DJ KayO’s Halloween Dance Gig
After a long week of filling out college applications, I got to cap it all off as the DJ for my school’s Halloween Dance. Going into it, I was tired and I just wasn’t as excited as I should’ve been. But once I arrived at school a little after 5:30pm and started lugging equipment, I was well awake and getting into the vibe.
The dance was scheduled to start at 7pm in our Halloween themed gym. I knew that not many people would be there on time but I was expecting at least some people to engage with the music as they waited for others to show up. But instead, they all hung out in the hallway eating pizza and drinking soda. So, it then occurred to me that I should just play some music to pass the time until more students arrived. I chose some throwback Usher, “Caught Up” and “Yeah!,” and Beyonce’s “Freakum Dress” and “Get Me Bodied” to get them all dancing. I wasn’t sure that it would work at the time but it did.
The rest of the night was full of records like Silento’s “Watch me” and T-Wayne’s “Nasty Freestyle,” as well as mainstream pop and rap music. In particular, I got requests for a lot of Drake, so I gave them quite a few records to enjoy. You already know that “Hotline Bling” was on the top of that list, followed by a few tracks from “What a Time To Be Alive” and some of his other projects. As I played these records, I juggled recording the event on my camera as well. So, tonight was a continuation of my collection of great memories as an up and coming DJ.
In the end, everyone sang and danced the entire three hours, which is always a good sign. A staff member even went as far as saying that me and my dad could be hired for their events anytime. They loved our services. But despite these compliments, I still noticed that I need a lot of practice DJing. I should be doing more to increase my skills but school has completely taken over my life. I know that I shouldn’t use that as an excuse but it’s the truth. However, going forward I’m going to prioritize doing the things that make me happy more often, like DJing and writing pieces for you guys because it’s just fun.