Few things really make the party like great music (okay, your favorite friends and an open bar might help) - and the folks over at Bamboo Beats know a thing or two about music. After meeting Jojo (half of the husband and wife team that owns the business) here at ULS during a huge New Years Eve party and seeing how well they handled the crowd and how they used our screen and projector and lights to create an incredible, unique ambiance, I was excited to get them into the space again. And I quickly saw that if the event was a 200 person bash or an intimate 50 person wedding, they know exactly how to read the crowd and make sure everyone has a blast.
So if you want a DJ who will do more than play music and who will work hard to ensure that your party is THE PARTY, read on!
Q: Bamboo Beats is Seattle's first green DJ - what steps do you take to be more a more environmentally friendly business?
A: We are proud to be Seattle’s first green DJ! With these 5 steps, we are doing our part to lessen the impact we have on our precious environment:
1) We drive green: Our main concerns are with energy conservation and as a mobile business, our goal is to drive green. We use a hybrid Prius for our main transportation and additional vehicles are greened by purchasing carbon offsets.
2) We buy green power: We support renewable energy by participating in green power programs from Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy and other clean energy providers. To further conserve energy, black was chosen for our website display color because it uses only 59 watts to display rather than 74 watts for a white display. Imagine how much energy could be saved if Google’s home page were a dark color!
3) We reduce, reuse and recycle: We use recycled paper and only print what we need. We encourage all contracts and invoices to be sent electronically to reduce paper usage. Also, all of our DJs are vinyl lovers so they reclaims vintage vinyl so that they don’t end up in landfills along with all those plastic bags and CDs.
4) We support green businesses: We partner with other sustainable vendors in the event industry and use green businesses for our marketing materials, web hosting, dry cleaning and more. There are many options in every category from venues, local/organic catering, floral decor, eco-friendly fashion, plus favor donations to social causes and more. We are fortunate to part of a network of wonderful sustainable vendors in the Seattle area.
5) We help Green your event: As Seattle’s First Green DJ, we will purchase renewable energy certificates on your behalf to fight global warming and to help make your party a carbon neutral event.
Photo by Jenny Jimenez
Q: You're a husband and wife team - what's it like working with your spouse?!
A: We started our business as a result of the team effort we made in planning our own wedding. After 9 years of marriage and over 7 years of being in business together, we are happy to report that things have never been better! It’s an amazing chemistry when two people complement each other in talent, skills and personality. I mean, how lucky are we, that we get paid to make folks feel happy and alive through music and dancing? When it comes to weddings, each one is so unique and endearing. During vows and toasts we are always reminded of our relationship and it’s like we get married all over again each time!We are also fortunate enough to have built a business that allows us to raise a family and have a working schedule that suits our lifestyle. Our business feels like an extended family and we are so blessed to touch the lives of so many people during their important life events. As we have grown, we are also honored to have been able to create income streams for our partners and their families. We often think that if the whole world had as much fun making a living as we do, there would be non-stop dancing in the streets!
Q: What other services do you offer besides playing music? You've definitely rocked some awesome lights and projections here at ULS!
A: We specializing in creating the most exciting party environments! In addition to our party rockin’ DJ music, we can take your party to the next level with our Video DJ service, which is a hybrid of exciting turntablism and high impact video mixing! If your venue has projectors and screens we can tap into (like at ULS!), our DJ can mix the music and videos together live on screen with cool effects! We can also “float” your name or monogram over the video. It adds an amazing new dimension to a kick-ass dance party.
Photos by Rapture of the Deep Digital Media
Q: What do you think is the most requested song at weddings? I think that I've heard Don't Stop Believing by Journey at least a thousand times. :)
A: Michael. Ha ha, it’s not a song title and it’s not a genre, but it’s definitely our favorite most requested music... and rightly so! Michael has hits that make you move and his music is so universal and appealing to all ages.
Q: What advice do you have for couples who are considering using an iPod instead of hiring a DJ?
A: Your choice of music represents a large percentage of the success of your wedding! Guests may not remember how good the food was or how beautiful the flowers were, but they will remember how much fun they had dancing their faces off!If you want a musical vibe that reflects your personality and a dance party that kicks butt, there is only one choice. You need to hire a DJ. But not just any DJ -- an awesome DJ! All DJs are not created equal. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
A truly talented, organized, seasoned and exciting DJ will give you an epic wedding experience that is worth its weight in gold! A horrible DJ will give you and your guests an expensive nightmare that will be hard to forget.
If you think you don’t have the budget for an awesome DJ and want to use an iPod... Think again. Your iPod can do many things, but it will NOT read the crowd, blend the best parts of a song, pick up the pace, mix in requests on the fly or create a frenzy on the dance floor.
Unfortunately, you can’t “scroll back” on your wedding day, so our advice is to move forward with the best DJ you can afford! Also, don’t just ask your family and friends for a DJ referal, make sure to ask your wedding vendors which DJs they recommend... They’ve seen and heard it all!
Photo by Jerome Tso
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