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What to Expect When You Book Premier Disco for Your Wedding Reception

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When couples get in touch with us about a wedding reception DJ Scotland couples can trust, they usually know roughly what they want — good music, a full dancefloor, someone who’ll handle the evening so they don’t have to. What they’re less sure about is what that actually looks like in practice, and what separates a DJ who delivers it from one who doesn’t.

This is our honest answer, from the inside.

Wedding Reception DJ Scotland: The Evening Isn’t Just About Music

Wedding reception DJ Scotland — packed dancefloor at a Premier Disco evening reception

By the time the evening reception starts, your guests have been at a wedding all day. Energy levels vary: some are well-fed and relaxed, others have had a few drinks and are ready to go, and a few are tired and will leave by 9pm. A DJ who just plays music to a room doesn’t account for any of that — the good ones read those dynamics constantly and adjust accordingly.

We’ll typically start the evening with something accessible — well-known songs that get people comfortable on the floor without it feeling like a nightclub yet. Then, as the night builds and the room shifts, the music shifts with it. That’s not a formula you can write down; it’s something you develop from doing it a lot.

The Ceremony and Wedding Breakfast

A lot of couples don’t realise we can be there from the very start of the day, not just the evening. Covering the ceremony means handling the processional, the signing of the register, and the recessional — all timed carefully and played live, not pre-programmed. During the wedding breakfast we act as MC for the speeches and keep background music running at a level that actually lets people talk.

Having the same team handle all of this means one consistent voice throughout the day, and one less supplier for you to brief and coordinate. The all-day wedding package covers everything if that’s the route you want to take.

The Planning Part

Every couple we work with gets access to an online planning portal where we build out the running order and music together before the day. You can submit your first dance choice, the songs you definitely want played, and just as importantly, anything you really don’t want played. (You’d be surprised how often that list saves an awkward moment.)

Guests can also submit requests through the same system in the run-up to the wedding, which gives us a feel for the crowd before we’ve even set foot in the venue.

What We Actually Bring

This is what you get from a wedding reception DJ Scotland couples can rely on: a full PA system sized to the room, disco lighting, uplighting if you want it, a microphone for speeches and announcements, and everything backed up with a second copy. We’re PAT-tested and public liability insured, and we handle all the paperwork venues ask for without chasing.

We’ve played at venues across Edinburgh, the Lothians, and beyond — castle ballrooms, hotel function suites, marquees, outdoor spaces. Each one handles sound differently, and we’ve learned most of them the hard way. That venue familiarity is worth more than it sounds on a night when the sound limiter cuts in unexpectedly or the load-in is more complicated than the venue described.

Getting in Touch

If you’re at the stage where you’re thinking seriously about a wedding reception DJ Scotland couples can trust, the best thing is to have a conversation. Tell us your date, your venue, and what kind of night you’re imagining — we’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit and what we can do for you.

Get in touch here, or take a look at the wedding reception page for more detail on the full package.

What Actually Makes a Good Wedding DJ?

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We’ve been DJing weddings for a long time now — long enough to know there’s no such thing as a perfect wedding DJ in the abstract. There’s only the right DJ for your wedding. So what makes a good wedding DJ in practice? It’s worth talking about honestly, because a lot of what you’ll read online is marketing fluff. Here’s our take, from a team that’s done this hundreds of times.

What Makes a Good Wedding DJ: Experience Isn’t What You’d Think

Years of gigs matter, but what really counts is whether a DJ has done your type of event. A DJ who’s brilliant at nightclubs might be completely out of their depth at a wedding, where the crowd shifts from toddlers to 80-year-olds over the course of a night. Wedding DJ experience means knowing how to handle a dancefloor that’s half-empty at 8pm and absolutely rammed by 10pm, and not panicking about either. That’s a big part of what makes a good wedding DJ — someone who reads the room and adapts without missing a beat.

It means knowing that when the father of the bride asks for something you’ve never heard of, you either have it or you know how to handle the moment without making him feel embarrassed. That kind of thing only comes from doing it.

Planning Makes the Night — Not the Night Itself

The best wedding receptions we’ve done weren’t the result of inspired in-the-moment decisions. They were planned well. We use an online wedding planner with every couple so we’ve worked through the running order, the first dance, the must-plays and the absolutely-nots before we ever load a van. By the time we arrive at the venue, we already know the couple, the songs, and what matters to them.

The improvisation happens within that framework — reading which direction the room is going, spotting when to shift tempo, knowing when to take a guest’s request and when to smile and quietly park it for later. But none of that works without the groundwork.

Equipment Matters, But It’s Not the Point

We use good kit — professional-grade speakers, proper lighting, backups for everything. But couples who get too focused on equipment specs are asking the wrong question. You’re not hiring a sound system — you’re hiring a team. The best setup in the world sounds terrible if the DJ doesn’t know how to use it, and a competent DJ can make modest equipment sound great.

What you should care about is whether the DJ has a second copy of everything critical. The night we’d hate to have is the one where something fails with no fallback in place. That’s never happened to us, and we intend to keep it that way.

The MC Role is Underrated

Half of what we do at a wedding has nothing to do with music. We’re coordinating with the venue, making sure the photographer knows the first dance is two minutes away, keeping an eye on whether the speeches have run over and the timeline needs adjusting. When we get on the microphone to welcome guests onto the dancefloor, the tone of that matters — too loud and shouty and people cringe, too quiet and nobody hears it.

A good DJ who can’t MC is only doing half the job at a wedding. It’s worth asking specifically about this when you’re speaking to potential DJs — MC skills are as much a part of what makes a good wedding DJ as musical taste.

How to Find the Right One

What makes a good wedding DJ — being ready on the microphone for speeches, not just playing music

Talk to them. Not just by email — actually speak. You’ll know within five minutes whether this is someone you trust to be the voice of your reception. Ask how they handle requests on the night, find out what happens if they’re ill, and check whether they’ve played your venue before. The answers matter less than how they answer.

If you’d like to have that conversation with us, get in touch. Or if you’d like to know more about how we work a wedding reception, the wedding reception page covers it in detail. The National Association of DJs has a useful guide too, if you want an independent view on what makes a good wedding DJ before you decide.

Why Choose Premier Disco for Your Wedding?

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Why choose Premier Disco for your wedding, when there are so many DJ listings online that all say roughly the same thing? Professional service. Extensive music library. Competitive pricing. It all starts to blur together, and it’s genuinely difficult to know what you’re actually getting until the night itself — which isn’t when you want to find out.

So rather than giving you another list of bullet points, here’s what we think actually sets Premier Disco apart, as honestly as we can put it.

Why Choose Premier Disco: One Team You Can Trust, Start to Finish

Why choose Premier Disco — James Veal behind the decks at a live wedding event

When you book Premier Disco, you’re booking a small, dedicated team led by James. In almost every case, James is the one you’ll speak to during planning and the one who shows up at your venue on the day. On the rare occasion he isn’t available, one of our experienced partner DJs steps in instead — always agreed with you in advance, never a surprise on the night. There’s no faceless agency in the middle passing your booking around.

That matters more than it might seem. You’re trusting someone with the atmosphere of your wedding day. That trust needs to be in a person you’ve actually spoken to, not just a company name.

We’ve Done This a Lot

We’ve been playing weddings for many years, across venues all over Edinburgh and the Lothians. Archerfield House, Melville Castle, the French Consulate in Edinburgh, hotel ballrooms, marquees on private estates. We know how different rooms behave acoustically, which venues have tricky loading access, and where the sound limiters are set low enough to cause problems if you’re not careful.

That kind of familiarity doesn’t show up on a price list, but it’s the difference between a smooth night and a stressful one.

The Planning Is Built In

Every booking includes access to an online planning system where we work through your running order and music together. First dance, father-daughter dance, must-plays, do-not-plays. You can invite guests to submit requests before the night, which gives us a picture of your crowd before we’ve even arrived.

Nothing about your evening should be a surprise on the day.

We’re Also Your MC

DJing a wedding isn’t just about the music. Your DJ will coordinate with your venue team, keep an eye on the timeline, and make all the announcements — first dance, cake cutting, last orders on the dancefloor. Done well, guests barely notice this is happening. Done badly, it makes an evening feel disjointed and rushed.

We’ve been doing this long enough to know the difference between a microphone moment that lands and one that falls flat. Getting it right is something we take seriously.

If Something Goes Wrong, We Have a Backup

Equipment fails. It’s rare, but it happens. We carry duplicate systems for everything critical, so a single hardware problem doesn’t end your evening. This is basic professionalism, but it’s worth confirming with any DJ you’re considering — you’d be surprised how many don’t bother. We’re also proud Mobile DJ Network members, which means our public liability insurance and professional standards are independently checked, not just self-declared.

Fully insured, PAT-tested, and we bring all the venue paperwork without being asked.

Let’s Talk

If this is starting to answer why choose Premier Disco for your wedding, the best next step is a conversation. Tell us your date, venue, and what you’re imagining for the evening — we’ll tell you honestly what we can do and whether we’re the right fit. Get in touch here, or take a look at the wedding reception package for more detail.

How to Choose a Wedding DJ — The Questions Every Couple Should Ask

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Choosing a wedding DJ Scotland couples can trust isn’t just about picking someone who plays music. The DJ you choose will set the tone for your entire evening — from the moment guests arrive to the last song of the night. Get it right and your reception feels effortless. Get it wrong and no amount of good food or beautiful flowers will save the dancefloor.

This is a non-exhaustive list of questions you should be asking yourself — and any DJ you’re considering — before you make a booking.

Choosing the perfect wedding DJ in Scotland — Premier Disco provides professional wedding DJ services across Edinburgh the Lothians and beyond
Choosing the right wedding DJ makes all the difference to your evening reception

Choosing a Wedding DJ Scotland Couples Trust: Experience and Suitability

Does your DJ have the right experience for a wedding?

There are many different kinds of DJs, some with strong preferences for specific music types. A fantastic club DJ or kids’ party DJ isn’t necessarily the right choice for a wedding. A great wedding DJ will have extensive experience in the wedding sector specifically. They will be comfortable playing across genres, confident on the microphone for formal announcements and toasts, able to adapt to the crowd as the evening develops, and discreet enough never to become a distracting feature at any point during your day.

Are you hiring an individual DJ, an agency or a company?

There are many ways to hire a DJ. Agencies are often recommended but this isn’t always warranted. An agency will have various DJs on their books and will promise a replacement if your DJ is unavailable — but any reputable individual DJ will have the same backup arrangements in place. The difference is that an agency charges around 25% commission for this guarantee, then passes the responsibility back to the DJ anyway. Hiring a DJ directly, with a contract that specifies backup provisions, gives you the same protection without the additional cost.

Music, Equipment and Practicalities

What will your DJ provide?

It’s easy to book a DJ without fully understanding what they’re bringing. Clarify exactly what sound and lighting equipment is included, whether it’s suitable for your venue size, and whether there are any hidden costs. A good DJ should be able to tell you precisely what they’re providing and what, if anything, you’d need to arrange separately.

What music does your DJ have — and do they own it?

Most DJs own a large music collection. You still need to confirm they have what you want and that they’re genuinely comfortable playing it. If a DJ has no real experience with a particular genre you’ve requested, they should say so early and recommend someone who does.

One important point: streaming music at events has become more common, but it carries real risk. Streaming gives access to almost any track — until the wifi drops. Make sure your DJ owns their music rather than relying on a streaming service. Streaming can be useful for sourcing the odd unavailable track, but your entire evening’s music should never depend on a venue’s internet connection.

Can you submit a playlist in advance?

Some DJs won’t accept playlists, insisting you trust their judgement entirely. Never accept this — it will leave you with unhappy guests and music that wasn’t right for your crowd. A good DJ will ask for your preferences well in advance, confirm they have everything you want, and take requests on the night from you and your guests.

Will they accept a do-not-play list?

Just as important as the music you want is the music you don’t. There are many reasons couples have specific tracks they’d rather not hear on their wedding night. Make sure your DJ takes this seriously and notes it formally.

Does the price include lighting?

Music and atmosphere go hand in hand, but don’t underestimate the visual impact of good lighting. Ask specifically whether lighting is included in the quoted price, and if so what kind — basic disco lighting and quality uplighting are very different things.

Premier Disco professional wedding DJ full setup with uplighting at Houstoun House Hotel West Lothian — the kind of setup to look for when choosing a wedding DJ
A professional setup with quality lighting — Premier Disco at Houstoun House Hotel, West Lothian

Insurance, Safety and Contracts

Does your DJ have the correct insurance?

Your venue will have a contract with you, and your DJ will have a contract with you. If something goes wrong and the venue suffers damage, they will claim against you — and if your DJ has no Public Liability Insurance (PLI), you’ll be left to pay. PLI is an absolute requirement when choosing a wedding DJ Scotland-wide. Do not hire a DJ without it, no matter how convincing their pitch or how attractive their price. The National Association of DJs has a helpful guide to the kind of questions worth asking before you book.

Is the equipment PAT tested?

Properly tested and certified equipment reduces the risk of electrical faults and goes hand in hand with PLI. A responsible DJ will have up-to-date PAT certificates and should be able to provide them to any venue that asks. Many venues now require this before a DJ can set up.

Does your DJ have a backup plan for equipment failure?

Even well-maintained equipment can fail. If an amplifier or key piece of kit breaks down mid-event, does your DJ have a backup system to keep the evening going? Good maintenance and PAT certification reduce the risk, but a professional DJ will have contingency plans in place regardless. Ask specifically what happens if something goes wrong.

Does your DJ provide a written contract?

Always insist on a written contract. A verbal agreement is technically binding but without anything in writing you have no evidence of what was agreed — on music, timing, setup, pricing or any other detail. A professional DJ will provide a contract as a matter of course.

When you’re choosing a wedding DJ Scotland-wide, Premier Disco ticks every box on this list — fully insured, PAT tested, contracts provided, music owned outright, and playlists welcomed. If you’d like to check availability for your date, get in touch here or find out more about our wedding DJ service.

10 Things you should know to make your wedding a party

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How to Make Your Wedding a Party: 10 Tips From James Veal

Tips to make your wedding a party — Premier Disco wedding DJ Scotland

Premier Disco are wedding professionals, and after years performing at weddings throughout the country every single week of every year, we know exactly what it takes to make your wedding a party your guests still talk about. We see what works and what doesn’t, and we’re there to make every party special by keeping the dance floor full. Your wedding day is special to you and it should be as you wish. We trust you wish it to be a day for everyone attending to remember fondly.

To help us out, you will find below a list of 10 things you really should know.

1. Give us your music request list.

Requests definitely make our job easier. We are well able to provide your soundtrack for your wedding day without any help but your list will let us know what you would like to hear. We limit the number of requests you make so we can use our experience, after all that is what you are paying for, to add variety.

By playing the right songs your party will be great but give us the flexibility to use your list to build the night and your night will be even better. Contrary to popular belief, we do actually structure your night to have a flow of music to best keep the dance floor full for the whole night.

We have many years of experience judging how a night will flow, so a scripted list of music to play at set times does not work in the flow — see The Wedding Secret’s step-by-step wedding music guide for a good overview of how the day’s music typically builds. Let us know what you would like and let us best decide when to play it.

Hire an experienced Wedding DJ

2. Don’t ask your guests for suggestions on your invitations.

We try to discourage our brides and grooms from asking guests for a music track they would like to hear when they send out the invitations. Guests will ask for all sorts: songs as a joke, tracks that just won’t fit your reception, or the occasional inappropriate suggestion.

As part of our service, your guests can ask for up to 5 songs each. On your planner site there is a link and password details you can send to some of your guests. We keep their requests separate from yours so we know exactly what you would like. This gives us a big list of music, but we also check it over properly to make sure anything we play is appropriate. Guest requests come second to yours, but we give them proper consideration. We don’t guarantee that every submitted request gets played.

3. Encourage your venue to have the bar and seating in the same room as the dance floor.

Our experience of venues where the bar and seating are in a separate room from the dance floor is that guests will go to the bar or for a seat and often not come back for a considerable time. It is more difficult for them to hear the music, so they are less likely to dance. The distance detaches them from the positive energy the DJ is generating, and nothing he does can inspire them to return to the dance floor.

A certain way to kill the party is to separate your guests from the entertainment.

4. Don’t stop the flow

Your DJ will have a plan for the development and structure of your night. This is very fluid and he can change his mind many times a minute. Be positive, make sure your formalities are over before your DJ begins his part of the night.

Asking to stop the music in the middle of a set so someone can make a speech or take a photo will immediately kill any energy already built up. It is then far more difficult for the DJ to get the audience motivated or back to the same level of energy before the interruption.

Don’t stop the DJ to let a guest sing, if you want a singer then let the DJ know at the start. Give him all the information about music and times so he can plan.

5. Consider your guests when allocating seating

Don’t put very young or older people in front of the speakers. Reserve these areas for your younger, party going or clubbing guests.

Don’t sit older people directly opposite the DJ.

Young and old do not like the music too loud or lights shining in their eyes. Position them appropriately at the sides of the room or as far away as possible.

The loudest area is right in front of the speakers, plan ahead so everyone can enjoy the night.

6. Wedding games?

We all want a busy dance floor. Having games in other parts of the room will detract from the dancing. Dancers are like magnets, the more dancers you have, the more people will want to dance. If your guests are busy playing casino at the other side of the room, nobody will want to dance.

If you have games, put them early in your night and well out of the way once the party gets started.

7. The Bride and Groom MUST dance!

Every last guest is there because you invited them. They are there to party. As the bride and groom you are the centre of attention. If you are on the dance floor then your guest will join you. If you are outside or at the bar then that is where your guests will also be.

8. Time for Dancing.

This is your day. This is the best day of your life up to this point. There are certain formalities and technicalities that need to take place so do your best to have them done properly and in good time.

There are many events on the day which can easily run over time. The photos, the speeches, the meal, the venue change over. Try to make sure everything happens when it is meant to.

Your DJ will have to set up equipment before your reception. This takes time, usually up to one hour, and no amount of pressure to speed it up because ‘the breakfast was late’ can make it happen any faster. Getting the timings right is one of the simplest ways to make your wedding a party rather than just an event running to a schedule.

Maybe this can be done before your wedding breakfast or maybe your DJ will provide a full day service. In these cases this is not a problem. If your wedding is due to start at 730pm but doesn’t start until 9pm, your evening party will be a lot shorter.

You will be glad you made sure everything runs as planned, maybe get your Best Man to take the responsibility of keeping to time, or as close as.

9. Plan in advance.

Your online planning page is a fantastic resource for providing information about timings, music and much more. Please make sure you use it to your advantage.

So we can get everything planned, or even rehearsed, your access to the planner closes 7 days before your wedding. Please do not ask for changes after this time.

Your DJ will be co-coordinating with venue staff, caterers, photographers and any other suppliers you have on your day. Any single, seemingly simple change can create confusion and miscommunication, a recipe for disaster.

Keep it simple, keep it planned, keep it right.

10. ENJOY YOURSELF

Simple as that, enjoy!

Ready to make your wedding a party your guests won’t stop talking about? Explore our full range of wedding entertainment.

1000 Reasons NOT to DJ at your own Wedding and use a Professional

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Why You Shouldn’t DJ at Your Own Wedding

A couple try to DJ at your own wedding using an iPad — Premier Disco

Should you DJ at your own wedding? It’s a question we hear more often than you’d think.

Every now and again, we are told that someone we know has been to a wedding where the Bride & Groom have decided to ‘DJ’ at their own wedding.

We were recently hired by a couple to use our sound and lighting so they could use phones to play music. On this occasion, we simply used our fully experienced DJ/Presenter to control volume levels. He had nothing else to do and sat idle for the whole wedding reception. What a waste, all that experience and ability falling asleep at the desk!

There are many reasons NOT to DJ your own wedding, I will address the main reasons here.

1. A Wedding DJ has years of experience

With this experience, a wedding DJ has developed the skill of knowing what music should be played. He/she knows which loosely structured order they can be played and can be inspired by a list of music provided. The experience to know what ‘other’ tunes will work in any particular context of what is being played right now.

In contrast, a bride & groom will know what music they like. They may even have a good idea of what party music is, however, do they have the depth of knowledge to rescue the dance floor if their choices don’t work? Chances are that they will not have as much music as they think, and they’ll struggle to satisfy any choices from their guests.

Thankfully, almost all couples are aware that they cannot do this so leave it to the professionals. It is extremely rare for a couple’s exclusive choice of favourite music to suit their guests. This is why using a professional DJ is vital to the success of a wedding reception. A very important reason not to DJ at your own wedding.

See what we can do for you on your wedding day.

2. Playing the music at a wedding is a full event activity

A wedding DJ will plan ahead for each event. At each event, he/she will be continually aware of the changing dynamics of the audience and dance floor. With a choice of thousands of music tracks spanning almost 100 years and dozens of musical genres, there is a lot to think about.

One single guest may very well ask for something a bit different which send the DJ down a different route changing the dynamics for the better. Situations like this opens up the mind of the DJ and helps the him/her to discover new interest of the audience. Most often, this has a positive impact on the reception.

As a bride and groom, do you really want to be stressing about this instead of enjoying the best day of your life?

Hire an experienced Wedding DJ

3. Playout Options When You DJ at Your Own Wedding

To DJ at your own wedding you will need a playout medium. This is usually either an iPhone or iPad but can be any media player. Whilst these do provide reasonable quality, they are not professional systems and are liable to be problematic.

So, you have chosen your music to play. This could be via itunes, Spotify or other app you have installed. You’ll need a reliable internet connection to access all the music. You may have already downloaded a limited playlist to your player.

Spotify Premier Disco

Typically music played from iTunes is of varying quality. Some tracks will be clean and clear while others will be louder, quieter or of inconsistent volume levels. A professional DJ will have all tracks balanced to the same volume without clips, with a gentle warmth and pitch correction. A not so professional DJ will simply adjust every track as it plays. With no DJ, this is a tiresome task with someone having to attend to the player adjusting the volume of each track.

4. Front of house volume and quality

This is about the volume and quality of sound your guests actually hear at the reception. If you decide to DJ at your own wedding, you will still need to make sure your guests can hear the music properly.

A professional DJ provides everything required, including top quality speakers and amplification. Your venue may have a sound system installed, but the venue will likely have designed it for vocals, so it may not handle music particularly well. Venues sometimes adjust the EQ of an in-house sound system to suit vocals and limit the frequency range for that purpose. This is not good for music reproduction.

There will be many places to hire a better sound system near your venue, but the cost of this will be higher than hiring a professional DJ from the start. You can hire lighting too, but remember that positioning and correct operation matter just as much for the overall feel of the entertainment.

5. Your wedding day will have been planned for over a year, it’s time to chill

After all the planning to ensure everything is just right for your wedding day, do you really want the stress and tie up your evening worrying about music and keeping your guests happy? You shouldn’t be, it is time to relax and have a ball.

To join your guests in a celebration of the most important day of your lives. To mingle and talk with your family and guests and to build a memory of your happy day which you, and your guests, will remember fondly for the rest of your lives.

Hire a professional Wedding DJ

A professional DJ will take your advanced requests as well as taking them on the night. He will care enough to make every effort to ensure everyone has a great time. A professional DJ knows exactly how to treat you and your guests so you can relax and enjoy!

1000 reasons?

There may not be 1000 reasons in this article. I have limited the advice into 5 simple categories. These categories could be expanded out to include many more detailed reasons why you should not DJ at your own wedding.

Getting back to the start of this post where I mentioned the couple who hired us for our equipment. The groom spent the whole night using his iPad at his table to control his iPhone at our desk. Music volumes and quality were all over the place.

Whenever guests were not involved, the music would abruptly end and a new track started. Unbelievably, Spotify adverts would pop up every few minutes. The choice of music was not always to the liking of the guests.

Politely, the guests joined in, but many left disappointed. This is not the lasting impression they should have had of this wedding.

In Conclusion: Should You DJ at Your Own Wedding?

It doesn’t make sense not to hire a professional DJ and to DJ at your own wedding. You might see it as a chance to save some money, but it’s false economy. Your guests will remember a badly thought out reception far more than not having personalised napkins.

If you need to save a £200-£300 or so from your budget of your wedding, there are easier ways to do it.

As always, please leave any comments or additions below.

Leave your wedding entertainment to the professionals. see our professional Wedding Reception DJ package.