You probably don’t hire a disco too many times, so you’re more than likely to have questions.
Below are some of the questions I’m asked frequently. If your question isn’t answered below, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I’ll gladly answer any queries you may have
The equipment is old….is it safe?
Yes, it most certainly is! The light-screens are regularly taken apart and checked for safety. After all, unlike the lighting fixtures of today the Retro Roadshow is powered by 240v of electricity. I want it to be as safe as possible for both you and me. All of the equipment is annually PAT (portable appliance test) checked as well by a qualified electrician…just to be certain.
Are you insured?
Yes I am. I have public liability insurance (PLI) for £10 million should something happen to you, a guest or your venue as a result of my actions or omissions. If your venue needs details of this I’m more than happy to forward the details to them.
Do you take requests?
Of course I do. From a personal point of view, a party always works a lot better when the guests have had a say in the music being played. I’m more than happy to accept requests on the night and play them as and when they fit into the music being played.
Do you use vinyl?
Sadly not. Although I started out with twin turntables and an amplifier back in 1988, times have moved on. The record labels didn’t produce a lot of vinyl for a very long time, forcing us DJs first onto CDs and now onto laptops as the method of playing music. Although vinyl is now making a comeback, it’s not something I’m likely to go back to…mainly due to the sheer weight of the discs and the costs involved – it’s not economically viable as a business.
How far will you travel?
I cover the entire of the BBC East region. In other words if you can receive the news from Look East, I can be at your party.
My function room is upstairs….can you do that?
Sadly not unless there’s a lift. Whilst I’m more than happy to carry the modern LED equipment up flights of stairs, the Retro Roadshow is just too heavy to move in this way (the full show weighs over 1 ton in old money!)
How loud is the disco?
As loud as you want it to be. As already mentioned, the sound system is now digital which gives much clearer sound and a lot more volume when needed. My usual “weapons of choice” when it comes to speakers are 15″ cabinets which sit on the floor at the ends of the light-show (as they would have done back in the day). These particular speakers pump out a massive 132dB of power (equivalent to standing next to a jet engine). As a rule though, the sound levels on the dance floor tend to run at around 90dB which I’ve found to be more than ample for dancing without making the ears of your guests bleed.
Can I provide a playlist?
Of course you can. When you hire me to provide your party entertainment, I’ll give you access to my online planning tools. From there you can add as many tracks as you’d like to hear on the night (and also those you DON’T want to hear).
What happens if there’s a power cut during my party?
Always an interesting one to answer and in the case of the Retro Roadshow….it unfortunately goes dark. Whilst I can provide a back up power supply to give around 10 minutes of power to my modern equipment, the Retro Roadshow is rated at 2KWh and there isn’t a battery backup commercially viable to support this sort of consumption that I’m aware of. Thankfully, power outages are a very rare occurrence (touch wood, it’s only happened a couple of times in 30 years!). You might be better though asking your venue what THEIR backup power plan is though….without power, the beer pumps stop working after all ????
I want to hire you for my wedding….can you match the disco colours to my theme?
Sadly not. Whilst this is something I regularly do with my modern day setup, the Retro Roadshow contains literally four different coloured bulbs (red, yellow, green and blue). These are old fashioned incandescent bulbs as used to be used in household lighting fixtures and cannot be colour mixed.