THE A-LIST IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Best decision in the world was hiring downbeat agency/the A list for our wedding! I honestly have no words but I'll try to explain the level of energy they brought to our wedding.. My husband and I knew we wanted a good band and that was super important to us (even on a somewhat tight budget in this day/age) so we booked downbeat first! We knew right away we wanted them at our wedding from the incredible video examples they have on their website of each band- making the decision process so easy... we found that most bands you had to rely on word of mouth/recommendations as a lot don't have videos of them signing. Not downbeat! We got a full glance at what our wedding would look/sound like with their website and they somehow managed to still blow our expectations out of the water!!!! They were absolutely electric! They have you fill out a music mapping sheet before the wedding to nail down your exact style/taste of music and we were SHOCKED by the amount of songs they could play. I mean thousands of songs in every genre you could think of. It was even hard for us to come up with the 4 special selected songs they would learn just for our wedding because of how lengthy this sheet of music was. We added on the horn section late into wedding planning, they were so easy and accommodating to work with. We even had some venue restrictions with noise/equipment and they were so seamless and knew how to make it work out! Such a joy to chat with, I cannot say enough good things about this agency. The talent within the A list band is UNREAL... I mean people's jaws were literally on the floor the whole night they truly made our wedding what it was. I would've spent our whole wedding budget on them, you truly will not regret hiring them! They played banger after banger and our guests are still raving about them. So many people came up to us asking for their info at our reception. Our dance floor was full the entire night. Truly the best night of my life thanks to Downbeat/The A list!!!! read more

Choosing to use Downbeat for our wedding was THE best decision we made!! The A-List was phenomenal! From start to finish, working with Payson was so easy and communicative and he helped to execute everything we wanted! The band was truly the best and exceeded our expectations more than we can have ever imagined- our guests are still talking about how great the band was 3 months later! We used their guitarist for our ceremony, keys and vocals for cocktail hour (which also sounded amazing), and the 10 person band option and added some extra vocalists to really get the wow factor for our guests! They played everything from Motown, fun classics, rock, and did such an amazing job and got the crowd so excited and engaged! Truly can't thank them enough, they made our wedding!! read more

Oh. My. Goodness!!! We are speechless. We knew hiring a band would elevate our daughter's wedding reception but Soultones took it to a level we didn't think possible. Our guests are still in awe of the musicians, the singers, the talent, and the energy. They are true performers, fun to watch, and you can't help but be anywhere other than the dance floor, which was packed all night. We contracted with Downbeat to provide a string quartet for the ceremony, a guitarist & vocal duo for the cocktail hour, and a 12 piece band for the reception/after party. Every second of each performance was 5 star. Our ceremony was elegant and the string quartet learned and played the bride & groom's favorite songs perfectly. We gave them very little direction on the ceremony details and they just knew what to do. We've had multiple guests with guitar expertise rave over the guitarist's talent. They really set the mood for our cocktail hour. The band... again speechless. I cannot even explain the spirit and tone they brought to our event. I was honestly the best concert I've ever been to. Wow! Somehow every song was better than the last. The energy just kept rising. The emcee was smooth, professional, and appropriate. When the DJ took over to give the band a break, there was no change on the dance floor. It was seamless and he really was amazing to watch as well. So talented! We of course tipped them. Unfortunately we planned all our tips ahead of our event. Even with the highest recommended tipping protocols, I woke up embarrassed knowing they deserved 2x as much, if not more. If you have the opportunity to book with Downbeat, and Soultones specifically, don't hesitate. They are beyond worth it. read more

Amazing band!! All of our guests could not stop raving about how great the band was - the vibes, music, and energy was unmatched! 100% worth every penny, even our Asian parents were impressed x) would book them again in a heartbeat. read more

Downbeat - DJs Near Me

3 words: HIRE THIS BAND!! The A-list played for our daughter's wedding and they were absolutely incredible. The guests were blown away by their energy, talent and bringing the party! I had very high expectations and they exceeded them all. The 3 lead singers were phenomenal and our guests wanted to dance all night! For us, the band is really the most important either of a wedding so we chose very carefully and I truly cannot say enough glowing words about them. Every song they did was fantastic. The guests especially loved when the singers came onto the dance floor and interacted with everyone and when the horns marched around the dance floor as well. Their energy can't be matched and everyone truly raved about them! I recommend them 1000%!!! read more

This review is long overdue. We got married in June 2019 and our wedding guests still rave about Soultones! Folks who don't usually dance said they couldn't help themselves because the music was so good. Downbeat was highly recommended by our wedding planner at Orange Blossom Special Events and it was such a pleasure working with Joel and everyone. They brought amaaaazing energy and are all so talented. Going with Downbeat/Soultones was one of the best decisions we made and I'm hopeful that we'll get to see them perform again soon. We always say that we need to find a reason to have another epic celebration just so we can book them again. read more

Live music was a high priority for my husband and I for our wedding. We were recommended Downbeat from our amazing wedding planner Paola Franco from Say I Do to Details. We decided to hire the A-List (full band plus string quartet) after watching some of their videos and loving the way they performed "Higher Love" by Whitney Houston. We had also seen videos on Downbeat's Instagram and really liked how performers were able to not only put on a great show but also interact with and work the crowd. Even with high expectations, we were completely blown away on our wedding day. The entire band, vocalists, quartet, DJ were nothing short of amazing - their sound, energy and professionalism. We also really enjoyed their take on our first dance song, "Back at One" by Brian McKnight. (Side note: I don't know if learning songs that you request is typical for all wedding musicians, but it was definitely a plus!) Our guests were all raving about how incredible the performers were. End to end our experience with Downbeat was fantastic. Diego and Joel, the executive and event directors were very nice and helped us understand how to bring our music vision to life - for example, we originally weren't sure if we wanted the string quartet but are so glad we added them. They also ended up playing for our ceremony. Thank you so much Downbeat and the A-List! We would be truly honored to have you back for another life milestone. read more

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We hired the A-List as our wedding band this past weekend in Palm Springs, and they were absolute superstars from start to finish. The band set the tone for the entire evening, and the dance floor was never empty. They crushed our special request songs, and there was not a performance we were not absolutely floored by. Their list of songs that they're able to play is EXTENSIVE, and they can nail every single one. We decided to have my uncle play the piano for our ceremony, and Downbeat helped us rent the proper equipment and helped make this request so seamless. We were nervous when hiring a band at all since our wedding was outdoors (and PS has a strict noise ordinance), but they were incredibly professional and had an expert sound engineer who helped pull everything off without a hitch. We've received SO many compliments from our guests about how great the A-List was. Definitely the best choice we could have made, HIGHLY recommend them!! read more

THE SOOOOOUUUUULTONES!! My cousin hired them (10-piece) for his wedding at Terranea this past weekend, and I gotta say the Soultones make me want to get married again and throw a bash featuring them! I gotta come up with an event just to hire them. Or crash a wedding :-P read more

I'd like to ask yelp to add a 6th star on this specific review. If possible, Downbeat LA... The Soultones, specifically, absolutely positively deserves this ranking. 6 STARS ALL AROUND!!!! We saw Soultones perform 2 years ago at our friends' wedding at the Skirball Cultural Center in LA. My partner, Lawrence D. & I weren't even engaged at the time but by mid-dance we vowed that when it was our time that this would be the magical sound and vibe that we would want. We got engaged in March 2017, and BEFORE we even had a venue booked - we reached out to Downbeat LA for their availability. We are that serious about Soultones, their sound, the gang of talent, and what they do to create the best vibe for any event. Lo and behold, Soultones traveled to Napa, California last weekend to completely KILL IT at our wedding. Let me break this down for you in a way that would be most helpful & to make sure you understand that THIS. IS. THE. BAND to have at your event. Hands down. SERVICES RENDERED: (1) Acoustic guitar of contemporary songs - Cocktail Hour (2) 7 piece Live band and DJ services integrated w/ a multi-media presentation, dance show intro, and emcee services. BOOKING + PREP EXPERIENCE: Stellar! Diego is who you will deal with when you reach out. Both my husband and I found Diego to extremely responsive, attentive, open to ideas, helpful in guiding us thru the musical journey from the start, & reliable w/ follow thru & communication to the band. I'm a total Type-A (in the best of ways - hey! no bridezilla here but I'm a project/sourcing mgr by trade + have planned a fair share of events over the last 15 years (personal & corporate), so I'm an organized creative to say the least). Diego was fantastic through the whole process. ex. provided song lists, a suggested timeline as to when we could request to add songs for the band to play at our wedding, and overall a good guy. EVENT THEME + INTEGRATION: We had a music award show/concert theme to our wedding. Soul Tones worked with our media director (Jon2 Noble) and did a live opening for us complete with a dance routine. SOULTONES is professional, polished, and damn fun. I kid you not -- there is no other band like Soul Tones. Trust, Lawrence D. and I performed a full talent and cost analysis to compare companies/acts from the tip of Northern Cali all the way down to the tip of SoCal. No. Other. Like. Them. LIVE PERFORMANCE: Gabi, Joel, & Gray are the lead singers & HOT DAMN. FIRE!!!!!! These three create this energy pushes the boundary to saying LIVE! As a full band, they do oldies, newbies, mixes, party songs, slow songs --- seriously a musical adventure that makes you want to dance & party forever. It was like a real concert with us as the premiere guests, which is the exact magic L and I were going for for our Big Day. (Dance number intro by Bruno Mars, intro JayZ/Rihanna, 1st dance Luther Vandross) They played with the audience, danced and sung amongst the crowd, they even invited our 4 year flower girl up to sing "Shut up and Dance" on stage which was such a special moment. Everyone feels like they are apart of the band party - which is completely different from any other band experience where the band is so far removed from the party. DJ SERVICES: Between live performances, the DJ executed an awesome arrangements. For you music/party fanatics, you know how hard it is to keep the attention of the group & create that feel. Soul tones has it down. They can read an audience. As a company, Downbeat LA takes the time to know the couple: We sent Diego a list of songs we love, what type of party people we are, and a short narrative to our fam and friends so he knew how to curate. You guys, nothing lost in translation with Diego over the course of months which is impressive since I'm sure he has so many clients. You guys, highest degree. COST: The seamless experience with Diego, the amazing crew that is Soultones, and how they left us and our party feeling = priceless. Their cost for 4 hours is in line with what we found throughout California for the caliber band/dj/service. Yes you can find bands for $1-2K but you WILL NOT get an experience and the love. My husband and I appreciate music, art, vibe and value trusting the group (meaning not wondering if they'll be able to create and keep an atmosphere) - we had zero worry or concern that SOULTONES would create magic and they did. For you northern Cali peeps like us, there is travel expense to keep in mind on top of the performance fee, but again - reasonable and completely worth it. For weddings and special events, do it. Do not hesitate. Our family and friends could not stop about how much fun they had dancing and even those who don't dance coming out on the dance floor. For corporate events, don't sleep. Book now!!!! read more

Downbeat - Reception Opener!! KILLED IT!!!!!! - DJs Near Me

Gold Standard performed at our wedding. They did a fantastic job. From the first song, our guests knew it was going to be a party. It's important to have a good vibe to set the tone for the wedding. We wrote the script and recreated the POSE scene for Royalty. Our wedding party walked down in pairs with commentary from the announcer (one of the singers). He did a fantastic job. He got our guests up off their seats, hyped up, and cheering us on when we all walked down. We also did a choreographed dance for our first dance. The band did a great job following our instructions on the song. We were able to practice with the band live during the cocktail hour. It was perfectly planned. Overall, Gold Standard delivered beyond our expectations. Our guests are still talking about how awesome the band was. I strongly recommend anyone looking for a wedding band or for other events. I know if I have another big event I will definitely be booking them again. read more

You'll see from my profile I don't write reviews. But Joel and Soultones ABSOLUTELY deserve one. I was going through wedding photos for Christmas gifts and thank you notes and saw the happiness on everyone's faces during the reception. Soultones was a HUGE REASON WHY! They were less of a wedding band and more like attending a private concert catered to us. Even though we were outside, in October....in Lake Arrowhead....with a small guest list, they brought energy and enthusiasm that I never expected. Their talent is easy to recognize with a quick Google search, but their professionalism and desire to entertain is why I'm writing this review. The feedback from guests was, "I don't know what they cost, but they were worth it". If you can book them, do it! read more

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I was a guest at a wedding where "A-List" performed. During dinner I was like ... ohhhkay, seems like a pretty standard wedding band. But when it was time for the "clubbing" part, these guys turned it up!!! Because they have wireless mics they were able to come down and do an impromptu choreography and dance with the guests. Can't describe the energy. Also their performance was so clean, almost like going to a show. Definitely had a lot of fun at the wedding, these guys were awesome! read more

Downbeat Agency and the Soultones CRUSHED it at our wedding! Our guests have not stopped talking about how much fun they had dancing and celebrating with the Soultones. They were easy to work with and super high energy. We especially appreciated them learning a few extra songs that were special to us. We will definitely recommend them to all our friends and family! read more

We used AMFM for our daughter's wedding and they were fantastic. Everyone danced the night away and at the end of the evening no one wanted to leave the dance floor. Choosing a band for a wedding is not an easy decision. We looked far and wide and visited several events to find the right band. Our wedding planner recommended a band double the cost of AMFM. Not as good - but double the cost! This team is professional, energetic, uber talented. They dressed beautifully for our formal event and created a great time for all. They have ONLY 5 star reviews and isn't that what you want, expect and deserve for your special event? read more

Our wedding was may 22nd and I STILL have people texting me just absolutely raving about the band. Downbeat LA was the best choice we could make for our wedding (besides each other of course) and we were so beyond impressed with their service before during and after the ceremony. If you want to take your wedding to that extra level of amazing you NEED to hire them. Their voices and performance was spectacular and they interacted with the guest getting everyone hyped up and excited all night. Thank you guys so much for making our night perfect! read more

I'm a wedding planner, and I recently worked with Joel at Downbeat LA. If you're looking for a band, Downbeat LA is the way to go! Downbeat (especially Joel) is extremely professional and responsive throughout the planning process, and he helped guide our Bride and Groom through their ideas for all logistics regarding music and dancing. He even went out of his way to do a site visit at the venue, which many bands won't do without charging an arm and a leg! He checked out the space with me so that we could discuss the band set-up and ensure that everything would run perfectly on the big day. On the day of the wedding, the band arrived on time (wonderful!), and were so collaborative during the set-up. At times, I asked them to pause so that we could take photos around their stage area, and they didn't complain once. They were amazing! Throughout the night, the music was absolutely perfect in every way. The DJ NAILED all of the ceremony music cues, and the solo guitarist (during cocktail hour) provided the perfect ambiance. And of course, everyone RAVED about the band during the reception and open dancing. As a planner, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect music team! I highly recommend Downbeat LA, and I can't wait to work with them again! read more

For our wedding, my husband and I knew we wanted mix when it came to music. We wanted acoustic live music for the ceremony and cocktail hour, a live band for the majority of the reception, followed by a DJ for the last hour. Downbeat LA came highly recommend by our wedding planner and they definitely did not disappoint! Downbeat LA was able to provide every type of service we wanted which saved us the trouble of having to reach out to several companies and coordinate services. While Downbeat LA has many amazing bands, we hired Soultones to perform at our reception and they absolutely killed it! One of our biggest fears going into our wedding was having an empty dance floor, but this was not even a realistic possibility when Soultones was performing. They brought so much energy to the reception that no one wanted to stop singing or dancing. They are all so amazingly talented, entertaining, and engaging. Even now, weeks after our big day, wedding guests still mention how amazing our band was! read more

THE. LIFE. OF. THE. PARTY... If you want a guaranteed fun and poppin' event, book them! Our wedding was in Sonoma County at Olympia's Valley Estate and their 10-piece band, AMFM, traveled up north to celebrate with us. We were originally recommended by our friend who went to 2 other weddings where Downbeat had artists perform there. As big concert goers and music lovers, we wanted our guests to be entertained and the attention on them to create the party mood. We chose AMFM and couldn't have been more pleased. My wife is very particular about vocalists and instrumentals from growing up and taking Choir and Band in high school and she was mindblown about how good they were. Their whole ensemble was amazing, from the vocalists to the instruments to the DJ and sound check. For our first dance, they performed "Best Part" and did it justice and H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar would've be proud! We grew up with 90s Hip-Hop & R&B and really wanted to incorporate that vibe into our big day. AMFM killed it! Probably one of the best compliments from a guest was that they didn't realize it was a live band at first because they were that good! The band even sung with the crowd on the dance floor and really hyped up the crowd. We've never seen so many of our elders on the dance floor before so that was a big plus to see them enjoying the live music. One of our favorite things while wedding planning was being able to curate our own personal playlist for the entire day! They gave us a long list of songs they could perform and we had fun narrowing it down. Once you send in the list, they'll create a set list based off those choices to create the perfect vibe. There's also a few DJ sets while the band takes a quick break and you get to choose what type of music gets played then so we chose a hyphy set and an edm set. As bay area natives growing up in the hyphy era, it was important that we could incorporate this. We sent them a list of songs and they executed at the perfect time with all the jams. For the ceremony and cocktail hour, we also sent them separate Spotify playlists for them to play and it went smoothly.  The Downbeat team (shout out to Diego and Andrew) were very responsive, detailed, and helpful. They were always ready to answer any questions we had and helped us ease any worries and deferred any music-related stuff to them. They ensured that they would handle everything music related, like microphones, setup/move of the speakers from the ceremony to reception, playlists, MCing and announcements, etc. They did everything with class and style, were professional, and an overall delight to work with. Highly highly recommended and writing this review brought back all the feels and fun we had. No regrets at all for upping our budget to include the 10-piece band. I keep trying to convince my other engaged friends to book Downbeat so that I could  experience and enjoy the band as a guest next time around, haha. Thank you again! read more

We had their band AM/FM perform at our wedding and they were simply awesome. Everyone in attendance commented on how great the band was. The quality of the performance, music, and professionalism were all top notch! From the beginning in planning through the event communication was top notch as well. I've always said Bands make weddings. And let me say, this band made our wedding the highlight of many peoples year! Hire them! read more

This review is long over due. My husband and I hired them for our wedding back in 2015 for cocktail hour, dinner and our first dance. They sang our first dance live and it couldn't have been more perfect, as this was the first time we had ever slow danced. Diego was VERY consistent and thorough from the beginning, he always replied to emails fairly quickly and was ALWAYS super professional. We were VERY pleased with their business and hope to hire them again for an anniversary. Anyone looking for an upbeat, fun, professional, band no need to look any further hire them. Definitely the highlight of our wedding! read more

Wow what an amazing company!!!! Downbeat was recommended to me by our wedding planner DB Creativity. We visited their website listened to their band options and loved every group. We had a really hard time narrowing down which band we liked the most because they all rocked. The company was organized, reached out to us with preferences right away, set up contracts that were easy to navigate/understand, had a list of songs to help us narrow down which songs we wanted them to play, even learned songs not on their list so we could enjoy a few favorites live! All of this aside, they were unreal with planning and flexibility while we were dealing with a very COVID (last minute) wedding. Our venue decided to only let 3 band members play when we had chosen a 10 piece band. Downbeat talked to the venue for us, tried to convince on our behalf to have more band members play, and then were able to put together the best dang 3 piece band I've ever heard of! Our guests enjoyed every minute of it! We feel so blessed to have worked with such an incredible company! Thank you Downbeat for making our dream wedding happen during COVID! You completely rock and we will absolutely book again in the future! read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Downbeat LA on multiple occasions and every time the outcome is the same... a very pleased client. Diego is one of the best booking agents / managers in the business. He is informed about his groups, prompt and professional with his responses and always has a resource for what I (my clients) need. The musicians of Downbeat LA are exceptional. Every band, trio, duo that I have hired has exceeded my expectations. I cannot recommend Downbeat LA enough! Five stars - would give them more if I could. read more

Downbeat LA/AMFM made our wedding absolutely incredible!!!! We truly cannot say enough good things about them-- Diego and Andrew worked with us for almost a year planning the details of the music and were incredibly flexible and responsive throughout the whole time. One month before the wedding, another vendor (who was supposed to play music while I walked down the aisle) cancelled suddenly, and Andrew and Diego were right there to step in and reassure us that it was no problem and they could extend their time to play during that time! I cannot express how much of a relief that was at that time to know how flexible, supportive, engaged and professional they were. They learned new songs we wanted played, added a DJ we asked for at the end of the ceremony, and provided recommendations that ended up being absolutely perfect and really made our vision come true! At the wedding, AMFM was hands down THE STAR-- they interacted with our guests, coming into the crowd and even had an air guitar battle with my uncle! I could not have dreamed of a more fun band. Months later, I am still getting (unsolicited) comments about how incredible AMFM was at our wedding. I would 10/10 recommend them to EVERYONE who wants a fun party with tons of energy and awesome music!! read more

Where do I even begin!! You NEED to hire The A-List! They put on the most spectacular show for our wedding. I can't even count the number of guests who raved to us about the band! Every single person loved their performance, and it's safe to say they made the night! The entire dance floor was packed from their first song until their last, and they kept the energy high all night long! We truly could not have asked for a better band. We read the reviews before booking them, and we knew they were going to be amazing, but WOW, they blew our expectations out of the water! I would 100% recommend booking The A-List for your wedding!! read more

The best thing I can tell you is to just book AMFM. They were worth every penny and SO fantastic at our wedding in October 2018. We loved them and so did our guests!! They had fantastic talent, energy, and musicality - we truly couldn't have asked for more. We received so many compliments on them during the wedding and after; some people even said they were the best wedding band they'd ever heard!! They got everyone on the dance floor, which is a true feat. They really made our night come to life and we can't thank them enough! Diego is also a fantastic guy and so easy to work with in the days leading up - I have nothing bad to say!! read more

We always knew that we wanted a great band at our wedding and so when we selected Gold Standard from Downbeat LA, I have to be honest that our expectations were pretty high. Somehow, these guys exceeded what we could have even dreamed! Our friends and family had the time of their lives. Even at dinner service when the band was just getting started (*cue "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys*), we had multiple people come up to us and say how incredible the band was. Then came the dance party... Our friends still can't stop talking about it. We cannot recommend Gold Standard enough! read more

My friends hired Gold Standard through Downbeat LA for their wedding and HOLY SMOKES were they amazing! Seriously made the whole night incredibly fun and romantic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

We hired Downbeat LA AMFM band on January 21, 2017. From the beginning of our planning, we wanted to make sure we had good music because I love to dance and our guests likes to have a good party. We first met the band and Diego (the band manager) at a showcase at their studio. They seriously put on an amazing show and I was already dancing on my feet. I knew from then, I had to hire them. Diego responded so quickly on email, I thought I was texting him. We got married in downtown LA in the heart of the Women's March (aka Trump protest) and yet they were still there on time and very professional. My guests were so impressed and could not stop talking about them even after the wedding. 10 days out and I still get compliments about the band. Some of my friends are evening thinking about hiring them for their weddings this year. I guarantee 200% that Downbeat LA will make your wedding the night that everyone will be talking about! read more

Hiring Gold Standard for our wedding was the best decision we made! People are still talking about how amazing they were. The energy and swag they brought to our big day was unmatched! People of all ages never left the dance floor because of Gold Standard and their incredible, interactive sets. Highly recommend!!! read more

Absolutely phenomenal! I had the pleasure of working with Downbeat LA at one of their band member's own wedding!! They brought in a 10 piece band and the dance floor was filled the entire night. And when the bride got on the mic and started singing to her groom, there was not a dry eye in the entire room. I can't wait to work with them again!!! read more

We chose to have Soultones - one of the bands managed by Downbeat LA - perform at our wedding, after seeing them at a friend's event. This was simply one of the best decisions we made for our big day. The band's incredible sound and energy made our night simply unforgettable. Every single guest commented on how great my wife looked, and how good the band was. Thank you Soultones for an amazing night! read more

We hired the gold standard for our wedding and they were absolutely amazing! Our guests danced the entire night and I didn't leave the dance floor once. Diego was such a pleasure to work with and made sure that the music they played was perfect. We did the package that included an hour of guitar for cocktail hour, 4 hour of band and 1 hour of DJ and it was perfect. read more