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 London, the Australian powerhouse duo/festival faves, NERVO (aka Olivia and Miriam Nervo).
How did you spend most of your pandemic time? Like everyone else, at home stuck in front of our computers – ha! No, actually, we have been fortunate enough to play some shows and we have been super-busy with making music and also spending time with family, so we cannot complain.
Have things changed over time? Yes, we are much more relaxed about the world not ending. The beginning of the pandemic was quite frightening. The shop shelves being emptied… yikes!
Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work? Yes, nearly all our shows were cancelled. A few of them moved to streams, but all-in-all our touring ground to a complete stop. We are hoping we can return to our old tour life soon!
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? Have you learned anything in the downtime? We have kept making music and, hopefully, that will generate some income in the future. Let’s see! I’d say, interestingly, we have learned a lot about cryptocurrencies in lockdown.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? For example, any releases during this period? We are super focused on new music – it was our original love, and we still love it! Releases in 2021 include a collab with Carla Monroe, “Gotta Be You,” on Thrive Music and, more recently, remixes for our track, “Hurt” featuring Frida Sundemo, on Proximity.
What’s your typical DJ set-up? The usual Pioneer DJ equipment, but also a lot of kids toys because the girls keep coming in and interrupting us!
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? That everyone really should embrace wearing masks – regardless of COVID. It’s gross that people cough and sneeze everywhere. Bring on hygiene, we say!
Have you done anything online recently? We are looking to do a few more streams for some clubs in Asia in the coming weeks. We’ll be happy to get back behind some decks.
Tell us about your performance with Hydeout a couple weeks ago – what should one expect from a virtual set with NERVO? It was such a fun set and a great time in Amsterdam. We loved being able to play records that weren’t the usual for a NERVO main-stage set. There were longer groves and less “obvious” tunes, I guess. You can check out our set here.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? This, too, will pass. Every morning, wake up and list five things you are grateful for. It’s important!
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
DJ Times Magazine is copyright © 2021 by DJ Publishing, Inc. www.djtimes.com
