F.A.Q. on the services offered by DJ Tony Winyard
/ Streetlife...
Q. How early should I book?
A. The best DJs tend to get booked well in advance and the later you leave it the less choice you'll have. Sometimes though the best deals are often for late bookings, but that can involve taking a gamble that I will be available for your date. Holiday periods and other special dates attract premium fees. To receive a quote please complete the contact form.
Q. What sets Streetlife apart from all the other DJs/Mobile Discos?
A. I have been a professional DJ for over 20 years and have performed at thousands of events during that time. Of course there is a lot of competition but there are not many that have the background and experience in this field that I possess.
Most clients will deal with someone they like, respect and above all, trust. I hope to score well in these important areas and I place great value on my regular clients who have used my services over many years.
Q. Do you have client testimonials and may we contact them?
A. Yes, I have testimonials on this site, they can be viewed here and all of the testimonials displayed here have given permission to be on this site, so you are welcome to contact them.
Q. Do you only provide entertainment?
A. Planning and organising entertainment is the core of my business but many clients are often in need of other areas of assistance. I often give advice for themes, help with venue location. Lighting, sound and staging. Outdoor event & site services. Marquees & interiors. Having been in the entertainment business so long I have built up a considerable amount of contacts in every aspect of entertainment that you could imagine.
I also run an entertainment company named Euan Anthony Ltd and can provide many different forms of entertainment such as bands, string quartets, tribute artists, magicians, casino tables, chocolate fountains, firework displays, toastmasters and much more.
Q. Emergencies do happen; how would you handle a situation where you were ill and could not attend our function?
A. This is one of the advantages of knowing a great number of DJs. These DJs are located all around the south-east of England helping me to save the direst of situations.
Q. How about an emergency breakdown on the way to our event?
A. I only use modern transportation plus the back-up of having it serviced on a regular basis and I have full RAC cover just in case.
Q. I've been told by my venue that any DJ must possess Public Liability Insurance and that all their equipment is fully PAT tested?
A. This is quite standard these days, all of my equipment is Portable Appliance Tested annually to the current HSE Electricity at Work regulations, and every item has a PAT certificate. Additionally I am a member of the Musicians Union which provides me with £10 million worth of full public liability insurance, I can supply copies upon request.
Q. I have a friend who has a friend who can do it cheaper.
A. I believe that as with anything in life you get what you pay for. I have always offered high quality entertainment at affordable prices!
Q. Some of my guests suffer from asthma, do you use smoke machines?
A. I have found that smoke machines, bubble machines and dry ice are more trouble than they are worth and never use any of them unless specifically requested to do so.
Q. One of my guests suffer from epilepsy, do you use strobe lighting?
A. Unless requested in advance, I never use any form of strobe lighting.
Q. What will you wear on the day?
A. My standard dress code is Black-Tie or Smart Casual depending on the event. If you have a preference please let me know. There is a section included on the planning form where you can state your preference.
Q. We have a wide range of ages coming; can you get them all dancing?
A. I have a wealth of experience and am very used to performing to a wide age range and keeping the dance floor busy by playing music for everyone.
Q. Do you accept play lists as we have some favourite songs we would like the DJ to play at our party?
A. I have a music search facility which enables you to search through my music collection to create your own request list. The entire database comprises of over 90,000 tracks. As long as I am given at least 3 days notice I can ensure that ANY song listed on the database is with me for your event. You are of course welcome to supply your own CD(s) for any real rarities.
When searching through this huge collection to create the request list, previously some clients became very excited at the huge choice available and drew up very lengthy request lists of over 70 songs! It is virtually impossible for the DJ to play such a request list and also makes it very restrictive for the DJ on the night and less able to react to what is happening on the dancefloor.
You will see that when you search for a track in the database, next to the each track are 3 buttons.
The 1st button adds it to a "Must Play" list;
The 2nd button adds it to a "Play If Possible" list;
The 3rd button adds it to a "Do Not Play" list.
Please add songs that are very very special to you, to the "Must Play" list.
The "Play If Possible" list is to give the DJ an idea of the types of music you like.
Both of these first 2 lists have a maximum number of entries because, there are only so many songs that can be played in one night! Remember that for a 4-hour event, the maximum amount of songs that could be played is around 60! (Average of 4 minutes per song played back to back).
The database below is updated a couple of times a year, meaning that it is unlikely to show any current chart hits. I have the most current chart hits, so even if a song you like doesn't show up when you search for it, it doesn't necessarily mean that I won't have it. Additionally, I have not yet added everything in my collection to this database, so again, if there is a song that you want played it is worth either adding it to the Custom list or emailing/calling me to ask whether I have the track in question.
I guarantee that I will play all songs in your "Must Play" list.
(I cannot accept responsibility for any tracks in this list that clear the dancefloor!)
If your event over-runs then it may not be possible to fit all tracks in the "Must Play" list in.
Q. How can we be sure you will remember all we have asked for on the phone?
A. The booking confirmation form that I will send to you will detail everything that we agree.
Q. Have you played at many events before as we want someone with a lot of experience?
A. As mentioned above, I have a wealth of experience of both weddings and corporate events. You can see some of the many venues I have performed at here and you can view my DJ CV here.
Q. Can you setup the entertainment prior to our arrival at the venue?
A. I can arrange to set up equipment at any time that is most suited to your event and this can include setting up during the morning or before the meal, please discuss this when making your booking where I will be very happy to help
Q. Can you play background music during the meal?
A. This again is easily arranged. Just choose the style of music you would prefer to have played during the meal. The most popular choices are the easy listening/rat-pack style sounds. Other popular choices are jazz, acid-jazz & smooth soul.
Q. Can we view you perform before we book?
A. I would be happy to arrange this however there are times when this will not always be possible as the majority of my events are weddings and corporate events. It is obviously not possible for me to invite people to such an occasion. I regularly meet up with clients at their homes, in a bar or at the venue before the event to go over the music and any other issues. This is best done within a few weeks of the big day so that the discussion is still fresh in my mind. On average I perform at 2 to 3 weddings per week so if the meeting is held six or seven months before the wedding date much of the discussion will not be so easily remembered.
Q. The venue has a smoke detector system and a noise limiter fitted; will this affect you?
A. I can work in any venue that has either a smoke detector system or a noise limiter fitted. I do not use smoke machines so the smoke detector is not an issue. The sound levels will be adjusted to be within the agreed limit of the venue, this is quite common and should not cause any noticeable quality reduction of my show where the sound limiter has been set correctly. However it is worth noting that at many venues these have not been installed correctly. They should always be installed by a professional sound engineer but some venues have them installed by their onsite electrician. This can cause problems because a professional sound engineer will take into account the acoustics and size of the room when setting the maximum sound level, most electricians simply install these units on the factory default setting and do not adjust the maximum sound level. This can cause a problem when in use because if the sound level is set too low, then it can make it very difficult to entice people onto the dancefloor, even more so if the bar is in a separate room from the dancefloor. If the DJ exceeds the maximum set level then all the power to the DJ's equipment is cut and very often the power will not return for a set amount of time, usually between 1 & 5 minutes.
Sometimes the default setting is so low that the sound of the audience clapping can set them off and cut the power!
Q. How far in advance do I need to book?
A. The short answer is as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as I can not reserve your date until you confirm your booking. I already have many confirmed bookings for over 18 months from now. To receive a quote please complete the contact form.
Q. What are your prices?
A. My fees are based on three main factors: 1. Location, 2. Start/end time of event, 3. Estimated number of guests. These 3 factors will enable me to provide you with a quotation. Further information on prices is available here.
Q. Will you play the same cheesy songs such as Agadoo & The Birdie Song that every mobile-disco plays?
A. It is your event, so will play the music that you want. All I ask is that you give me a guideline of the types of music you would like to hear, as opposed to a set play list for 4 hours, as these are usually much too rigid and invariably make for a very boring night for the guests. The Music Search page allows you to look through my collection and create a request list.
Q. Does it take you long to set-up your equipment?
A. It generally takes me around 45 minutes to set all of my sound & lighting equipment up, and I will usually arrive at the venue just over an hour before the start time.
Q. How can I confirm a booking?
A. I will send a contract to you which you would sign and return with a 25% advanced payment.
Q. Do you play the music very loud all night?
A. I am very aware that at most of the events that I am booked for, are social functions where people wish to dance and have a good time, but also chat with old friends and make new friends. This is very difficult to do if the DJ is intent on forcing you to shout all night because the music is too loud. Throughout the event I will pay special attention to the volume levels to ensure that the music is loud enough to dance to, but not so loud that you're not able to have a conversation. If at any stage during the event you feel that the volume is too loud please do not hesitate to ask for it to be lowered. Info on sound levels/volume is here.
Q. Will you keep talking on the microphone over the music all night?
A. No, for most functions I will use the mic sparingly and much prefer to let the music do the talking. I will of course read out requests, dedications etc. Again, the planning form on this site has a section where you can state your preference regarding usage of the mic.
Q. Do you do karaoke?
A. No, but I can provide details of karaoke DJs/KJs.
Q. Do you use tacky disco lighting such as light screens and rope lights?
A. All of the sound & lighting equipment used is modern state-of-the-art and compact. I do not use any lighting effects such as light-screens/light-boxes, rope lights etc. Full details on equipment used by Streetlife.
Q. Do you have a Demo Tape/CD?
A. I have never produced them because I feel they are a waste of time for a DJ. Anyone can stick a load of songs onto a cd but it does not indicate how they would react to a dancefloor emptying. A good DJ constantly watches the audience and their reactions to each song he plays, this dictates what to play next, this is impossible to replicate on a CD. Additionally, the music that you put onto the CD can turn prospective clients off; if for example the DJ put a lot of newer stuff on and the prospective client was looking for slightly older music, or vice-versa, or if you put lots of different styles of music onto a CD it may well not "flow" very well together.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact, remember advice is just the cost of a quick call.
0845 108 3026, 020 7433 1862 or 0777 189 4560.
Contact us for more info
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