The DJ Network Wedding Reception Entertainment Disc Jockey CT MA RI NY

Welcome to the DJ Network e-Newsletter. This e-Newsletter hopes to bring together valuable information for prospective clients, prospective Bride & Grooms, Corporate Clients, Party Planners, Banquet Facilities and related vendors. The DJ Network's stated purpose is to provide information about our industry and bring together these clients and services, with our unique referral network, with the goal of raising the quality of the wedding industry.

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We Want To Meet You In Person - The members of the DJ Network want to meet you at a convenient location near you. We cover all of New England and customizing events is what we do best. Sit with us and learn what an impact using one of the DJ Network members at your event will make.

The DJ Network - NEW CDROM

The DJ Network just released their new CDROM. Simply place the CDROM in your computer (PC or MAC) and it will play our video clips, audio clips and tell you all about our services. If you'd like a copy of our new CDROM, please request one through our website/via email.

Paying for your DJ just became easier. Don't know what to do with your beenie baby collection or that old exercise bike? Sell it on Ebay and collect your money through paypal. Who would have known that an old box of GI Joes would be worth $250?

The DJ Network members all accept Paypal as a payment option. You can pay your deposit out of your paypal account or make small payments each month to pay down your balance. Or you can sell off all your childhood memories and pay for your wedding without coming up with a dime out of pocket. Either way you look at it - paypal is a great way to securely send money to anyone.

If you are interested in using paypal to secure or make payments for our services, please email us and we can direct you on how you can use paypal.

What's it all about....? Line Dancing History Unfolds.

Some of those over played wedding songs that you love to hate, do have some trivial back stories that may interest you. They may or may not change your mind to add them to your wedding song list:

The Chicken Dance:

This unique Polka is often considered an Oktoberfest standard. Stories claim that the song was written in the 50's by Swiss Accordion player Werner Thomas in Davos, Switzerland while tending a flock of Ducks and Geese. Originally entitled "Der Ententanz" (The Duck Dance), the tune crossed the Atlantic via traveling Polka bands and became "The Chicken Dance".

The dance was popularized in the United States in 1981 during the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oktoberfest by the Heilbronn Band from Germany. They wanted to demonstrate the dance in costume but there were no duck costumes available anywhere near Tulsa. At a local television station, however, a chicken costume was available which was donated for use at the festival. And that is how the "Chicken Dance" got its name.

There are many versions of the poultry theme song also known as "Vogeltanz" (Dance Little Bird), "Dance de Canards" and "The Bird's Dance". Steps to the dance can be found here.

The Hokey Pokey:

The song is said to have originated in England as "the Okey Cokey" and popularized by G.I's in England during World War 2. Bob Degen of Lexington, KY owns a 1944 copyright of the song "The Hokey-Pokey Dance" but Larry LaPrise, legend has it, "invented" the song for ski crowd at a Sun Valley, Idaho resort in the 1940's and recorded it in 1949 with the Ram Trio. The rights were bought by Ray Anthony who recorded it as the 'B' side to "The Bunny Hop" in 1953. Larry LaPrise, died April 13, 1996 in Boise, Idaho, at the age of 83. Steps to the dance can be found here.

The Time Warp:

"The Time Warp" is without a doubt the most popular song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show movie released in 1975 and starring Tim Curry & Susan Sarandon. The original 1973 London Theater Company production written by Richard O'Brien was only meant to run for 6 weeks.

The movie musical was a flop but went onto cult status when on April 1st, 1976, it was played at the Waverly theatre at midnight. It was a success, and rapidly developed a large following. The regulars started dressing up as characters from the movie and even started yelling things back at the screen. This escalated to the audience participation we have today.

The song is played on the radio, at clubs, at school dances, and even by marching bands. People who have never seen the movie often know how to do The Time Warp. Steps to the dance can be found here.

The YMCA:

The Village People was created in 1977 by French record producer and composer, Jacques Morali. The group was named after New York’s gay district in Greenwich Village. It is believed that the group was designed to attract gay audiences while parodying some of the stereotypes found in the gay community. As everyone knows by now, the group was made up of "macho men," including a cop, a construction worker, a cowboy, a biker, a Native American and a soldier.

The Song "YMCA" was released in 1978 and reached number 2 on the Billboard Top 40 Charts. Y.M.C.A. stands for "Young Men's Christian Association," which is commonly associated with the gyms that often provide temporary housing to men.

Originally considered an anthem for the gay community, the song has long been popular with people from all walks of life. It’s become the most frequently performed song at sporting events in the U.S. with everyone singing and dancing using the well-known arm movements that spell out the letters Y-M-C-A.

The Electric Slide:

‘The Electric Boogie’ was recorded by Marcia Griffiths and produced by Bunny Wailer in 1982. Griffiths was one of Bob Marley’s backup singers, the iThree's, for nearly a decade, and Bunny Wailer was a Wailer.

In 1989, the song exploded into popularity. Numerous re-recordings and re-packagings ensued and ‘The Electric Slide’ emerged as a Washington, D.C. and Virginian dance craze which quickly infected the rest of the country.

Strangely enough, despite it's enormous international popularity, the song never cracked the Top 40 charts. Steps to the dance can be found here.

Da Butt:

Sung and performed by E.U (Experience Unlimited) from the 1988 Spike Lee movie "School Daze". The song has it's own dance, which involves simply shaking your butt when instructed by the lyrics. Spike Lee directed the video for this, and even appeared in it, shaking his butt.

This is one of the biggest hits with the "go-go" sound - a fun mixture of dance, rap, and funk. "Go-go" has been popular in the Washington, DC area since the '70's.

The Achy Breaky Heart:

Sung by Billy Ray Cyrus from Flatwoods, Ky, who bought a guitar at age 20, then played in local bands named Sly Dog and the Breeze. He spent 1984 to 1986 in Los Angeles, looking for a recording contract and supporting himself by selling cars. Next he lived in Huntington, W.Va., and traveled regularly to Nashville in search of the elusive recording deal. Finally, Cyrus was signed to Mercury Records in 1990

Although the song has an amusing title and upscale rhythm, it tells a sad story: a couple are breaking up, and Cyrus asks that his heart be spared the pain because his heart `might blow up and kill this man.' This was a remake of a 1991 song by the Country act The Marcy Brothers, titled "Don't Tell My Heart."

In 1992 the "Achy Breaky Heart" spawned dance contests held in dance clubs across the country.Steps to the dance can be found here.

The Macarena:

"Macarena" is a song by Los del Rio (Rafael Ruiz and Romero Monge) about a woman of the same name. Diana Patricia, the Venezuelan flamenco dancer inspired the song. It was originally released in 1993, as a new flamenco rumba pop fusion theme with Spanish lyrics, with a significant success in Spain. "La Macarena" is one of 8 sections (known as "quarters") of Seville, Spain. That's where they got the name. The song originally had no dance.

After being remixed by the Bayside Boys and having English lyrics added, it became a worldwide summer hit in 1996. The single spent 14 weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

In the original version, Macarena (which means "Mother of God.") is upset because her boyfriend, Vitorino, has joined the army. She retaliates by going out on the town and carousing with other men. In the Bayside Boys mix, Macarena gets mad at her boyfriend and goes out to shake it while he's out of town.

During its heyday, it was played incessantly at professional athletic games, rallies, the United States Democratic Party's National Convention, and other places. The Israeli national radio station "Galatz", chose "The Macarena" as the worst song of the 1990s. As for the dance credit can be assigned to Mia Frye, the choreographer of "The Macarena" video. Steps to the dance can be found here:

The Cha Cha Slide:

DJ Casper - Cha Cha Slide sometimes called "The Casper Slide" The Cha Cha Slide is a dance created by Chicago's Willie Perry (DJ Casper, aka Mr. C). It is an update of the Electric Slide, and includes DJ Casper's called-out instructions. The rhythm of the Cha-Cha Slide is based on an obscure 1993 dance/club song "Plastic Dreams" by Jaydee (aka Robin Albers).

DJ Casper developed the Cha Cha Slide in 1996 for Bally Total Fitness; it became a hit with gym members, and the dance's popularity prompted Chicago's WGCI radio station to approach Mr. C to record a song to showcase the dance The Cha-Cha Slide in 2000. The following year, the song and dance caught on around the USA. Steps to the dance can be found here.

If you don't like these selections please advise your DJ Network entertainer to remove them from your event playlist. If you like these songs and would like to learn these dances, please feel free to contact you DJ Network entertainer for step-by-step instructions at your next event.

Custom Recordings

You've planned your event for many months to be perfect in every detail. A day filled with hugs, loving glances and softly spoken 'I do's"...the unforgettable passion of a first dance with the person of your dreams. Your DJ Network disc jockey can now create a custom mix song for your first dance. Using sound clips from your ceremony, toast or prerecorded in-studio - listen to what we can do for you.

SOUND CLIP1 SOUND CLIP2 SOUND CLIP3

These are unique and customized recordings specially designed to make your wedding reception a memorable occasion. Ask your DJ Network disc jockey about this exciting upgrade today.

Are You Or Your DJ Using Illegal Song Downloads?

A 2005 decision by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeal clearly establishes that people who illegally post or download music files are primary infringers of copyright law and that this decision represents a long-sought appellate victory by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), which began its legal battle against individual file swappers by filing hundreds of lawsuits in September 2003.

While there is no way to know exactly what the RIAA is going to do, who it is going to sue, or even how much music qualifies as a "substantial" amount, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco digital-rights group, has published a list of suggestions on how to reduce the chance of being sued by the RIAA. Here are a few:

1. Make sure there are no potentially infringing files in your shared folder.

2. Remove all potentially misleading file names that might be confused with the name of an RIAA artist or song (e.g., "Usher" or "Madonna") from your shared folder.

3. Disable the "sharing" or "uploading" features on your P2P application that allows other users on the network to get copies of files from your computer or scan any of your music directories.

4. Do not allow your computers to be "Supernodes" on the FastTrack P2P System (used, for instance, by KaZaA and Morpheus). To learn more about Supernodes and how to make sure your computer is not one, look here: http://www.whtvcable.com/fasttrack/

Since we have no idea what the RIAA will do next, The DJ Network cautions prospective Bride & Grooms who plan on using illegally downloaded music. Especially if you are planning an "iPod Wedding" or using Mix Tapes/CD's.

A professional DJ should purchase their music legally through various subscription services for the specific use of performing. All of the DJ Network professional DJs have such a subscription to cover us legally when performing at your event. Check with your DJ which service they use and verify that the music is not illegally downloaded.

Also, The DJ Network suggests services such as the iTunes Store & Real Audio Rhapsody. Where for as little as 99 cents or a monthly subscription of $9.99 you can get legal and cheap access to a universal music library. There are lots of artists who share their music with you for free, in the hopes of furthering their art or fan base, look here: http://www.artistdirect.com