Elliott “Ness” Harris
DJ Ness,Wedding DJ in Milwaukee, Madison, Omaha & Lincoln
DJ Ness is the founding DJ of Alternative Wedding DJs in Wisconsin and one of the people who built the whole AWDJ approach. He's based in Milwaukee, works the Madison and Milwaukee corridor, and still travels back to Omaha and Lincoln for weddings. New here? Here's how AWDJ works.
Why couples book DJ Ness
Elliott, who you'll see on the decks as DJ Ness, is my co-founder and the reason AWDJ exists in Wisconsin. Out of high school he was already DJing radio, then earned a degree from Arizona's Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences and landed in LA at the legendary Can-Am Studios, the room where Dr. Dre recorded and where a lot of '90s hip hop got its sound.
Family brought him back to the Midwest, and he brought the music with him. He started curating shows, producing stages, and booking DJs for rooftop parties, hotel lounges, and private events around Omaha, and he became the guy people called when they needed to make something happen, which earned him a stack of award nominations. Today he's the Entertainment Director at Harmonic Hospitality Group in Madison, where he programs the talent at Roxxy and The Stuffed Olive and runs nights like Silk Sundays at Roxxy.
What that means for your wedding is simple. He's done this at every level, from the booth to running the whole room, so nothing on a wedding day rattles him. He reads a crowd, mixes live, stays off the mic unless it actually matters, and treats your night like the headline set it is. He's also the one who hand-picks and vets our Wisconsin roster, so when you book him, you're booking the standard everyone else is measured against.
— Brent Crampton, Company Founder
What it's like to book Elliott
Booking Elliott works like booking any AWDJ DJ. You get a club-trained DJ who mixes live and reads the room, two full-range speakers and a subwoofer, wireless and corded mics, dancefloor lighting, MC duties, and full reception coordination, for five hours.
See full pricing and packages or check your date.
Can you book the founder to DJ your wedding?
Yes. Elliott set the AWDJ standard in Wisconsin and still takes weddings himself, in Milwaukee and Madison and back home in Omaha and Lincoln. Booking DJ Ness means booking the person who trains and vets the rest of the roster, with the range to run a 200-person reception, a hotel-lounge cocktail hour, or a full-on club night, whatever your wedding actually needs.
Where you've heard DJ Ness
In Wisconsin, as Entertainment Director at Harmonic Hospitality Group, he programs Roxxy and The Stuffed Olive in Madison and runs nights like Silk Sundays at Roxxy. On the Nebraska side, AWDJ weddings he's played include the Durham Museum, the Magnolia Hotel in Omaha, The Garden Room, the Leo Ballroom, Lincoln Station Great Hall, Falconwood Park, the Barn at Ackerhurst Dairy Farm, Harvest Moon, A View on State, and the Palace Event Center in Treynor.
What couples say about DJ Ness
“Dj Ness (Elliott) was absolutely amazing to work with! From the beginning we could tell Elliott wanted to get all of the details right - he came very well prepared to our "meet and greet". Leading up to our wedding he definitely calmed our nerves and had all his bases covered. The day of the wedding he was present for our ceremony and reception and he was the definition of a great host - he made sure everyone was where they needed to be, maintained a great timeline, and kept the party going. 10/10 would recommend working with Elliott!” - Kelly B. on Zola
"Elliott was one of the best decisions I made for my wedding day! He’s so easy to plan with. He has fantastic ideas to help your event flow smooth and grab everyone’s attention! We hired him for the ceremony as well as reception and he took all the stress away from setup, accommodating my father in laws guitar setup, ushering guests around, speeches, and playing music that catered to all age groups! He’s a beam of positivity and all I can say is look no further this is the DJ you want for your event!” - Sophie on Zola
"I honestly could not imagine working with any other DJ. Almost every wedding that we have been to had a DJ that just played off of a set playlist. I wanted a DJ that did not just play from a playlist, but one that would read the room and change the song to fit the mood and get people out on the dancefloor. After a lot of searching, we came across Alternative Wedding DJs and loved their bios, especially DJ Ness’. We asked if he had any upcoming shows so that we could check out his style. DJ Ness responded back and let us know he had a show at the Green Room in downtown Omaha. We checked him out and about 2 songs in, knew that he was the one for us. DJ Ness mixed songs, took requests, and everyone had an absolute BLAST! He set the tone for the night, and we got so many compliments for his talent and his amazing MC voice. We had a couple that told us they were leaving, and DJ Ness started to play one of their favorite songs. That couple ended up staying the rest of the night because how much fun they were having! Even during the planning stages of our wedding, DJ Ness was so easy going and helpful. We had sent him a few last-minute song requests that he was able to work in on short notice. Overall, a fantastic experience and we could not imagine working with anyone else! I highly recommend DJ Ness and if I were to have any event coming up, I would hire DJ Ness again in a heartbeat!” - Brianna L. on Zola
Like DJ Ness's vibe?
Meet the rest of our Nebraska and Wisconsin roster. Ready to lock it in?