1. What kind of gear do you bring?  Do you bring back up?

The Higher Sound carries top of the line, high quality DJ gear and sound equipment.  This is of upmost importance to us, and we simply won't settle for mediocre sound.   Here's a list of what we bring:

13" Macbook Pro laptop

500G LaCie Rugged external hardrive x 2

pair of  QSC K-12 powered speakers

1 or 2 QSC KW-181 subwoofer

pair of JBL Eon 15 G2 powered speakers

Rane Empath 3 Channel DJ Mixer

Traktor Scratch Pro sofware

Traktor S4 MIDI Controller

Shure SM58 microphone

Chauvet Cubix 2.0 LED effect light

2 x Technics 1200 M3D turntables 

extra cables and batteries

2.  What type of events do you work? 

We play everything from art openings, corporate functions, holiday parties, fashion shows, FM radio shows, farm stand openings (!), graduation parties, all of our regular club gigs and, of course, weddings.  This site mainly focuses on weddings.  Where you won't see us play:  a Bar Mitzva, high school dances, children's birthday parties and class reunions.  We're open to almost anything else.  

3.  What kind of music do you play? 

This is what we do best,  the reason you hire us, and the reason we get up every morning.  It's a passion.  Because we have played music at so many types of events and for so many years, we know what works.  But yet we are constantly keeping up with new music and keeping our playlists fresh.  Our fingers are on the pulse.  We need you to tell us about your musical tastes, certain songs you want to hear, as well as the do-not-play songs.  We want to hear about your musical vision of the evening, and also about what your friends and family are into.   Most of our clients want our input.  We will tell you if something won't work, or what the likely reaction is to certain songs or genres.  The more we know, the better.   We ask you to trust us in executing the music in a creative way that keeps the dance floor engaged.  We are also flow specialists, and we are highly skilled in keeping the music eclectic yet flowing.  

4.  Do you have a sample playlist?  Mix CD? 

We have DJ mixes available to stream on our Soundcloud pages.  As we are into mixing and producing many different styles of music, you should know that most of our music on Soundcloud would not be wedding appropriate.  However, what you will hear on our DJ mixes is our technical skills;  the way(s) in which we blend songs together, beatmatching, one song flowing into the next. This is not to say we beatmatch every song together.  Many songs are at different tempos, and sometimes one song will fade out as the other fades in.  All that said, technique is important, but not as important as knowing how to Select.  The DJ, as Selector, knows what song is the perfect choice for each moment, based on reading the crowd and staying one step ahead.  In our opinion, there is no shortcut to learning this skill; it is only developed by experience. By playing gigs.  The great part is, there is still so much to learn about this!  We get excited knowing that the more events we play, the better we get at DJ'ing.  

Remember, every client is different, so we could never produce a demo mix that would reflect the performance we deliver at your event.  However, here is a broad sampling of some artists that we have played in the last year or so.  

COCKTAIL HOUR:   Alabama Shakes, Grizzly Bear, Elton John, The Avett Brothers, Little Dragon, Chet Atkins, Billie Holliday, Zero 7, Modest Mouse, Buena Vista Social Club, Zero 7, Bonobo, Beach House, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dean Martin, Erykah Badu, Wilco, Johnny Cash, The Police, The Black Keys, The Lumineers, Matt & Kim, & Paul Simon.

DINNER HOUR:  Dave Brubeck, St. Germain, Cal Tjader, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Hunter Quartet, lots of Jazz from the Verve & Blue Note labels, Thievery Corporation, Trace Bundy, The Rolling Stones, Bonobo, Amos Lee, Taj Mahal, Duke Ellington, J.J. Cale, Bon Iver, Astrud Gilberto, Sade, Poolside, Marvin Gaye, and Van Morrison. 

DANCEFLOOR:  Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Madonna, Prince, Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, 90's hip hop classics (Notorious B.I.G./2 Pac/Warren G, etc), Classic Swing tunes (Glenn Miller/Benny Goodman), Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, LCD Soundsystem, Curtis Mayfield, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Empire Of The Sun, Outkast, The Rolling Stones & James Brown.

5.  What do you need from the venue/client? 

Most of the time all we need is a table that fits our gear, and access to a power outlet within 25 feet.  

6.  Are your prices firm?   

Yes and no.  We think our prices our fair for what we deliver.  However, if you are working on a budget, and we are a good fit for your party, then we are happy to work with you on a price that works for both of us.  After all, we like to work!  

7.  Can we provide you with songs to play? and DO NOT play?  When do you need the songlist by?  

Absolutely.  We enourage you to provide this crucial info to us.  Ideally, we'd like to have any song lists within 5 days of the event.  

8.  Do you provide lights? 

Yes.  A subtle light show can enhance the vibe of the dance floor.  However, we are not fans of cheesy, over the top light shows.  In our opinion, a dim, candle-lit room is the way to go, with our Cubix 2.0 effect light projecting patterns onto the dance floor... and not in your face.  

9.  Do you provide MC duties? 

Yes.  This is an important part of our job.  Announcements and introductions are key to keeping the party running smoothly and keeping everyone on the same page.  We are often communicating with the wedding coordinator and photographers to make sure we all know when things are happening.   Beyond that, you won't hear us talk very much on the mic, if it all.  Corny jokes or annoying commentary are not in our repertoire; we prefer to focus on creating a fun mix of tunes that keep your guests dancing.

10  What do you wear to the events?  

Hipster tuxedos.  Just kidding.  We will show up in street clothes for loading in and sound check before the guests arrive, then change into something stylish.  Usually this entails a nice shirt and tie, nice pants and non-sneakers.  We want to fit in with your guests, so if you'd like us to dress a certain way, we are open to that.  

11.  Do you require a meal?  

Yes please.  It gives us the stamina we need to rock the party.  

12.  Can we see you play an event? 

Of course.  We will let you know any public events that we have coming up so you can see us in action.  Obviously we can't invite you to someone else's wedding, but for any other show that is not private, we would love to have you come.  

13.  When do you arrive for the event?   

No later than one hour before the start of the event.  It takes us about 30 minutes to set up, but we take into account traffic, parking issues, etc., to make sure we are ready to roll with time to spare.  

14.  Do you play overtime?  

Unless your DJ has another engagement, we are open to staying overtime.  This happens a lot, and we'll keep the party going for as long as you'd like.   We don't have an overtime rate, so we trust that you will pay your DJ appropriately when the lights finally come up.  

15. Do you have references?

We have many.  You can read reviews from past parties and clients on our Testimonials page.  We are also happy to send you contact info for our past clients who have agreed to relay their experiences with us to you.

16.  Should I be tipping my DJ?  

Tipping is not necessary, but always appreciated.  We spend a lot of hours prepping to make your party a success.  If you feel your DJ exceeded your expectations and totally rocked the house, show them some love if you'd like.  But do not feel obligated.  

17.  Do you have a travel fee?  

Only if your wedding is outside the Denver/Boulder area.  We charge an extra $50-$75 to DJ events in the mountain areas, depending on how far the drive is.  

18.  When & where do you conduct meetings?

Anywhere in the Denver/Boulder metro area.  Coffee shops work well, and my back deck is also a good place to sit down on a sunny day.  If you're on a tight schedule, we can come to meet you.  

19.  Can you provide music and/or mics for our ceremony?

Absolutely.  It's usually an extra $200 to provide ceremony services.   This involves more hours on the clock, and bringing an extra soundsystem strictly for the ceremony, setting up and soundchecking.  

20.  Where have you played before?

It would be long and boring if we listed every venue we've played, but here are some of our favorites:

Denver Botanical Gardens - Denver, CO

Denver Art Museum - Denver, CO

Planet Bluegrass - Lyons, CO

St. Julien Hotel - Boulder, CO

Rembrandt Yard - Boulder, CO

Hotel Boulderado - Boulder, CO

Dushanbe Tea House - Boulder, CO 

Wild Basin Lodge - Estes Park, CO

Schupe Homestead - Longmont, CO

The Clock Tower - Denver, CO 

Carter Park - Breckenridge, CO 

Westin Hotel - Beaver Creek, CO  

Red Rock Room - Red Rocks, CO

Magnolia Hotel - Denver, CO

21.  Do you provide discounts?

Yes, if your event is during the week or on Sunday, you can expect to pay less than the high demand of a Friday or Saturday.  

22.  How do we get started working with you? 

Send us a message via the Contact page on this website, or send an email to derek@thehighersound.com.  Tell us the details of the wedding (date/time/app how many ppl and what your vision is of your wedding reception/type of music, etc).  After that, best thing is to get together for a face-to-face.  We can discuss big picture stuff, details, and we can put some faces with names.  We are more than happy to do this over the phone if scheduling is tough.  After that, if you decide to move forward and hire us, you'll have to sign an agreement form and put down a first payment.  This will be 30%-50% of the total contract, or whatever you are comfortable with.  At this point we are locked in and good to go!

We ask that the remainder of the payment to be completed by the start of the wedding.  

Download the 2014 Higher Sound contract here.

23.  Can I call you/email you as much as I need?  

Yes.  You can contact us to talk, text or email as little or as much as you need.   A week or two before the event, we'll contact you to finalize details, the timeline, song selections, playlists, and any final tweaks.  We like to use Google Docs to create a document with all these details that both of us can view, so we are on the same page.  Not everyone is up to speed on all these technologies, so whatever your preferred method is, please do not hesitate to get in touch.