Melody Notez

A good pair of headphones is an essential tool for any DJ. Whether listening to music at home or playing at a club, the headphones you choose can make a big difference to your performance. A good pair of DJ headphones must provide exceptional sound quality in all circumstances, be rugged in build and be comfortable enough to wear for a number of hours. The following 5 headphones all meet these criteria.

Sennheiser HD800

Sennheiser are renowned amongst DJ’s for their quality and sound reproduction. At the higher end of their range you will find the HD800 headphones which are perfect for professional DJ’s who demand the absolute best. These headphones are not cheap, but the sound quality is difficult to beat and the design gives maximum comfort.

AKG K 702

The AKG K 702 headphones are a little more affordable, but you can still expect a very high quality. The clarity of sound is exceptional and you can use them to DJ and also for recording your own music. Again, these headphones have been expertly designed providing comfort for many hours of use.

Shure SRH550DJ

Shure have created an excellent pair of headphones in the SRH550DJ model, providing quality at a lower cost. They may not hit the heights of the previous two models, but they can still perform very well for most professional DJ’s. One of the standout features of this model is the impressive bass reproduction which will appeal to DJ’s in the dance and hip hop genres.

Pioneer HDJ-2000 Reference Professional DJ Headphones

These Pioneer headphones are best used in a club or studio due to their excellent sound quality. They have been built using a magnesium composite which provides a very balanced sound and gives excellent clarity in loud environments. The comfort and fit of the HDJ-200 headphones is high, but you may require short breaks if you are using them for extended periods of time.

Panasonic RPDJS400 DJ Street Model Headphones

With the RPDJS400 range, Panasonic have created an affordable pair for headphones that perform far better than the price may suggest. The sound quality is not too different from the high-end models, and the bass is particularly prominent without muddying the sound. Available in a variety of colour combinations, these headphones are perfect for anyone looking for a less expensive alternative.

Choosing the right live band for a wedding is as important a decision as choosing the right photographer, in terms of creating great memories for the bride and groom and their guests.

When looking for wedding bands, don’t just go by word of mouth, make sure that you have knowledge of the band before you decide to book them or ask to see a recording of one of their performances. This is also important to check out their style and gauge interaction with the crowd. Front men/women who engage the crowd with great ease and humour can lift the atmosphere and entertain everyone, including the non-dancers. They can also be called upon to make announcements.

Make sure that you discuss a playlist to suit everyone with the band members, choosing a cross selection of new and old songs, guaranteed to make people of all ages want to dance to their music.
It’s also vital that you make sure that they can play your chosen first-dance song or are willing to learn it by the time of the wedding.

It’s always better to draw up a pre-gig contract to decide times, fees and numbers of musicians. It is also a good idea to pay a deposit to secure the band. This covers both your interests.
Provide some drinks and food for the musicians, and give them a couple of decent breaks, so that they can rest their voices.

While the band is having a break, keep the ambiance going by putting on a recording of carefully selected songs in a different style to the band songs, so that when they go back to the stage refreshed, it will enhance the impact of their music.
It’s best to book wedding bands as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Guest post written by Rob from RH Live who provide wedding and function bands in London perfect for your big day.

Beyonce was born in Huston, Texas in 1981 in the Knowles family. In childhood she was a timid girl. She never tried to look better than her schoolmates in order not to win a reputation of a conceited person.

Beyonce, being 7 years old started attending dancing classes. It must be noted that it was the dancing teacher who inspired the girl to continue learning dancing and develop her unique talent. The parents decided to support their child in her striving to become a famous singer. Since 7 years Beyonce took part in multiple singing contests arranged by local public centers. During one year she managed to win more than 30 song contests. The girl’s father decided to organize a girls’ group that was named “Girls Tyme”.

The swift development of Beyonce’s career is explained not only by her talent but also by her exceptional industriousness. Since the “Girls Type” (later renamed to “Destiny’s Child”) was created, Beyonce herself and other young girls who participated in the group LaTavia, LeToya and Kelly Rowland willingly deprived themselves of leisure activities and kept working and rehearsing. The results have exceeded all expectations – “The Destiny’s Child” has been announced to be most successful girl group in the history of music having sold the biggest number of disks.

Beyonce started her career in 2002 having taken part in recording a single named “03 Bonnie and Clyde”. In 2003 Beyonce and Luther Vandross made a remake on the composition “The Closer I Get to You” originally sung by Roberta Flack and Donna Hathaway. The composition has become a part of the debut Beyonce album released in 2003. The single “Crazy in Love” recorded with the help of Jay-Z became the main hit of the summer 2003. During 8 weeks it occupied top positions in Billboard rating of singles. The album itself achieved the first position of music charts in Great Britain and Canada and Billboard 200 R&B pop.
In 2004 at Grammy ceremony Beyonce won 5 awards having taken the first position in “Best Modern R&B Album”. In 2008 at Grammy ceremony she won in 8 nominations.

At the present days Beyonce is a famous R&B and dance pop singer. She and her support group give concerts throughout the world. The discography includes “Dangerously in Love” released in 2003; “B-Day” that saw the light in 2006 and Beyonce new album “I am … Sasha Fierce” (2008). “Columbia Records” and “Music World” companies have label rights on her albums. Beyonce promotes her albums with the help of such well-known producers as Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, Amanda Ghost and many others. In 2010 Beyonce won a status of being the most certified singer of the decade.

The popular game soccer where did it start? Some of you may find it surprising soccer has been played in some form or fashion for over 3000 thousand years. The documented games of soccer started in China. It was a sport played the military during the Han Dynasty. It was then picked up by the Greeks and Romans. Where teams were set up to play against each other. Soccer being a popular military game just catapulted the game.   In the 8th century the English picked it up and it became “football”. In midevil times soccer was banned soccer battles took places been communities. It was raw, gritty, and violent. It was bad enough King Edward the III banned the sport. Queen Elizabeth the 1st took a step further and added a week of jail time if caught playing the sport. It did not work. Soccer still remained and still is the most most popular sport in England.   In 1815 it became apparent there was no way to control people from playing. Eton, a famous English school decided to implement rules, to at least the make the game safer. In 1848 Cambridge and English colleges started another set of rules called the Cambridge Rules.  There were still two sets of rules, this was not good. So in 1863 the Football Association was created that reviewed the rules on both sides, and made one clear set of rules that would become the rules of soccer today.

There are many exotic sports originated from foreign countries. Five foreign sports you have probably never heard of are: polo on elephants; capoeira; royal football; roller hockey and gou.  English aristocrats who came to Asia began playing polo on elephants. As a sport it was officially registered at the end of last century. Originally, a soccer ball was used to play the game, but the animals tended to smash it. Afterwards, a standard polo ball was used. The length of pucks differs depending on an elephant’s height.  Capoeira was originally created in Africa as a dance. Later this sport came to Brazil. In this country it received further development. A great number of new elements have been added. Nowadays, it is a national Brazilian sport combining the elements of acrobatics, dances and martial arts.  Royal football (or “Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football”) is an ancient tradition of England. All the residents are invited to take part in the game. The idea of the sport is to deliver a ball to the opponent’s gates. The rules exclude fighting.  Roller hockey bears complete resemblance with ice hockey with only difference of using rollers instead of skates. Special covering of field is necessary.  Gou is an ancient game of China. At present it has become a popular sports played at tables on special layouts. The idea is to put stones on the field’s cells aiming to surround the stones of an opponent and win.