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DJ Origins – How Did Rob Alberti Become The Most Requested Wedding DJ In Western MA and Connecticut?

Many people ask how I got into DJing. With any good story, it starts way way back – it was around 1983 and I was attending Southwick High School. I was always actively involved in student government and we found ourselves trying to put on a dance as a fundraiser but we could not afford a band (DJs were pretty scarce back then – equipment was just about non-existent).

I was already a huge music buff and had a big stereo. I figured that if I wired my stereo together to my friend’s stereo, that we could hold our own dance. With a little ingenuity and a lot of sweat, the dance was a success and a light bulb went off in my mind. Why not do this to work my way through college?

I had plans on being a Mechanical Engineer and had been working at a local farm some 48 hours a week for the past 4+ years saving for college. (That’s what kids did back in the day – we saved for college and bought beer with whatever was left over) I thought Djing would be better than flipping burgers trying to put my way through college.

I took a large chunk of the money that I had saved up for college and bought my first set of DJ gear and a used Dodge Van tricked out with blue shag carpeting on the inside. Just about every weekend, I would make the trip from Troy, NY back to Western MA to DJ a school dance, party or bar. These were the vinyl and cassette tape days. You can ask your parents what vinyl was. (A little bigger than a CD and they warped in sunlight)

As my engineering career stared after college, I continued to DJ on the weekends to make some extra $. With layoffs in the early 90’s hitting the aerospace industry hard, I looked at DJing with renewed interest. I decided to stop treating it like a hobby and more like a real business. The business grew and soon I no longer had the time to go to my engineering job. I parted ways to pursue DJing full time about 10 years ago.

With over 20 on staff, we have morphed into one of the largest event service companies in the area. Starting your own business is like having another child – I am proud of all of my children and how they’ve grown over the years. With more than 30 years in business, we look forward to many more fun filled years helping our clients create lasting memories. Thank you & thanks to all of my staff.

Rob Alberti, event director, lighting designer, author
Rob Alberti’s Event Services, DJ & Lighting
1310 Russell Road; Westfield, MA 01085
www.robalberti.com