For the past 20 years, DJ Todd Daniels has been an active musician in Chicago, LA, and now the DC metro area. For the last 10 of those 20 years, he has been channeling his passion for music through DJing. We asked Todd to share a bit about his experience as a DJ, and here’s what he said!
What is your relationship with music? What does it mean to you?
“Everything! Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember – listening to it, learning about it, making it – and it’s so gratifying to make music part of my profession. If I’m not DJing on the weekends, I’m either playing music somewhere or in the studio recording and making music.”
What do you enjoy about being a wedding DJ?
“As a musician, DJing allows me to be able to combine my musical ear and audience instinct to create ‘sonically seamless’ dance sets that seem to never end. To me, my goal as a wedding DJ is to actually not be remembered – when a guest raves about the epic dancing that happened but can’t remember my face or voice, it’s a successful night. My goal is to be ‘invisibly awesome’ for the newlyweds and their guests. It’s a welcome change from playing guitar on stage, for instance, where there’s an expectation of a certain amount of showmanship – I love being able to blend into the background at a wedding and just let the music do the magic!”
What’s your favorite kind of couple/crowd to work with?
“I’ve been a teacher for the past 15 years, and, as a result, I’ve maximized my interpersonal and observational skills. This translates to an acute understanding for the guests at any given wedding, both on the dance floor and off. My ‘teacher-instinct’ really kicks in when I DJ, in that it’s my natural desire to make everyone feel that they can be ‘a part of it all’. Through my song choices, I work hard to find ways to be as inclusive as possible, calling to all ears and feet to rush to the dance floor. They say that a packed dance floor equals a happy DJ, and I couldn’t agree more!”
What’s the best one or two pieces of advice you give to couples?
“Get personal! I really do love hearing the story of every couple. It brings such life to the planning process, and allows me to understand both the things that they want from the evening, as well as gives me the ability to ask questions that might lead to discovering something new that could be incorporated into the music. I’m happy to focus solely on creating the perfect environment through dance music, but it certainly makes me excited when a couple is ready to get creative.”
What are some fun or interesting things about you that couples might want to know?
“As a father of 2 young ladies (6 and 8 years old), I love to share my DJing experiences with my kids! As you might expect, “DJ Dad” often leads the charge in living room dance parties at home, and my girls love to listen for the song transitions. My goal is to make it so seamless that they can’t tell when one song ends and the next one begins. My wife and I love to travel with the girls whenever possible, taking in the beauty of nature as well as the amazing culture found in every corner of the world!”
