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 Germany, the Duesseldorf -based techno talent Plastik Funk (aka Rafael Ximenez-Carrillo).
Plastik Funk, Duesseldorf, Germany, Spinnin’/Hexagon
What’s it like where you’re living? How did you spend most of your lockdown time? I hunkered down in Ibiza where I split most of my time – I’m between there and Germany mainly now that I’m not on tour. I tried to keep as busy in the studio as I could and keep projects juggling. In between that, I just tried to keep busy with keeping my mind and body healthy and, luckily enough, we had some great weather in Ibiza this summer, even if the island felt shut down compared to the usual busy season.
Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work? Many, many. I think a lot of people did. There hasn’t been a single producer or DJ – or anyone in the arts or creative industries, really – that has not been affected. As the whole world quickly shut down, yes, I certainly lost the chance to tour and the remainder of my dates got cancelled for the foreseeable. Luckily, this spring and summer has seen infection rates slow and as we learn more about the pandemic, bookers and venue owners have really shown amazing initiative in being able to – very safely – put on events in line with restrictions and social distancing – from drive-ins to household bubbles only attending. Of course, it isn’t the same, but it shows the resilience and strength of people who have adapted to keep people in work and offer fans a release.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? Have you learned anything in the downtime? I have been very much focusing on producing, remixing and collaborations for the rest of the year. This year, I released on Spinnin’, Don Diablo’s Hexagon, Generation Smash and Laidback Luke’s Mixmash Bold. This year has been very different for us all, but I’m super thankful to be in this privileged position that I still get to create music for a number of labels I’m super-proud to be a part of.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? As mentioned, more new music is on the way – coming very soon!
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? The ingenuity of people, creators and the general positivity. It’s been a tough time for everyone, but seeing people come together and support each other has been amazing.
Have you done anything online recently? Have you seen any DJ video streams that impressed you? I’ve done a number of streams for various clubs such as Big City Beats online – the space is pretty saturated at the moment as everyone figures new ways to adapt. But there have been some excellent streams and it’s great to spin it in a positive light, that people can enjoy their favorite artists from anywhere in the world from their own home.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Keep talking, communicating and staying positive, hopefully the end is in sight…
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
