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 South Yorkshire, England, the Doncaster-based melodic-house master Franky Wah (aka Luke Storrs).
How have you spent most of your pandemic time? Improving on my piano and creating more structure within my daily routine. I’m up super-early in the morning and I make sure I stick to a strict schedule. Self-improvement has been the main thing for me.
Have things changed over time? Definitely – we’ve all had to adapt to working in a new way.
Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work? Absolutely. It would be hard to find anyone that’s involved in the music industry that hasn’t lost income-producing work, whether you’re an artist or working behind the scenes. It’s hit everyone.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I’ve spent the whole of lockdown writing in my studio – so, hopefully, that will result in music-related income!
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? For example, any releases during this period? I’ve been super-busy for the last few months with quite a few different releases. Towards the tail end of last year, I released “Haunted,” a four-track EP with the legend Sasha via Last Night On Earth, and I recently released “Should Have Seen It Coming,” another four-track EP via Anjunadeep. Lots of other projects also in the works that I’m sure I’ll announce soon.
What’s in your studio? I’ve managed to build my studio up over time, so I’m lucky to have a pretty decent setup in here now. Standout pieces of kit for me would be the Moog Sub 37 and my speakers. They’re the Focal Trios and they’ve completely changed the way I produce.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? It’s really highlighted that we should be grateful for the little things in life. This is a mindset that I’ve adopted for a while now, but lockdown has definitely highlighted that for me.
Have you done anything online recently? Not really! I feel like online, live sets were such a big thing at the beginning of lockdown, but they seem to have died down a bit now.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Structure, exercise and self-care!
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
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