Meet Vivek Amin | Amin Sound Entertainment, Owner & Booking Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vivek Amin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vivek, what is the most important factor behind your success?

Growing up with an extensive background in music, I fell in love with DJing and sound production at the age of 8. I knew how to wrap XLR cables before I could ride a bike. I would spend hours practicing “DJing” on Virtual DJ on my dad’s old Sony Vaio laptop. I tried to understand the anatomy of songs; how verses, choruses, and instrumentals come together to make a piece, and how those elements can be rearranged and blended with other songs to create new music. At the age of 12 secured my first paid DJ gig, a five-year old’s birthday party. Over time, my clientele slowly grew and the events became more complex; from birthday parties to now being an integral part of Arizona’s South Asian wedding industry. In the past ten years, I have founded and expanded a profitable sound & production company, Amin Sound & Entertainment or “ASE”. From these experiences, I have learned invaluable skills such as leadership, perseverance, discipline, time management, and communication.

As my guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj used to say, “In the joy of others, lies our own. I genuinely enjoy bringing joy to other people. I enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life, learning their stories, and being able to provide a therapeutic escape from reality through music. I believe the success behind ASE or simply, the “DJ Amin” brand is the care and respect I aim to give each of my clients and events. I understand what an immense responsibility my clients are entrusting me with; I get to actively participate in one of the most joyous occasions in people’s lives. With that mindset, I treat each event like it’s my own family’s, and due to that, I automatically will put in my best effort and will try my hardest to make sure that the client has the time of their life. Also, while I’m DJing during open dance floors, I’m dancing, laughing, and having a great time behind the booth because I wholeheartedly LOVE what I get to do every weekend, and that energy is mirrored by my guests on the dance floor. To summarize, I think the brand is successful because of how I treat people, the hard work I put into my events, and I genuinely love what I do, that’s all it is at the end of the day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I graduated from the honors college at Arizona State University in 2020, with a bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Global Studies. I am grateful to have been offered a chance to study medicine at Midwestern University starting this August of 2022.

In the fall of 2017, I alongside five of my friends created an interest group to establish the first and only South Asian fraternity in the history of Arizona State University. We have now grown to over 40 members and are fortunate enough to represent and showcase our South Asian culture and heritage within ASU’s Greek Life community.

Article: https://www.statepress.com/article/2020/02/spcommunity-asu-first-south-asian-frat

Alongside those responsibilities, I also was running Amin Sound & Entertainment. Being one of the only dholis (Indian drum players), and one of the few South Asian wedding DJs and emcees in Arizona, my weekends were usually almost always booked with events.

I am very fortunate to have an amazing support system of friends, family, and vendors that helped me in many ways so that I was able to successfully fulfill all my roles and responsibilities to the best of my abilities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Being quite the foodie throughout college, I made a list of vegetarian food spots in Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Phoenix, and Gilbert, with specific food items that I enjoyed at those restaurants because sometimes, you go to the right restaurant and end up ordering the wrong thing. That list has been shared countless times across our friend groups. So picking the best food spots might be tough because there are a lot of great options in the Valley.

Food/Drink Spots:

Green Corner Restaurant – bomb Mediterranean food, big portions
Gadzooks – modern baked enchiladas w/ cornbread filling
Two Hands Corn Dogs – the Spicy Dog w. mozzarella instead of the hotdog
Casanova Bros – deep dish veggie pizza
Toca Madera – great veggie enchiladas, super upscale vibes
Chicago’s Pizza w/ a Twist – tandoori paneer pizza and spicy Indian garlic bread
Novel Ice Cream – donut ice cream sandwich – bourbon ice cream w. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
DeFalco’s – Eggplant Sandwich
Postino – Bruschetta: Almond hummus, Sweet and Spicy Jam, Roasted Red Peppers, Brie & Apple, Seasonal, etc.
Sol Mexican Cocina – good guac, specialty veggie options
Sugar Bowl – old school ice cream shop
Frost Gelato – sea salt caramel, toasted marshmallow, Stracciatella

Things To Do:
Sedona Day Trip – good hikes, Chai Spot, Slide Rock if weather is warm enough
Old Town Scottsdale – shopping, food, nationally famous nightlife, and clubs
Downtown Phoenix – cool rooftop bars and speakeasies to explore
Hiking culture is huge here so Camelback Mountain, South Mountain, Piestewa Peak, etc.
Golfing
Lake Days
Tucson Day Trip
Jerome Day Trip
Flagstaff Trip

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’m a culmination of everyone I have ever had the pleasure of interacting with, even if it was the smallest interaction, I do believe that even those moments define you and shape you into the person you are. In terms of my story, the list of people to thank is truly endless; to name a few: my parents, my guru, my friends, my mandir (and the family I have built there), and all the vendors I have worked with and learned from.

Being the youngest DJ, Dholi, and MC in the Arizona South Asian wedding industry, I get the good fortune of being everybody’s younger brother (or even sometimes, son). To me, everyone I know and interact with on a regular basis is family and I treat them as such. So, if you’re taking the time out to read this, there’s a good chance I know you and I’d like to express gratitude from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, truly.

Website: https://thedjamin.com/#Home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djamin__/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekamin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vivek.amin.007

Other: https://soundcloud.com/vivekamin https://www.tiktok.com/@djamin__

Image Credits
Santiago Almada Photography Sameer Soorma Photography InLoveness Photography – Courtney Larson Balerina Films Ruby Rideout Photography Morga Productions LightRain Images Ushna Khan Photography Asaad Images