Nigerian Nightmare . . . 5/24/09

This wasn't a DJ job, but a video job and I will never, ever do a Nigerian wedding function ever again! I'm trying to video the wedding, reception, etc, and people kept walking in front of camera. They were rude (not stereotyping all Nigerians as being rude, but the ones at the event), aggressive and I got no sense of direction from anybody. This was my first ever Nigerian event and it was very long. I mean really long. My day started at 1:30 pm and didn't end until 12:30 a.m. But what got me was that this event was at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD and they filled up two rooms. I mean the max was 300 and they were pretty close to that number. Folks had to be turned away and asked to leave because it was a fire hazard.

On a good note, one cool thing is when the bride and groom dance, everybody comes up to them and drops money on them. I mean that is the coolest thing. I saw at least four big shopping bags filled with money ($1, $20s, $50, etc). One thing I did see was a Martin's employee sneak in the crowd and steal a few dollars off the floor. I saw you buddy!! I got you on tape!

Best Western in Bmore . . . 5/23/09

Okay, this was another off the hook party that got turned out by yours truly. This was a Latin/Black wedding so I had to provide a mixture of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and Reggaeton, in addition to Hip Hop and R&B. Much love to the bride and groom, very nice people. The laugh of the night goes to the group of white girls that asked for the "Stanky Leg" and actually did it. From there I dropped "Crank That," and the party just took off. You know I ripped the dance floor with a wicked 70s mix and I threw in Pitbull's "Calle Ocho!" You know the joint, One, Two, Three, Four, Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro. I can't forget that I dropped Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina," and "Rompe." Overall, a good party, and I was shocked that I had both sides of the family rocking all night long. Stay blessed!

Saved Folk + Nferno= A Good Time!

This shocked me! No alcohol, no problem. These saved folks got down with Nferno Friday night in Beltsville, MD at the Villa. First off, I gotta say the bride and groom were very nice and good to me, so they get much love from Nferno. But I must say, I didn't expect this to be a dancing crowd but they shocked me. I threw on the Electric Slide and it was on like popcorn. But the party really got going with a wicked Beyonce mix of songs. I had a lot of fun doing this event. Lesson learned, never sleep on saved folk. lol. Stay blessed!

My Big Fat Greek/Caribbean Wedding . . . 5/16/09

Okay, this reception was OFF THE HOOK! From the 1st song of "Celebration" to the last song "Headz High" this reception was JAMMING! First off, the Bride and Groom were so nice to me and the Wedding Coordinator, family and friends, made me feel like part of the family. This was a small reception (no more than 40 people) but it was fun with a capital F. Some nights, you just can't miss with playing songs and that was one of those nights for me. Whatever I played, they danced to. The only goof up I had is when I was in this wicked 70s mix: "Brickhouse," "Play That Funky Music," "To Be Real," I got a little carried away and started dancing and my elbow hit the cross fader and slid it over to an empty channel and the music stopped. We all laughed it off, and I dropped in the Cupid Shuffle so all was forgiven. By far, the best night of 2009.

This week is Memorial Day weekend and I will be in Beltsville-The Villa and downtown Baltimore. Should be interested! Stay blessed.

5/15/2009 Wedding Kent Manor Inn

I belive being a wedding DJ is tough! As a club DJ, you pretty much know what type of music to play all night long. There is very little crowd reading that goes on. As a wedding DJ, you have various age groups, races, backgrounds, etc, so you may one person that likes Country, while somebody else prefers Disco or 80s. The wedding I did last Friday night was a serious crowd reading lesson. During our conversation, the bride told me to play pretty much whatever, so I did. I played all of the hit party favorites that would surely get the crowd going. It didn't. Okay, so I decided to do a line dance, ChaCha Slide and nobody got up. Me being an interactive DJ, I raced to the dance floor to try to encourage people to do the ChaCha slide, finally the bridal party came out and danced with me--and I think it was done because they felt sorry for me. All is well. So I had a group of people on the dance floor and I hit them with the Wedding Crashers favorite, "Shout!" I have never seen Shout with only a few people doing it. The groom's mother (from South Africa) wanted some oldies song played, Buddy Holly, etc. So I threw on a popular Buddy Holly song, followed by the Beattles and some other 50s jingles and only two people danced--the groom's mother and uncle. However, I was able to get the crowd going a bit when I played, "The Way I Are," "Sexyback," and "Promiscious." That seemed to get them going. Also, "Blame It" got the dance floor packed as well. Overall, it was a so so night. The parents of the bride and groom were pleased, so I guess it was a good evening. By the way, big props to the Kent Manor Inn staff. They looked out for me with food and drinks. Very nice, very friendly.

Line Dances . . . Cheesy or Party Starter?

I was a bit miffed and perplexed when I read an article on songs that you shouldn't play during a wedding reception. One of the topics that was really talked about in this article were Line Dances. I was like is this person on some sort of recreational drug or something? Not having Line Dances at a wedding? Are you serious? The author claimed that they are cheesy. Cheesy? Well, please pass me the Kraft and macaroni, cause I want all of the cheesiness! I have done over 500 weddings in my day, and I will be the first to say that a Line Dance sometimes is a party starter. At some receptions, you need a Line Dance or two to motivate the guests. Sometimes the alcohol hasn't kicked in yet, and sometimes folks are shy, so a DJ knows to play two types of music . . . Line Dances or a slow song. What's a wedding without the ChaCha Slide or the more current Cupid Shuffle? I don't care the color of your skin, people love to do the ChaCha Slide, especially the part . . . "How Low Can You Go?" The woman just go crazy . . . yes even Grandma will pull her skirt up and "drop it likes it hot!"

I'm not a fan of the Electric Slide too much, but it's old school and that tends to get the 40 and over crowd up and going. Plus, it's easy to do, so those that are "rhythm challenged" or have two left feet, then this is the perfect song to get them moving.

Speaking of the Electric Slide, I have a wedding this Saturday night in Potomac, MD and the bride has asked that I get the crowd to do the Electric Slide to an Ella Fitzgerald "scat." We will see how it turns out. Stay tuned!!

Also, did you know that you can do the Electric Slide to Usher's "Yeah" and Earth, Wind, and Fire's "September?" Next time you have a party, try it out.

Totally Off the Topic . . . But I Got to Give Him Props!

I wanna say Congrats to my 7 year old son, Jaylin "Pancake" Hertz for winning the TaeKwonDo 2009 AAU Maryland State Championship. This was Jaylin's second state championship and last year he finished second. He also finished 2nd in the nation for the 6-7 year old division at the 2008 Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2009, Jaylin is looking to do big things as he battled in Waldorf, MD on April 18th. In Jaylin's first match, he won by mercy rule 9-2 (7pt lead and the match is over). Pancake used a combination of devasting side kicks and head shots to seal the victory early in the 2nd round. In the championship match, it was a battle. Pancake took an early 2-0 lead and then his opponent quickly came back to tie it 2-2 on a swift head kick (head kicks count 2 pts). The battle was intense as both kids battled for two rounds, but it was the last 12 seconds that showed why Pancake has taken his sparring skills to the next level. Trailing 7-5 with 12 seconds, Jaylin quickly scored two points--the last one coming with 1 second left to force Sudden Death. In Sudden Death (first point wins) Jaylin used a swift back hand fist to the temple to seal the victory! Congrats Big Jay! Next stop, Ft. Lauderdale, FL for the 2009 Nationals. Guess who was in his corner serving as his coach? That's right. Your's truly, DJ Nferno. That day, DJ Nferno coached 5 kids to 1st Place and one kid to 2nd place.

Sweet 16 Party . . . Oxon Hill Manor 4/24/09

This was a first for me. I never knew a parent or in this cases parents would spend about $20K on a Sweet 16 wedding for two girls (cousins). They repped Grace Bretheran Christian School in Clinton, MD. They hired two GoGo bands and me as the DJ, so you know it was on. But what got me was the layout for the party. Catered staff, buffet style, chocolate fountain, photographers . . . it was off the hook. Thank God, I don't have any daughters, but if I did, I don't think they would get half of that. Not knocking what their parents did, but it seemed like a bit much, especially in this economy. To each its own.

Welcome to Mind Blowin Xperience: DJ Services

Welcome to Mind Blowin' Xperience. This is our first blog post and we are excited to keep our customers up-to-date with latest news and events! We provide music and entertainment for all occasions: weddings, birthday (kids and adults), corporate, holiday parties, anniversaries, school dances, family reunions, ethnic events, and many more... Please check out our blog often for any news updates and promotions. We look forward to booking your next special event! Please visit our new site www.djnferno.com for more information!