My name is Mark van Deventer. I have been a DJ/MC since 1975. My dad was an avid record collector from the 1940’s and then my older sister and cousins were teenagers in the 60’s & 70’s. Our house was the party house and my parents always made sure that we had all of the latest music to keep them happy. This continued when I was a teenager in the 70’s and friends constantly asked me to play bring our records to parties. In 1975 I designed & built my first DJ machine out of the family stereo and a toggle switch to alternate turntables. I was now in the DJ business!

Well that was the 70’s and so much has changed except for the love of music and entertaining. CD’s replaced vinyl and now digital has replaced CDs. I have 4 children and they too have grown up with a house that is filled with music so our collection has been constantly evolving since the 1940’s plus I have added all of the top hits from the 1890’s and all through the 1900’s to the new millennium.

My personal music collection numbers in the hundreds of thousands and I can entertain you at a 60th wedding anniversary playing all of the top hits of the 1940’s to an all Disco party playing all of the top disco songs from that era (as well as some of the more obscure ones) to everything on the latest charts from around the world.

Weddings are my specialty and I love to play to your guests. I have been a DJ in the USA for the last 23 years and prior to that performed in venues in Africa; Europe & Australia so can bring an international flavor to your event. With enough sound & lights to fill an arena to small intimate events I have the experience to ensure that your event is a success.

Deborah Engle - 59 + 1 Birthday Party - June 6, 2009

"Well Done!"

Bryanne Hult Roemer, Maine West High School - May 16, 2009

"I wanted to send a message to the management about the amazing DJ experience from last nights Junior Prom at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, IL. Mark was our DJ, and was fantastic. I've run many dances and never gotten such a positive reaction to a DJ from both students and faculty. One faculty member commented, 'Of the 15 years I've been chaperoning Junior Prom, this is the BEST DJ of all.' There were more students on the dance floor this year than at the previous 5 proms that I personally have chaperoned. I would glowingly recommend Mark to anyone looking for a DJ. He was extremely professional, prompt, and accommodating. I will be calling Sounds Abound in August to book Mark for Homecoming 2009 and Senior Prom (which is June 4, 2010). Honestly, I can not say anything bad about last night's entertainment. Thank you for providing my students with great entertainment for the Prom. You and Mark definitely made their evening."

Shari & Mike Pontillo - April 25, 2009

"Mark was terrific, and a very appropriate choice for us. We and most of our friends are in our forties, and Mark did a fine job programming older music for an older crowd. He also had an air of sophistication about him that we found very appealing. We are quite pleased with how Mark and Sounds Abound took care of everything we needed - one less thing to worry about on our wedding day!"

Dan & Peg Ryan - Surprise 60th Birthday Party - April 18, 2009

"Mark was a wonderful DJ on Saturday. The party was a total surprise for my husband and the music selection was great - thanks Mark!!"

Laura & Alain Roy - February 14, 2009

"Our reception was perfect! Mark did a fantastic job from start to finish, and we truly appreciate his and his assistants' efforts. I realized once it was all said and done that I did not speak a word to them all night, but I think that is the result of our meeting prior to the reception, his taking the information we discussed and making the night go just as we wanted it to. He mixed in all the types of music we wanted and kept the group dances we were not too excited about for just in case, but just in case was never needed as the floor was occupied with dancers all evening."

Brianna & Andrew Johnson - October 11, 2008

"We had a wonderful time at our reception. Mark was open to a variety of suggestions we'd received from our wedding guests via our website and went out of his way to accommodate the different music tastes. The dance floor was packed all night long and everyone had a great time. We've heard nothing but positive feedback from our guests."

Marianne & Jason Fried - July 18, 2008

"Mark was fantastic. We had many guests talk about how much they loved the music and the DJ. Mark was so easy to work with and he truly listened to what we wanted for our reception. We were more than pleased and when the circuit breaker went out temporarily, he handled the situation exceptionally well. Thank you for helping to make our wedding fantastic!"

Jennifer & Brian O'Dowd - July 5, 2008

"Our DJ Mark was absolutely amazing. We had the best time dancing to every single song. He knew exactly the moment to play a certain type of song. My mom said that when he played 3 slow songs in a row was great because that gave my grandparents time to come on the dance floor and dance together. I thought that was great too because I got to dance with my bride, with my mother-in-law and my grandma. Mark played the best music and all of my guests kept saying they had a great time dancing all night long. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! He really made our wedding night a special night and a fun night!"

A. Kuki & Darren McArdle - May 31, 2008

"Mark was wonderful! He was able to cater to a very diverse audience and be flexible with all the "special presentations" that kept happening. One of the highlights of the evening was dancing with my father. Mark is the only person I know of who had the song in his possession that I wished to dance to with my father. I searched for months for the song and after less than 24 hours after meeting Mark he was able to locate the song, tell me what year it came out and the name of the "album" it was on. Even after that I still tried to locate the song and everywhere I looked, it was unavailable. Mark's massive selection & variety and knowledge of music is amazing. I knew I made the right choice to go with Mark and Sounds Abound, and that choice was solidified when my father upon hearing the first words of the song tilted his head back and said, "Oh my gosh, where did you find this song? You're going to make me cry." And then my father, who almost never cries, began and continued to wipe the corners of his eyes as we danced and he sang along to the song that held so many memories for our family. Thank you Mark and Sounds Abound for supplying the music to what is now a cherished memory in our hearts."

Elizabeth & James Colbert- May 25, 2008

"Mark did a fantastic job at our wedding. He played music that kept people of all ages dancing for hours. Plus, Mark found and played songs that truly made the reception a unique experience for us, such as our school's fight song and the theme song to one of our favorite television shows. I would recommend Mark to any bride and groom that want to have people of all ages on the dance floor--he's an expert at choosing music and an excellent judge of the crowd's mood."

Christy & Piet Levy - May 10, 2008

"Frankly, to descibe our experience with Sounds Abound as excellent is an understatement. We had Mark van Deventer as our DJ, and we could not have been happier. Mark was total perfection in every way, from his gentlemanly demeanor to the incredible arsenal of songs that he played. On two different occasions I requested a song from mark, and incredibly enough, he already had selected those songs to play next before I had said anything! It's incredible that he was able to read my mind like that, but it just goes to show what great tastes Mark has, and how well he was able to gauge the mood of the crowd and to find the absolute perfect song to play at the absolute right time. The guy's a super DJ! And everyone at our wedding said so, and believe me, there were plenty of music snobs there that are very, very hard to please. There were so many things that were perfect about our wedding, but having Mark van Deventer as our DJ was one of the greatest experiences about the whole night. We can't praise him enough."

Lisa Snipes - Driector of Development - Serenity House, Inc - May 3, 2008

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank Sounds Abound for porviding the musical entertainment during our Gala Fundraiser. I have received such positive feedback from our guests as to the quality of your services, particularly those of DJ Mark van Deventer. He did a remarkable job of choosing just the right music to set the mood throughout the entire evening, and even took time to speak with several guests following the event. I would highly recommend Sounds Abound to anyone for their next celebration!"

T.J. Hicks - DuPage Children's Museum - April 26, 2008

"Your services for the DuPage Children's Museum gala that I coordinated were fantastic. Mark did a great job. He got everything set up perfectly and worked with our video guy and myself to help present an absolutely flawless program when it came to sound and video. We were worried about everyone hearing during our auction, and this was NO problem with your guy there and the extra speakers. Thanks so much for the service. We raised over $250,000 in total on the event to support the Museum and the kids and families that visit."

Meghan Soens - Kellogg School of Management - April 5, 2008

"This was the second time I used your company for an event and again, it was great! We had Mark as our DJ and the entire night was seamless and this was the first time in the past three years of this event that the dance floor stayed packed and people didn't leave early! Tons of people were asking him for his business card and I received lots of compliments on the music, the DJ interaction - everything was great!"

Lisa Snipes-Director of Development - Serenity House, Inc. - May 3, 2008

"I just wanted to take a moment to thank Sounds Abound for providing the musical entertainment during our Gala Fundraiser. I have received such positive feedback from our guests as to the quality of your services, particularyly those of DJ Mark van Deventer. He did a remarkable job of choosing just the right music to set the mood throughout the entire evening, and even took time to speak with several guests following the event. I would highly recommend Sounds Abound to anyone for their next celbration!"

Kate & Scott Ramsey - March 15, 2008

"Mark was the absolutely perfect DJ for our wedding reception! He was very flexible with the timing of everything and did not play a single song my guests didn't enjoy. The dance party was non-stop and many guests came up to me and told me that "this was the best reception they had ever been to". Thank you Mark for making our wedding reception so memorable! It was amazing!!!"

Carolyn & Darwin DePina - December 23, 2007

"I would like to thank Mark for a wonderful job. We had a lot of fun that night. People were telling me what a great time that they had. Keep up the good work."

Julie & Chad Franckowiak - November 10, 2007

"I just wanted to thank you so much for making our wedding reception the absolute BEST! Our goal was to have everyone dance all night long and I swear that I had family members who I have never seen dance out there on the dance floor! We did some last minute changes and Mark was very accommodating and was never frazzled at our changes - even ones we did that night! We were honestly very impressed with his services that night and would highly recommend him and your company."

Laura & Christian Donovan - August 11, 2007

"Mark was so professional and kept our guests dancing all night long. He was GREAT and I hope to be able to use him again! Mark - Our daughter Lilly loved you! Thank you for letting her "sing" to our guests. That was great!!!!"

Jorie & Martin Emeto - July 28, 2007

"Mark did a wonderful job! I just love his accent, it was perfect for our very international wedding. He even did his best to get a few songs off of the Nigerian DVD I provided to him. So many guests were wondering where I got the DJ. He kept the crowd very interactive and got most of them to participate. Everything was perfect for our special day."

Becky & Robert White - June 9, 2007

"We were very happy with Sounds Abound from start to finish. We loved Mark...he was easy-going, friendly, and very helpful. He was a fantastic Dj...especially for our wedding, which included many guests from out of the country. His knowledge of World Music was very helpful. Mark played Irish and Greek music for us, which added a special touch. Jeff was also awesome...everytime we called he had all the info we needed and was extremely professional and kind. He was very reassuring, too."

Christine & Dennis Mitchell - May 19, 2007

"Everyone had a great time - all the age groups danced all night! We will recommend Mark to friends and family."

Barb Farr - April 20, 2007

"Mark did a wonderful job. He was fun and worked great with the requests that came to him. I look forward to working with you next year."

Marybeth Kramer - December 20, 2006

"Mark got people on the dance floor that I never thought I would see out there!"

Todd Redmon - December 15, 2006

"Mark, thanks for doing a great performance again and making our holiday party a success. You certainly made my job easier!"

Connie & Jeff Goins - September 30, 2006

"Thank you for a wonderful time at our reception! Everything was perfect. I have been given a lot of compliments about Mark, and all of my friends insist that this was the best reception they have ever been to. Nothing could make us happier! Sincere Thanks."

Christina & Sam Greene - September 2, 2006

"Everyone is still talking about how much fun they had at our wedding."

Beth Young - August 26, 2006

"We are a tough crowd and Mark made our event great!"

Scott Stastny - Special Olympics - August 19, 2006

"Thanks to Mark for doing a great job for the Special Olympics Car Show. From 50's Rock & Roll to all the modern music, they played it all."

Melissa & Mike Waldron - August 11, 2006

"Our backyard turned into a festive place with Mark helping make our event one to remember."

Michelle Teatac - June 24, 2006

"To say the least, we are completely satisfied and truly enjoyed Mark and Sounds Abound and the music they played."

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