As fans of live dance music, we're used to life on the road. Our daily lives are constantly being adjusted and rearranged to accommodate the next big festival. We plan. We organize. When the time comes, we pile into cars and planes, and off we go. As the 2014 festival season comes to a close, most of us reflect on a summer of massive production and incredible music.
What about the artists? I began to wonder what festival life is like for a DJ.
To my surprise, Dim Mak CEO Steve Aoki seemed incredibly lighthearted towards the struggle. Steve played at almost every major U.S. festival this summer:
“It's not about surviving. As long as we get here, we're treated with luxury. The turnover is so fast at a festival, all I have to bring is me.”
What's the secret to success? Steve says it's all about simplicity. Don't try and do too much. If the festival is providing the visuals; leave yours at home, if transportation is offered; take advantage – don't be fancy, “showcase the music.”
“Whenever you introduce new technology, there’s so many ways for it to fall apart. TomorrowLand 2012 was the first time doing Video Serato (to embed video into music) it was really buggy. Computers were crashing, backup computers were crashing”
“When I do a Steve Aoki tour I bring 2-3 buses filled with people doing production. At a festival, the simplest route is the best route. Bring a USB stick – play the music.”
So how does an artist, like Steve Aoki, spend his time at festivals?
“We come here and we talk to people. We talk to people about what's going on. We talk about our music and we talk about the culture.”
It's important to have a routine. Every artist is different. Some do yoga, and others like champagne & bananas. Ultimately, like with any genre, the artist is the product. The keys to surviving festival season is a responsible balance of simplicity and staying healthy.
