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 Los Angeles, the Grammy-winning, house-music standard-bearer Todd Edwards.
What’s it like where you’re living? How are you spending most of your time? I feel very blessed living in Los Angeles. It’s always sunny, and I don’t know if I could handle lockdown very well without the great weather. I’ve spent a full year of only going shopping for groceries and necessities. The only other place I go to is the studio. The last couple of months, the pandemic, it started to get to me. But honestly, I’ve been the most productive I’ve ever been. I composed over an album of material in 2020.
Have you lost important gigs, or income-producing work? If so, very briefly, what kind? Like most dance-music producers, I rely on DJing to pay a good portion of bills… so, not being able to play clubs or festivals last year did sting. However, music advances and royalties have kept me going. I’m very thankful for that.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? Any recent releases? My latest release is “The Chant” on Undisputed Music. I’m definitely going to be looking to release some more of my work on different labels and focus on releasing a lot of what I made in 2020 on my own label. Hopefully, it will bring in revenue and also continue to inspire DJ gigs, if clubs and festivals begin again, as they’ve been planned to.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? I’ve gotten back to listening to classics, disco specifically. There are endless techniques and ideas to learn from even the songs we’ve listened to thousands of times. Every so often, I reach a new level of musical understanding. I used to call them “spiritual enlightenments,” which they may very well be. The best way to describe it is that something clicks in my mind, and I understand something clearly that I never did before. I’ve had that happen this past year.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? The quarantine made me come back to who I am, which is a music composer. I do love DJing and I enjoy touring, but I feel my time is best served making music. It’s my first passion.
Have you considered doing anything online like a Facebook Live mix? Have you seen any DJ video streams that impressed you? Honestly, I haven’t watched much DJing on Facebook. That definitely would have been time better spent than just scrolling through my feed [laughs]. I would really like to do something educational on a live feed. I love nerding out about making music and discussing the process. That’s definitely something I’ll be addressing in the near future.
Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? My theme tune for the new year is “A Brand New Day” from the 1978 film version of “The Wiz.” I actually want to do a remix of it for my upcoming DJ sets.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? I’ve had so many peaks and valleys in my music life – this pandemic has been no different. Keep your head up, be as productive as you can, no matter what you do, and keep pushing forward. And joke about everything! Humor is great to deal with even the darkest times… and, of course, listen to good music.
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
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