The Party Company
- Schaumburg, IL
- Outdoor Movie Screens
- 1 Verified Booking
The Party Company offers Movies Under The Stars, Amazing DJ services, Photo Booths, 360 Booths, Silent Disco, Foam Parties, Game Shows, and Audio Visual Service…
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I am an excellent, super-fun, mobile DJ who provides nonstop musical entertainment for corporate events, class reunions, birthday celebrations, wedding receptions, kids' parties, outdoor picnics, holiday festivities (with Halloween being a favorite!), theme parties, retirement and assisted living get-togethers, and regular gigs at clubs or bars.
I am well versed in house, electronic, pop, rock, swing, Latin, early classics, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, lounge music and new releases. I work with the audience, adjusting on the fly to build, maintain and release energy. I make music fun and danceable for everyone. Best of all, I always fill the floor!
We hired Chris for our high school class's 50th birthday party at Fatman's Pizza and Pub in Gurnee, Illinois. His playlist was perfect for our taste and the dancing and singing lasted all night long. His DJ skills and expert equipment helped make our party a HUGE success and compliments were flying throughout the night! We will welcome the opportunity to hire Chris as our expert DJ for future events, without question! THANK YOU, CHRIS!
Chris did a wonderful job for my birthday beach bash. He was punctual, professional, and clearly had spent a lot of prep time before the event in order to be ready the day of. He had to cater to a very wide age range for this event, and he managed to get every single person dancing by the end of the evening. Great job Chris! Would definitely use him again!
We have hired DJ Chris 3 times now and have booked him for our next two events this year. For our first event we used him for our running clubs Holiday Party which turned out to be one of our best turnouts. He was actually able to supply us with some of our sound system needs for our announcements and awards program. For our second Holiday Party we knew we didn't have to worry about needing our supplies because we knew we could count on him to help us out! Best of all is that he was able to do what he does best, he gave us the music we wanted to hear for our ages from 30-60 year olds!
For our biggest event of the year, the Alpine Races Half Marathon, 5K, Youth Mile, 1/2 Mile, 1/4 Mile and 100 Yard Dash Chris added so much to our venue with his great music in the background that it became a party for our runners and they had so much fun and added to their race experience. He was also able to help us announce our runners as they came to their finish line with great big smiles on their faces. His music truly added a huge plus to our race events!
We can't wait to have him for our next two events for this year!
I am the Organizer for a group of Lake County single adults from 35-60 years of age with over 3000 members. I offer, on average, 3-4 very varied events every WEEK...and I have been doing this for over 7 years now. I had the opportunity to tap into DK Akre about 4 years ago...and have hired him countless times since then. Although I have SO many contacts approaching me offering not only live music, but DJ services as well, I find myself coming back, again and again, to DJ Akre (my group knows him as "DJ Chris" as, after all our connections, we're now on a first-name basis!) :-)
In all these years, I have hired so many bands and DJs judged as "not bad," "pretty good," and "good," as evidenced by the unprompted written reviews online by my 3000 members after each and every event. However, only ONE DJ EVER has received hundreds of documented comments from my members, on my website after a party saying, "THANK YOU, DJ CHRIS, for such awesome music!" "You GET us!" "I could not stop dancing!" and (best of all) "I am SO sore today from all that dancing last night, thanks to the killer music from DJ Chris!"
Another very telling fact of attendees' gratitude, total satisfaction and respect for Chris is the amount of cash tips he receives. These very often total about 50% of what I have already hired him for...and this alone speaks volumes. As these tips are completely optional, it really says a lot. Also, DJ Akre has never, ever prompted tips via call-outs or fulfilling requests...in fact, I have to suggest, and even insist, he put out some sort of tip jar.
On 6-28-14 I hosted an amazing TENT party on THE perfect summer night at the legendary Gold Pyramid House of TV's "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" fame, with 155 people, a gourmet dinner, big bar, and absolutely nonstop dancing. For the very high caliber of this Event, I could only choose DJ Akre. If you have a minute, check out my YouTube video of just 2 minutes from this high energy total success of a night! Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5KrVxlfzkk&feature=youtu.be .
In closing, you cannot do better than this guy. He is affordable, he is completely tuned into the crowd, he is a genius with music, and an actual musician and singer in his own right. The music is in his soul...and that is evidenced from the very first song or two you will hear. Although I am glad he is now on gigsalad.com, I'm also a little sad because I/we now have to share him with the world!
Trust me, you'll love this cool, hip, respectful dude. He rocks!
Price Range: Contact for rates
Gig Length: 60 - 360 minutes
WHY CHOOSE ME? I’m fun and engaging on the mic and have an awesome arsenal of killer dance tunes. I hand-pick all my tracks for each event so my sets are lean, mean and geared towards YOUR crowd.
I have a massive collection of music, meaning almost any request can be satisfied...and for the very rare song I don't have, I'll download it on the spot (if available). I play for my audience, pleasing any age group and even multiple age ranges. The vast majority of my sets are clean with zero explicit lyrics. (However, if requested specifically by the person who hires me, I will gladly cover those types of songs as well.)
I plan meticulously for every event, which also includes dressing appropriately with the highest standard of personal hygiene. I check and double-check my equipment before each performance. I always allow plenty of time to set up, check sound, microphones, and lighting. I use multiple redundant systems, making it extremely difficult for a “musically dead event.” I even have an auxiliary battery-powered system that plays up to four hours without electricity or recharging!
My extensive dance lighting system is programmed for every set. Background lighting, haze, colored fades, multi colored spots, laser chase, the classic mirrored ball, and hard-charging strobes are all part of the show. The majority of events I play are around 100 people, although I'm happy to DJ for groups of ANY size, smaller...or much larger. So...let's DO this, together!
MY PASSION AND HISTORY:
My name is Chris Aakre (pronounced AH-kree). I started off in the music field at the age of five by playing violin. At ten I added percussion lessons, and continue to play to this day. I chose to DJ because of my love for both music AND people having fun! Throughout high school I became popular for creating mix tapes (later mix CDs) for just about every friend, neighbor, co-worker and family member I had, as I absolutely love and respect all genres of music.
My first DJ gig ever, many years ago, happened accidentally at a huge outdoor BBQ with 225 people. They had provided some beat-up equipment, but the guy who was supposed to run it was a no-show. Because of my love for music, I was tapped somewhat in desperation to step up that minute. During the event the amp kept overloading and cutting out. Despite the sporadic output, the magic I felt inside and the pure joy my musical choices provided to the crowd (who, by the end, were dancing ON TOP of the picnic tables!) made me just fall in love with DJing. I asked the Event Organizer to hire me for next year's shindig, while I spent the entire year practicing, purchasing music, and building my equipment, lighting and knowledge. The next time she hired me, it was a huge PROFESSIONAL success...and the very first review you're reading on my GigSalad page here is from that same Event Organizer who, as she enthusiastically professes, clearly STILL thinks I'm the cat's meow. :-) I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a more positive, truthful and heartfelt review from someone who regularly orchestrates 2-5 group events per week for over 7 years now. Believe...and call me!
Clean power outlet within 100 feet.
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