Born in London in December 1963, Justin Berkmann is the second son of Joseph Berkmann and his second wife, Jean Berkmann (née Barwis) and younger brother of Marcus Berkmann, a successful author.

Berkmann is the founder of the nightclub and brand, Ministry of Sound

Ministry of Sound

Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...

 (now MSHK Group). Since its conception in 1991, the company has grown from a nightclub in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

’s Elephant and Castle

Elephant and Castle

The Elephant and Castle is a major road intersection in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is also used as a name for the surrounding area....

 to a global multi-media business. Berkmann's initial involvement was from January 1990 until May 1994, and was resident DJ and Artistic Director during that period, he then rejoined in 2006 to build their franchise clubs in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 and Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

Professional career

Berkmann worked through the Wine Industry, with wine brokers MLC in Beaune and in Chassagne Montrachet with Albert Morey.
In 1986, he moved to New York City and started to DJ, after visiting Paradise Garage. On the closing of the club in 1987, Berkmann moved back to London to build a similar club. He did that when he met James Palumbo

James Palumbo

James 'Jamie' Palumbo is the co-founder and Chairman of Ministry of Sound Group, the international music and nightclub business.He was born in London on June 6 1963, and educated at Eton College and Worcester College, Oxford...

and Humphrey Waterhouse at the end of 1989. Within 21 months the club Ministry of Sound was opened. Berkmann was in charge of booking the talent and being resident DJ until 1994.

Following this, Berkmann continued to DJ. He rejoined Ministry of Sound in 2006 to assist with the design and sound installation in the Ministry of Sound, Singapore, later to become Venues Development Manager for MoS International, and creating the concept and design for their club in Kuala Lumpur, Euphoria.