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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. 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 popular German comic/actor/DJ Flula (aka Flula Borg).

DJ Flula, Los Angeles, Calif., Flula Borg International


What’s it like where you’re living? How have you spent most of your time? I have been in Los Angeles since the lockdown started. I spent most of my time having conversations with Rodney, a magical unicorn that was birthed from a small egg on my desk. Was he real? Who can know – not me? Rodney disappeared a few weeks after his birthing, but not before we decided to become BFAMs – brothers from another mothers. I hope to reunite with him in the metaverse soon.

Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work? I did lose my mind, and yes, many jobs as well. I was having a weekly secret DJ set for two millionaire hermit sisters in a house in the Hollywood Hills, but we had to stop because of COVID, which was a major bummer for me – and them, and their 13 dogs. In the meantime, I made some custom mixtapes for friends and did some very fun voiceover work.

Did you learn anything in the downtime? Yes, I learned a lot about cryptocurrency, which made me enjoy several “emotional roller coasters,” as my boopycoins and blompy dollars or whatever went from zero to 1 billion every few minutes.

What are you doing now that’s ultimately constructive to your music life/career? For example, any music releases during this period? Yes! I did release a children’s album in early 2021 called It’s For You with my friends Go Banana Go!, which was very nice to make music for the children peoples of earth! It was so fun and a great reminder to ignore pressure and “perfect” and to just enjoy dopeness and friendship! Also, I am combining my love for music with some other loves. I am now in the studio producing some songs about super villains, a creative direction I am exploring because of “The Suicide Squad” film that I am in that is coming out in August.

If you have a studio, what’s your set-up? I like to make things very simple and primitive, because like ODB, I love to make it raw when it is possible. I still use old loopers to create many tracks. So, things like my Line 6 Looper, TC-Helicon VoiceLive, and Boss RC-505 are super-great for this. My most vintage hardware is my trombone that I stole from my friend Michael in Grade 7. Sorry, and danke schön, Michael.

What’s your creation process in the studio? I like to begin with very small ideas that I record as voice-memo files, or a word or phrase that I cannot stop saying during my day that I write down in my very pretty Diary Journal. I try to think very, very little about it after this, and just create. My brain is usually the main item in the way, so I try to turn that off!

What’s your approach to DJing? When I am playing not-my-own songs, I begin immediately in the early 1990s… because this music feels to me so innocent but also dope; it is like a teenager just learning how to break the “rules” of music genres. I imagine it is just all of the genres hanging out in a bar together and saying, “Oh hallo techno, it is me rap; shall we dance together or perhaps enjoy a shot of Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee?” And then they do it and things like Snap! and C+C Music Factory are created. The energy of this music, who can deny this! And after this direction who knows? I just smell the energy of the crowd and they guide me sassy always.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period of social distancing? I am most surprised by how important hugs and high fives really are…. our brains and our hearts need these!

Have you done anything online recently? Have you seen any video streams that impressed you? I have been making some videos about things that confuse me, like baseball, Bitcoin, and humidity. As for streams I like, my most-favored streams are jammers! Shout out Justin Carter Music on Twitch – so much talent and great energy with a guitar. Also, the Bored Ape Yacht Club on YouTube is always streaming great music to just relax and be creative.

Any theme tunes recommended for the moment? I listen to “Higher Ground” by TNGHT on loop, because dope low brass samples make me forget all the problems of the world.

Any advice on staying sane & relatively positive through this situation? Yes! Stay connected with the people you care about!  These connections, even if they can only be digital, are so important for humans. I feel connections are so important for humans!

To check out more Life in Lockdown interviews, click here.

DJ Times Magazine is copyright © 2021 by DJ Publishing, Inc. www.djtimes.com