Austin Cassim (20) may be young, but his age never stopped him from dreaming big and striving for his dream of becoming a DJ while balancing studies and enjoying life.

Tell us about your personal life?

“I was born in Benoni and currently live in Morehill. I am the youngest of three siblings: Kyle and Danielle Cassim.”

Was music always your passion?

“My father, Zac Cassim, inspired me to love DJing because he was a DJ when he was younger. My older brother, Kyle, is also a DJ, so naturally I developed the love for DJing and I started DJing at house parties from 2007 to 2012. The genre I play is house music and electro.”

What have your achievements been in the music world?

“I think my big break came when I started playing at the Rage Festivals from 2014 to date. However, I played at several events which were significant to me, including winning my first DJ competition in Linksfield at the age of 15, Wonderland Festivals (2013 until date, which will be in April), closed for Euphonik at a St Dunstan’s social (2012) and opened for Locnville at a social (2014), H2O (2015) and I played at Ultra South Africa (2016) at the age of 19. I have also played music in Mozambique with Kyle when we formed our duo called Cinimin (2015).”

What are your hobbies?

“I love playing indoor soccer and playing PlayStation, especially Fifa.”

People know you as a DJ, but what don’t they know about you?

“I have family lunch every Sunday; I still enjoy watching cartoons and cannot wait for Toy Story 4 to be released. I enjoy arts and design, and often design flyers; and I consider myself a religious person – I pray every night before bed.”

What are your goals?

“I have travelled to Durban, Cape Town, Port Shepstone, Nelspruit and Mozambique to DJ, but I would like Cinimin to release our music to radio stations and eventually travel the world.

I also want to complete my degree.”