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 the crisis, DJ Times will be presenting the questionnaire responses from talented music-makers from all over the world. Here’s our latest installment, this time from Holland: Amsterdam-based EDM DJ/producer Jay Hardway.
What’s it like where you are? It’s very weird living in a city like Amsterdam with almost everything being closed. Restaurants, bars, museums and so on are all closed here. Normally, Amsterdam is crowded with tourists and locals, but now some parts are like a ghost town. I live in Amsterdam and work in my studio in Haarlem, where I’m luckily still allowed to go, as it’s my job and we don’t work with that many people in the same building. So I go to my studio almost every single day and make music, stream live sets and try to interact with fans a bit more.
Have you lost income-producing work? All shows that I had planned are either cancelled or postponed. No one really knows yet what the summer will bring and if festivals are allowed to go on, so it’s all super-unsure. Luckily, I can still release music, but the majority of my income usually are my performances.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I can still create and release music. I’m also live-streaming DJ sets and studio sessions, but that isn’t really a source of income. That’s mostly for fun and educational purposes for my fans.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? I have been touring non- stop for over six years, and I now have to stop and stand still for a while. There’s no choice in this situation. For me, it’s very interesting to think more about what I was doing and what I want to do with my career and life in the future. So, I feel like taking things slow right now is actually a good side effect of the whole situation.
Are you doing anything online? Have you seen anything that you like? Yes, I did a couple live streams already and planning on doing way more. It’s super fun, especially to interact with fans during live streaming. As I have been busy setting up my live-stream I actually haven’t had much time to check out other DJs live streaming, but I did see Don Diablo DJing in his swimming pool. You have to be either crazy or genius – or both – to do that! [laughs] But that one was next-level, super-impressed!
Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? The Specials’ “Ghost Town.” That was featured in one of my favorite movies, “Shaun of the Dead.”
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Slow down, no need to rush now. Take some time to think about where you are in life and things you’ve accomplished.
To check out more Life in Lockdown features, click here.
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