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Word on the street
Read through the testimonials that we've received from clients and industry partners alike to see the outpouring of appreciation and gratitude. We don't take it lightly and know that when we hear people use the kinds of words they choose in their descriptions, we are doing something very powerful.
We always expect to get compliments from our clients. We are used to that and our mission to over-deliver pretty much guarantees that outcome. But it is especially telling when we get praise from those in the events industry since these are people who have pretty much seen everything. We know that we are taking a unique and different path when our peers cheerfully applaud our work.
industry applause...
"Collective DJ's are our go-to DJ's for events at the Mt. Washington Mill Dye House and the Winslow Room. We recommend Carl and his team for weddings and events all the time. Carl is punctual, reliable and easy to communicate with. We are so pleased with the way he treats our clients, staff and venue. He's a great addition to any events that take place at our venues and never disappoints." - Janin Hardin at the Mt. Washington Mill Dye House and The Winslow
"Since I photograph weddings more than half of the weekends out of the year, I hear a lot of DJs so I knew exactly who I wanted for my own wedding. Not only is he the nicest guy ever but he has this quirky sense of humor and he seriously knows his music . . . SERIOUSLY!! You can start to name almost any lyric of any part of any song and he will know the name of the song and the artist in about five seconds. It's actually pretty amazing. No matter what your tastes are, Carl is your guy. If you don't want to waste your time researching DJs, just hire Carl. Decision made." - Ashley at Ashley Michelle Photography Her tips on hiring a DJ are here.
"We LOVE working with Collective DJs at 1840s Plaza!! Carl is so attentive to his clients and truly cares about the experience that they have. They customize the music to the clients needs and adapts as the event progresses throughout the evening. As a venue manager, we see so many DJs in the industry and Carl's team is top-notch; from song transitions to the introductions and announcements, they will help make your day flawless!" Dianna at the 1840's Plaza
"BEST DJs EVER!!! I have known Carl Jr. and Leni personally for many years, and you will never find a greater guy!!! Plus, he's a wonderful DJ - knowledgeable about music, listens to clients, never cheesy, super cool vibe.....I could go on forever!" - Alicia Carroll at the Baltimore Museum of Art
"We love working with Collective DJ's and so do our clients. In addition, to providing professional, personalized, unobtrusive coverage for your wedding day celebration, you also have the peace of mind knowing that they will be at your event. And best of all, you never have to worry about anything cheesy, just great professional work." - Anne Sachs at Artful Weddings by Sachs Photography
"Carl is a talented deejay and a wonderful person. He runs a great party and is more knowledgeable about music than anyone I know. I highly recommend him." - Elizabeth Bailey at Elizabeth Bailey Weddings
"Carl and Leni are both amazing to work with! I have worked with a lot of DJ's over the years and they have come to be my first go to. Not only are they professional on the back end (emails, phone calls, planning, etc.), they are so much fun the day of your wedding! They don't steal the show but they make sure your wedding runs smoothly, on time and they keep the dance floor packed!" - Eventi by Diana
"Simply put…..my #1 recommendation to clients is to contact Classic Collective. The main reason…. they “listen” to the clients wishes and needs. His range and repertoire of music: from vintage to the most current as well as his range of international music is outstanding….. I love that the music he presents is not always “The same you hear over and over”. He does not take “center stage” at your event….instead he creates the mood and the energy from start to finish, quietly in the “background” as a great DJ should. I’ve worked with Carl for over ten years on more events than I can remember. He is “the best” in my book." - Tali Adelstein at Classic Catering
'Having worked with Classic Collective DJ’s on numerous projects over the past decade, I can attest to having thrown every type of event and client at them, and how impressed I always am by the way their team rises to each occasion. Their responsiveness, expansive music repertoire and charming personalities make every experience a treat for all parties involved!” - Cate Sheehy at The BWI Business Partnership
"Carl is a fantastic DJ. We have worked with Carl for the last 15 years and have never been disappointed, nor have his clients. He LISTENS to his clients needs and desires to provide the best atmosphere musically that a client wants. His knowledge of music is pervasive- ballroom dancing music, hip hop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, rap, etc. Guests are smooching, dancing, tapping their toes and smiling to his creative musical talents. He is a win, win for a party." - Sascha Wolhandler at Sascha's Restaurant & Catering
"We love working with Classic Collective DJs! From the moment you start working with them, you know that they put time and care into each wedding. Not only are they super professional, reliable, and knowledgeable about music, but they also take the time to get to know each of their clients so that they can craft the best party music possible. Your dance floor will be packed and everyone will be raving about how much fun they had at your wedding!" - Briana Dixon at Nouvelle Weddings
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"Carl is a consummate professional and an incredibly talented DJ. He is a great vendor to work with and a team player. Whether it’s helping me and my staff carry chairs from a ceremony to the reception site during a 100 degree afternoon in August, to being flexible when timing changes happen on the day of the event. Carl is efficient, organized, and goes above and beyond. His calm demeanor and friendly, outgoing personality make him a great choice for your next event." - Paul Kountz at Water's Edge Events Center
"Carl knows how to get the party started and keep it going! He makes it easy for us to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Very professional, very helpful and the events are always enjoyed by everyone. He is an active listener who is understanding of unique requests and is able to improvise when needed.” - Emily at Boutique Events
"We host many weddings and events at Gramercy Mansion and when Carl arrives we know it'll be an amazing party! Without a doubt, he's one of our favorite DJs to work with and recommend. Always professional, prepared for anything, attentive and skilled at creating the perfect atmosphere for any celebration." - Jennifer Sullivan at Gramercy Mansion
"Truly amazing!!! He not only listens to his clients' needs, but really hears what they are looking for and delivers. He never misses a beat, literally."
- Linda Blake at The George Peabody Library
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"Carl and his team have the one quality everyone hopes to have in their DJ – They love music! Their knowledge of different genres and the thorough research that they do on behalf of each client to create the perfect playlist are what truly set the tone and ambiance of every event.” - Rachel Shaw at Plan It Perfect
"Thank you to the best DJ in town Carl Jr. for his unique approach to playing the hits. Nobody does it better than him! What an amazing night! I'm swoonin' - Lindsay Henry at The Nook
"They are extremely professional and accommodating. ROUGE enjoys working with a vendor that, like us, knows how to adapt to the flow of the event. They always manage to get the guests dancing, regardless of the occasion. We highly recommend their services for any event."
- Emily at Rouge Fine Catering
"I can’t say enough good things about Classic DJs! They always keeps the dance floor packed with happy guests. The passion and energy are easy to see and shows why they are the best DJs around." - Matt Gold at Zeffert & Gold Catering
"I have hired the Collective DJs many times over my event planning career and I have never been disappointed! They have been my "go-to professional” for three of my family weddings as well as many of my favorite corporate clients. They know music and how to please a crowd - congratulations on the success that you have achieved! - Anne M. Berman, Special Event Consultant
"Classic is always a pleasure to work with both at Grey Rock Mansion and off premise. Courteous, friendly, and always professional. We are proud to recommend Classic DJs!" - Simply Elegant Catering at Grey Rock Mansion
"Music is their forte. They have the knowledge, the experience and the personality to facilitate your dream party. I have heard other vendors speak about Carl's attentiveness to detail, his warm and inviting personality and his extensive musical repertoire . . . and I know these things to be true first hand. If you want your event to reflect the ultimate in class . . . Call them today to book your event . . . you will be so glad you did." - Kathryn Lynne at House Of Redbird Photography
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"One of the very best DJs in the area, Carl is the ideal MC and music man!" - Gary Jackson at Jackson Photography"
After always hearing such wonderful compliments about Carl, I finally had the opportunity to work alongside him at a wedding. Everything I heard was true: he was early to the venue, quick to double check all of his equipment, communicative with all the staff, friendly, responsive, and most importantly - he maintained a packed dance floor. He's great! I quickly put him on my preferred vendor list!" - Jenny Pepper Bartkus - JPB Designs
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"All of my friends and family mentioned that the music was incredibly fantastic! You kept everyone on the dance floor, which was exactly what we wanted. I so appreciate all you did to make it great!"
- Laurie at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
client cheers...
"Leni, Thank you so much for absolutely Killing it with your musical selections! Seriously, it made the evening. Larry and I could not have been happier with what was played and how attentive you were to the evenings itnerary. Thanks!!" - Kat & Larry
"My wife and I could not be happier to have had DJ Carl play at our wedding. His background in playing clubs for over a decade, combined with extensive (read: hundreds!) of weddings put us at ease immediately. We had several Skype conversations and were blown away by the detail questionnaire he had us work through. It was clear he cared about what we liked, and wanted to make this night memorable for us, our family and friends. A true professional. When the day came the party was more than we could have imagined. Audio at the ceremony was crisp, cocktail hour was elegant and classy, and the music for the reception and dancing flowed through our broad taste with ease. We had numerous compliments from the guests, including my dad who stopped over to the head table specifically to say how much the family was rocking out to the music during dinner and remarked: "wasn't DJ Carl the greatest". Top it off to the entire wedding party and many guests singing along during dinner and storming the dance floor at first chance and it was a night to remember. The energy and love was made more by the must-play songs DJ Carl wove in expertly, and his ability to read the crowd and cadence the music through all genres. We are delighted and highly recommend his services!" - Lauren & David
"DJ Leni did a fabulous, over the top job. This party rocked and everyone had a wonderful time. People from all age groups were either dancing or watching the others dancing. The music is the backbone of a party and this wedding was a blast... For everyone. Leni could not have been more of a professional. Anytime you all need a reference, please feel free to ask us for one!" - Sue and Mike
"Carl was the absolute best, we couldn't be happier with his work, professionalism, reading the audience, and keeping everyone on the dance floor and having a great time the whole night. He was absolutely fantastic and worth every penny. We are recommending him to all our friends. He has terrific range and is an expert at reading the crowd and figuring out how to keep the party going. We had a smaller wedding (100 persons) but the dance floor was more crowded than much larger weddings we've been to. Carl is an excellent choice and we're very grateful for his skilled approach."
- Ed
"We are so happy we selected Carl from Classic Collective DJs for our wedding! We met with him twice and he really made selecting music for the various parts of our wedding very easy! His background in the business really put us at ease. On the day of the wedding, the music he played for our ceremony and reception was perfect! He really read the audience and kept the dance floor packed all night. Guests were offering to pay for extra hours of music because they did not want the party to stop! Thank you Carl for making our wedding so memorable!!" - Lauren & Chris
"I'll confess that I really didn't know what I was looking for in a DJ or Musician but in general, from all of our vendors, we were looking for easy going individuals who were passionate about their job so we could give them a bit of "freedom" in delivering the best night of our lives. We certainly got that and more with Carl and Leni. Our conversations primarily started with Carl via skype and we immediately felt comfortable with the range of music he enjoyed and played, as well as his confidence in picking music that reflects the couple's taste. We discussed the fact that my husband and I are NOT big music people but the music we like, we LOVE... and it's generally not the most danceable. So for us we were looking for a DJ who could meet our music tastes while still keep our dance floor packed. We picked maybe 20-30 songs we wanted to hear on the night and left the rest to Leni. Leni played a great intro song for us (Black Keys) and once dinner was finished, our dance floor was PACKED for the whole night. Our guests RAVED about the wedding and said they loved the music, at some point we even had a dance off circle going. Everything they played was in our genre and was all music that we would happily listen to over and over again. They are extremely helpful and professional with what they do and we were very lucky to have them." - Kristen
"Classic DJ's was the first vendor who we booked for our wedding. Classic DJ's came highly recommended, and after our initial meeting with Carl we didn't feel the need to meet with anyone else. Carl is such a pleasure to work with and he certainly did not disappoint. The dance floor was packed the entire night and people are still telling us that their feet hurt from dancing at our wedding! We also wanted to incorporate some Greek songs into our reception and Carl blended them in perfectly. He is worth every penny!" - Jennifer
"I hired Carl for my wedding at the recommendation of my wedding planners. Music was definitely one of the things that I felt most opinionated about when it came to the wedding and reception, I couldn't have been more pleased with our choice! Carl is very knowledgable and passionate about music, he is professional and talented and he is an overall good guy. Carl was totally open to my suggestions and requests which was so important to me. He played everything I asked him to while putting his own touch on it. Guests were dancing all night and we received so many compliments on the music!" - Karen
"Carl is a fantastic DJ! He knows A LOT about music and loves to talk about it. My husband and I had a great time meeting with him and just shooting the breeze about music. Even as we had what felt like a casual conversation with a friend, Carl was taking extensive notes and it clearly showed on the night of our wedding. Songs or musicians that we had just mentioned in passing ended up on the playlist and everything flowed beautifully. Carl not only handled our reception music, but he also played the music during our ceremony. It was great being able to deal with just one person for everything. He also had lots of great suggestions for fun and unique music to play while our guests were arriving. As for the reception, the dance floor was packed all night. I have never had so much fun in my life! Carl did a great job seamlessly transitioning from more family-friendly music early in the evening to party music later in the night. So many of our guests complimented us on the music. It really was the best night. Thank you, Carl!" - Alexis
"Our whole wedding surpassed our expectations... it felt like a dream! Carl and Leni were incredibly helpful, professional, and knowledgeable throughout the entire process...from planning through the reception. They understood our desire to have all of our guests feel comfortable and have a blast. We literally danced the night away and Leni's music appealed to all of our guests!!!" - Jennifer
"We had a fantastic experience working with Carl! I had searched many many sites and made many phone calls during the search for a DJ. Finally I came across Carl. What stood out about Carl and Classic DJs was the professionalism. Carl was easy to work with and communicate with, and his priority was clearly customizing the event to meet our wants/needs. We were looking for someone to provide our guests with a great party, but to allow the guests to create that party themselves rather than having a DJ instruct/engage them in specific games and dances (we didn't want anything cheesy). Carl kept the dance floor packed all night and everyone had a great time. We asked that he did emcee the event in terms of making announcements etc. but that there not be any crazy group dances, or games or props. He was right on point and helped keep our event flowing, on time, and lots of fun! Carl also provided the music for our ceremony and was VERY helpful in working with us to find music that would create the atmosphere we were looking for. The night was flawless and we are very thankful=) If you are searching for somone experienced, professional and reliable- you should definitely talk to Carl." - Dorothy
"We are forever grateful to the incomparable Elizabeth Bailey for guiding us towards Classic DJs. Carl is such a music expert; it is clearly his passion, and he just has the most profound love and understanding of how to use music to create an unforgettable and lively wedding reception. He earned our eternal gratitude and respect by simply ensuring that the wedding remained 'ours', and let the music shine through instead of cheesy gimmicks and unnecessary/awkward interludes or comments to keep the energy going. He is such a class act as a professional and as a person, taking the time to get to really know us as a couple so he could best understand how to structure the playlists that we devised. In fact, we were told by a number of people (both guests and wait staff alike) that we had some of the coolest music ever heard at a reception, and Carl clearly deserves a lot of the credit for that. My husband and I cannot begin to thank him enough for everything he did for us to make our wedding so spectacular. You cannot find a better DJ for the money; he is worth every single penny." - Kelly
"After meeting with several DJs we finally found Carl and knew right away that he was the perfect person to DJ our party. In presenting him with the challenge of playing modern, Middle Eastern as well as Greek music at the reception, he hit a homerun. In the planning phase he was always accessible and responsive. Nothing was corny or overdone. Carl doesn't do DJ-factory weddings and it was obvious that lots of work went into creating the mood and music for our night. It was wonderful to have a DJ with the right mix of experience and professionalism. He kept our guests on the dance floor all night and we are ever so appreciative!" - Michelle
"Carl really knew his music! He was able to find music that I really wanted but was impossible to find. Additionally, he kept the dance floor moving and the party going strong! Would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a DJ!" - Cassie
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More information about us on WeddingWire.com here!