Local DJ Makes A Night To Remember

Emilio D'Amato, a Cedar Grove resident for more than 10 years and founder of Automatic Entertainment, a mobile DJ service that focuses on the small details, will be providing entertainment for "The Dancing in the Dark Dance Party," sponsored by the Laning Ave. SCA Family Fun Committee.

The event, to be held from 7-9 p.m. on March 25 at the Laning Avenue Elementary School gymnasium, is a chance for the school community to come together and have a night of family fun, said Joanna Sanchez-Breitenbach, who is in charge of the event. All proceeds from the event go back into the SCA to support the end of year school carnival event.

The company, which was established in 1990, services clients in the New Jersey and New York area, and, "Makes every party count from the introduction to the final song."

When D'Amato first started as a DJ, he used two records. “I sold my whole baseball card collection to buy my first DJ equipment. I started with vinyl, then cassettes and CDs, and now use hard drives on laptops," said D’Amato.

With a collection of more than 50,000 songs, D’Amato and his six-person staff can adapt music preferences to meet individual client needs.

D’Amato said he prides himself on his ability to read a crowd. The top 10 songs requested by clients for events are 80s hits such as Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long, B-52’s Love Shack, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer, and Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me, a throw-back to the late-‘60s with Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, and recent hits Black Eyed Peas’ Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling, Lady Gaga Feat. Colby O’Donis’ Just Dance and Beyonce’s Single Ladies.

D’Amato does not have a particular song or genre he prefers for events. “All eras have their own special place in music history,” said D’Amato.

Automatic Entertainment performs at all event types. Some popular choices include ‘50s and ‘60s dance, anniversaries, bar and bat mitzvahs, communions and confirmations, corporate and country club functions, holiday events, proms and reunions, semi-formals and sweet 16s, teen nights, theme parties and weddings. Automatic Entertainment also acts as house DJs at restaurants.

D’Amato researches the market for cutting-edge technology, and makes sure to stay up-to-date on the latest music trends. “Today, the hottest item is ‘up lighting’ to transform a room to any color lighting a client desires,” said D’Amato.

Clients have the option to choose the Plasma Package, which can showcase photos in a personal montage for an event. Examples are childhood montages for christenings or sweet 16s, or a year in review for corporate functions. Another option available is for the Automatic Entertainment staff to take live photos during the event to display at a designated time. A wide selection of music videos are also available.

There are a variety of giveaways during events, which include maracas, inflatable microphones, sunglasses, glow ropes, inflatable saxophones and inflatable guitars.

Automatic Entertainment tailors performances to particular event themes and clients. “I meet with all my clients to discuss every detail of their event,” said D’Amato. During this process, clients are asked to list their top 10 songs they would like the DJ to play, and then D’Amato customizes a play list based on those preferences. D’Amato has game systems, such as Wii and PS3, which can be set up for events. In the past, D’Amato has had “Minute to win it” and “Fear Factory” game simulations.

The cost of an event depends on the type of party and which additional features are added. A basic four-hour party starts at $495, and weddings run from $1,000 to $4,000.

In the end, Automatic Entertainment strives to, “Make your party a night to remember,” said D’Amato.