I can highly recommend it to anyone in the mobile DJ business. It is informative and packed with tips as well as both time and money saving ideas, and the reviews are written by working DJs who understand the trials and tribulations that we all face on a Saturday night. So, after years of reading articles written by my peers who I hold in the highest regard, it’s a real honour – at the ripe old age of 29 – to be asked to share my story and love of being a DJ with you.
In was just 13 years old when I played at my first mobile DJ gig. My brother played football for Kodak FC, who had their own event venue. The annual club Christmas party was to be held there, and it was the turn of my brother’s team to theme, decorate and entertain the party guests. The teams’ parents included numerous people who could help to make this an awesome night: one dad was a lighting professional from the BBC, another mum did balloons for events and so on.
Between the committee members they also hired in all the DJ gear needed for the party: a KAM KCD960 CD player and mixer combo, derby lights and even a star cloth. MARCUS BOND 15PROFILE: MARCUS BOND However, on the day itself, with the doors due to open in a couple of hours, it turned out that the one thing that had been overlooked was the DJ! I had no previous experience of playing music to people at all and the only DJ I had ever seen was at my school disco.
But, with a love of music and a varied collection of compilation CDs, I jumped at the chance to play at the party and, despite my lack of experience, had the guests dancing into the early hours. I had caught the DJ bug and from that moment on decided this was my calling. My parents were really supportive and connected me with a family friend who ran mobile discos locally. Enter the first of my mentors, DJ Paul Barnett, a jock who was a popular choice on the pub and party circuit.
I was entrusted with the standard apprentice ‘box boy’ duties of carrying and setting up speakers and lights. Eventually, after putting the time in to prove my dedication, Paul gave me the opportunity to play as his warmup DJ. A while later I was also introduced to DJ Rick Bates, who ran a much larger DJ company catering for corporate and wedding clients on the Bath Road in Hounslow. As a young teenage DJ I considered this to be the big time.
I had never seen a mobile DJ playing for such large audiences! Having ‘learned the ropes’ for a couple of years I was entrusted to cover gigs for both of them. I started off playing at small parties and began to hone my skills as a “I GOT A GIG AT THE LOCAL BOWLING ALLEY WHERE I HAD THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE ONE NIGHT DJING FOR RNB SINGER USHER AND HIS ENTOURAGE, WHO WERE IN TOWN PLAYING AT WEMBLEY ARENA” : MARCUS BOND DJ, gaining invaluable experience in all aspects of the mobile DJ business and learning what to do when things didn’t go to plan.
Looking back now, I am truly thankful to have met and worked for both Paul and Rick. They taught me so much about music selection, DJ technique, equipment and the importance of presentation when setting up. I feel Paul and Rick’s vast knowledge of music combined with the professional way they dealt with their customers really sunk in and helped me to be the DJ I am today. At the age of finally had enough money saved to buy my first rig and started to prepare for its first outing.
As I wasn’t even old enough to drive my dad kindly agreed to provide the transport. I was to play at my first big wedding at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond. When we arrived, the venue manager started asking my dad questions about the timings and equipment thinking he was the DJ. Much to his surprise and amusement, my dad explained to the manager that it was actually his 16 year-old son who would be left to play the tunes!
The gig went well and I even managed to give out a couple of cards. More importantly, I got a pat on the back from the venue manager at the end of the night! Slowly but surely I began to get calls to play at other weddings but, as I was still in year 11 at school, I would have to wait until after school to answer inquiries. Also, before agreeing to each booking, I still had to ask my dad if he would provide the transport!
Having played at a few weddings my next big gig was at a local golf club. After I played I was approached by the venue manager who wanted to know if I would be interested in covering their Christmas party bookings. Hooray! Having agreed a rate, and arranged transport via my dad, I was ecstatic to have booked my first true residency.
College took a back seat as I also began getting a few club gigs around North London, including spots at some trendy bars. At the same time I got a gig at the local bowling alley where I had the most amazing experience one night DJing for RnB singer Usher and his entourage, who were in town playing at Wembley Arena. Having spent a few years playing in the pubs and clubs I realised that the ‘same music every night’ venues weren’t for me. I love too many different genres of music to be pigeonholed as a genre-specific DJ.
So I decided that being able to play at events that gave me this freedom was the best path for me, and began to concentrate my efforts on the mobile event DJ market. For several years, as well as my own DJ business, I began taking on work from other DJ companies to fill in the spare dates I had in my diary. During that time I was lucky enough to gain valuable experience playing at all types of events from swanky product launches and high-end weddings to Bar Mitzvahs and Asian weddings.
I love the variety of work that comes from being a mobile event DJ. I find it allows me to keep learning about new music and keeps me on my toes dealing with a variety of different clients. It was during a stint working with another DJ company that I met my now business partner, Max Mistry, and we came up with the idea to start our own events company, Max Marcus Events. Having pooled our years of experience in both DJing and event production, we saw a niche in the market and decided to go for it.
We have since worked hard to grow the business and have now built up a fantastic client list including Samsung and the Hakkasan Group. We are still developing the brand and constantly looking to increase our client base. Whether it’s a small party or an event with thousands of guests, our ethos remains the same: unrivalled customer service, great music and plenty of sound and lighting gear! When I'm not running my events company alongside Max, you’ll find me either behind a counter at West End DJ, or talking about the latest sound and lighting kit in front of a camera!
That’s all from me. Big thanks to Eddie and the team at Pro Mobile for letting me share my story and for putting together Pro Mobile magazine. “I LOVE THE VARIETY OF WORK THAT COMES FROM BEING A MOBILE EVENT DJ. I FIND IT ALLOWS ME TO KEEP LEARNING ABOUT NEW MUSIC AND KEEPS ME ON MY TOES DEALING WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CLIENTS”
