S1 E14 - Behind The Beats: All things wedding music with Lydia and DJ Arshad

Because a lot of our clients, right when they come to us, we obviously recommend all the suppliers. We book you quite a bit. But one of the things they said to us is like, can you Send us a DJs profile or Instagram? And I'm like, why? What possible information or video, like, what do you need to see from a dj? Do you get asked that?

We love getting the songs or the vibe and everything in advance and having a chat just to figure out. We don't need everything, obviously, we know what to do, but just a reference. I like to know the age group of the guests coming, you know, where they're from, you know those kind of details, which help us also pick what, you know, what could work.

I think this is the difference between, like, having. We've got a lot of suppliers in Bali and you guys, I would say you're up here, and then most of the supplies are here and then a lot that are down here. And I think the difference between the here and here level is when those songs come through, you're gonna pick that up and you're gonna go, hey, guys, probably not the best vibe for what we do. And you pick that up. Whereas the ones down here are like, okay, no problems. And I think that's the main difference when you're booking your suppliers. Like, there are incredibly amazing suppliers that do sit in the top tier, and then when you go mid range, they're good, but there' just little bits and pieces that would not be picked up.

I actually pretty much refuse not to do weddings without a planner.

I love to hear that one explain.

Why you have to have one. So a direct booking, you wouldn't. I would say, who's your planner? That would be my first question. Like, if they come direct, because quite frankly, it's too stressful without one.

And what people don't realize, and this was the biggest complaint we've had in the last year, was we're going to bill you for every area you want you banned in, because you need to come in and you need to sound check. We can't pick up that equipment and move it because there's not enough time to get everything perfect.

It's always the most underestimated, but eventually the most crucial.

Some people don't book a dj. They might have, like, a band for a few sets and then they just make playlists. But my biggest example on the wedding on Saturday, just gone. They just had their own playlist. And we heard the same song probably like five times that night. We were like, is this song on Again. Yep. Okay.

Hi, and welcome back to another episode of Bali Weddings Unveiled. I'm Tristan. And I'm Britta. And today we have some very special special guests in the studio that I think we're all going to be very happy about. So we'd like to introduce you to DJ Arshad or just Archad. Is that weird?

And we also have the beautiful Lydia from Lydia Rose Band. Is that the official name? Gypsy? We just call her Lydia Rose, really, don't we? Yeah, yeah.

I've got a few. Few names. The Gypsy Songstress, Lydia Rose, Lindsay.

You know, it's a bit of a mixed baby bag. Amazing. So thank you for joining us in the studio today. Thanks for having us. So we are basically going through the episodes. We're kind of going to do an interview with a supplier once a month at least. So we've already kind of touched on hair and makeup. We're basically moving through the key suppliers. Hair and makeup, photo video. We've done celebrants. And now we're moving on to the entertainment section, something me and Britta are going to touch on in the next episode. Guys, I know that a lot of you are watching at home, and as soon as we interview someone, you're like, that's who we want for the wedding.

We're.

We do have a lot of supplies, but we can't fit them all in the studio. So we will be interviewing a lot of people along the year, so just keep that in mind. Although if it was my wedding, you two are the ones that I'd buy.

So privileged when I. Maybe a 30th birthday or something. We do have your 30th coming. Perfect. We do know how to throw a hand.

We need to deal with just quietly.

Is it next year? The year after next year? Next.

All right.

Three zero. The big one. Amazing. So first of all, we're joined by Arshad, who's a dj, been working in Bali. Gosh. How long have you been in Bali now?

13 years now.

13 years.

13 years ago. Before Bali, it was two years in Caribbean. So I'm on the Netherlands right here for my accent. And I was just at some point I thought, like to broaden my perspective and travel around the globe eventually.

How did you end up here?

One of my best friends has lived here already for 20 years, and he's actually been pulling my arm for quite a while.

Was that Bruce or somebody else?

No, Kevin.

Oh, okay.

Kevin. And he was one of the first in my. As far as I know, one of the first wedding DJs here in Bali and he got. He's still here, but he doesn't DJ anymore.

Okay.

He went into the corporate direction.

Less hours, you know, Less hours.

More or less, you do the job. So that's more or less how I ended up in Bali.

Amazing. And we're like, I obviously know you from Global as well because you work with Global quite a bit. What was kind of the first wedding on the scene here back then?

Actually Global.

Of course it was. I was gonna say.

So Global beyond and. Oh, can I say any company names? Global Beyond Beyond. Those exist anymore? And bw, they were the first beyond events.

Was that Brett or is that a different Beyond? I feel like there's a few different company names.

Can't remember a long time ago.

Yeah.

Well, because Kevin, he received so many bookings.

Yeah.

And eventually they were looking for an alternative option and he took me on board and eventually all the money plans, like, wow, we have two amazing all round DJs. You know, hence just. It went word, word to mouth, word of mouth went to the other wedding planners and within a year I just.

Like busy, Just going skyrocket. Yeah. And then eventually you do a few celebrity weddings or a wedding that benefits your profile. And then I'm not sure if I can say, but I feel like we.

Can talk about it now because Global.

Have already spoken for. What are the names again? The owners of Bali Bible.

Oh, yes.

And that more or less skyrockets.

Yeah.

Simon and Lani. Yes, I did. I did Lonnie's 40th birthday a couple.

Weeks ago, but I wasn't totally not aware about their position in the market. Like, whatever. Bali Bible, this is what it is. And they said, can we promote you on our channel? Like, fine. It's only my, my name. My profile was on there with an email address and like within two weeks after their wedding, it was just like.

I've never seen anyone on their wedding. Was that a while ago?

Yeah, that's a long time ago.

Okay. It might have been before I was here.

2014.

I think that was a year before I got here. Yeah.

Just before I arrived.

Actually. I arrived in May 2014. Yeah, there you go. Oh, yeah.

2014 more or less took off.

Wow.

And. And a few celebrity weddings that also help with the marketing. With the marketing.

Did you do Jen Hawkins wedding with Global? Yeah, of course you did.

Yes. And Tones and I.

Well, we were there. So we've, we've spoken about this previously on the podcast, but we couldn't talk about it. But now Global have spoken about it. Britta and I helped out on that wedding, which was amazing. That was an epic day.

Amazing wedding. Beautiful.

She was so lovely.

Yeah. Yeah, she was fun.

Very normal. Very normal. Very normal. I think she came out with just like a robe on and a mother's towel around her head.

White jacket.

This is a bride.

Yeah. I was actually just to do the intermezzo. So she was. She was supposed to perform with the band, and eventually I was playing the whole band.

Oh, was she? I didn't know that she was meant to perform with the band.

No, the whole band setup was in front of my nose.

Yeah.

And they didn't manage.

I remember we were hiding back there being like, amazing. Elodie, how did you end up in Bali?

Oh, gosh. Well, I was living in Europe, so I was in Ibiza performing over there, which is another obviously wedding kind of fun party island. But I just wanted. I just wanted to change. I wanted to be closer to home, to Australia. So I was looking. I'd never been to Bali before, and, you know, I thought Europe was where I wanted to be. And then I realized, hang on, I need to be closer to my family. And just decided to move here and took a chance and just got off the plane. I was like, I don't know what I'm doing, but I had my kids house already and I was in. In the works, but I didn't have the band.

You had never been to Bali?

Never been to Bali.

Wow.

Holy moly.

And I. I applied for my Kitas and I landed. And then I just thought, I need to find a band. So I just remember walking down this, you know, the beaches to all those, you know, those guitarists that play on the beaches in, like, seminar, like, going down to Legion. I'm like, where am I gonna find? I went on the Facebook, which was the main thing at that time, still kind of. It was about 10 years ago. And yeah, I went on Facebook and I was like, posting, like, on the expat community groups and the Bali musician groups and can anyone help me? And, you know, there was all these responses like, you can't work here. You know how they get.

Really, everyone wants to attack you.

And I said, I do, I do. But, yeah, that's kind of what happened. And then the rest is history. I fell in love with it, and it was nothing like what I imagined. Bali is so much, you know, even more beautiful than I imagined.

So was there a lot of culture shock coming from a European country into Bali and just like, straight off living here without ever holiday in Here.

Yeah. But because I'd already lived overseas for quite a long time, it wasn't so hard to, I guess, transition. But definitely like Southeast Asia versus Europe was quite different. But yeah, I think with me, just. I'm not a very patient person.

You need so much patience to live here.

Really.

You too.

You need a bit of patience.

That's why you're not wedding planets in your grade grade.

We love to work together.

Patience was the main thing I had to learn and I still don't think I've quite nailed that. But I'm definitely getting better. 10 years in.

It does so good. Do you remember your first wedding you did here?

Yeah. And it was actually a global wedding wedding.

Wow. This is proper marketing.

Was it you two together?

No, no, no, it wasn't. 2012 was my first wedding here. So she arrived later.

Yeah, I arrived. Yeah. A few years ago.

And I remember we had a few phone conversations.

We did. Yes, we did.

I needed some advice. I needed some advice on certain things. But yeah, I just remember. And it wasn't booked through global. It was actually booked because I did a wedding in. In the Philippines at.

In the Philippines. Beautiful island.

Yeah.

One of my friends weddings and someone saw me there.

Yeah.

And then they heard that I was moving to Bali. So a friend of mine, she booked me here and she just happened to have global weddings as.

Yeah.

Their planner. So that's how I met them. And then, you know, we've all been working together ever since, so.

Love that.

Yeah.

Where was your first wedding?

Gosh, I can't. It's Analaya, I think. Analaya beach house, I think.

Yeah. Just beautiful there.

Yeah.

Changu wouldn't have been that developed back then either. There would have been nothing. There would have been nothing out there.

There were a few. There were a few estates in Changu. Sorry, in more, there were a few.

But there would have been like the restaurants and like the street now is cray cray.

No.

Yeah.

Totally different surrounding back then.

Yeah, exactly.

And so from a entertainment point of view, where the majority of your clientele come from, is it from wedding planners? Is it from hotels? Like, how do people find you? I know that you've got your Instagram.

I do you guys.

You got.

Mine mostly through the wedding planners.

Yeah.

They've been able to market my qualities and, yeah. My services and that actually helped me a lot. And actually. But also, hence, I didn't actually market or brand myself.

Yeah. How do people get like, if someone was to book you directly, I know how I contact you. But how do other people contact you?

Word of mouth? Word of mouth, maybe sometimes through other couples that have.

So, like, email, WhatsApp.

Yeah, mostly email.

Yeah.

I just wait with WhatsApp just to find a moment. I feel more confident to share a number. We need to have a verbal communication about some musical input or whatever. Then mostly over email.

Because a lot of our clients, Right. When they come to us, we obviously recommend all the suppliers, we book you quite a bit. But one of the things they say to us is like, can you send us the DJ's profile on Instagram? I'm like, and we've spoken about this, but I'm like, why? What possible information or video, like, what do you need to see from a dj? Do you get asked that?

Yes. But then I have to explain to them that my actual profile is different than. We just relate to the wedding market because I'm so versatile with my music. And what you actually see in my profile is more electronic dance related, not just in the more dance related. So it doesn't sync with what they would require for their work. So hence just like more or less having a verbal communication and just explain what I do.

Yeah.

And how we work and there's how many weddings I've done on the island. And more or less, you just need.

To say, I'm amazing. And I give the best hugs.

The last one. Yes. But I will never say about myself that I'm amazing.

For me, you know what we say to all of our clients, it's like, you need a shadow. They're like a warm ray of sunshine. And every wedding, if you've ever seen Arshad show up at a wedding, like, me and Brita drop all our belongings and we're like, I think Nadia and Tom last year. I know Nadia and Tom last year at Pandava, clip of sale. Saying to Tom, I was just like, tom, you need a hug from us. And he did, and he dropped everything as well. And he had a big cuddle. Oh, that is the best. I've got to say, like, this has nothing to do with weddings. But I. I think you give the best hugs I've ever.

DJ Huggy Bear on myself. You get a nickname.

Yeah, I love that DJ Huggy there. Exclusive to B.

With an additional fee, absolutely unlimited cuddles.

And all the guests walk in, walking through the door, everyone gets a hug and a break.

You know the beautiful neons you put at weddings. I'm going to get a free hugs one and put it on the DJ box.

My God, that will be. Oh, my God. Or Just allocate. Just one hour. Just.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It just stands there. Exactly.

Okay, well, it's gonna happen now. Mark diy, we're gonna book him in as well.

Just for the hugs.

Definitely love to give hugs.

You like to.

We said before today, we're like, how do we capture, like, Arshad walking in and getting that hug on camera? And then we're like, maybe Lydia needs to have one. I don't know if Lydia's had a proper one. And then I forgot that you guys have known each other for years. As soon as you walked in. I've got a photo. I'll put it up. I've just.

Straight away the hug.

Straight away hugs in the situation. He's like, I don't know where to go first. I think behind the scenes, it was.

A bit of a chilly, like. Okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But you know what? I. I'll send you a message if we have a gig together the night before. And I'd be like, okay, just prepare yourself for a big hug. Like, I'll literally send him a voice note just to make sure. Like, I need. I need one this week more than ever. And then you should.

But I received them returned from you ladies as well.

Yes, that's true.

It's not just.

Yeah. Do you know what I did a while ago? Because, like, the suppliers never read our run sheets properly. Half of them. So literally on the run sheet, I put on my run sheet and sent it through an ash. I was like, I'm ready for big hugs. I was like, DJ Ashen arrives. Big hugs.

He's the only one that saw it. He was like, I'll be ready with my hugs. So for you, I guess it's just a word of mouth, a trust thing. So guys, like, if you're listening at home and we say to you, you need DJ Asha, just trust us, please. You don't need to see an Instagram or him mixing songs. I don't know. I understand when it comes to bands because you want to see how they sing, you want to see how they vibe with a dj. As long as they can, like, get your vibe, mix the music, take requests and just be like a fun person. Yeah.

And just understand their requirements.

Yeah.

That's the most important thing. Because, I mean, eventually it's their. It's their most beautiful day. One of the most beautiful days.

Yeah.

And I just need to accommodate.

Yeah.

So clear. Giving clear guidelines just helps us. And also, Lydia.

Yeah.

To create the evening.

Yes. We had a. A band situation recently and every. They wanted Them during party time. And everything ran late. Right. Completely out of my control. We were just running late. And the band was supposed to be on party time. And then the band comes on like quarter past ten and I'm like, okay, guys, let's go. Some upbeat songs. And the bride was very. This is song sets that you're playing. So they started playing. She comes over to me, she's like, this song wasn't on my playlist. I was like, okay. And back to her playlist. And she had picked all slow songs. Yeah. We did not have a dance. So I'm like, do we want to put the DJ on? No. And we. We had no dance song.

Yeah.

Party songs.

It's a difficult one. So when I see the rundown for these kind of things, I automatically. If I see something like that and I see their song list. Yeah, I'll give someone. I'll give you guys a call or give the client a call. Usually I have a direct conversation with the client prior to the. To the wedding anyway to run through this stuff. But yeah, there's a. There's a difficult thing. We love. We love getting the songs or the vibe and everything in advance and having a chat just to figure out. We don't need everything. Obviously we know what to do. Just a reference, but just a reference. I like to know the age group, you know, where they're from, you know, those kind of details, which help us also pick what, you know, what could work. But usually even in my contract it says we are. We love the song request and we stick to that as our guide. But please note, we are able to add in other songs depending on the vibe and the moment because that gives us a bit of room for movement. Yeah.

We had that one wedding together last year and I felt so bad for you. I think I sent you home early because the bride and groom knew that what they wanted, but their guests were completely different. We didn't have anyone on the dance floor, remember, because they wanted like. It was an islander wedding at Wonderland. Remember that? Yeah. And the guests kept coming up to me and being like, when do we get reggae songs?

That they wanted? Was as like.

But the couple picked the songs. They loved it. But their guests completely.

They really all wanted like reggaeton, olay and reggae and. And we can do that to a certain extent. Extent.

But.

But also we had the DJ booked for afterwards, so it was like we transition and they could play all that stuff. But you've really got to look at your band that you're booking and see what kind of songs they do before. And they loved us. And they did. They loved Jay and they were just requesting all these songs that were absolutely. Our song list is maybe 1500 songs.

We do a lot of songs and.

We can convert any song into a reggae kind of style.

And you've got different languages as well. Like, I've seen you sing in other.

Languages, of course, like in Hindi and in Mandarin and in French and Spanish and Italian and, you know, all these languages. But, you know, sometimes the genre, you know.

Yeah. It just doesn't match and it's completely not like your fault at all. Like, they were very happy, but it was just a guest, different vibe.

Just when they want to request at a certain point, you're like, well, it's not really.

The DJ can do it, though.

The DJ can always do it.

But it can be for DJ as well. Even for a live performance. I mean, if the client asks, being persistent. Well, like, this is my playlist.

Yeah.

Play accordingly. And exactly what she's saying. It doesn't impact on the. Relate to the guest. What do we do then?

I think this is the difference between, like having. We've got a lot of suppliers in Bali and you guys, I would say you're up here and then most of the suppliers are here and then there's a lot that are down here. And I think the difference between the here and here level is when those songs come through, you're going to pick that up and you're going to go, hey, guys, probably not the best vibe for what we do. And you pick that up. Whereas the ones down here are like, okay, no problems. And I think that's the main difference when you book in your supplies. Like, there are incredibly amazing suppliers that do sit in the top tier and then when you go mid range, they're good, but there's just little bits and pieces that would not be picked up.

Yeah.

So many local suppliers, I think we've touched on this before, they just say, yes, well, but they don't really understand the band that I had on the weekend. They booked directly. So I don't really have anything to do with it. But I did get sent through the playlist of songs, like, but because I didn't book it, I'm not looking over that. Like, you book them, you know what you want. Great. So when I went up to the band and was like, hey, upbeat. They're like, there's no upbeat songs. And I was like, what do you mean? And then I get the list and I'm like, and the most upbeat Song on there was Backstreet Boys, I want it that way and Shania Twain. That don't it is a banger. Those are the most like upbeat songs.

But yeah, it's not. It's not.

When they got the list, they were like, sure, no problems, we can do that. But they didn't factor in that they were playing during first dance onwards, which is party time. Like that's a dinner set. That's fantastic. Or like moving into the party time but not so much the party.

So they don't do the research or really ask the client the requirements.

Yeah. And the band was amazing. Like I love them, they're one of my favorite bands. But they just. They didn't have that level of experience to be like, hey guys, like maybe you need to pick different songs. Or maybe we plagiarine dinner with the set songs that you want. And it was a seven piece.

Big band. Seven piece band for basically what? Yeah, so. But again, I think that's also comes down to like, please just trust your wedding planner. Like I would have picked that up. I would have been like, hey, you've got a seven piece band. That's party time. Let's pick party songs.

Yeah, exactly.

So with your clients, Lydia, you've got multiple avenues that we can send them through. We're gonna put Lydia's Instagram up here somewhere so you can go stalk her and have a look where the majority of your clients are. You getting a lot of directions from wedding planners and things mainly.

Well, through Instagram, definitely. But I've been really hopeless pretty much since COVID on Instagram. Like I haven't.

You haven't been hopeless?

I rarely post. I post stories. I don't. But yeah, I've been quite busy. But definitely through planners and word of mouth. Like absolutely word of mouth. Like people that see me and at weddings, they'll say, how is this girl? Or. But planners. I actually pretty much refuse not to. To do weddings without a planner.

I love to hear that.

So important explain why you have to have one. So a direct booking, you wouldn't. I would say, who's your planner? Yeah, that would be my first question. Like if they come direct because quite frankly it's too stressful without one.

Yeah.

And I just. It's in my terms and conditions.

That's an interesting stuff to have because we obviously we have a very wide broad range and we've launched something earlier this year basically called DIY packages. You can find it online now because we get approached a lot from couples that try to plan Their own wedding. And, you know, they can book, as we said, the venue, hair and makeup artist, photo, video, probably their florist, maybe a dj. And then it's like, we're stuck. We need you to take over. How much is your fee? And we tell them. They're like, but we've already planned half the wedding. I'm like, no, you've booked your key suppliers. You don't have entertainment like rider gear. You don't have vendor mills. You don't have lighting. You don't have sound like, do you have a floor plan explaining exactly where all this is going to go?

Which is quite common for us.

And I'm like, you haven't planned your wedding. Sorry, you've booked a couple suppliers. So we have now launched a DIY course where we walk people bit by bit. And when they hit, we've booked our entertainment. Great. You need rider gear in three areas. You're going to need a generator with multiple cables. And we actually guide them through it. And we take over the last bits of planning, but we make it guidelines. So when they're booking a supplier, it's like, Please factor in $1,000 for Rider gear when you're booking the supplier. As soon as you book them, you need to email Bali brides. We'll book you rider gear.

So you're actually paying for them anyway.

We are giving them a lot more control. So we literally say, here's all the catalogs of all the lighting. Pick one, this is the price. And then they just say, hey, this is what we want. So it's not a detailed conversation. They're not getting us to go. Yellow's not going to go with the. The table where that you've picked. And they're not getting the full planning thing. They've got all the resources to do it themselves. But we just book the final bits and pieces and show up on the day.

But show up on the day and.

They'Re doing it as well. They have to fill in our very detailed run sheet. You guys have both seen it. They have to fill that in themselves.

And then we execute. So they get one, they get depends on the package. They get two calls with us. So one to ask questions, then the second is to finalize it, make sure they've done everything correctly. And we run over all their supplies and then we execute it.

There we go.

But it's interesting to hear that it's in your terms because you must have a wedding planner. Because we tell people, this is why you need a wedding planner. Why is it stressful for you if they don't have a wedding planner.

Just so many factors just leading up to like. I like to know what's happening quite, you know, OCD when it comes to.

We're like, you cannot have the cheap sound company but if Lydia is playing she wants the nice sound.

Well yeah, exactly. Because there's too many complications otherwise. But you know, I don't know if you know this I actually. But I studied events management in Melbourne and I used to do. When I was singing part time in Melbourne, I was also an events manager and I did a lot of weddings. So for me it's so important I know behind the scene, I know how much work goes into it as well as being a singer. And so for me it's just super important to have someone there to you know, just ask questions or someone on the day and someone to liaise between the client and then I'll call them eventually but just to get that basic information and I don't know, I just. Yeah, I think it's just super important.

Everything because with a band and we have like. Honestly I think we've done a lot of learning in the last two years. We're going to cover this on our next episode on our monthly recap. We've had a lot of company changes but one of our things is when we book a band we've just had this again. Clients complain. They're like, it's so expensive. The rider gear. Why do we need rider gear? Because you're showing up with your band but we still need a lot of equipment for you. We need microphone stands and fold back speakers and like all the chords and everything. Everything. And what people don't realize and this is was the biggest complaint we've had in the last year was we're going to bill you for every area you want your band in because you need to come in and you need sound check. We can't pick up that equipment and move it because it's. There's not enough time to get everything perfect. So we've actually just changed our terms now. So we used to do sound last. Now sound gets done at the same time as entertainment. Before you book the band.

Yeah.

Tell me exactly where they're playing. Tell me what you know. Are they in cocktail area? In this area? In that area. And then I'm going to quote you for the rider gear before you. I'll put them on hold. But I'm going to quote you for the rider gear because Some people like 1500 dollars on sound and things and I'm like, well, you've got them in. You know, sometimes it's four areas. Ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and a party room.

It's always the most underestimated, but eventually the most crucial.

And also, like. And again, this is the difference between a mediocre company and a very good company. We have cheap, shitty sound companies we work with, and they're fine, they do the job. But there might be, like, on the speakers or something along those lines. And that's cheap and cheerful. Probably 100 bucks. Yeah. But if we want good quality sound, which you are very particular that you have to have good quality sound, you're looking at two to three times the price of a crappy sound company. But it's worth it. The other day, the microphone, during the speeches, I'm literally like, at the sound counter, like, what is going on? And I'm not an angry person. So even then, my anger is not anger right between the two, because the microphone's coming out. But that's because you've put. You're on a budget and you're like, I don't want to spend that much money on sound.

Yeah, we can do it cheap because the client chose.

They don't choose the company, but we quote them. And sometimes they're like, it's too expensive. We're on a budget. And then we're like, well, right, we.

Can do okay, but understand the consequences then.

Yeah, exactly. And we literally have to explain that to them. Or sometimes they just don't have the budget full stop because they've spent $5,000 on flowers instead of 2,000. And they're like, we need to bring our budget down three grand. Where can we make cutbacks? And I'm like, yeah, so lighting. And we pick the other things. And we do explain to them, like, the fairy lights the other day, they went out for 10 minutes. But that was. Wasn't our fault. The bar company plugged in a light. The light caught on fire and it shorted the whole power. So we lost light? No, it was on a generator. But they didn't check with the generator company before they plugged in. So I don't know. I wasn't there. I just saw the lights go out and I was like, ah. So, yeah, there's like, definitely a difference in pricing depending on the area. So I think whenever I book Lydia or anyone that needs a bit nice equipment, I'm always like, twin brothers.

Yes. Yeah.

Sound and lighting company.

I don't think I can say, but I do have a few.

Yeah, I don't Think I can say. But there's obviously, there's a.

You know, look, I'm going to be very open. So you're probably my favorite fan in Bali. Oh, yeah. Is anyone else going to get upset?

Me? No, no, no. I mean, obviously, brothers are amazing.

We had one the other week and I. I will never use them. So we had a company the other day. I don't think I'll ever use them again. Who's your other favorite?

Well, I'm only going to say. I'm only going to say this because I want to give him a little plug.

Yeah.

So there's M. Audio and if anyone knows, my percussionist, my amazing bongo player, he's just started. Why you guys don't know it. We had him just started a company and it's an audio company. It's all brand new equipment. It's a really good team.

And is he.

But there's so many. Don't. Don't hate me. Other audience is he partnered with someone.

Because he was at a wedding the other week and I was like, what are you doing here? And he was on sound, but on the run sheet, he wasn't on sound. It was. Yanti booked someone else.

I'm not quite sure. But there's just so many amazing.

I love seeing his little face, though. He's so funny.

A few times in other events as well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because he works. If he doesn't have a key, that's great. But anyway, there's so many amazing. Incredible. You know there are.

But eventually. And you know, eventually the planners that you. You know what we require.

Yeah.

So you make sure it's there.

And I will say you want the DJ deck, the expensive DJ decks.

I think I was having a conversation with you last year and I was like, are you sure you need those ones? They're really expensive. Yes, Britta, I need them know.

Yeah.

And then I think I was like, you know what? You can have them for the next event. Not this one. The client doesn't have the budget. All right, princess, next event, you can have them.

Princess Diva.

I don't mind because I've been in quite some situations where they supplied old, outdated equipment which was partially working.

Yeah.

And eventually I need to fulfill a job for like five, six hours.

Yeah.

And if it doesn't work eventually, all eyes are on me.

Well, he had a wedding where. I don't know what. I don't understand, DJ Dex, but Sammy was on that wedding and I don't know what happened, but something wouldn't plug In I was like, I don't understand it. Sound help.

Yeah. Well, then that's why we.

I'm a technical guy, so I can quickly find a solution.

Yeah.

And it helps also that we work together.

Yeah.

Like finding ways also to the sound engineers if something's wrong with the speakers or audio wise, I always want to come to an event. I walk around even. Especially during. During the dinner moment. I will understand. It's not too loud. Is everything spread out correctly?

Yeah. Yeah.

With the front of house, the position.

Of the speakers to the dance floor, are they going to be blasting the guests that are seating? And that's why it's so.

That's why it's so important for a sound check.

Yeah, exactly. The sound check is so important. But like companies like Azimuth. Amazing. And last week I did an event with Azimuth.

Yeah.

And you know, they've been around for so long and they're incredible. But all their equipment is brand new. Brand new.

But that's the thing.

When you've got like.

And everyone's incredible in that team as well. But when you've got all the elements, all your equipment is out on the beach quite often or on the cliff. And you know, it's so easy to get, you know, just get old so quickly. But last week I was. I mean, with all the companies, you.

Must have been so happy.

Like, I feel like in the last year there's just been a upgrade. Yeah.

I feel like everyone's got money. Post Covid.

Yes.

It was all average because no one had any money to maintain and things. And then now that we've got money, we're made like we're just.

We're doing a big cleanup in the.

Office at the moment and doing maintenance on all of our equipment.

The sound. This has been amazing. Like it's in. I haven't had one wedding that's been really. You know, sometimes there's horror moments where I'm like, oh my God. But like, it's been really good. All the companies so.

So when you come along with the banner, I think, you know, touching on like this is probably the biggest complaint. Explain what rider gear is. Because we always say, then we're going to book ride again. We explain this to clients, but if they don't have a wedding planner or they're watching along at home and like planning their wedding. What is rider gear and why do you need it?

So when we book hospitality.

Yeah. Well, like if you drinks a few drinks. When we quote people, we say, here's a rough quote. For a DJ in a band. Because at the very beginning, like, they don't know what they're going to send. Here's a rough D quote, DJ Ben. This does not include rider gear. So you're right again. I know what it is. But what do you require? If we were to book you to a wedding, what do you bring?

I bring myself my headphones and my music and a good state of mind.

Positive energy.

Yes. Sorry. My laptop.

Yeah.

I was like, my laptop.

So what needs to be provided?

Backup in case the laptop fails. I always have extra hard drives connected, so it's always.

We had a DJ last year, showed up, didn't bring his charger and his laptop died. Lucky Cadec was on standby. Our sound team.

Happened to me once. Yeah. And you learn from.

You got to make the mistake. Okay.

This will never occur again.

Yeah.

So, yeah, DJ gear. So again, that's the only gear I bring with myself from the planner. I rely on all the DJ gear.

Yeah.

A proper DJ table.

Not just a dining table.

Because people sometimes don't understand. If you have to work from a dining table, imagine that you're bent over for five hours. It's not so. I mean, it's just stuck after five hours. Go get up again.

We were sorting place cards the other day, lent over like this, and we'd only done like 20 names. I was like, oh, my God. Yeah.

I can't imagine it's killing for five hours. A monitor, a speaker monitor on a stand on the right side. Because I use my left ear for dj.

Yeah.

That'S it. And that's my hospitality rider. But that's something different.

Yeah. That's food and drinks. We sort that out. We're pretty. I feel like we're pretty onto it most of the time with making.

But also the positioning. Also the positioning. How we are positioned in accordance to the main pa. So the floor speakers. It's just like. It's a. Sorry. Roof thumb. What is it? Sorry? Which one was the right order?

Rule of thumb.

Rule thumb.

Yeah. You made me question that.

Now.

The performer always needs to be behind the pa. If it is live or it's a dj, that's just the main priority.

And I think if you don't have a wedding planner, that's like such a massive thing, like. And I say this all the time, people, they're like, we fully planned the way. I was like, great, where's your floor plan? Where all the sounds going? What?

And I'm like, that's also the reason why I prefer to work Only with wedding planners.

Yeah.

Also from experience. Had a couple times that being direct. Direct with the client and was twice a failure. And since then, I know it's just a wedding planner, so I even did decline weddings, to be really honest.

Yeah.

If I don't feel confident because eventually I. You rely on me.

Yeah.

So. And you. You are marketing me towards the client as well as a reliable DJ as well and who's able to deliver. I have the same with you. And those are. I only work with the EOs who are committed to their work and who have a certain standard.

So you're picky with the wedding planners you work with.

That's.

Yes.

That's good, actually, because I prefer to.

Say yes to you as much as possible.

Yeah.

And instead of like just going for. For quantity, I prefer just that you can rely on me. Because if I just five, six times in a row say no, you pick someone else.

Yeah.

So it's a bit more of. A bit more commitment.

I don't really pick someone else. If it was a no. It'd be more like if you messed up and there was zero accountability. Like, that's my word of the month is accountability.

But I prefer to work with people I'd like to work with. I'd love to work with you guys. Ladies.

Is it because we're great hug receivers?

And then for you, Lydia, a little bit different because you're a band.

Yeah.

You obviously come with yourself. Does the band bring equipment? What.

What band only brings their instruments?

Yes. So drum set, guitar.

Guitar. I mean, essentially they have to drive here on a motorbike, so whatever they can fit on their back is what they can bring. And that's also why we could never bring the sound. And we're not even legally allowed to provide the sound because our Kita, or my Kita performers is performer.

Yes.

So you can't cross over that at all. So people always like, why don't you just bring it? Because, you know, in Australia, people bring their own sound. We're not allowed to, but it's also a different company.

Like, you are a performer. You're not an electrician or sound or maintenance.

But yeah, what Lydia saying in, say, Australia and Europe, there are. They do a full thing. They provide a full package.

Some of the bands that we work with, they do do it, but I know for a fact they don't do it. They. They get it from another company and they mark the price up and then they give it to us.

Yeah. I think, look, I mean, also it's an extra Hassle. There's an extra hassle I would not want to take. You know, with the generator and like all these things.

Where do we get power from? This one's not working. So you specialize in performing?

Yeah, I'm just a singer.

Just a singer. That's enough.

I work hard.

So for the band, we obviously like need speakers.

Speakers, Mixing desk. You always need someone to, you know, sound tech there, front of house. Gosh, all the cabling. You know, things need to be like gaffer taped down in so many, you know. Yeah, there's a lot that's involved. The lighting.

Microphone. That's kind of important.

Microphone.

Now you just sing out like. No, no.

Yeah, microphones. Yeah, that's right.

Kind of important. And. And then we need that for every area.

Like we do.

Every area you're going to see and we need it for.

Yeah, and lighting. Lighting's important as well. Yeah, exactly. Sometimes we're rocked up and there's hasn't been as much lighting. We're in the dark and I'm trying to see and my guitarist can't see what's happening. But that doesn't happen anymore. And that's exactly why we need planners. That was more when I got booked directly or it was just, you know, years, 10 years ago when I first.

Started, when we were starting out, wedding planning. I remember I went to one wedding and one of our newer planners who I was overseeing got there and I was like, the bars and the tank. Because she booked lighting over the dinner tables but nowhere else. So we had to like last minute order in lighting because I was like, you've got this. But these are things again, you make mistakes and you learn from them. But imagine being a client and you don't, you don't have those contacts to sort that out. The amount of things that go wrong behind the scenes that we just mix and no one ever figures it out. That has gone wrong.

Yeah.

And do you have like, what's your kind of music style?

I think, I mean, the only thing I'm not. Why don't we say what isn't my music style?

That's probably easy.

I actually, if anything from jazz to R and B hit, hip hop, you know, house music, idiom, all that stuff I can kind of COVID I think I just don't do like heavy metal. Yeah, I mean we touched on this earlier, but I guess like more reggaeton. Yeah, I could do it, but it's not really. I don't have a million songs that I can do in that genre.

Yeah, not really. So much rock. But I do do, like AC DC.

And things like that.

So it's. Yeah, but I guess they're the ones that I don't.

Yeah, yeah. And then I think, Ashad, you're very similar. Like, do you have genres yet you won't go into or. You're pretty versatile across everything.

Well, there's a bit of, like, the current Afro house that I just personally don't prefer to play. I don't like it. I find it quite boring.

Yeah. I feel like you do need to.

Enjoy the music because it's a synergy between me, the audience and I. Yeah. We need to feel each other. So if there's certain requirements from the client and then I'll be. I'll admit, like, if I can do it or not. But in general.

I just had this flashback to a wedding last year. Beautiful clients, Asian, though, so they finished up pretty early. And I just had this flashback to me and Brittany on the dance floor. There's no one there. And we've insisted Arshad stay to play us Taylor Swift.

No, but that's the. That's the one with the ball. It's a ballroom dance floor. Right. It's a ball of dance floor.

It was at Latitude. Latitude. But they were all in the pool and we were just teasing. We're like, can't even keep the dance.

No, the moms. The moms were on the dance floor.

Yeah. And then. And then later.

Great time.

Yeah.

And I was enjoying it, actually.

It was so funny. Me and Bruno, like, play us some Taylor Swift because we were starting Swifties. We were starting to pack down because all the clients were in the pool and there's no way they're coming back. So we finished up an hour.

It was fine. But we joined the speaker anyway. Or had a great time.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But it was just funny because you're watching, you don't see them on the pool. And we've just got this video, I'll see if I can find, and put it up of just me and Britta on the dance floor. And at one stage, it was just the two mums and we were just giving them so much crap from like, yeah, great dance floor, Arshad. But what you can't see is everyone's in the pool having the best time I could.

Like.

I love it.

That's why I was laughing eventually. I'm quite versatile. Yeah. I've even done weddings where people requested Arabic music, foreign language music.

Do you do many Indian weddings? No. Okay. Because we don't do them either. But Occasionally. Like in the past we have. And we've just recommended.

I prefer to. Prefer to find them.

Yeah.

But in general, I've done Greek, Arabic.

Yeah.

Chinese weddings. As long as they provide me with a proper playlist beforehand and I can collect the tracks. I'll find a way to blend it in.

Yeah.

And I just done a couple weeks ago. It's like a. Supplied with so many Arabian.

I was with you. Yeah.

You were there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They emailed me later. Like, a week later. Like, wow. How did you manage to. To. To pull this off? Like, okay. That's a skill set.

Have you done any Estonian weddings? I have one coming up and I've just recommended you. I'm like, Asad, probably ashad. And I've got another one as well. I'm about to book you for. There's weddings.

Have you done already?

Specifically requested, no swear words.

How many weddings have you done here in the last years?

I've got no idea.

I think the.

The busiest was, like, we're talking thousands. We're talking thousands.

Okay. I didn't reach a thousand yet.

Have you counted? You know how many are?

I think around 700.

No, we're about the same.

Done more than that.

We're coming up to that many bookings.

Okay.

No, but you travel around.

Yeah, I'm probably. Yeah, I'm including. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Yeah. That's quite cool.

Wow.

So. As if you said, ask me a stone. You could be.

Could be, probably.

Occasionally we get, like, requests, like, from very specific European countries, and you're the only person I recommend for those. I was like, ar. Because he's been all through that. Yeah. But I've also got one coming out. They've specifically requested no swear words and songs. And I was like, you need a Western DJ. Because my local DJs have no understanding. Yes. I mean, they can understand some of the simple words, but they don't know off the top of their heads. Like, I could name probably. If you gave me a set list, I'd be like, that one's got swear words, and that one's got swear words.

And that one's swears play breakup songs as well.

Do you know what's funny? We've got a. We've got a local DJ we work with a lot, and they don't like. Obviously they play songs and they like the vibe, but they don't understand the full meaning. And I will never forget, I was cocktail hour at a wedding and Shaggy, It Wasn't Me, came on. I was just thinking. And I was like, okay, cool. But I'm walking around, and then I hear one of the mums go, what an inappropriate song to play at a wedding. I was like, okay, let me fix this. I agree.

I agree. I agree. You know how at the end of the evening, for sure.

You know how often I see someone on a request list? Really, that one and somebody I used to know, like, why? Or Red. Red Wine.

So many songs.

So inappropriate.

Yeah. I get requests, like, for even the ceremony. And this is actually one of my main things. And I. And I always feel a bit rude doing this, but sometimes I have to go back to the client because I. I'm all about the words and the meaning behind the songs. And it might be the most beautiful, beautiful song. That sounds so romantic, but it could be, like, Sam Smith. Not the only one.

Or like, Adele, you know. You know, all of Adele songs are about breakups.

Yeah.

But they sound so beautiful.

Yeah.

So you just think. Or even, like, Wicked Game. Chris Isaac is such a popular one for a ceremony. But I'll just say, hey, can we just change this lyric slightly?

Yeah.

You know, can we change this? You know, and again, to make it more Roman. So it happens all the time, but with swear words as well. Like, one time, and there's all these grand, like, grandparents sitting in the front. And the exit song for the client was Cuff it by Beyonce.

So. And I'm thinking.

And I'm like, what's.

What word can I put? Because I'm looking at these, you know.

Yeah.

These people that probably don't want to hear the F word sung during the ceremony, quite frankly. And so I changed it to pump something up.

Yeah.

But, like, things like that, it's really important to, like, know your audience and kind of just change it.

And I think that's just the exact service you get with. With. With hiring a more premium supplier. I. I will never forget a couple of years ago, because obviously we've all got Instagram. We all watch each other's stories, and there was a beautiful hair and makeup artist, and I watched her video. She'd done a beautiful reel of a bride. And you know that song, who's it By? You're such a whore. I love it.

Oh, my God.

And she had that song over the reel, and I watched it, and then I rung her, and I was like, hey, babe, just watching your Instagram stories. Did you listen to the lyrics? That song she posted? And she's like, like. And she's like, no, it's just nice be. And I was like, babe, you need to listen to that right now, because this is what it says. And she goes, oh, my God. And she fully tagged the bride in it as well. And she, like, was like, thank you so much. And then I spoke to her about it the next time and she was like. I was so embarrassed. Like, thank you for, like, telling me.

Oh, my gosh.

And her English is fantastic. Yeah. But she just didn't listen to the words properly.

That's so funny.

So funny. What's like, the most bizarre request you've had at a wedding? Like, song wise or dance wise? Like if you had any really weird ones or dances, any crazy. I saw someone, like, doing the boat.

I mean, there's just been so many. I can't even pick.

I can't pick any crazy stories. Eagle Rock, have you ever, ever seen anyone naked?

No, not naked. Always in the undies.

But, yeah, they're always in there.

Did you know that that was an Australian thing or like, the first time you did. Yeah. The first time you saw it, though, did you know what it was?

Biggest. First and biggest mess up I ever made. I never knew of horses that were.

When I came to Bali's got a great cover.

I mean, for Australians. I get it. But when I just arrived there, never heard of the song. And it was the closing song and I downloaded the song and.

For some reason it wasn't horses, it was Savage Garden. What was it.

Exactly?

Oh, yeah.

So the couple were standing there and I just played the song and look at me. There's no horses. Well, it says here horses.

Oh, gosh.

Whereas every second learning curve.

Yeah.

You will never forget horses again.

Yeah, never.

Yeah.

Plus a. Last year, the year before that, I had a wedding, only 20 guests, maybe less. They actually renewed their vows.

Yeah.

And was quite an exclusive estate. And they made a ballroom dance floor because they were quite professional ballrooms.

Yeah. Love that.

Kind of like Brianna, five hours she played for them, two people. It was like playing the waltz.

And like, this is a bit of.

That would be what I'd want because I'm extra.

Yeah, yeah. But it was quite an interesting gig. It was like, are they actually really appreciating my work, my effort? And they emailed me, like, we would like to meet you again at good times. I want to thank you. And.

So it's a bit off in the.

Yeah.

Different experience.

How do you get the dance floor pumping if it's not pumping? Like, have you got any special tips?

We cut off the track as soon as possible and switch to a dance.

Yeah, she does the same yeah, interaction. Like if no one's like, you just literally run around and go, come on.

You just kind of. I love watching you perform. It's just so much fun. My favorite part is the conga line.

Yeah. Always like a conga, always a sing along. You just get into everyone involved and.

Also you have to.

I love that you bring the vibes through dinner as well though. Like.

That'S my favorite. Doing a dinner set. So when I see a rundown and I'm not on the dinner set, when I'm not on the dinner, if I see like I've been. I've been booked for like say two cocktail hour sets and then one party set and the ceremony for example, then the dinner sets empty. I'm like, oh gosh. So I'll be like, come on guys, book me on the dinner. This is my favorite part.

Like, because it's just. Is it your favorite part?

I think so. Because I mean, I love every part of wedding. Like it's all got its good points. But for the dinner, it's a point where you can really build it.

Yeah.

Start off really romantic and just kind of make it really beautiful. Talking, eating, the thing kind of builds.

Yeah.

By the end, because everyone's sitting down and they're kind of more of a captive. You know, by the end, the party set and things like that, people are off at the bar and in the pool and you know, so you want to kind of capture them when they're seated and by the end get everyone singing. Sing alongs. Can't take my eyes off Sweet Caroline.

Sweet Caroline.

You know, simply the best or whatever. Whatever the songs are. But that's my. I. Yeah, I love doing that.

Well, interesting of the dinner part is also that you can understand the audience a bit.

Yeah.

You know how they interact with certain songs. And it also helps you to also.

You'Re just watching in the background and figuring out what they like. That's smart.

Yeah.

Cuz some of them, the DJs playing like they do sing along to the DJ through dinner. Like it's a bit of a. Yeah.

Just try to find a balance. Or when Lydia plays. Always need to understand what is her playlist. So I don't, I don't clash with hers. Yeah, hers is.

Yeah.

Primary, of course. And then from there I just like go with the flow again.

Do you ever go into weddings blind where you have no idea what kind of styling. Oh yeah, yeah.

Sometimes I just don't get any. No guideline. I just walk in. I just like.

And then you just Wing it and hope for the best.

And it just almost always works out.

Yeah. I mean, you're pretty versatile and you're pretty good with the people. I think it is one of the most important things. Part of our final calls with clients as we make them tell us. Music briefing. What songs do you love?

Love?

What do you hate? What I do not. Like, you have to give us some sort of guideline because everyone's got such different musical tastes and, like, personally, I hate songs without words. Like, that's just my biggest pet peeve. I don't love heavy metal or anything.

Housey that doesn't, for weddings, just sing alongs.

Yeah, yeah.

Old school. Like, whatever it is.

Yeah.

Anything familiar.

Yeah, exactly.

And eventually, even all the cool people, they go clubbing. Or is it being called the Night of Whatever it makes you into winning. Yeah, they all want to sing along.

Sing along.

And then for you being a dj, you obviously do consecutive sets for Lydia. You, like, explain to us how a band works, because we explain this to our clients. But do you need a dj or can you just have a band and build your own playlist? What's your personal recommendation?

I mean, I would always suggest a DJ for the later part of the evening and to, like, build it from ceremony to, you know, cocktail hour to dinner to, you know, a party set. And usually we work together a lot. And also there's a few. DJ DJ Sammy, of course, DJ Clay. But what we do, I think it's the perfect interaction that we build it up to that point. But I don't know, I think. Wait, what was the question?

Well, you're only doing sets, so you're not going five hours straight. You're doing 25 minutes.

So that would be exhausting. So it's so hot. First of all, we get there at, say, 1:32 o' clock for sound check. Keep in mind, usually it's in Uluwatu. We'll be traveling from, say, I'm in.

Like two hours, two hours each way.

Right. So. And then on top of that, getting ready. So it's really quite a long, long day. Like, you know, you're gonna be in your gown and. But once you get there, yeah, it's just usually ceremony. So you do soundtake at 2, ceremony before 30 or 5. Then you do the cocktail hour, which is 45 minutes. And then you do, say, the dinner set, which is another 45 minutes. And then usually after the first dance, which is the way we like to do it, to kind of get everyone around the dance floor, they'll do their first dance, which could be live or it could be us together or like just the dj. And then we're like, everyone get on the dance floor. And that's a 45 minute set which is the most interactive because we get the bongo player on the dance floor. The saxophonist is running around, I'm running around. And now we've got the keytar, who can run around as well, and the electric guitar, which can. So it all changes. It changes from acoustic like normal. We're going to keyboard to guitar. So it's a really fun shift.

This is exactly why I would say just.

Yeah, so, yeah, but people don't understand, like, people always like, oh, can you, can you play the final sets till say 12 o' clock or 11 or whatever time it finishes with the DJ and they want that at the end. It's exhausting. And by that point I look like a drowned rat or like, I don't know, tomato. Like, it's just really. It's hot and it's a long, long, long day.

So much energy you can get as a life performer.

Yeah, exactly.

So would you recommend booking you and a dj or is it like, could a client just build a Spotify playlist and then just switch to that, you know, during cocktail, in between sets? Or does that ruin the vibe?

I think a DJ always.

It does depend on the. Because I mean, amount of guest, the budget, what kind of vibe do they aim for? Maybe they just want to keep it really laid back and it's not required.

Yeah, but what about if you're doing a party set, like, and then they put their own place playlist on? Like how, like, how would they do that?

It's gonna be weird with their phone, with the laptop.

Well, some of them do. Some people don't book a dj. They might have like a band for a few sets and then they just make playlists. But my biggest thing is, for example, on the Wedding on Saturday, just gone, they had their own playlist and we heard the same song probably like five times that night.

Yeah, yeah.

Is this song on again?

But is it because they're on a budget or what is the reason they.

Had a band and then we just had songs for. In between the fans, Spotify. So it was like, this is the. But they didn't make it long enough. So Maroon 5, was it Maroon 5? I heard that song like 5 and I literally looked over and I'm like. And I said to Anger, who was managing music, he goes, there's not enough songs. So it's just Looping around. I was like, okay, cool.

Yeah.

Because some people do just make their own playlists because it's either budget or.

Nobody want to manage things that if they decide on a budget and they still want a certain type of entertainment.

Yeah, yeah.

If they're more band lovers, go for a band.

I always recommend both of my clients, really.

I would say both as well, because the DJ really can. Well, we can really determine the vibe for the evening.

Well, also with the playlist, you've got that awkward. Like, it doesn't sound like a lot, but there's like a second of silence between songs.

So the song finishes and they wait, they stop again.

At least with a dj, like, it's all been mixed all smooth. It's nice transition. There's no, like, stop and they're reading.

The crowd and then knowing what you can't decide before the day, what. What's going to work at that time because you don't know the dance floor or what's going to be going. So, yeah, it's. Yeah.

Now with the bands, every band has different. So, like, I've seen your packages. Most bands are like, we'll do two sets of 45 minutes or two sets of an hour. Or we just have acoustic duo. Or, like, what. Just explain a little bit about your band and give us a little plug on what you guys do.

Well, my band is incredible and it's taken a very long time to kind of hone and like, you know, just figure out what we're doing and. And select the rights. Like a family. They're like my family. But, yeah, I've got. My main band, I'd say, is Donny Sax. Donnie Sax, who's just incredible, just so talented and, you know, loves to go out around the crowd. We've got Manda, who I've. I've been with him, I think the longest he's been in my band from like nine years ago. And he's the bongo percussionist extraordinaire.

I love him. So fun.

And then we've got Iwan, who's our incredible keyboardist. And he's been, I don't know how long, probably been four years together. And then we've got incredible Reza, who. I call him Carlos Santana of Indonesia. In fact, he's better and he's just so amazing. And he's our guitarist. And then, of course, I've got DJs who I work with as well. And we do the full band party package. Obviously. I've worked with Ashad so many times, a million times. DJ Sammy Sax, which, gosh, we've known each other for so long and performed all over the world. You know, you'll probably definitely interview DJs. We've got DJ Clay, who's just arrived, actually, so he's got his.

I have to see jacket we literally just found in the office. No one picked it up. You know, his jacket.

Oh, is it his? I think it was Donnie's.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've got someone's jacket yesterday. The staff, we'll pick it up. And I was like, oh, yeah, it was supposed to be picked up.

All right, well, there we go. And then obviously there's just. Just a lot of other musicians. It depends if they want a violinist or if they want, like a double bass or a contra bass, they call it here. So there's additional musicians who I can add to the mix, but that's my call.

Yeah. And what's the package that gets the most? So I know that I personally will book your full DJ package most of the time. So that covers normally, ceremony, couple songs for Ceremony. We'll do cocktail hour. You will do a acoustic fun dinner set, and then you've got one party set. Is that the most popular or something?

Absolutely. I'd say 80% of the bookings are that. So. And that's why we created the package, because it just works. It takes to finish. It's got a nice flow and it's the one that I'm probably the most, you know, it's definitely the most popular.

And then.

Which is exhausting, especially when you do sometimes it's like.

Especially in the high season sometimes.

But days that you just don't speak, like, oh, really?

Like, I find. I find that, you know, my voice always. Because it's quite husky, naturally.

Yeah.

Always by, say, one o', clock, just before sound check, my voice will just come back to be. And also when I'm, you know, if I've done a gig the night before. Yeah, I just. It'll. Yeah, it'll come back to me. I've never, never lost my. Never lost my voice.

What are you doing a row? Huh? How many gigs would you be able to do in a row?

Well, there was one time, which was Covid. Covid. All the postponements and things came through like, what, two years ago was it when it was just like one after the other and, you know, I was trying to take a lot of bookings because I thought I've lost so much money. It's been three years in Bali, three years of no real work because it's a travel destination, and we do weddings, and people didn't want to book, you know, and they had to book in advance. So all the postponements came through, and it was really hard to try and fit in with all the other vendors and the planners to try and find that one day where we could all do it and fulfill our postponement, which was booked four years ago. So that was really a tough time. But then on top of that, you wanted to make new money, right? You wanted to, like, you know, get an income again of all the money you've lost.

So it was like day after day.

So it was. I think it was. It was a long stint, but I took really good care of my voice. I think it was probably like 13.

In a row.

But like lemon honey drinks. What do you even do to help.

Your voice when so many things just. Just like ginger tea and lemon honey and there's a few kind of, you know, pills or tablets. I don't know, you just get them, like, strip all that stuff. But it's really more about just making sure you don't, you know, you're going straight after you wake up in the. You know, you just kind of go to the gym. Like, all that stuff really helps because you need to be pretty to do that.

Your performance also keep your voice.

So, yeah, that. That was really hard. I just remember looking at my calendar going, good luck. And I went through it and they.

Were all the same.

Incredible. All the weddings were so fun and like. And I think that also that some of them downgraded after. Not downgraded, but like, change the package. So if they had a certain credit with us. And after Covid, they're like, look, we want you, but we just want to do the acoustic duo instead of the. The party package. So it actually helped a little bit because then I'd just be doing two sets with just an know during the cocktail hour as opposed to doing. So it wasn't all party. Party, party. It was. It was changing. Yeah.

And then for you, Ashad, what kind of like, what's your most popular booking? Do you just come from dinner onwards? Would you do a ceremony all the way through? What's the most.

I most booked from dinner onwards?

Yeah. Yeah.

Because during ceremony. Ceremony, there's actually no purpose for me just to be there. And a five, six hour gig is quite intense as well.

Yeah.

Because you need to be fully focused on all the time. It's fortunate also to work with the elite together because then we have more or less little breaks with each other. Tag teaming and. But normally you can't really leave the.

DJ booth, can you? Once you're in there, it's like we.

Normally just run to the restroom and run back. But you hardly have a moment to leave because actually every two, two and a half minutes, I need to make a transition to keep the energy up constantly. So say on an evening, especially during the party hours, voice, you have to play around, what is it, around 90 to 100 tracks?

Yeah, yeah, full mode.

So yeah, people underestimate, like, because you need to constantly anticipate what's happening. Does it work? Is there a downtime? Okay, I need to change it quickly. So are you building up through the evening? You can't start straight away with firing up the audience because they're not there yet. They're not there yet. What Lydia is able to do every single time, she gets the audience already hyped up. But you always have a moment that the audience, they just need a break. They just need to unwind a bit to recharge again and to get into like the final two hours and a half part of the evening. So sometimes couples come to me like, hey, get and get the dance room. I get energized, like I want to. But you just had dinner. You need to digest for a moment, have a few drinks and get in the flow again.

Do you get many clients that do try and micromanage your playlist like that?

No, no, it's hard. Happened occasionally. But what you mentioned as well is like what you had last time with the band. Exactly in the right order. Maybe that happened a couple of times. Yeah, really, exactly. Play in the right order. I felt like a jukebox. Like, why do you need me?

Yeah, well, that's kind of the point, isn't it? Like besides the transitioning songs, like, why have a DJ if you're going to.

So I just chuck in something else and then the couple. Exactly how I dress this in the playlist.

Like, okay, we've had a couple of them over the years. Yeah, yeah.

It's something you can't avoid. And eventually you're there. You have to just commit to high concert, to the gig there yet that you are responsible for, for the evening. We're there for them.

Yeah.

Eventually. It's not them for me. I'm there for them.

Yeah.

Now one of the questions we ask all the squires that we get on, you see a lot of venues. What's your favorite? Do you have a favorite or a top couple?

Kayangan Estate.

Oh, there we go. Beautiful. I'M about to book you for a wedding There so many stairs there.

I like Mandala.

Both Uluwatu. That seems to be the general consensus. Everyone loves Uluwatu. The cliff. Yeah. Just unbeatable, really.

Yeah, yeah. Oh, actually. Well, I also. Okay, there's two. So the Ungersan as well, I really do like, because there's so many different. And same with Kyangan. There's just so many options and spaces and just different.

Ugerson has also many options.

Yeah. So I think.

That was a very quick answer though.

It was because Kayangan.

It's just.

Just. I just remember the first time I walked in and I go, wow. And always the weddings I do there are like, wow.

So like people that have the big money.

Absolutely.

I agree.

Yeah, yeah.

But Panda was gorgeous as well. You've got a wedding dress.

I find Pandava functional.

Yes.

I like the multi areas.

Exactly, exactly. That's what I appreciate. And also the flexibility for your. For us wedding planners to really set up in any possible way. Because you have the space over there.

Yeah, definitely.

Where others are sometimes limited due to trees or some kind of architectural designs.

That doesn't also the sound sound like, you know, when you do certain venues and they've got the sound limitations and you've got the thing next door, you know, you've got another. The competing sound like. So those ones are really quite just in their own world. You don't have to think about all the other things going on.

It's like. It's like Felosa and Atisambo. There's a wedding there, like.

Yeah. And there's a few other ones, but.

I'm not years ago and there was an Indian wedding going on next door at the same time we were. I was like, oh my goodness.

Yeah.

So that can be really tricky.

Yeah.

And are there any tips that you would give to couples that are still in the early stages of selecting their entertainment?

Do your research. Yeah, yeah, do your research if you want. You know, ask as many questions as you can. Go through all their Instagram.

Communication is key or whatever.

You know, maybe asking is to the planner or just organize a call even. Like, I'd be happy if they're just going, okay, can we ask you some? I'd be like, okay, cool. So on my pa maybe would answer them more if I was busy.

But ideally it's research. Also have a bit of if required communication beforehand. Just get a bit honest. Just get a bit to know each other. Have a. Have a click with each other. It is Always nice when you meet each other, because often I don't meet a couple before and just get a playlist and I just show up.

Yeah. You're meeting a couple today, though, aren't you? You've got a couple meetings today?

Yes.

Yeah.

Oh, do you like a couple meetings? Yes. I enjoy it because it becomes a bit more personal. You get a connection, you get a bit more of an understanding. And then also on the day, they feel a bit. Also comfortable seeing you.

You don't get that with the lowest suppliers.

You don't. They just submit the request as you show up and. Okay, there's no connection.

Yeah.

And often at the end of the evening, the couple would come or to Lydia will come up to me, like, amazing, this. But it makes it a bit more personal.

Yeah, definitely.

Even Zoom Call.

Yeah, I always do a call.

I didn't realize you met with couples, so that's really good to know. Where can we find you? Couples want to come see you. Lydia, tell us where you regularly play.

Well, I'm pretty much mainly just events, corporates and weddings at the moment. Obviously. I travel a lot with work as well. So I'm in Europe in next week. And, you know, I've got.

You do the Grand Prix year coming up.

I do the Formula one Grand Prix. Like, it's just. I'm not always in one spot, but I think.

Every Sunday.

Most. Most Sundays. And I can't say all just because I do travel a little bit, but most Sundays during the high season for the sunset. And it's amazing. I've been with them since I.

We love coming and watching you.

Yeah. So 10 years when they just opened. So that's my staple. That's my public.

So if you want to see Lydia play, check with. Normally on Instagram, you'll be posting a. Lila be posting. You can see her most Sundays at sunset time at. Lila Seminyak, I know where to find you.

You know where to find me. But for weddings. Yeah, it's a bit difficult. You can't walk into some. Some wedding to hear me play.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

I think. Or just like we meet.

Yeah.

So we can arrange a meeting or a Zoom call. That would be the most convenient.

Yeah, perfect.

Amazing. Well, guys, thank you so much for joining us today. I am conscious that you have a client meeting shortly, so we'll wrap things up if you've got anything else you want to add. No. Amazing. So, guys, we will put the Instagrams up, but for Asha, there's not really much to see there to be completely Honest. So if you want to book him, doesn't matter. You have to have a wedding planner. So if you don't have a wedding.

Planner, we have a few links. You know, there are a few YouTube links and some articles online that more.

Or less about you.

Yeah, a couple. Couple. Like I just say, couples.

He's amazing. He mixes well, he understands the crowd. We love him. He gives the best hugs.

Okay. But here's.

She's the best band in Bali by like, I don't even compare. Because you are by far the best because nobody else is. Gets the vibe going. Like Lydia and that whole party set. DJ mix. You can have these two together. It is one of a kind.

Unique on the 40 island.

Yeah, unique selling point. You need to have that business. You can't just come in and do what Lydia does because she's so unique. So if you are looking for entertainment, talk to your wedding planner. We'll quote you on the rider gear and hopefully they're available. You do need to book in advance. So obviously we book our key suppliers very far out. So I know we're going to get a lot of people coming to us now after this one. Please book in advance because been very popular. There are limited dates and make sure we get that locked in first. But thanks for joining us, guys. Thanks, guys. We'll see everyone in two weeks time for another episode of Bali Weddings Unveiled, which is going to be our monthly recap.

Amazing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sat.