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 Sweden, house-music maker Tobtok (aka Tobias Karlsson).
What’s it like where you are? Here in Sweden we haven’t had as many restrictions, actually. We’ve been free to be out and go to restaurants and whatnot – it’s been a big difference from most countries. I’ve always worked from home, so it doesn’t change my daily life very dramatically. I spend most time right now just hangin’ out with my girlfriend, making home-cooked food and working on music.
What income-producing work have you lost? I didn’t have many gigs scheduled, so it didn’t hit me very hard on that front – but I had a lot of plans that’ve been cancelled. I get most of my income from production work and it has seemed to have gone down a bit in demand on the remix-front. But I’m staying strong and focusing on original material which I have plenty to do with.
Are you doing anything now that can or will produce music-related income? I’m just focusing on my original music, which has been the biggest source of income over the last couple of years. One of my most recent releases is a collab with Fubu called “Freak Like Me” feat. Kate Wild.
What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? I’m arranging all my files on the computer and backing everything up, which is a hassle, but well worth the while.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? That I’m quite the introvert and love to just sit on the sofa for hours [laughs].
Are you doing anything online? Have you seen any DJ video streams that impressed you? I’ve been thinking about doing more of a casual stream on Twitch, where I might do some producing or playing games. I’ve seen the Bob Sinclar live-stream which has been incredibly good. He’s such a character!
Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? I’ve been listening to The Weeknd’s “Scared To Live” a lot.
Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Don’t read the news more than twice a day! I got into a black hole in the beginning of the outbreak in Europe and just constantly updated my news apps, which just gave a lot of anxiety.
To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.
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