I recently sat down for a Voyage LA interview as part of their Daily Inspiration series. They asked about my path, the hard parts, and what I think about risk. Here are the main points, and you can read the full Voyage LA interview here.
How Turntablism Became Part of Wedding DJing
Turntablism and scratching have been at the core of what I do since I started DJing. Over time, weddings became the focus.
A wedding asks for everything a DJ has: reading a room, keeping a timeline on track, and making a few hundred people with different tastes feel like the night was built for them.
In the Voyage LA interview, I explained that scratching and live mixing are part of the performance, not a gimmick. That can look like:
- A scratch routine during cocktail hour
- A custom transition for the couple’s entrance
- A mix built for that specific crowd
Working With Amanda at Synergy Events
My wife Amanda and I run Synergy Events together. I handle the music and performance. She runs operations and also MCs.
We cover San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, and Temecula. Lately we’ve been moving toward higher-end weddings, where couples want a DJ who plans with them in detail rather than just pressing play. Every couple has a planning meeting with us before the wedding, so the day runs on a timeline they’ve already approved.
Our planning process is built around the couple. We talk through the timeline, the music, and the moments that matter most, so the night feels organized and personal.
We’ve been named to The Knot Best of Weddings and its Hall of Fame, and we’ve received WeddingWire Couples’ Choice every year since 2016. Those honors come from couples’ reviews, so they reflect how people felt about their day.
What 2020 Taught Us
The Voyage LA interview didn’t skip the hard parts. The biggest hit was 2020. Events stopped almost overnight, and we spent months rescheduling weddings and staying in touch with couples whose plans kept changing.
We came out of it with a lot of respect for how much couples are dealing with, and a lot more patience on their behalf.
The other challenge took longer: earning trust with planners and venues. Those relationships don’t come from a website. They come from showing up early, staying on timeline, and working well with the rest of the vendor team, over and over. It took years before planners started bringing us in by name.
Two Risks Behind the Business
Voyage LA asked what I think about risk. I don’t see myself as reckless, but the work I’m proudest of came from risks I almost didn’t take. Prepare as much as you can, be honest about what you could lose, and then commit fully.
Going full-time as a DJ. Leaving steady income meant trusting that bookings would keep coming as long as we did the work well. There were lean stretches, but committing fully is what let us build Synergy Events into a real business and not a side gig.
Starting the Pro DJ Lab. Teaching is a different skill from performing. We put real time and money into building an online scratch school with no guarantee anyone would join. It has become one of the most rewarding things we do, because it lets me pass turntablism on to the next generation of DJs.
Both taught me the same thing: the risk is rarely as big as the regret of not trying.
Read the Full Voyage LA Interview
Thank you to the Voyage LA team for the feature. The full Voyage LA interview has more on our story.
If you read the Voyage LA interview and want a DJ who treats the timeline as seriously as the music, I’d be glad to hear about your event.
Planning a wedding or event? Book DJ Wrex and let’s talk about your timeline.