Growing up in Newport Beach, CA., Geoff Allan spent his free time like most young kids who grow up near the beach: surfing for hours and long boarding down the pier. While in junior high school, Geoff became intrigued with the sounds some of the DJs like Jam Master Jay were making and began practicing on his mother’s record player at home. Geoff continued to practice his DJ skills into high school but was not able to produce the same sounds he heard on the radio. “I just didn’t have the right equipment,” Geoff recalls.
During his sophomore year in high school, Geoff’s mother and stepfather decided to move to the Coachella Valley for a job opportunity. Little did Geoff know, his scenery was about to change dramatically. He struggled with the heat and lack of things to do at first but quickly learned the swimming pool would have to be his new best friend. Geoff also realized that the spring break he remembered at the beach was not quite as crazy as the spring break he encountered here in the Desert (this was before Sony Bono killed it.)
Geoff started to make new friends at Palm Springs High School who got him interested in dance. He began to choreograph some routines that he performed during fashion shows at local clubs. Geoff’s dancing would eventually make it easier for him to count the beats when DJing but more importantly it would open the door into radio. Geoff got a big break when he performed on stage as one of the acts at POWER JAM 1, (sponsored by KPSI,) at what was then Angel’s Stadium in Sunrise Park. The relationships Jeff developed with employees of the station later paid off when he was offered a part-time position.
Now that he was involved in the radio industry, Geoff knew he had to come up with a stage name. After some thought, Geoff, whose real last name is Sandberg, changed his last name to Allan—in honor of one of his brothers who passed away in 1983. After hard work and dedication at the station, Geoff’s talents landed him the night shift (6pm to 10pm) weekdays on Power 101 (now mix 100.5.) Unfortunately, after realizing his radio paychecks were the size of this market, small, Geoff started to pick up work doing something he fell in love with as a kid: playing records. “I discovered there was actually a way to make a living playing music for people and having fun— now that’s my kind of life,” exclaims Geoff with a smile.
After working for other DJ companies and with encouragement from friends, Geoff started his own Mobile DJ business called Digital Party Sounds. Playing music on the radio and playing music at a party may appear the same but in actuality, they are entirely different. Geoff learned very quickly what several radio DJs learn when they attempt to do mobile gigs: “You can have the latest remix of the hottest new track, but if you play it at the wrong time, it’s going sound like crap. You have to be able to read a room or crowd.”
Currently Geoff’s business clientele includes a nice handful of country clubs and resorts that he works with regularly throughout the year. Geoff has continued to grow his company along with the market demands and has recently added karaoke to his list of services, which thankfully helped keep him busy through the dreadful desert summer. If you would like to contact Geoff to inquire about his company for your event, you can call him at: (760) 219-1111.
Written By: Craig Michaels
Musical Affair Entertainment
(760) 619-3276
