A: We just love to rock parties for people who have similar musical interests as our own. We've played at art openings, major corporate events, fashion shows, PR events, all of our regular club gigs, and of course, loads of weddings. This site is specifically designed around weddings, however, if you think we'd be a good fit at your event, you're probably right. Where won't you see us play any time soon? Children's birthday parties, reunions, Bar Mitzvahs, School Dances/Cotillions, or Anniversaries. We're open to most anything else.
A: For a detailed list of our rates, please refer to our pricing page. You'll find that we're right in line with other companies offering similar services.
As far as packages, we don't do them. All prospective clients receive the same hourly price quote, and we only charge for the time our music is playing. That's it. We don't really understand the idea of package prices, as we feel it's only common sense to give every client the same level of service. No bells or whistles, remember?
A: One of the company's best attributes is the versatility all of our DJs possess. Our collective arsenal of music is absolutely enormous (5,000+ vinyl records for starters), as we've all been collecting since long before we were ever interested in being DJs. The last thing we want to do, however, is play only what we want to play. We know what works best for our caliber of clientele, but we want to learn about your musical tastes as well as what your friends and families are really into. Once we've got a good feel for the styles and genres you and your guests dig most, we'll put our own creative touch into the mix, and you've got yourself a party. If you'd want to create a list or compilation of tunes you'd like to hear at your event, great, we have no problem with that. In fact, we encourage it. However, we know what to expect with certain artists and songs, and we won't hesitate to tell you what's likely to clear the floor. The more input you can give us, the better, but at the same time, use our knowledge. We've put endless hours into researching what works and what doesn't at weddings, so please feel free to pick our brains. Now, without providing a full list of artists and tunes we feel work well for the weddings we perform for, I can tell you that all of us have dedicated our lives to the beat and we stray just about as far away from the typical (read: stale, tired, cliche, hokey, unoriginal) musical formats as possible. We want to stand out, and we feel that we're highly creative with what we do. When the kegs go dry and the lights come on, we want your guests begging for one more tune. Nine times out of ten, they'll get at least that. In fact, often times it's difficult for us to take the needle off the last record because we're almost always having equally as much fun as you and your guests. What it comes down to is this: we're all incredibly passionate about great music. When we're asked to be the ones in control of it for the night, it shows.
A: In our listen section, you'll find the most recent promo mix, as well as an assortment of other various aural delights. Every mix we create will provide you with a very broad sample of what you might hear at your event, but more importantly, they showcase technical skill, the style in which we mix, and what's possible using the equipment we use. In no way should any promotional mix ever be considered a full-fledged sample play list. We don't possess such a thing, and we never will. It would be impossible to determine what to include and what to leave out since every event we work is specifically designed around you, and your musical interests.
We're not going to leave you in the dark completely, below is the closest thing to a sample play list we could come up with. It includes a handful of artists for each stage of a typical wedding reception. Everything here has received quite a bit of attention from myself, and the other Style Matters DJs recently:
A: Of course you can. As I said, the more input you provide us, the better. And don't sweat actually providing the music, either. We've most likely got the majority of what you'd like to hear, and if we don't, we'll find it on our own. We're pretty adept at reading dance floors, but we can't read your mind, so tell us about a handful of tunes that hold some kind of significance to you and your crew. In the end, you'll be glad you did.
A: We invested an unbelievable amount of money into sound, and you'll be able to tell the moment you walk into the room. No matter how great a DJ might be, if they're playing on a crap system, whether your guests tell you or not, they'll notice. We're determined to have one of the best set ups out there (popular Chicago photographer, Doug McGoldrick, seemed to dig it) and the equipment we use is all top of the line. Included for every event will be, at a minimum: two powered Mackie SRM-450s on stands, one powered Mackie 15" sub, two Technics 1200 turntables with Shure M44-7 cartridges, a Pioneer DJM-500 mixer, a pair of MacBook laptops, a 500GB external harddrive, Serato Scratch Live, and a Shure SLX wireless SM58 microphone. As for aesthetics, we like the rig to look as good as it sounds, and we streamline everything at events so all your guests will see from their seats or the dance floor is the glow from the laptops & speakers. As for backup equipment, we haven't had to use any yet, and we definitely don't plan on it. That said, we couldn't imagine going into a gig without backup, and if something were to ever go wrong, we bring at least one alternate of most everything I just listed. When DJs have equipment failures, the majority of the time it's due to the amplifiers overheating or blowing. Since all of our speakers are active (powered by an internal amplifier), we don't have to deal with this risk.
A: We've been asked this before...more than once. If you're curious about the number of cassette tapes we've got in our collection, we probably shouldn't be, uh, spinning at your wedding. We use cutting edge technology, and combine the best of both the digital and analog worlds. For our vinyl DJs, in addition to bringing around a hundred and fifty pieces of original vinyl records, we also perform digitally using a revolutionary new piece of hardware/software called Serato Scratch Live. This program essentially allows us to mix MP3 or WAV files stored on the laptops' hard drives through specially designed "control records". Most of our DJs use turntable technology,your guests will see our vinyl djs mixing records, in one form or another, on the decks. Not only does this allow us a great deal more creative control, but it will intrigue your invitees to no end. In addition, because of Serato's highly accurate search function, we can play a request literally within three seconds of someone asking for it. Now, if I sound overly excited about Serato, it's because I am. It's changed the art of DJing all together, and we're taking as much advantage of it as we can. New doors have been opened for what we can do on the fly, and we're having a blast mastering old tricks, and learning new ones. An example: say somebody requests both Gnarls Barkley and Dolly Parton (this actually happened recently). Within a few seconds of determining the proper pitch & tempo, we can take the "Crazy" instrumental, and lay Dolly's "9 to 5" vocal over it. Commonly referred to as a mash-up, and certainly nothing new to us when working in clubs, this adds a whole new element to wedding entertainment, and keeps things fresh for everyone. You have to consider how many other weddings your guests will be attending in addition to yours. This is one small way for you to separate yours from the rest.
Note: As much as we love mixing with vinyl & Serato, we haven't completely forgotten about the trusty compact disc. We can certainly play anything given to us on CD, whether before the event or the night of.
A: Yes, we have a one miiiiilllliiioooon dollar liability insurance policy. No, seriously.
A: The kind you ask for to accompany your cigarette. We don't really like the idea of lights. They remind us of High School parties in dingy basements. They look cheap. They make you look cheap. Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, please, don't be fooled into some of these guys and their "special package pricing" for a more elaborate lighting display. When other DJs try to sell you on the added benefits of "intelligent lighting", do your research on what that term can entail. It doesn't necessarily mean quality, and it certainly doesn't scream class. Our thought is that 90% of lighting displays at weddings are uber-corny. Unless a DJ company has a regular gig going on tour with Radiohead, their lights stink. Okay, maybe hyperbole took over there for a minute, but you get the idea. We always advise going without lights all together, as the classic look of a dimly lit room with candles is far more appealing.
A: If it were up to us, not very. Although I'm ridiculously detailed in writing (wait until you see the contract, haha), we aren't nearly as verbose at events. We speak through the music and have very little in common with the DJ who feels the need to yap on the microphone all night long (uh, all of them?). Sure, we may have a bit of a collective ego, but this is your big day, and we don't think it's our duty to be the focus of attention. Our feeling is that, at weddings, "entertaining" is too often synonymous with "annoying". We're DJs, and our job is to A) control the flow of the evening, and B) provide a memorable mix of really great, well-programmed music. If you're looking for a group to do more than that, we're probably not the best choice for you. We've never had a problem inducing the party vibe, and we see no reason to be overly obtrusive to your most near and dear. We'll be as vocal as you'd like us to be (within reason), and will certainly take care of all the necessary introductions and announcements, but we prefer to keep the "emceeing" bit to an absolute minimum. Instead, we focus our efforts on creating a clever and sophisticated mix of tunes that will match the mood and style of your event.
A: Clearly that depends on the type of event, but for weddings, usually a stylish get up of some sort. Sometimes we rock the fancy suits, other times, for relaxed affairs, we opt for a more fashion forward ensemble (linen suit, shades, no tie, and chuck taylors @ a recent outdoor wedding, for example). There's an additional charge for cane, flare-filled vest, and top hat. Kidding.
A: Do we require one? No. Will we eat one if it's put in front of us? You better believe it. Don't feel like you have to feed us, but the offer is certainly appreciated.
A: Usually I like to sit down with every prospective client myself to determine which DJ will be the best fit for your event. We hand-picked everyone on our team very carefully, and not only are they all incredibly passionate (ah-hem, obsessive) about music, but while they clearly share a similar creative mindset, they each have their own individual artistic style. Even after a brief hour long intial meeting, I will usually have a very good idea of who you'll most enjoy working with. Also, as mentioned above, we host events every six weeks or so for clients to get a feel for each of our DJs. While you can certainly let us know who you'd most prefer to have spin for you, it is completely dependent on their availability, and we write the actual DJ into the contract around three months prior to the event.
A: To avoid this possible, yet highly unlikely, nightmare, there's always at least one DJ who is more or less "on call" for every night we're contracted to play. We never book more than three events per night, and it's almost always only one or two, so there's always somebody available in emergency situations.
A: There are seven Style Matters DJs on our team, but for most 2008 dates we will only spin at three events per night. While it's no fun to turn down business, we prefer to give an equal amount of attention to each of the three clients on our busiest dates.
A: You certainly could, but we don't think it makes a whole lot of sense. Not only will you be uncomfortable at a stranger's wedding, but since every set we spin is specifically designed around the couple and their guests, you won't necessarily hear the style of music you envision for your own event. There's an easy solution here: meet us for a pint at one of our other gigs around town. We play out all the time, and it's a great way for you to see how we "work" in a different type of setting. Plus, you don't have to get all gussied up. Also, keep checking back, as we will be posting information on our next promotional event at Schuba's very soon.
A: It takes us less than an hour to load in and set up, but we'll be there about two hours before we're set to start. You never know what to expect in this city traffic-wise, and we love debunking the myth that DJs are rarely punctual.
A: No. I'm putting my faith in you, kind party people. We have no inflated overtime rate, and we'll stay as long as you'd like us to. Aside from the rare dates that we're playing afternoon weddings, we usually have nowhere else to be after the gig. So, if you want your DJ to stick around and rock the proverbial spot a bit longer, cool. It happens a lot. Please, just pay them accordingly (one extra hour = $200 + ???).
A: You bet. We can refer you to the standouts we've seen. When we sit down, please ask us.
A: There are two new things we've recently begun to offer. The first is chamber music for the ceremony/cocktail hour. I've played violin for almost twenty-five years and I'm a member of a chamber music trio (two violins and a piano) called String Theory. We've been working together for almost three years and have played in a good number of ceremonies and receptions during that time. Also, we hold private monthly recitals and are currently mastering a live recording. We have approximately fifty years of combined experience, and offer rates considerably lower than the industry standard. Please see the pricing page for more information, and the listen page for audio samples.
The other brand new service we're incredibly excited about offering is a professional sounding recording of the entire evening. This will, of course, include all speeches, music, and general revelry. It's a unique service for which we personally master the entire recording (primarily to create consistent volume levels, but also to make edits, adjustments, etc.), and prepare it for you in MP3 format on data disc. This will let you re-live your wedding night for years to come and is an inexpensive addition, especially if you're considering a videographer.
A: Of course we do. We've got a whole lot of them. I'd be happy to send you to any and all couples so you can get the lowdown on how we conduct business, how we performed, crowd response, etc. To protect clients' privacy, references are available upon request. You can, however, refer to our testimonial section for some comments on recent events.
A: Email us at and tell us a little bit about what you're trying to accomplish, how you envision your wedding reception, and what you like (or dislike!) about us so far. For initial meetings I usually invite couples to meet with me at the office (cough condo cough) in Logan Square. This way you can check out the music, equipment, contract, pictures of recent events, etc. From there, if you decide to move forward with the agreement, we ask for a 25% deposit. A week or two before your event we'll come to you to discuss all of the last minute specifics--final timelines, overall flow of the night, individual song picks, etc. Of course, by this time, we should already have a very good idea of how the event is going to be structured from our email correspondence. Also, if you feel it necessary to sit down more than twice, we have no problem with that. Whatever makes you most comfortable. Heck, that's what bars are for, right? If you're not quite ready to meet in person, that's fine too. Just drop us a line, tell us a little about yourselves, and what you're looking to accomplish. If you're interested, we'd be happy to invite you to an upcoming gig.
A: Locking everything up is simple, just fill out the colored sections of the agreement (you can download it off the pricing page) and send it to us via snail mail along with your 25% deposit made out to Style Matters DJs. And please, feel free to round up or down, we didn't do so well in math class and we're not so keen on busting out the TI-85 graphing calculators at 1:00AM on your wedding night. Also, personal check is the only form of payment we're taking right now. As far as saving your date, we're pretty lax on the matter. Generally, I'll get back in touch if I haven't heard from you within two weeks from our initial meeting. We haven't yet determined how long to hold dates for, but after two weeks, we will probably start to entertain other inquiries. I suppose the shorter way to answer this would have been: first come, first served.
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