Though you may not know him yet, John is your friend. You know, that friend we all had growing up. The one who could quote a timely song lyric, identify obscure B-side tracks and still name all the hottest songs playing on the radio. His musical aptitude made him the natural choice amongst his buddies when deciding who would handle the tunes at the next house party. Since he already had all the music, John happily accepted the challenge and quickly progressed from playing music to playing DJ and found ways to take those parties to another level. “From early on, I knew it wasn’t about what I wanted to hear,” he recounts, “and when I started to see people positively reacting to the songs I was playing, I was instantly hooked.”
Having DJ’ed since he was 15, his perspective is admittedly influenced by his passion for the art. He observes that the ear of a DJ is different than the average listener. “You’re always looking at a song in terms of how you would use it or how it fits into what you’re trying to do,” he explains. “It’s like turning a statue into clay again, so that someone can then re-sculpt it and add in their own style. It’s still true to the original, just re-worked a little.” An analogy we found very fitting for a guy who routinely takes apart computers and cars just so he can tinker with the pieces and savor the process of putting it all back together again.
Having cut his teeth as a DJ in the club circuit, John has really made his mark in weddings and special events. “I love weddings for so many reasons,” he says. “It’s a day that will always be remembered. To be able to create the soundtrack behind the love and emotion tied to that day is such an amazing feeling.” We are fortunate he brought his skills and expertise to Denon & Doyle, though, truthfully, it was his smile and personality that won us over. We’re proud to have him and know that by the end of the night, you won’t be calling John your DJ anymore; you’ll probably refer to him as your friend.
“It was a great night! The music was awesome and John was great! Everyone danced the whole time. Actually funny, two of my guest loved John so much they wanted to get in touch in the future for a party at their house. I gave them your info. Thanks again we had an amazing night that we will never forget and I hope we get to use you guys and John again. Thank you so much!”
-Randy & Carmen Noonan, Casa Real, October 24
“We had the most amazing wedding. It was perfect for us, our families had a wonderful time and john was exceptional. He read our crowd so well and brought the party at the end. I can’t say enough positive things about him. John was truly exceptional. I first met him before I got in my dress and was a wee bit frantic. He was cool, calm, collected and obviously on top of it. John kept calm and easy going the whole day even when timelines got changed or ignored or whatever happens to timelines at weddings!
The bridal party entrances were fabulous, everyone commented on and loved them and John read every couple perfectly. And then there was the reception dancing… everyone is still talking about the ceremony first a foremost (that’s a great thing!) and the dance party!
Once John opened the floor for everyone, the majority of guests hit the dance floor and never left. John seemed as into the party as all of us were, everyone had such a great time and raved about the song choices. Some of my favorite moments were watching my fiance dance to Michael Jackson, getting down with my Oakland girls to Dr. Dre’s Next Episode and getting down with all the guests to Shout (yes Shout, see picture below!). One of our dear family friends said to me, ‘I loved how the DJ had parts of a song come in over another song, it was so fun!’ So freaking adorable.
We loved working with Denon and Doyle in general, you were a wonderful comfort to both Ryan and me in the days leading up to the wedding, please let us know how to best promote you all, we will recommend you to everyone we know!”
-Hilary Bettinelli-Olpin, UC Berkeley Faculty Club, October 4
“We were so pleased with our experience with Denon & Doyle and will definitely be leaving a review as soon as we get back from our honeymoon! John was so nice…and amazing! He kept everyone out on the dance floor until the very end of the night!”
-Natalie Gong, Mark Hopkins Hotel, September 20
“Wanted to let you know that John did an outstanding job at Megan and Zandy’s wedding Saturday night. His demeanor and professionalism was terrific. He was a great emcee. I now have a new favorite wedding DJ. Many thanks for recommending him”
-Linda Noack, Four Seasons Palo Alto, September 13
“John was great. The whole day was amazing and John truly did an awesome job DJing. Every guest was on the dance floor from start to finish, old to young! He played all of the music we wanted, and blended in the older music with the newer music. My dad even commented on how much he appreciated that throughout the whole night, everyone was able to dance and have a great time because of the mixture of music. Truly a wonderful job!! We appreciate all your guys’ hard work!!!”
-Liz Chase, Heavenly Valley Resort, August 16
“Thanks so much! We had a blast. John and the technicians did a fantastic job. John was so positive and energetic, his timing on all the music and comments were perfect, and we could not be happier with him. Everything was set up well ahead of time, you guys were super responsive to all of our emails and on top of everything. We were so impressed.”
-Yoomi Hong, Auberge du Soleil, August 2
“I [wanted to let] you know the dance was great and John did an amazing job. April Bush, the principal, said the DJ was great the kids had a great time and the Quote of the Night ‘Best Dance Ever!’ It would be great to have John again next year.”
-Robin Piantidosi, Foothill Middle School, June 12
“Thanks so much! John was wonderful – such a wonderful energy and person to be around. He was always smiling, and made the whole experience really memorable and fun!”
-Yelena Giderman, Bently Reserve, June 8
“John was great! The place was dancing and he always seemed to know what song to play next! A great night!”
-Zach Landres-Schnur, Murrieta’s Well, May 24
“We had a great time. Denon and Doyle was the perfect choice for us, and it worked out great that y’all were familiar with the reception venue Scott’s. John was a great DJ and MC for us. When the bride’s sister wanted to hear some African music, John was able to smoothly switch gears from our detailed playlist, and got everyone to get down on the dancefloor with a great song choice. It was so much fun. He was a great host for the bride/groom, father/daughter, and mother/son dances, and he smoothly and professionally facilitated toasts and speeches from the [maid] of honor, the best man, and the bride’s father, helping us with timing during the evening and using the wireless mic. Thanks again to our DJ John and the crew at Denon and Doyle, you rock.
–Sean McMahon, Scott’s Gardens, May 9
John was AWESOME and the music was perfect the entire evening. We danced all night and had a blast. It was incredible…perfect w/ his music. Thank you again…we’ll definitely use you at our future events.”
-McCall Harwell, Memorial Stadium, April 12
John was fantastic the music was great. He rolled with my party anxiety like a pro and everyone rocked the house. I would recommend you guys to anyone”
-Molly Fox, Lucie Stern Community Center, January 11
“Everything was perfect. Thank you so much . John was fantastic, he handled everything brilliantly, I’ve got people asking for you number since the wedding. 🙂
-Heath Hunter, Palo Alto Residence, December 31
“John was GREAT! He was easy to get along with, he kept to the plan, but was able to improvise when he saw the need. He had our guests dancing (no easy feat)! You know it’s a good sign when the DJ leaves the end of the night with the guests wanting more. I would highly recommend him and Denon & Doyle! I hope John had fun, too. I didn’t have a chance to thank him and say goodbye. So please tell him thanks for everything.”
-Susan Bush, Stanford, Stanford Alumni Center, December 13
“Everything was great and John did a good job. My group had a blast. Thanks again and I always refer people to your company.”
-Ellen Anderson, Round Hill Country Club, December 10
“John was amazing.. Everything went off without a hitch.”
-Jonathan & Callie, Culinary Institute of America, November 10
“I have to say that the group had nothing but glowing reviews and really appreciated the fact that I recommended you guys to their event! Although we have hired live bands in the past, I don’t think that they will ever go down that path. I think that they are pretty much sold and anticipate that you will be called upon for next year’s event. Thanks again for you assistance with the event, sending over an awesome DJ and for making me look like a super star!!”
-Mission City Community Fund, Patricia Mahan, Santa Clara Convention Center, November 2
“I wanted to let you know how amazing the DJ services were on Saturday, we couldn’t have had a better dj or music for the wedding, and i am so appreciative!! I will be sending a more formal referral, but I just wanted to let you know how happy we were, and how much our guests commented on the wonderful dj service, especially in the wake of some timeline issues we were having with our caterer.”
-Kate Harrison, Cypress Meadows, September 21
“All of the music was perfect and John was great in accepting requests from our guests. I had various guests tell me how great the music was that night. I know I personally loved it. I don’t think I stopped dancing from the second the music went on until it stopped! Thank you again for everything, the music, sound system, timing…everything was perfect!”
-Amy Boyarsky, Presidio Yacht Club, August 24
“You are right, we have had so many compliments on both the music and on John. Everybody loved him and his work. We could have not imagined the reception to go any other way and a big part of that was because of John. We have no doubt that every DJ you guys have at Denon & Doyle is amazing, but John was honestly the best and I will definitely rave about him and the company to everybody we know. We could not have imagined any other DJ to be apart of our wedding and we truly cannot wait to work with you guys in the future. Thank you again for all of your help and we will talk to you soon.”
-Stephanie Kelly, Palo Alto Hills Country Club, August 17
“We loved John, he was amazing! We were so happy with his personality and hi dj-Ing skills. He knew how to read the crowed and played our must played songs and then some more great stuff. We received nothing but compliments from our guests. When we weren’t mingling with guests we were on the dance floor. The only problem was that we danced so much that we could not stop sweating 🙂 Thanks so much for your services and for recommending John, we will definitely be giving him and your company 5 stars!”
-Angelica Nunez, Lake Merritt Hotel, August 10
“Yes, it was a fabulous night! Everyone had a blast! John was great! The music was great…everyone danced for a long time! It was exactly what we were hoping for! Thank you so much for making our special day perfect!”
-Gillian Kneass, Private Residence, July 20
“Thank you very much! All of our Ladies and Gentlemen had a GREAT time!!!”
-Christie Hjelm (Ritz Carlton), Ritz Carlton Hotel (Half Moon Bay), May 23