unwelcome fruition. In any case, there’s little we can do about it. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, after all. This is one of the quotes from the Bible that I’ve never forgotten, having first read it half a lifetime ago – the message behind it just seemed to make such utter good sense. In other words, don’t worry today about things that might happen tomorrow. Yet ask me tomorrow what I had for lunch today & I’d have no idea. Is this a sign of incipient dementia?
Strange stuff, eh? In one article, we’ve progressed from George Michael’s recalcitrant drug use, through to Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire machine predictions for 2012, through to biblical quotations. Maybe George Michael’s not the only furtive drug user around here!
Well, the silly season has really arrived with a bang. As far as jukebox hires go, the Brisbane and Gold Coast karaoke DJ and jukebox hire office has reported a huge spike in activity. Apparently they’re flat out trying to cope with the many Christmas parties and other corporate gigs floating around at the moment. Frozen cocktail slushie machines and chocolate fountain hires are proving prolific as well.
Highlights of some recent events include the following.
1. A massive party at the Stapylton headquarters of Aldi, where a karaoke jukebox was supplied, together with two frozen cocktail slushie machines. The manager reported the staff were extremely appreciative of the equipment that had been hired by the management, despite some of the karaoke singing during the party being vividly described as “atrocious”! The manager said that as far as the jukebox went, the Christmas carols planned for the first half hour or so of the event didn’t last more than the first two or three songs, whereupon loud latest music soon became the order of the day. Why listen to “I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus” when you can listen to the latest Gaga or LMFAO hit!
As far as the frozen cocktail slushie hire machines go, the manager said next year, they’ll want three of them, though he stressed all would remain non-alcoholic, not to dampen spirits but simply to “maintain order within our office environment”. A smart man!
2. Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire staff reported also a highly successful event occurred at Brisbane Powerhouse last week. The Jennings Group had organised a Christmas staff party, complete with a karaoke jukebox, chocolate fountain hire plus two opera singers! This seeming incongruity worked well however, as the jukebox was set to play low key dinner music for the first part of the evening, to be then followed by the alto-soprano singers. Apparently the operatic duo sang a few Christmas numbers that were well received due to their angelic voices, before the karaoke jukebox was finally given a good workout. Needless to say, at the end of the night, everyone was either danced out or in the case of the karaoke singers, a little hoarse. I must admit that this was a first for us, sharing one of our karaoke jukeboxes with opera singers! By the way, the operatic duo loved the chocolate from the fountain, so I’m told.
3. A huge karaoke night was held earlier this week at the Springfield Tavern. Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire staff reported over one hundred people attended, with the crowd fairly evenly split between those wanting to sing karaoke and those who wanted to simply jive away to the jukebox music. Management at the Tavern thus devised a clever method to accommodate these differing desires, involving a rotating series of thirty minute sessions. That is, they conducted karaoke for half an hour, then played dance music for the next half hour, then returned back to karaoke for another half hour and so on & so forth. The Tavern also had hired one of our frozen cocktail slushie machines, that they said went great guns, with folks happily paying two dollars per drink.
The Tavern reported as far as the karaoke was concerned, some of the singers were darn good. They’re now considering holding semi-regular karaoke nights there, with the possibility of having retro jukebox dance evenings as well. The Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox and karaoke hire staff are no strangers to this type of activity, being well versed in conducting hosted karaoke and/or jukebox dance nights.
In summary, it must be said thatt 2011 has flown quickly by. We can’t believe the year’s almost at an end. It’s been full of highlights, with a couple of lowlights also. The highlights include the vast majority of happy folk out there who absolutely love their karaoke, frozen cocktail slushie machines and jukebox hires. The lowlights include the small minority of drunk people who rather than becoming happy or maybe quiet, instead become aggressive. Such people shouldn’t drink , I’m afraid. Though I stress, only one person in one hundred is like this – it’s simply a fact of life the our Brisbane and Gold Coast jukebox, karaoke and DJ hire staff have to deal with.
In case we don’t get a chance to do this before close of year, we here at Best Sound wish all of our clients and associates the very best for a most blessed Christmas and prosperous New Year. It’s been an extremely exciting and good one for us, with many more successes, peaks and troughs to come in the future, of that there’s no doubt.
Looking forward, 2012 may well prove to be challenging from an economic standpoint. The United States is still stuck in a downturn, and Europe is showing gloomy signs of falling into a sharp recession, if the fiscal finances of both Italy and Greece (and to a lesser extent, Spain and Ireland) can’t be improved. Astute economic judges say there’s a 50/50 chance of this occurring.
Oh well, what will be, will be. Nothing much we as individuals can do about it, except remain optimistic and keep the music flowin’!
Good bands never die. And great bands never age (musically speaking).
Brisbane and Gold Coast karaoke, jukebox and mobile DJ hire staff learnt today that coincidentally, Cold Chisel happened to be touring in the Margaret River area of Western Australia just days after the disastrous bushfires there. True to form, Jimmy Barnes and the group elected to turn the event into a fundraiser for the families who’d tragically lost their homes just days before.
Good on you, guys. Cold Chisel is certainly one of the best bands ever, not just vocally, but in other respects as well. Their belief in giving back to the community just as much as they receive, is commendable. They don’t strut around the place like pretentious peacocks or stereotypic rock stars, but enjoy rolling up their shirt sleeves and mixing with ordinary folk such as you and I. Great to see. I can’t remember a time, for example, when any of them arrived at a gig in a stretch limo with the compulsory blacked out windows (even an ostensibly down to Earth guy such as Bono from U2 has been sighted doing this).
Brisbane and Gold Coast karaoke hire staff advise also that “Khe Sanh” is a perennial favourite for karaoke afficianados out there, especially those over forty or so. Strangely, we’ve never seen a woman sing it, even though many other songs originally sung by males are later blithely & unabashedly reprised by ladies on their karaoke nights – take some of the Queen, Robbie Williams or Bruno Mars songs, for example. Not so with “Khe Sanh” however. It seems to be a taboo tune as far as the ladies go, dealing as it does with issues concerning the Vietnamese war, expressed with incisive sardonic cynicism that only a battle wearied, Viet vet could truly and completely comprehend.
“I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh
And my soul was sold with my cigarettes to the blackmarket man
I’ve had the Vietnam cold turkey
From the ocean to the Silver City
And it’s only other vets could understand
About the long forgotten dockside guarantees
How there were no V-day heroes in 1973…”
In any case, way to go, Cold Chisel – may you keep rockin’ from strength to strength and outlive us all!
