Imagine what it’s like playing an electrifying show for hundreds if not thousands of people — all vibing out with you, hanging on every moment with you — only to come down from that high completely alone, on a 10 hour flight home to an empty apartment.
Maybe some of you reading this have experienced that same emptiness, an unfortunate yet inevitable scenario that comes with being a DJ. For the artists including Carl Cox, Luciano, Seth Troxler, Erick Morillo, B.Traits, Ben Pearce and Pete Tong, and other music professionals, it’s just another day on the job.
In this revealing documentary, Why We DJ – Slaves To The Rhythm, DJsounds “delves deep into the psyche of the DJ, exploring the motivations that drive people to pursue a career behind the decks in the first place and the effects it can have” both physically and mentally. Through the ups and the downs, the extreme highs and lows, this is what DJing is like for many performers on the road. 
Many of the following accounts in their documentary speak of getting into a routine, or a “loop” so to speak, whether it’s with scheduling, traveling, partying, drinking or drugs, or simply staying up too late. These types of loops can turn into a downward spiral if not handled with the utmost attention.
The trade off with these dark places comes in sharing the love and art attached to music. Being in the spotlight is often times a selfless gig that definitely deserves a closer look… Here it is.
Why We DJ – Slaves to the Rhythm
Photo via Rukes.com
