My name is Marcos Aranibar, the owner and founder of Flamingo Boss and Silent Disco Events. This is the story of how I became a DJ, a multi-op and a silent disco business owner. I don’t often get the chance to look back and think, "How the hell did I get here?" So, a big shout-out to Pro Mobile for asking me to do this piece. And thank you to anyone who takes time out of their day to read it.

My parents were my first influences and were huge supporters of my DJ career, though I also owe a massive thanks to my long-suffering wife, Hayley. My earliest musical memory is from when we lived in Bracknell, Berkshire. I was about six years old and I remember my dad, Eddie, playing his records in the front room. He was originally from Bolivia in South America and had a huge record collection that he loved to play on his expensive stacked hi-fi system, an old-school one with glass cabinet doors.

Dad came to the UK in the early 1970s and couldn’t speak a word of English, so he learned through music, especially The Beatles and other English and American artists. He would play and sing his South American music full blast and the whole family would join in dancing. My mum, Penny, also loved music, always having the latest 80s pop records on, as well as classic Motown hits and love ballads. These childhood memories and diverse musical tastes would influence me greatly later in life. Mum and Dad, thank you – I am eternally grateful.

Another huge influence in my early years was my parents taking a risk to run their own business, when in 1987 they relocated with me and my two sisters to the amazing city of Portsmouth. I was eight years old and remember crying because all my friends were in Bracknell. But little did I know that the next few years would have such a major impact on where I am now. From an early age, I remember thinking that I wanted to achieve things and run my own business, just like my parents. (I always thought their business would eventually be mine, but they sold it. Maybe that was fate!)

While at middle school I completed a project on The Beatles, all about their music and what their lyrics were about. This was when I really fell in love with them and first understood the impact their music had on what we listen to today. My dad trusted me with his prized Beatles vinyl albums and let me take them to school. I also built my first playlist, recording my favourite Beatles tracks and other songs off the radio to cassette. This became a regular occurrence—recording music from the weekly chart show on the radio.

As I moved on to senior school, music was changing right before my ears. I made new friends, became a social butterfly, and met new people around Portsmouth, naturally getting up to no good but getting along with everyone. One thing we all had in common was music. DJs and raves were the scene, with happy hardcore, jungle, The Prodigy and Baby D dominating the charts.

We listened to Dreamscape, A.W.O.L., and Fusion Tape packs. At the time, I had long hair (it was a 90s thing) and during school lessons we would cover our earphones with our hair and listen to our Walkmans. Out of school, we swapped and copied mixtapes and collected rave flyers to cover our bedroom walls. Those were the days!

Music was everything to me. I even had a short stint in music production when my middle-school mate David Hooper and I remixed a DJ Seduction track, which he bought from us. Sadly David is no longer with us, but he had so much talent and could have become someone huge.
Now, onto the juicy bits: how I became a DJ. Around 1993/94, I started buying the latest records from our local record store, Fusion Records. I didn’t have a pair of decks at the time, but my schoolmate Ronnie Scarrot had a brother, Adam, who was a mobile DJ. Adam had a small room in their house with decks and the latest records.

Ronnie and I would bunk off the last lesson of school every Thursday because his family was out, giving us the run of the house to play all Adam’s records and latest purchases. We’d MC over each other's mixing and make tapes to listen to until the following week, when we could improve our mix and perfect our skills. Ronnie was better at mixing because he had more practice, and I looked up to him, knowing I could do it if I had more time on the decks. Ronnie is still one of my best mates and has DJed all over the world as Junior Gee, with releases on major electronic music labels. Check him out – @therealjuniorgee.

Another best mate of mine, Mark Holloway, had a pair of Soundlab DLP3s with a Maplin mixer in the mid-90s. We spent hours at his house DJing, talking, and arguing over who was better!

Around 1996 I saw an advert for decks, a mixer, speakers, and 300 records – all for £500. I couldn’t believe my luck. I asked my dad for a loan and after some convincing, he agreed. Not only did I get about £500 worth of records but I also had a pair of Technics 1210s, a mixer, and a banging sound system. What a result!

My bedroom was taken over by all this equipment and I had a 3K sound system in a tiny box room. The noise was insane! Within an hour of setting it up, true to form, my mum was shouting, "Marcos, turn it down!" and banging the ceiling below with a broom. I loved it until she found out how to pull the fuse and shut the electricity off in my room.

I honed my mixing skills, playing as much vinyl as possible, going through all my dad’s 7” singles and making mixtapes with my happy hardcore and jungle records. I even made a full 90-minute mixtape of all my favourite Beatles songs.
Before long, Mark and I started booking venues and throwing ticketed events to show off our skills. Our first event was at a local Masonic Hall with a licensed bar. We sold 150 tickets to 14- to 17-year-olds and made enough money for pizza before the gig. The bar had the best takings of the year so far. But unfortunately we weren’t allowed back because everyone was underage! Nonetheless, the event was a hit and we got a buzz from playing out. We did more events and made a bit of a name for ourselves, but this venture eventually fizzled out.

Next, I started charging £50 a night for mobile gigs for friends and family – not bad money for an 18-year-old doing something he loved in 1998. The downside was carrying the boxes of records. One gig I did was on the third floor of a building with no lift. I had three big flight-cases of 12” records and 10 smaller boxes of 7” records. I felt like a removals porter. I was offered a DJ set at the legendary Sterns in Worthing, a famous club that held overnight raves and was open until 6am. All I had to do was sell a few tickets. I jumped at the chance. I can’t remember if it was an amazing set or not, but we had a good night in a venue that has gone down in history as one of the best of that time.

When I was 19, I got my first experience of Ibiza, visiting Space and Es Paradise. The clubs were amazing and to this day I’m still a regular visitor to the White Isle.
Back then I was working nights at a local casino and had moved out to live with one of my best mates and musical influences, Nick Clarke. Nick had a pair of Technics 1210s that made my own setup redundant, and after a while I reluctantly decided to sell my beloved equipment. It was the hardest decision I'd made up to that point.

Shortly after, I bought my first car and started commuting to London for work four nights a week. I worked in London for nearly three years and during my days off I would often return to the city to attend regular club nights at iconic venues like The End, Fabric, Heaven and Plastic People. We frequented Shoreditch and Brick Lane and attended festivals like Homelands and Gatecrasher. We immersed ourselves in the clubbing scene and kept up to date with DJ Mag and Mixmag. We watched the best DJs, listening to their mixtapes and copying their mixes. DJs like Eric Morillo, Carl Cox, Yousef, Felix Da Housecat, Roger Sanchez, Masters at Work, Armand Van Helden, Derrick Carter, Jeff Mills, François K, LTJ Bukem, Makoto, and Grooverider were our idols.

In my early 20s, I met my beautiful wife Hayley. She was everything I ever wanted in a relationship. I decided it was time to wind down my DJing and clubbing days to settle down. I transitioned into a career in recruitment, where I worked my way up from trainee to managing director over 13 years. During this time, Hayley and I bought a house, had two beautiful baby girls, and got married. But despite my professional success, I felt something was missing as I continued to work hard to make money for someone else.

In 2012, towards the end of my recruitment career, I was given a unique opportunity: co-owning a bar. I jumped at the chance, partnering with Hayley’s dad and brother-in-law to turn a bar into a small nightclub called Flamingos Bar. We had resident DJs, hosted local promoters and pirate radio station nights, and created a vibrant, pumping venue. This experience reignited my passion for DJing.

The main takeaway from owning the bar was this rediscovery. I immersed myself in the new digital music landscape, learning from our resident DJs about software like Traktor and time-coded vinyl. One day, I decided to try out the club's CDJs and mixer. I downloaded some old-school acid house tracks onto a USB stick and had a mix. It was like riding a bike – I still had it!

From there, I jumped into Rekordbox, expanded my collection, and began honing my skills. I started DJing at the bar whenever our resident DJ took a night off or had a private party. I had a knack for reading the crowd and playing the right tunes at the right time. One night, a friend suggested I needed a DJ name.
He pointed out that I was the boss of a bar called Flamingos and from that moment Flamingo Boss was born.

In 2014, we sold the bar. As part of the deal, I kept the CDJs and mixer. Not long after, Hayley's cousin asked me to DJ at her birthday party, which led to more requests from family and friends. Before I knew it, I found myself drawn back into the world of DJing, purchasing good second-hand gear and reinvesting my earnings into better equipment.

As I took on more gigs, I set a goal: to be the number-one mobile DJ in Portsmouth. I aimed to provide a high-quality service with the latest equipment. My company, Flamingo Boss, quickly gained traction and my calendar filled up. Eventually, I left my job in recruitment to focus on DJing. I took a part-time job during the week and DJed at weekends – a risky but rewarding decision. Weddings became a significant turning point for me.

I developed processes and procedures to ensure each event was executed flawlessly, using a CRM system to manage bookings and communicate with clients effectively. This approach extended to birthdays and corporate events too. Recognising the numerous suppliers a wedding couple has to deal with, I expanded our services to include photo booths, giant letters, dancefloors, uplighting, and backdrops.
Investing in the best equipment and focusing on aesthetics, I built a reputation for providing top-notch setups for all types of events. My business grew and I started working with major venues as well as national and global companies. I began hosting karaoke nights and quizzes, which filled my schedule nearly every day of the week. Eventually, I was able to quit my part-time job and go full-time with Flamingo Boss.

Fast forward a few years and we now have multiple DJ setups, six different photo booths (including magic mirrors and 360 booths), giant letters and numbers, a dancefloor, and more. We execute between 750 and 1000 events a year, relying on a brilliant team of professional DJs, karaoke hosts, quiz hosts, and photo booth operators. Along with a dedicated team, my family also helps manage our operations. And we've recently launched Silent Disco Events Limited, a company running ticketed silent disco events.

As we move into a new warehouse with an office, I look forward to the next chapter in this amazing industry. My goal is to continue growing our business, networking with industry professionals, and inspiring the next generation of DJs and event professionals. We will be attending industry events like the Photobooth Expo and The DJ Show in London to help stay connected and informed.

One thing is certain: this industry can be lonely. But by working together and supporting each other, we can create more opportunities and achieve greater success. I am grateful to everyone who has been part of my journey so far and I look forward to meeting new collaborators and friends along the way.

A special thank you to my wife, Hayley, for her unwavering support and belief in our shared vision. Together, we have built a wonderful life and I couldn't have done it without her. Here’s to many more years of providing unforgettable experiences for our clients.