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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.

For the short-term (hopefully), DJ Times will be presenting the questionnaire responses from talented music-makers from all over the world. Here’s another installment from Ferry Corsten!

Ferry Corsten, Flashover Recordings, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

What’s it like where you are? Right now, Holland is on, I guess what you could call, a semi-lock down. Schools and child care centers are closed except for children that work in vital sectors of the economy, such as health care, food, and transport, for example. Restaurants, clubs, and bars are closed down. You can, however, still order delivery food and go to some restaurants for take-out, but they have strict guidelines, similar to when you go to a supermarket or drugstore. Keep 1.5-meter distance from each person at all times. Some shops even allow only one person in at a time. Everyone is advised to work from home, If possible. Obviously, this can change at any moment in time, depending I think on how fast the virus is spreading and if the hospitals/health care centers will not be able to handle the influx of the demand.

How have you been spending your time? I’ve been spending most of my time at home with the family and in the studio. We’ve established a schedule for ourselves every morning and to take a walk in the park/forest, before I go to the studio and the kids start their home-schooling. At the moment, we are still allowed to go outside and walk with the children, provided that we practice social distancing. Starting the day like this helps us clear our head and feel like we are “going to work and school” with this simple exercise. We live close to a couple of forests. We also go very early in the morning and therefore there are only very few people.
 
Have you lost income-producing work? When the COVID-19 virus first erupted in Wuhan, I definitely had a few shows in China that were about to be confirmed that were moved to an indefinite date. Since it’s spread to pretty much all over the world now, a lot of my shows in the near future are currently being scheduled to new dates. We are currently working on it and will announce what will happen soon.
 
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I’m very lucky that I’m first and foremost a music producer. A lot of DJs have ghost producers that produce for them and claim it as their own. I have always made my own music. Funny enough, I became a DJ through the success of my musical productions and a series of DJ compilations. My career changed from that moment on to being a DJ as well. It’s always been a struggle for me to balance both careers as this means I’m constantly working.

Read More: Ferry Corsten Shares His Essential Studio Gear

 
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? Looking at the positive side of this virus is that now I can finally take some time off from DJing/travelling and concentrate fully in the studio. I actually came up with a new concept called FERR wherein I produce neo-classical/chillout music. I made an album last year working on this material, aside from my normal dance releases and DJ shows. It’s going to be released on Friday. I’m also working on material for my new What The F album and show.
 
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? The importance of basic hygiene.

Have you considered doing anything online? Seen anything out there that you like? I think it’s great that people are doing various things like live mixes and DJ video streams. I’ll be honest with you – I don’t really check them, as I’m too busy working on my new productions from the album… and various activities with the kids in my free time. I have been making music with my children, though… maybe I should release that!

What’s your music of the moment? I would really love it if you check out my upcoming FERR by Ferry Corsten album, As Above So Below. It’s this series of neo- classical/chillout productions that I made. I also have a Spotify playlist called Stillpoint by Ferry Corsten. If you want to chill out from all this madness that’s going on at the moment, listen to that.

Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Keep calm, be realistic, and think of others, especially those in the higher-risk category during these hard times. Everyone is being affected one way or other, but working together will help everyone get through these tough times.

To check out more interviews, click here.

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