Hudson Valley DJ Interview: A Perfect Blend Entertainment
I love chatting with great Hudson Valley wedding pros and today I got to sit down with Hudson Valley DJ David of A Perfect Blend Entertainment to discuss all things wedding and music. David has been in the wedding industry 15 years and DJ’d over 1300 weddings as well as tons of corporate and other social events. When I first met him he was djing about 115 events at year and had no employees. Now, 7 years later, he DJ’s no more than 50 events personally, has a team of 7 trained DJs and as a team his company does over 250 weddings a year. Weddings are his specialty and what he loves most. I can’t thank him enough for all of the hard work and thoughtfulness he has provided over the years for my couples. He is a true Hudson Valley wedding expert and we hope you learn a lot about wedding djs and his company from our interview.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how APB Entertainment came to be?
Well, I grew up in Queens, NY and Queens was a melting pot, with a diverse group of nationalities. The style of music was also very diverse. I would say that is one of the primary reasons I became so good at playing different genres of music but still keeping the dance floor packed.
APB Entertainment was derived from A Perfect Blend Productions, with my old partner Ben Vega. You can say we moved from productions to providing entertainment. The premise of the name kind of moved from bringing the world together with music to creating a perfect blend of music and entertainment.
What makes your company and DJs different than the other Hudson Valley DJ companies out there?
I would say listening to our couples and not just treating their wedding likes it’s just another wedding. I think when couples first chat with us, they are on their heels because they don’t want to offend us by saying they don’t want a loud and obnoxious DJ. It’s a fair statement because that is probably all they have ever seen and they think all DJs are the same. After chatting with us, their shoulders come down because they are realizing, we aren’t the same as the DJs they have seen before. That’s just one take on what makes us different.
Next is the training that I provide to the DJs. Ego is coming out a bit here but I want every couple’s wedding to be like a broadway show, moving from scene to scene seamlessly. It’s like we are the stage hands behind the scenes and the guests never know how much work goes on into creating such an amazing show. We keep everything flowing by connecting with the vendors and make sure the timeline is very tight but from the guests perspective, it’s very laid back.
Lastly, is our take on the way we see your wedding. It’s not really a party, it’s a celebration. Two people coming together sharing their love with their family and friends. A celebration will be remembered for a lifetime but a party will not be as memorable.
What’s your secret to curating the perfect wedding playlist?
Well, the couple plays a big role in that. They provide us with a list of what I call heavy hitters (a.k.a. must plays). The real magic actually happens on the night of. We feel the energy from the guests and then with the precision of a surgeon, start dropping beats.
What’s the magic to keeping guests dancing all night and is this easy to do?
Well, I have a saying on this. What’s the difference between a great DJ and a good DJ? A good DJ will just play the music. The secret to keeping guests on the dance floor all night is to play a great mix of music during each dance set. Let me give you an example. Most DJs play older music during the first part of the night and end it with newer music which tends to send older guests home.
Band vs DJ is always a hard decision for couples. What’s the advantage to having a DJ?
Number one advantage is we meet with the couple and talk more about them first then get into the music. Not all bands, but most just talk about the music, they never get to know the couple. During a meeting with a couple, I can truly get a sense of who they are and what they are looking for. Also, how I present myself on the microphone is so important. I don’t want their guest cringing as I speak. I want to think I am a family friend. Not all bands but a good amount do the typical cheesy announcements and put on their game show host voice. We don’t!
What is the best advice you can give a couple searching for a wedding DJ?
My best advice to a couple searching for a DJ is to try and narrow down your DJ interviews to no more than 3. Then try to meet with them. If it can’t be in person, then try to at least have a virtual meeting. Aside from asking the typical questions you can Google. Go a litte deeper. Why do you love being a wedding DJ? How would you introduce us? You can hear if they use cheesy DJ voice. What makes you different then any other DJ out there? In the end, you want to make sure you can trust the DJ to help make your wedding one of the best.
How do you work with a wedding planner?
Just listen to whatever the wedding planner says and everything will be fine. Don’t over step your bounds as the DJ. Stay in your lane. 🙂
We hope you enjoyed reading our interview with David and if you are searching for the BEST. DJ. EVER. we hope you consider David and his team. You can check out some real wedding playlists from his team at www.apbentertainment.com and you can reach out to him at celebrate@apbentertainment.com
