FAQ
Everything couples, planners, and clients ask before they book. If yours isn’t here, text me.
Booking
How do I hold my date?
A signed agreement and a 50% non-refundable retainer. The balance is due 14 days before the event. Once the retainer is in, the date comes off the market and I turn down everyone else who asks for it. That is what you are paying to secure.
Why is the retainer non-refundable?
Because there are roughly fifty Saturdays in a year, and when I commit to yours I stop selling it. If you cancel in March for a September wedding, that Saturday is very hard to re-book.
Our company cannot pay a deposit. Can we still book?
Yes. A signed agreement and a purchase order will hold the date, with the balance invoiced net-15 after the event. Corporate finance departments run on POs and I am not going to lose your event over it.
How quickly do you reply?
Within 24 hours, every time. If it is urgent, text me and it will be faster than that.
The night itself
Do you MC, or do I need a separate host?
I MC. Introductions, dances, toasts, cake, shuttle times, last call, last song. It is included, not an add-on. If you would rather I stay quiet and only play music, that is also fine, and some clients prefer it.
How early do you arrive?
At least an hour before the event starts, and earlier for a full ceremony setup or a venue with a difficult load-in.
Do you take requests from guests?
Yes, within the boundaries you set. Your do-not-play list overrules any guest, and I will happily be the bad guy so you do not have to be.
What if a requested song kills the dance floor?
I will mix out of it. You are paying me to keep the room moving, not to run a jukebox. If you would rather I let a song play out no matter what, tell me and I will.
What music do you play?
R&B, hip-hop, Top 40, house, Afrobeats, Motown, disco and whatever the room is telling me it wants. Blended live, not run off a pre-built playlist, because a room at 9:40 is not the room it was at 8:15.
Can you play clean versions only?
Yes, and for corporate events it is the default. You do not have to ask.
Equipment and logistics
What gear do you bring?
- Sound: two Electro-Voice EVOLVE 50M column arrays. Slim towers rather than boxes on poles, so they cover a ballroom evenly and stay out of your photographs. Additional speakers on stands for a ceremony or a second room.
- Microphones: two Xvive M5D wireless handhelds, 5.8GHz.
- Decks: Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 and DDJ-1000. Two flagship controllers, not one and a spare cable.
- Lighting: Chauvet GigBAR 3 ILS over the floor, plus par lights for wash and uplighting.
What happens if your equipment fails?
I bring two flagship controllers to every event, not one. If a deck fails mid-reception, the backup is already on the table and the music does not stop. Most DJs cannot say that.
What if you get sick?
My agreement commits me to finding a replacement DJ of equivalent standard, subject to your approval. If I cannot find one you approve of, you get every dollar back, including the retainer.
Do you provide sound for the ceremony?
Yes. Separate speakers on stands for the ceremony space, and a wireless mic on a stand at the officiant’s position, so the vows carry to the back row instead of dying in row four.
Do you do uplighting?
Yes, and it is included rather than a line item. Par lights can wash the room or sit on top of the column arrays.
Do you have a photo booth?
Available on request. I do not own one, so I would bring in a specialist and put it on the same quote so you are dealing with one vendor instead of two. Ask when you enquire and I will price it.
I would rather be excellent at one thing than adequate at several. On your night I am reading the room and building the floor, not clearing a paper jam behind a booth during cocktail hour.
Insurance and paperwork
Are you insured?
Yes. $1 million per occurrence, $3 million aggregate, through Lloyd’s of London.
My venue needs a certificate of insurance. Can you provide one?
Yes, usually the same day, naming your venue as an additional insured. I have issued one for Guaranteed Rate Field, which required the Chicago White Sox, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and the City of Chicago on a single document. Your venue will be simpler.
Can you complete our vendor onboarding and provide a W-9?
Yes. The entity is DJ KMBRK LLC. Send me the portal and it will be done without you having to chase me.
Travel and rates
Where do you travel?
Chicago, Chicagoland and the surrounding suburbs with no travel charge. Northwest Indiana and southern Wisconsin quoted with travel. If the venue is more than 90 minutes out and the event ends after 11pm, lodging is added.
What does it cost?
Private parties from $1,200. Weddings from $2,200 for a reception, or from $2,800 for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Corporate events and galas from $3,500. Additional hours are $250. Every quote is firm once I have seen your venue.
Why do you look at the venue before quoting?
Because rooms lie. A space that photographs like a hall turns out to have one working outlet and a support column exactly where the booth should go. I would rather discover that months out than on your event day, and it means the number I give you is the number you pay.