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Part 2

Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do life and creativity feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?

I wish I could say I had a fixed schedule, but it’s not something I am very good at maintaining sadly! It changes all the time. Life and creativity and music tend to roll into one for me. Of course I try to cut off from work as much as I can when I am with family and people close to me.

Let's say you have a gig coming up tonight. What does your approach look like – from selecting the material and preparing for, opening and then building a set?

I’ll have probably been thinking about the gig at the start of the week and began to download some new tracks I might potentially use. Normally, I will be collating music in my notes, playlists on Soundcloud, playlists on Youtube etc, so when I start thinking about a new gig I will take some time to go through anything new I have added to these lists and download what I want. Later on in the week, I’ll take a few hours to organise all of my downloads, then I’ll begin to sort out a playlist specific to the gig. I’ll spend some time later on relistening to the tracks a few times just to familiarise myself with anything new.

I have no strange pre gig rituals though if I’m feeling extra nervous, I’ll have a drink or two. Generally speaking I don’t like to play too drunk – most of the time I am completely sober unless I have some friends there, too. During the build up of the set, I try to be as in tune with the crowd as possible. I always have alternative paths in my head about where the direction of the set might need to go.

Can you describe your state of mind during a DJ set? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

My ideal state of mind is just being completely in the zone with the music and crowd. Also feeling confident and relaxed. Things that could help this are sometimes having a good friend nearby or maybe having a drink to ease any jitters. I still get quite nervous at times but generally speaking, it wears off once I’m a few mixes in. Distractions are perhaps things like the equipment having technical issues or not being made to feel comfortable in the venue. I try not to let things like that get in the way though.

What are some of the considerations that go into deciding which track to play next? What makes two tracks a good fit? How far do you tend to plan ahead during a set?

For me it’s a question of whether the vibe I am creating is right at that moment or if I need to change it. If everything is good, I continue with the vague idea I have in my mind. In terms of making tracks a good fit, I think it really boils down to how well you know your music and how much of a good DJ you are. If the gig is super important, I might plan quite a lot. However, I am always open to this changing in the moment.

Would you say you see DJing as improvisation? As composition in the moment? Or as something entirely different from these terms?

I think every DJ is different. For me, it is probably fifty-fifty in terms of planning and improvisation. As I mentioned before, it really depends on how big the gig is and perhaps how nervous I am feeling about it.

How do playing music at home and  presenting it in the club compare and relate? What can be achieved through them, respectively, and what do you personally draw from both?

The feeling is always going to be quite different when you are presenting the music to others in a club environment.  You can really feel the energy of the room and of each person, which in turn feeds back to me. Both are enjoyable experiences of course but there is something quite special about sharing the music you love to a room full of receptive people.

How would you describe the relationship between your choices and goals as a DJ and the expectations, desires and feedback of the audience? How does this relationship manifest itself during a performance and how do you concretely tap into it?

It’s all about being in tune with your audience and being able to read the energy and emotion in the room. Yet at the same time, you must always remain true to your own identity and choices. Both of these things are equally as important as the other. I’m a very intuitive person and quite sensitive to different energies, so I feel like tapping into the audience comes quite naturally to me.

Especially thanks to the storage facilities of digital media, DJ sets could potentially go on forever. Other than closing time, what marks the end of a DJ performance for you? What are the most satisfying conclusions to a set?

The most gratifying conclusions for me are when I know I have successfully created a journey that has satisfied both the audience and myself. There is a point when you sometimes realise that, actually, this is the right moment for things to conclude. It’s better to end things on a high than to potentially drag things out to a flatter energy level.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

I feel that the social and political role for me is quite a large part of being an artist. It seems to come hand-in-hand for the majority of artists. I think this is because creatives have a natural tendency to be more perceptive and intuitive. I think to ignore this aspect is quite shortsighted, especially since DJs are such highly influential characters for many young people.


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