It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic hit the creative industries harder than ever, more specifically the world of music. Clubs and venues were closed, with some even shutting up shop for good, leaving artists with no avenues to perform and losing out on valuable, life-altering income from gigs and shows.
Over the last year, as vaccinations have rolled out and normality of life has somewhat begun to be restored, bookings for performers has thankfully started to pick up once again and our beloved club culture is back on the rise.
To get the lowdown on what life really is like for artists following the pandemic, we caught up with three dynamic DJs from different scenes to discuss how things have changed and what the future holds for their artistry. In short, we’re thrilled to say it’s sounding positive – and that now is a monumental time to start your career as a DJ, host or performer. Check out what they had to say below in our mini-documentary: Back On The Dancefloor – How Covid Affected DJing.
More about the DJs:
Tailor Jae
The winner of pointblank and Resident Advisor’s Young Producer Scholarship, Tailor Jae, has since gone on to play alongside the likes of Kurupt FM, Spooky and more and guested on Rinse FM as well as Keep Hush UK with Conducta and the Kiwi Rekords crew. Most recently, Tailor Jae was nominated for DJ Mag’s Best of British 2021.
Doug Dee
Born in Sao Paulo and based in London, Doug Dee is a resident DJ at Circa Embankment and Orange Nation. He’s performed at some of the biggest clubs in the UK and abroad, including Egg, Ministry of Sound, Matinée and Pacha. At the beginning of his career, Doug was the winner of Ku Bar’s DJ Quest and Boyz Magazine’s award for Best New DJ. In addition to being a Music Production Graduate, Doug has recently joined the Recruitment Team at pointblank Music School and is currently working on his first tech house album. Follow Doug Dee on SoundCloud where he regularly uploads his stellar mixes.
Bailey
Co-founder of Soul In Motion LDN and a DJ for Metalheadz, Michael Bailey aka Bailey, is also part of the pointblank team, lecturing for our DJing and Radio Broadcasting courses. The former BBC 1Xtra presenter remains a staple in the drum and bass scene with regular shows on Reprezent Radio and gigs at London’s Phonox, The Pickle Factory and more.
If you’re interested in starting your career as a DJ and getting your foot in the door of one of the most exciting industries to work in, pointblank can help. We offer courses in Music Production & DJing, which you can study to degree level for either 2 or 3 years, as well as our newly relaunched Radio, Audio & Podcasting course. You can find out more about our courses by heading to our website or contacting a course advisor. You can also give us a call on 0207 729 4884. If you’re calling from outside of the UK, call +44 20 7729 4884, and if you’re in the USA call 323 282 7660.
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