THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409210123
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
ROBERT G. EURE of Western Branch now knows how to enliven any party, including weddings and bar mitzvahs.
Although by day he's an industrial engineer for the Atlantic Division of Naval Facilities Engineering Command at the Lafayette Clinic Annex off of Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk, by night he's the one and only DJ for his own Acoustic Productions business.
Eure, 39, recently came back from Atlantic City where he attended the 1994 International DJ Expo at the Trump Regency Hotel.
More than 500 club and mobile disc jockeys from all over the country and abroad attended the event that included workshops, panels and an exposition hall filled with DJ related products, services and manufacturers' representatives.
``This was my first convention. I brought back some new equipment and some new music on compact discs,'' the Gates, N.C., native said. ``But I really went to learn how to better advertise my services and how to better entertain at parties and functions. I learned that if you hold little contests, like trivia contests or fun stunts and you award a small giveaway, then you build a recognition in the minds of the guests, you build a word-of-mouth network among the people who attended.''
Eure said the convention held an opening party just for DJs where they learned an array of fun games, stunts and several dance steps in order to entice party guests onto the dance floor.
Eure said the entertainment tips appealed to the ham in him.
``I don't mind being the center of attention as long as I know what I'm doing,'' he said.
Eure got his business license on Jan. 15 and has been supplying music to parties, picnics, wedding receptions, proms, seasonal parties, outdoor festivals and corporate banquets ever since.
He said he has all the equipment needed for any social gathering, including sound mixers, two speakers, an amplifier and about 300 compact discs featuring what he calls ``Five Decades of Hits.''
``I usually start off with some big band hits and work my way to the current Top-40,'' he said. ``As long as I don't have to play any one type of music for any given event, I'm all right and can supply one hit song after another.''
Eure said several companies make and compile special DJ discs featuring only top hits in any given genre of popular music.
``Usually most groups like to hear a mix of different music styles and hits,'' the Jolliff Woods resident said. ``You look at most weddings and even birthday parties and they usually have a mix of ages and music tastes. I just generally try to play a mixed bag of songs.''
Eure said he and his brother used to play records for dances when they were in high school. Later, while attending North Carolina State University, he temporarily dropped out of the DJ scene until his brother enrolled at N.C. State and revived his interest.
After college, Eure moved to South Hampton Roads in 1977 and landed a job working for Uncle Sam. After getting married his DJ sensibilities were reactivated thanks to his wife's keen interest in starting up a small business out of their home.
``She wanted to start up a home business as a secretary, so we looked into how-to manuals,'' he said. ``I then looked into the idea of starting my own DJ business, since I had helped my brother work weddings.''
Soon one thing led to another and now Eure spends his weekends and evenings providing parties and other social functions with hit songs and dance music.
``I've gotten a lot of experience,'' he said. ``I can now gauge a group and can usually tell what types of songs will work and which ones won't.''
Eure said when he works weddings he goes over the song list with the wedding couple and when he does corporate banquets he dons a red DJ cap and goes from table to table taking song requests.
``My biggest concern is when customers ask for a song and I don't have it,'' he said. ``I always write down requests for songs I don't have and if I get more requests for it, I'll go out and add that music to my roster.''
But he hopes he never forgets a compact disc. He did that once to dire and comical consequences.
``I left this special disc at home in my CD player,'' he said. ``When I was at the job I found out all I brought with me was its jewel box, the disc was still in the machine at home. I sent my wife to get it, but the player wouldn't operate properly. In desperation she brought the entire player back with her and then I had to dig the CD out of the player while I was playing music and guests were dancing. And this was at an outdoor wedding!''
You can bet he didn't learn that at the Atlantic City convention. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Robert G. Eure
DJ for Acoustic Productions
by CNB