Birthday party DJ in the San Francisco Bay Area
DJ Soviet Snack plays birthday parties across the San Francisco Bay Area, from a fortieth in a backyard to a milestone birthday in a rented hall. Every booking includes a sound system scaled to the room, MC duties and a wireless mic, with four hours as the base. The set is built from the guests' answers, and you, the host, approve it before the night.
- A sound system scaled to the room.
- MC duties, as much or as little as you want: the entrance, the toast, the cake, or nothing but the music.
- A wireless mic for the toasts.
- Four hours, with extra hours by the hour.
- A song made for the guest of honor, opt in, approved by you, theirs to keep.
You see the plan before the night
Your guests answer eleven questions about music, about two minutes on a phone. Their answers become a draft set. I curate the draft, you read it, you change what you want, and you approve it. Your must-play and do-not-play lists override everything else, including the guests.
The approved list is the plan, not a script: on the night I play it live and read the room, inside the rules you set.
If it is a surprise
The questionnaire link goes to the guests and not to the guest of honor. The set gets built from what their people say they want to hear, and the song, if you want one, is built from what they tell me. The guest of honor hears both for the first time in the room.
The music
Eastern European and Russian, Latin, South Asian, and the American canon. A sixtieth birthday in the Bay Area often has three languages and two generations in it, and the questionnaire asks the guests what they speak.
A song made for the guest of honor
Every booking includes one, and most hosts take the custom edit: the guest of honor's songs, cut into a single piece for the entrance or the moment of the night. A full original track is the other option. It is opt in and it starts with a conversation.
You hear it and approve it before the night, it plays at the moment you choose or not at all, and the file is theirs to keep. It takes lead time, so it is arranged when you book.
Questions hosts ask
What is included with every booking?
A sound system scaled to the room, MC duties, a wireless mic for the toasts, and a song made for the couple or the guest of honor. Standard coverage is four hours, with extra hours available by the hour.
How is the music chosen?
Your guests answer an eleven question music questionnaire on their phones, which takes about two minutes. I draft the set from their answers, curate it, and send it to you to approve before the night. On the night I play it live and read the room. The whole process is on the how it works page.
We have songs we need to hear and songs we never want to hear. How does that work?
You give me both lists in the planning conversation. The must-play list goes into the set at the moments you choose. The do-not-play list is absolute: not played, not played as a request, and not played because the floor asks for it.
Do our guests have to answer the questionnaire?
No. It is optional, takes about two minutes, and needs no app or account. Guests confirm an email address once so each person answers once, and the answers are deleted after the event. The more people answer, the better the draft, but a set gets built either way.
How many hours, and what if the party runs long?
Four hours is the base. Extra hours are available and quoted by the hour. If you already know you want six, say so in the quote request and it is priced from the start.
Do you provide lighting?
Not from my own inventory. Dance floor lighting and uplighting can be rented in for your event on request and are quoted separately.
What holds a date?
A signed agreement and a deposit. Until both are in, the date is open.
What is your policy on explicit lyrics?
Yours. The default is clean versions through dinner and the versions you choose after that. If you want no explicit versions at all, say so once and it holds for the night, requests included.
What happens if it rains?
Electronics and rain do not mix, so an outdoor setup needs cover and dry power from the start, not a tarp at the last minute. Where the setup goes if the weather turns is decided with your venue or coordinator in advance and written into the run sheet.
How far do you travel?
The core area is the Bay Area: San Francisco, the Peninsula, the South Bay and the East Bay. Anywhere in Northern California works for the right event, with a travel fee past the core area.
What about the venue's sound rules, or a curfew?
At a venue, the venue's policy governs and I confirm it in advance. For a backyard or private property, the city's rules apply, and they differ more than people expect. The sound ordinance guide covers seven Bay Area cities with sources and check dates.
Get a quote for your date
Send the date, the occasion and what you know about the venue. I reply with availability and a quote.