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 the U.K., the Swindon-based house-music maker Jaden Thompson.
How did you spend most of your pandemic time? At home with my family. I’ve been using the time to develop my sound more in the studio, as well as getting some rest.
Have things changed over time? Absolutely. I feel like our scene has definitely been affected by the pandemic – hopefully, some good will come out of it.
Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work? Most of my gigs have been rescheduled until later dates, luckily. Of course, a lot of income has been lost throughout 2020.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I started doing music-production lessons over Zoom. Surprisingly, a lot of people were interested in this.
Have you learned anything in the downtime? Yeah, a lot of production tips and tricks. Also, I started managing my time better.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/ career? For example, any releases during this period? I just released a single not long ago called “Closer.” Aside from that, I’m working on a lot of exciting projects that I’ll soon be announcing.
What’s in your studio? My [Native Instruments] MASCHINE, laptop and MIDI keyboard – that’s about it. I don’t have a lot gear, as I mainly use plug-ins… although I’ve got a list of synths that I want to get.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? The amount of DJs and “producers” that fell off when gigs stopped.
Have you done anything online recently? I joined Clubhouse – it’s surprisingly addictive and very good for networking.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Just have faith that the situation will improve. Don’t wait around, though; stay productive.
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
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