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There are many good reasons to start a mobile disco:
- Do you love music and a great atmosphere?
- Are you fascinated by the glow of the lights?
- Do you love geeking out over programming lights?
- Or are you hooked on playing with the awesome professional equipment it takes to have as a mobile DJ?
No matter what it is that sparks your dream of a mobile disco, here are my personal experiences and a general guide to starting your own mobile disco.
You can also watch the video explainer for this guide below:
What should you be aware of before you start?
When you start exploring the mobile DJ world, you quickly come across lots of bits and pieces that are needed for one thing or another in your setup.
It can quickly become an expensive affair, but it’s also entirely possible to build a mobile disco setup at a reasonable price.
It’s really fun to build a mobile disco setup. Personally, I think it’s fun to play around with different equipment configurations and program the light show, as well as being the one who sets the mood with exactly the right music.
Before you start, however, you should be aware that you’ll get home very late—it may be that the party ends at 3 or 4 a.m., but it can easily take 1–2 hours to pack down as well as 1–2 hours of transport, plus unloading the gear to the storage, plus possibly returning a rented trailer after the job is finished.
It can be a bit of a challenge to keep a normal day-night rhythm going. That said, in my opinion it’s all worth it! It’s pure happiness to go all out behind the “stove” (the DJ Booth) for a whole evening in the company of happy guests. At the same time, it should be pointed out that as a professional DJ you are working and not at the party as a guest—you are the party! therefore you need to make sure you don’t get completely drunk on Bacardi. That’s not to say you have to stay 100% sober—one or two at the start of the evening can be good for calming the nerves.
Depending on how big a setup you need to bring, in many cases it’s worth considering whether you should have a buddy—or several—helping you with both setup, teardown and possibly transport. It’s also always nice to have someone with you who can take over if you need a break during the evening, as it’s often many hours you’re working.
The price of a mobile DJ varies a lot. When you need to price a gig, there are many variables to consider. First and foremost, you need to work out how much time you will spend in total preparing for the job: setup, teardown, transport, packing equipment into the van/trailer/truck, as well as any meetings with the organiser beforehand. Next, you need to calculate what costs you have in the form of purchasing, for example buying music, hiring a van, paying an assistant, and depreciation or possibly rental of equipment. Your hourly rate as a DJ is up to you and should of course reflect your experience. However, always keep an eye on the established mobile discos in the market and look at what they charge for their gigs. That way, you can assess how competitive your price is compared to some of the other mobile discos, which your potential customers will also be sure to request a quote from for their event. Be clear with yourself whether you want to run a mobile disco as a hobby project alongside school or your job, or whether you want to go full-time with the project.
🤷♂️What does it take to start a mobile disco
When you’re starting a mobile disco, there are a number of things you should have. In this section, we’ll go through what equipment you need, how to get gigs in the calendar, and what you should take into account.
🎶 Music
One of the most important things you need as a mobile DJ is music.
You should always have your music available offline. That means you need to have bought a lot of tracks through a music service such as iTunes. Some DJ software offers playback from Spotify or other streaming services, but it’s not reliable, since you will most likely be standing in a community hall in a small village where the internet connection is non-existent or very poor.
🎚️ DJ Booth
Next, you need a DJ Booth in the form of either a DJ controller or a DJ mixer with at least 2 matching DJ Media Players, plus a good set of headphones that can isolate you from the sound from your PA and the audience.
Also make sure to bring a microphone, so you can speak to the party guests. In a previous guide, we described the pros and cons of some of Pioneer’s controllers in different price ranges.
🔊 PA system
In addition, you also need a PA system to play the music through. This can be set up in several ways, but for a beginner we recommend 2 active full-range speakers on stands, connected directly to the controller.
💡 Lighting
With the above setup, you’re covered for playing small parties and starting to gain some experience. In addition, you can get really far with a T-bar on a stand with various lighting effects / PAR Cans and a small to medium-sized smoke machine.
Types of Events
When you’re rolling around the Danish country roads with your mobile DJ setup, you get the chance to encounter many different types of gigs, with a huge range of organisers and guests.
Let’s go through the most common types of events in this section—from one mobile DJ owner to a future one.
Birthday Parties
For many years it has been very popular to book a mobile DJ for a birthday. The age range varies widely; whether it’s a 15th or a 60th birthday, a mobile DJ is often used to get the party started.
The vast majority of birthday parties have 70–200 guests, so as a rule you’ll bring a small to medium-sized setup. Always agree on this with the customer before you plan the job.
When you’re playing as a mobile DJ at an 18th birthday party, as a general rule there should be more low-end punch, and you can also easily allow yourself to put on a wilder light show and play a broader selection of the newest music. It’s also customary for the birthday person to drink 18 shots during the evening. Here you should have a track up your sleeve, such as Lil Jon with “Shots”, while the ritual takes place. Afterwards, you have an obvious opportunity to really get the party going, since everyone is standing in a circle around the birthday person out on the dance floor.
For a 50th birthday party, you need to take into account that the guests’ ages will span a wider range. Here, it’s not certain that a smoke machine is desired, and maybe not crazy laser effects either, like you would use at parties for a younger target group. The music for, for example, a 50th birthday will also most often reflect that you play a bit broader to accommodate as many of the guests’ wishes as possible. If you have 70s, 80s, and 90s music as well as some of today’s most common radio hits, you won’t go too far wrong.
Most importantly, talk to the organiser/birthday person before the gig and listen to their music requests. They know the guests best! This doesn’t mean they should dictate everything you play all evening—then it won’t be much fun for you as a DJ—however, it can often provide a good indication of which tracks really get their circle of friends going.
Weddings
Mobile DJs for weddings usually have a simple and elegant setup that fits well with the light theme that, in many cases, is part of the table decorations etc. It can therefore be a good idea to bring your white gear if you have any.
Another thing you often see at weddings is that the DJ has hidden their stands away with white tripod covers. These are really elegant and can also be lit by one or more PAR Cans, helping to create exactly the atmosphere you want.
In addition, the bridal waltz is a must-have. As a rule, this is played at 00:00—but always remember to agree the details and align expectations with the couple well in advance of the big day.
School parties
This type of party usually requires a larger setup and preferably solid sound pressure—go for it!
If you’re playing for the younger classes in primary school, this year’s MGP hits are always good to bring along. The kids also love games like freeze dance, musical chairs, limbo, and boogie-woogie. This type of gig therefore requires—unlike the other two—that you are much more active with using the microphone.
If you play at boarding school and upper secondary school parties, the music you need to play can vary—as a rule, the 80s and 90s classics work well, but make sure you also have a top 50 of the very newest music. In many cases, the party committee has planned a theme for the evening, such as an 80s theme, a traffic light party, or a rave theme.
Rave parties have become very popular in recent years. Here, it is essential that you, as a mobile DJ, rig up with UV Lamps so the guests’ UV Paint is highlighted. Many mobile DJs even offer their customers the option to buy both glow sticks and UV Paint for the occasion, as they fit perfectly with the theme. It’s good service, and you might be able to make an extra buck or two on it.
⚡ Upgrading your lighting setup
As you play more and more gigs, you can start upgrading your setup. With a larger setup, it becomes possible to play bigger events that require more sound and lighting.
There is no definitive answer to what you should buy first, but here are a few suggestions for what you can choose between.
If you want to upgrade your lighting, you can either buy another T-bar or a set of wind-up stands with matching truss. These are available in different sizes and can handle different amounts of weight. Here, it can be a good idea to buy something that can handle a bit more, so you have the option to build on your setup later. This is a more costly solution, but also far more future-proof.
On your truss, for example, you can expand with more PAR Cans, which have the great advantage of providing a relatively high light output at a relatively low price. They will also always be able to serve as basic lighting later on.
If you want a slightly more advanced lighting setup, you can expand with moving heads – however, these require you to program them with DMX lighting control
In addition, you can expand your light show with lasers, scanners, disco balls and other great lighting effects.
🎛️ Upgrading your audio setup
When it comes to upgrading your PA system, there are several ways to do it.
If you already have active speakers on stands, the first obvious choice would be to add a set of active subwoofers (subwoofers) as well as a set of pole mounts, which can be screwed onto your subwoofers and lift your top cabinets (the full-range speakers) up, so the treble can be dispersed properly throughout the venue you’re playing in.
Now you’re probably asking, “can the 2 sets of speakers work well together?” and yes, they can.
Most often, your active subwoofers will have a built-in crossover, which splits the frequencies so the low frequencies are played through the subwoofers and the upper part of the frequency spectrum comes out of the top cabinets.
Another option is to use your full-range speakers as monitors on the stage, so you can easily hear the music while you mix. You can also choose to buy passive speakers with matching amplifiers, or more or more powerful active speakers, so you can cover larger venues.
🚚 Logistics
As you gradually get more and more gear, you’ll need space to store it. Since we’re dealing with electronic devices, it’s important to make sure it’s kept dry and secure. That way, you minimise the risk of it breaking down – there’s nothing worse than turning up to a gig half an hour before the party starts and then you can’t switch on your power amplifier, or your expensive console has suffered moisture damage.
If you don’t have the space yourself for this, you can rent a heated storage unit from various providers at great prices, or go all-in and buy a small storage space somewhere close to where you live.
Also consider how you transport your gear easily and safely. Lights, DJ Booth, mixers and microphones are best kept in a flightcase during transport — that way they last much longer. A good flightcase is rugged and padded (most often with foam), so the fragile parts of your gear won’t get knocks or rough jolts during transport. Fortunately, there are flightcases that fit perfectly for most items. If you can’t find a flightcase for your exact unit, it’s possible to have them custom made. A cheaper solution for small items is flightcases with pick & pluck foam.
Speakers and large racks can often be heavy to move around, so I recommend buying flightcases with wheels or fitting wheels to your heavy items yourself. Then they can easily be rolled in and out of your vehicle using a ramp. This minimises the risk of back injury.
🎧 How to get your first DJ gig
As with any other business, a mobile disco has to be built up. This can be done in different ways.
Do you perhaps have a friend or family member who’s throwing a party? Then ask them whether you can come and play. That way you get both experience and potentially new customers. If the guests are happy with what you deliver, there’s a high chance they’ll reach out to you when they’re hosting their own party.
It’s also important that people can find you online. It can be a good idea to start a Facebook page for your mobile disco, or maybe even pages on several different social media platforms — it’s 100% free!
For a small amount, you can also create your own website via WordPress, Wix or similar.
Another way to get your name out there can be through promotion (free or paid) on various online portals for party entertainment, where people often search for bands, entertainers and, not least, mobile discos.
When you’re going to talk to the event organiser for the gig you’re playing, it’s important that you agree on how the job will be carried out and what the setup will be.
Here’s a checklist you can use exactly as you like:
- Timing for when the music should be running
- Playing style
- Music during dinner?
- Calculate transport costs and travel time
- Renting a van/trailer
- Estimate how long it takes to set up and pack down
- Do you need to bring one or more assistants
- Are you allowed to take photos for use on your website / SoMe
- Food and drinks for the DJ
- Power – how many phases do you need?
- Stage/location – where will you be set up?
- Are you allowed to use a fog machine? (There may be a fire alarm that’s connected directly to the fire station — you really don’t want to set that off.)
- Music that suits the target audience
- Good vibes 😁
Remember that we’re always ready to help you with advice on buying new gear via phone, email & chat.
Have a great time!
