What a DJ's 4,500 parties teach us about creative longevity

"How... how could you STILL be doing THAT?"

It's what they don't say out loud when you've been following a creative path for decades.

Canadian DJ and music producer Tiga has been at this for 25 years. This morning I stumbled across a live set he posted from the incredible Robert Johnson venue in Frankfurt.

What caught me wasn't just the music, but the note he shared alongside it.

It made me think about the paths we follow. The tension between what we love and what others think we "should" be doing instead. The strange looks when you're still pursuing that thing you started years ago.

You don't need to be into music to understand this. That feeling when their voices - or even just their eyes - say "how... how could you STILL be doing THAT?"

But if you can, if you are - isn't that something to celebrate? The persistence. The craft. Finding your groove and staying in it.

And it doesn't even need to be your full-time occupation. Perhaps that's the most important part.

Here's the DJ set. It's truly excellent. But the note? That might be even better.

the worlds gone crazy™️ and a lot has changed since 1992.
but this hasn’t, not really. this is what i do, and have been doing every night since i was 17.
i find records i love, not records i like, i fly to a city. i take a nap. i play the records for people. they dance. i get paid i go home.
sometimes i actually think there might be something wrong with me to STILL be doing this. am i stupid?
HOW…. how could you STILL be playing records for people at 5am. shouldn’t you have developed an APP? A line of Wellness Products? surely you should have “sold your company” by now? WRITE A DECK? raise capital!!!!
but then i play a set like this (link above) and remember that this is, in fact, as good as it gets, that the core idea i had as a 16year old was actually the BEST idea: to live a life surrounded and protected by MUSIC. armed with your favourite songs, the ones that keep you young and naive and confidant, the ones you want to share with friends.
so that is DJing for me. simple. not particularly revolutionary… except for the fact that to be excited and happy seems revolutionary these days.
also: i’ve played about 4500 parties. and most are like 6 or 7 on tens….. sometimes an 8.
this was a 10. and there are lots of exclusives and THREE of my new tracks. and its been recorded WITH all the crowd noise…. trust me its a good one.
if you only listen to one of my 4 hour sets this year…. make it this one.
love from montreal via Offenbach.