1. First and foremost, where are you from and how did you get the name "aMaN sTaTiS"?
Well im from San Jose, California (USA) << For all the international people reading this…. And aMaN sTaTiS came up to me by thinking of a unique way to portray myself instead of me calling myself Dj Aman ….I consider that a cheap shot….why u may ask? Well for the reason being everybody and their moms are calling themselves a dj nowadays….funny thing is 75% of the people who call themselves djs haven’t even touched equipment before…they get a hold of the famous mixing program called Acid Pro….and automatically theyre considered djs (in their heads)…well I see it a different way….I learned how to remix through that program but actually learned how to mix live by messing around with equipment and getting the hang of it….but when I first started off it was all remixing on the computer but even at that point I never called myself a dj….and actually even now I still don’t refer to myself as one, even though some people say “go dj, that’s my dj” (TASH!) haha but anyhow im glad that I thought of something original to go by…aMaN obviously being my name and sTaTiS coming from the word status but being spelled out as statis, if you really look at it… aMaN sTaTuS or aMaN sTaTiS…my point exactly! aMaN sTaTiS looks much better!
2. How did you get into the DJ business?
Well it all started off by remixing, I never saw myself doing parties…it was all just a passion of working with music, but what had happened was one day I get a call asking if I was available to dj, in my mind I was like oh wow my first gig, so from there we setup the gig and went on from there, the gig was a huge success and till this day I’ve been getting gigs everyweekend….I don’t only work by myself but with Deejay Pds & The Explicit Dholis (Jesse, Paul & Anu) and yes we’ve done some crazy parties over the years….there will be footage of our best gigs coming up on www.amanstatis.com shortly.
3. How old were you when you started mixing?
Well when I first started remixing I had to be about 14, but when I started to learn how to mix live I was about 17, never really got the hang of it till now, and until this day I learn something new….I’ve learned that you just gotta keep at it no matter what, eventually you’ll get the hang of it, just gotta give it your best…
4. Who are some of the artists you have worked with in the past or will be working with in the future?
Well thanks to Desi Production & BgD Events I’ve gotten the chance to be in lineups with huge producers & singers from the U.K including: RDB, B21, Mitch Hyare, Manak E, Nindy Kaur, Dr. Zeus and Dj Sanj….For the future lets see, the desi scene out here in the bay area is pretty much dead, I wanna explore the world and do gigs in different parts of the country and perhaps go out of the country and see how it is out there…
5. Is there anyone that helped you get to where you are today, or is aMaN sTaTiS a one man show?
Oh, there is no way aMaN sTaTiS is a one man show…I give all due respect to the main man “Mitch Hyare” I was lost until I met him…he actually sat me down and showed me the tips and tricks…everytime I had a question he was there to answer it no matter what…for that reason I always thank him in every album I release, because quite frankly without him and his help I might not be where I am today…
6. How many albums do you have out and are you expecting to release any in the near future?
Ummm as of now I got 2 albums out….Truthfully Speaking & Truthfully Speaking 2…the next release is already finished and its set to hit out stores in October its called Perfection and it will be released through BollyRecord Entertainment…I actually gotta give credit to Bollyrecord for all they’ve done…you can check out Bollyrecord @ www.BollyRecord.com its actually run by two guys Anand Sharma and Sunny Singh…I approached them and they didn’t hesitate to say yes we’ll release your cd, the first time I called them and asked they said sure we’ll do it, and for that I’m truly grateful…
7. Who do you look up to in the DJ industry?
In the dj industry I look up to many people who’ve inspired me, there’s actually 4 main people: Sukhi Dosanjh from the BPR Crew, Dj Ray (Rek-N-Effect) & The Brothers of Destruction Dj Sikhness & Dj Tech…these 4 main guys have conquered the name mixing live and show it every gig…these guys surely can’t be dealt with by anyone else, they got their shit on lock…for producers I lookup to many: Mitch Hyare, RDB, B21, Dr Zeus, Dj Sanj, Popsy, Aman Hayer, Sukshinder Shinda, Ravi Bal and there’s plenty more but these 9 are the main ones, they have done so much for the punjabi music scene..
8. Do you like the mix of hip-hop and bhangra, or are you more like the old school generation who likes straight bhangra?
Well it’s a matter of both, I started off doing nothing but remixing Punjabi music with hip hop and rap, but nowadays I’m moving away from that and tryin’ something new… I really appreciate what Dhol Beat International have done with their music…they didn’t even touch remixing Punjabi music with hip hop they did straight bhangra which works for everyone, nowadays I’m trying to explore my options with remixing rock, dhol, and reggae into Punjabi music and give it a different spice..
9. What makes you so different from all the other DJ's trying to make it to the top?
Style, I’m tryin’ to go a different way which makes me unique in my own way and try to stay away from the same shit everyone else is doing…Meaning remixing Punjabi music with rap or hip hop…that’s what everyone does so for me to stand out I got to do something different which people haven’t heard and will be very fond of…
10. Last, but not least, now's your chance to give your shot-outs and promote your work aMaN, so let's hear it!
Ohhhhhhh My Favorite Part!!!! First off I like thank Mitch Singh Hyare for all his help and for what he has done to get me here, like I said without him I wouldn’t be anywhere….Be sure to check out www.aMaNsTaTiS.com (Thanks To Lovedeep Kaloti) and grab your copy of Truthfully Speaking 1 & 2 from your local shops…..Perfection is on the way…Bollyrecord & I will be releasing it in October 2005…Big up to Desi Production & BgD events for all they’ve done for me… Explicit Dholis, make sure you guys look out for this young and talented group of dholis who will definitely be taking over soon with their stylistic abilities…They’re also featured in Perfection, so look out for that…Last but not least of course the people who’ve supported me over the years, and yes that meaning the fans, thanks for all the feedback and keeping me up there! I really appreciate it!....There’s a lot more coming out so make sure you keep it locked at www.amanstatis.com and www.punjabisongs.com
