When the Coronavirus shut us down, clubs and festivals ceased, and everyone was essentially forced inside with no definitive end in sight, DJ Times wondered: How is our tribe coping? How are DJs getting by? So, we sent out our “Coronavirus Questionnaire” to DJ/producers from all musical genres to find out.
During this period, DJ Times will continue presenting the questionnaire responses from talented music-makers from all over the world. Here’s our latest entry, this time from Finland, deeply eclectic electronic talent Yotto (aka Otto Yliperttula).
What’s it like where you are? I’m home in Finland and have been since February. Finland has been pretty good at handling the virus so far – we are, luckily, a small country that has social distancing as a part of our DNA. For now, most restrictions have been lifted and life is quite normal for us. We have even had some proper summer parties and I have been lucky to be back DJing for actual humans.
What income-producing work have you lost? Basically, every single show between mid-March and long into the future. On the upside, I have had time to be in the studio more than ever. That has been refreshing and will potentially create a bit of income in the future, but there’s always some obvious uncertainty with music.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I’m in the fortunate situation that I founded my label a year ago. I started by just releasing my own music, but have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support I’ve gotten, by artists and fans. We have a lot of great tracks coming soon. Odd Ones, Vol. 1 has some fantastic artists on it, Fat Sushi just released two great, smashing disco tunes, and there just may be another collab I’ve done with Lane 8 in the near future as well.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? Building the label has been one of the core focus elements this year. There’s a lot of collaborations being prepared with some great artists that will hopefully lead into some big releases and events in the future. Also, the fact that there are no shows has allowed a fresh perspective on demos and music-hunting, in general, as I have been able to let go of the obsessive concept that all records need to be tested for dancefloor functionality. I think this break has also completely reset my body from years of weekly time-zone jumps and endless travel. This will ultimately lead to better decisions when touring once again gets going.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? The importance of sleep and how much I actually don’t like commuting to the airport. Also, how digital will never, in my opinion, be able to replace actual humans in a physical space together.
Have you done anything online during this time? Have you seen anything that you like? I have done a bunch of streams from properly filmed, produced ones to Sunday streams from my kitchen. Have seen some pretty impressive setups, but the thing I have enjoyed the most has been artists letting people see them in a very mundane way, doing chats and streams from their living rooms with no pressure.
Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? Yotto’s “Personal Space” (obviously), The Postal Service’s “Sleeping In” and Magnet’s “Where Happiness Lives.”
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Stay in touch with friends and family, take care of your diet and body, stay up-to-date, but try not to read too much negative stuff online. Most importantly, don’t take on too much pressure about anything, just do what feels best for you and cut yourself some slack, too.
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
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