D-Nice, Questlove & More: Here's a List of Every DJ Stream That Has Been Keeping us Sane During Quarantine
Photo Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage
It’s not just D-Nice. Over the last week. numerous DJs, producers, beatmakers, and artists have been streaming to the world from their living room. Here are some set mixes you can check out.
In the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 (otherwise known as coronavirus) governments and health organizations around the world have called for people to help prevent the spread of the virus by staying in their homes and avoiding large public gatherings. This practice of “social distancing” has obviously had a detrimental impact on the live music and nightlife industries.
As a result of this shocking turn of events, an untold number of nightclubs and venues have been forced to close their doors leaving DJs and beatmakers with no place to play and party-goers with no places to party. Utilizing common audio and video technology, the music community has responded with many DJs and beatmakers opting to stream their live mixes and beat sets from the comfort of their own homes.
No one has capitalized on this trend quite like legendary DJ D-Nice.
He started on Wednesday, March 18th. He took to his Instagram for Homeschoolin’: Social Distancing Dance Party, a 9-hour marathon mix of jams, ranging from ’80s R&B to contemporary rap. D-Nice then followed it up with Saturday’s mix, dubbed #ClubQuarantine. He started spinning at 3 PM PST and ran for nearly 10 hours, drawing a massive crowd of pedestrian and celebrity traffic, with everyone from Michelle Obama to Janet Jackson to Bernie Sanders to Stevie Wonder tuning in. That night D-Nice cracked 100,000 viewers.
He then returned for a set on Sunday. This time cracking over 150,000 viewers and seeing his Instagram break a million followers. (When he started he had about 200k followers.) He also got glowing write-ups in the New York Times and the New Yorker. D-Nice’s IG has emerged as the preeminent live-streaming dance party in the world.
But he isn’t the only one. Over the last week. numerous DJs, producers, beatmakers, and artists have been streaming from their living room on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. (In fact, Sunday, March 22nd, saw legends like Questlove, Just Blaze, DJ Premier, Nice, and more stream at the same time.) If you are going a little stir crazy — and who isn’t — here are a few dope mixologists that have been streaming during these trying times.
Hopefully, they will continue to bless us until this passes.
Questlove
Inspired by D-Nice, Questlove went to his Instagram Live and spun slow jams for nearly four hours. Quest dubbed the session #QuestLoversRock, and even rocked a Sade-inspired sweater in the process. (The sweater was designed by Nan. You can cop it here.)
DJ Premier
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4 My Born Day I Might Throw A Jam ON IG LIVE For A Bit… STAY TUNED… #ARIESSEASON
DJ Premier’s 54th birthday was on Saturday, March 21. He celebrated his birthday weekend by doing a monster hip-hop set on his Instagram Live. Let’s hope it wasn’t just a birthday occasion and he comes back.
Just Blaze
Photo Source: Just Blaze
Just Blaze just stopped spinning. Literally. like a couple of minutes ago. Just Blaze spent the majority of Sunday night and Monday morning spinning a wide range of jams. He spun for more than 12 hours, only stopping to chat with legends like Erick Sermon and Kid Capri.
Now @JustBlaze impressing @iAmErickSermon about facts about his own music and then they talked for like 10 mins about beat making, amazing, I can’t believe JB is still at it pic.twitter.com/PtwE5gvgDc
— A different Mike D. (@notTHEEmiked) March 23, 2020
Went to bed to @JustBlaze DJing with Ladybug Mecca @digableplanets tossing out incredible requests, woke up to him still going and making beats. Wow… wow. pic.twitter.com/u5oAqJ90LJ
— A different Mike D. (@notTHEEmiked) March 23, 2020
9th Wonder
Photo Source: 9th Wonder
Sunday was a busy night. Famed producer 9th Wonder joined in the fun by spinning some classic R&B jams on Instagram Live.
9th wonder got a red light district vibe going on over at his #ClubQuarantine after party! 90s vibe forreallllllllll pic.twitter.com/KjIFcDRUeC
— trippie (@richluxxe) March 23, 2020
“House music anyone?” While DJs were spinning R&B and hip-hop, the legendary DJ Tony Touch went to his Instagram on Sunday and spun house classics.
Kid Capri
At the stroke of midnight, Kid Capri went to his Instagram Live to chop up some iconic beats. If you ever wanted to see a master at work, this is your chance.
DJ Loosekid
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Plies’ DJ Loosekid has been keeping fans quarantined spirits high with his #Instalounge sets. He’s already had multiple streaming sets and doesn’t seem like he’s stopping anytime soon.
Matthew Law
Philly-born and raised turntablist Matthew Law is known for rocking dance floors around the world. Recently, Law has been taking to IG every night at 8 PM EST for hashtag #LawslairRadio, dropping lovely sets full of rare grooves and underrated jams.
Diplo
Streaming live from his living room, Mad Decent founder and renowned DJ/Producer Diplo has been regularly going live, His tasteful, inventive mixes touch everything from house music and global sounds to minimal electronica and beyond.
Romain PG – Stay Home Club
Streaming live on Facebook, DJ Romain PG’s Stay Home Club represents a broad, musically eclectic approach to DJing. Pulling from his own record collection, Romain PG’s home genre-specific sets have included everything from disco to funk to soul to metal.
Cosmo Baker
Hands down, one of the best DJs in the world, Cosmo Baker is known for his energetic, feel good sets. Rocking everything from uplifting disco to classic club jams live on Instagram and Facebook live. Cosmo states that his inspired mixes are designed to help us “dance our way out of the darkness.”
Stlndrms
Atlanta-based producer and sound designer, Stlndrms is known for his viral beat making videos. He routinely plays live on IG and Facebook and is always a source for lush sounds and knocking drums.
Illmind
For years, veteran producer Illmind has been racking up credits on underground classics. Recently, he pledged to make beats live on his YouTube channel every day for the next month, promising beats that range from “Grimy Illmind” and “Dilla swing Illmind” to Boom Trap Illmind.”
Boiler Room
An industry leader in music-related live-streaming, Boiler Room is known for broadcasting live sets from some of the best DJs from clubs around the world. In addition to broadcasting some classic mixes from their impossibly deep archive, Boiler Room is also live-streaming sets from the homes of some renown DJs, bringing the global club experience directly to viewers.
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John Morrison is a writer, DJ, and sample-flipper based in Philadelphia.
