Meet The Elopement Society: Miss Mobile Disco

Emily, aka Miss Mobile Disco is an Edinburgh based mobile DJ bringing the best in disco, funk, soul and all those 80’s/90's feel-good-party-gems to weddings and events across Scotland and beyond. There’s never an empty dance floor when Emily is around!

We caught up with Emily to chat all things D.I.S.C.O, she even made us a funk-fuelled elopement playlist to bop along to.

Image: ITAGO Media

Ahh we LOVE the passion you bring to events Emily. Where did your love of music come from?  

My love of music definitely came from my mum. There was always music playing in our house growing up from Mozart to Van Morrison to Al Green to Buena Vista Social Club. Always lot’s of different genres and styles. When I was younger me and mum would always have fun making up cassette tapes for the car. Even when I was a wee baby I would only fall asleep to the song Peaceful Easy Feeling by The Eagles… I’ve always been quite selective haha! From a young age disco music has always sparked my interest too. On the school bus I would be listening to Earth Wind & Fire, Chic or Sister Sledge on my iPod and imagining what would be best to make people dance at the school disco! I always dreamt of being the DJ!

Who are your biggest inspirations/loves?

From a business perspective my biggest inspirations would be my mum and dad. Our family has had a family pottery business since the 1960’s which has always inspired me to work for myself. Growing up in a family business gave me a good insight into how to treat customers and make their visit to the pottery a special experience. This has transferred into my wedding DJing and working with couples. I work hard to make my service the best it can be.  

Music-wise I have many artists I love and have an eclectic taste. Music that has a unique voice and sound speaks to me most. Joan Armatrading, Van Morrison, Sade, Talking Heads, Terry Hall, George Michael and Prefab Sprout (to name a few) are all very special to me. My taste has always been underpinned by my love of funk, soul, disco and all things 80’s! For dancing I absolutely love Madonna, Kool & The Gang, Prince, Stevie Wonder and of course a bit of Barry White! 

Image: Solen Collet, Netherbyers wedding party

Miss Mobile Disco is such a brilliant idea! Talk to us about wedding parties, how do you keep everyone bopping along all night? 

There is definitely a recipe to keep everyone up on the dance floor. At a wedding you need to read the room constantly. It’s good to get an understanding of the different age groups making sure you include something for everyone. I mainly play disco, funk and soul along with the 80’s & 90’s party gems. I find these genres appeal to all generations and get everyone grooving. I want to share my passion for wedding DJing and make this part of the day one of the most memorable. Wedding DJing has a bit of bad rep and I hope to change that by giving couples a party with music to remember.

Image: Caro Weiss

Is there such a thing as a guaranteed hit on the dancefloor?

Yes! Like A Prayer by Madonna is always a guaranteed hit. It’s always my favourite song to play at a wedding. I love the gospel choir moment! 

Any requests that make your eyes roll?

All requests are welcome! 

Haha, very diplomatic answer! You’re one of the founding members of Miss World Edinburgh. Tell us about the collective and the work you do together?

Miss World is an all women DJ collective originally formed as a safe space for women to DJ and learn from each other. I started Miss World along with a few of my fellow Edinburgh female DJ’s back in 2016. Our first club night was hosted at The Mash House. None of us had too much DJ experience at that point but we really supported each other and put on a really successful night all bringing our own unique styles of music to the decks. Miss World was a great environment and really helped us find our feet in the DJ world. 

Since then Miss World has gone from strength to strength - Hosting DJ workshops, radio shows, playing at many festivals and now holding a monthly residency at Sneaky Pete's club. These days I am a full time wedding DJ so Miss World is run by my lovely DJ friends Julia & Feena who host many amazing female DJ names at the night. Miss World has recently been listed as one of the top 25 club nights in the UK by Time Out. I am very proud of what Miss World has achieved and the community it has created. I have met so many inspiring women through being involved and I hope this continues for a long time to come! 

How important is community to you as a DJ?

Community is so important for DJ’s. We all constantly support and help each other out. I’ve formed some lovely connections and made great friends over the years from my DJing work. It’s the best job in the world! I was helped a lot when I first started DJing - special mention to Soulsville (Francis & Cam) for giving me my first ever DJ gig at Bongo Club on a Saturday night when I had never DJ’d in a club before… Scary! I remember I used to DJ with CD’s back then! I have also received a lot of support from the Wedding DJ community since I started Miss Mobile Disco. There is no end of DJ’s who are willing to help me out with equipment or offer helpful advice about the wedding industry. 

Thoughts on Edinburgh’s music scene? 

There’s something for everyone’s taste whether that's smaller indie bands at Sneaky Pete’s or Summerhall, great Jazz nights at the The Jazz Bar or larger concerts at the Usher Hall. The Festival also brings a lot of variety which is always lovely to see! Covid was a big setback for musicians and hospitality but it’s nice things are getting back on track. It’s so costly for musicians to tour now so I hope they can bring in some new legislation to help up and coming bands to travel in Europe. 

What are your favourite local haunts for good music, nice vibes and delicious drinks?

There’s so many!! I love Paradise Palms for the best music and DJ’s or Hey Palu for cocktails! Summerhall is always great for gigs, art and has a lovely cafe and bar. I would always recommend Alby’s down in Leith for your lunch! Underground Solu’shn for record shopping and 5th Season Vintage for all your vintage clothing finds!