For one local DJ, the coronavirus outbreak has completely changed his performances. He’s finding new ways to connect with and entertain his fans, while also helping others in the field trying to navigate mixing music at home.
If you’ve been to a Washington Nationals game, you’ve most likely heard beats from Chris Stiles in the stadium.
As the official DJ for the Nats and for DC United, Stiles — who goes by Stylus Chris — isn’t DJing at games, as sports are on hold.
He also plays at local clubs and for dozens of weddings each year, but since the pandemic he has had to be even more creative than usual.
“The DJ world was completely shut down,” Stiles said.
Instead, he is performing at home.
“I think DJ livestreaming is absolutely going to be in there as one of these really substantial happenings of this whole pandemic, and where people were really feeling a sense of connection,” Stiles said.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, Stiles has been hosting a virtual performance through D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge on Wednesday nights and running a free live podcast with fellow DJs on Thursday nights called Nine @ 9, with a different panel each week that discusses the current climate of the music industry.
“There’s just a lot of education and outreach and things happening, like organically, right there, and it’s just really cool.”
Stiles is also co-founder of the Beat Refinery DJ school, through the school Bach to Rock, passing on lessons to help DJs get on their feet.
His weekly podcast brings it all together and connects DJs going through similar hardships to his.
“It’s really cool, because you’ve got guys that don’t really get to see each other that much or have ever known each other in person, but have followed each other’s DJ careers online, and now they’re getting to meet up,” Stiles said.
“So we do a little bit of, like, running the moderation for a bit, and then we kind of step away and just kind of let it all happen naturally.”
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