The Show Must Go On, Even In The Cold
It is always cold somewhere, and if you’re being contracted to DJ wherever that somewhere is, “the show must go on”. If you’re a DJ who tours a lot (or soon hope to be), at some point you will DJ outside. When that time comes, chances are it will be when it is really cold. This presents a unique set of challenges to a DJ. Especially one who intends on incorporating techniques such as scratching under less than ideal temperatures.
The best advice I can give a DJ that wants to integrate scratching (and other techniques that require precision hand movements) in their set but is forced to do so in single digit temperature like I did this weekend in Montana is:
1. Simplify Your Scratches
It isn’t paramount to go nuts on the cut if you want to show your audienced how skilled you are at scratching. Less is more as they say and less is easier when you can’t feel your fingers.
2. Keep Hand Warmers
You need to periodically make contact with a warm object. Hand Warmers like HOT HANDS are perfect since you can keep them in your pockets, and hold them at will.
3. Relax
Sounds crazy, I know. How does someone relax in frigid weather? When the body is not used to the cold, it tenses up. But tension constricts blood flow the same way cold air does. Every time I noticed myself stressing about the temperature in Montana, I told myself, “Mind over matter Rob,” and slowed my breathing down. This really helped unclench my body so that the blood circulating inside me could get where it needed to go.
You don’t have to turn down cold weather gigs. That said, getting through them WILL require thoughtful planning and a dose of mind power.