Why You Should Be Considering A Costume

Performing as a DJ/Producer seems to require more physical branding than we’ve ever seen, and we all know why. Performance craft as a DJ/Electronic artist is very confining. Differentiation of stage presence, if not downright critical, is in the very least an important function of the entertainer’s enterprise.  

A mix of the selfie-fueled social media age and marketing within electronic music that is no different to other genres is to blame. Marshmallow appears to be a human-confectionary mutant that you can spell with emojis, and that’s where we’re at currently. Image is not really going to break you in the industry, but it has a significant job in making you. So costumes people, curtain call is fast approaching.

1. Hair

Long black hair with a beard... almost unmistakably I’ve just described Steve Aoki. Good for him, This is the very startingpoint of the level of effort needed to establish an image. Don’t shave, use shampoo and brand yourself with a silhouette head-shot. But that's about it, the potential of using those long locks is wasted on Mr Aoki. Bassnectar wafting his locks about and creating the shimmering wobble perfectly partnered with the wobble bass, now that’s using your physical assets and taking the Cousin It look seriously.

Or, be like Nervo, if there is two of you and both of you appear strikingly similar, you have one of two paths to go down. You can distinguish yourself from your sibling, but remember the little name prompter that their tour manager shared with me once, ‘Liv-long-hair’.  Alternatively go the DVBBS route and sport Beatles-esque homogeneous cuts so we have no idea which one you’re looking at, but there’s still two of you, so, points?

2. Glasses

Few of us have seen Bono without his bug-eyed eyewear since the late 90’s. The man needs to wear them in spite of going on stage in front of a stadium wearing eyeliner. The point is that theatrical makeup accentuates the eyes, conveying performer’s character intentions. But enough about stagecraft makeup, spectacles basically achieve the same thing. This is a low-risk option because glasses are so pedestrian. The best thing about them is that hiding your crow’s feet and crimson blinkers becomes ever more simple.... DJ Snake.

3. Combine 1 with 2

I always thought that fashion of wearing frames without lenses as pretty strange. Having an asymmetrical haircut to boot obviously will establish some contrast, still not my bag. Combine the two and BOOM, Skrillex. So good was that move that, I guess you’d say his ‘likeness’, made a cameo in a Disney movie. Think about that few a moment. It’s a CGI of him, it’s not even him.

4. Hats

There’s one of two roads DJs can go down with hats. Firstly, take a common lid and make that your thing. Reverse baseball cap donned by so many, but let's say Avicii channeled Fred Durst best until his retirement. Don’t kid yourself, committing to one style of hat isn’t anyway required, Avicii’s countryman and prog-god Eric Prydz commits to the accessorizing presence of a hat rather than the style of such attire.

Secondly, adorn the cranium with a hat no one else could mistake you for. If Avicii is New Era, than Kölsch is Another Era. But for a DJ, it’s very a successful utility. It’s working so well for him because it creates a striking silhouette against the screens he’s performing in front of. I’m convinced he has realized this as he once wore much more conservatively sized fedoras, is currently in his Akubra stage and is nearing his sombrero final form. 

5. Masks

They’re tough to pull off, not literally. Masks have so many landmines laid around them that caution is a must. I bet Marvel’s lawyers looked at Bloody Beetroots and considered how closely he was sailing to infringing on their Venom property. Parallel thinking, maybe but still worth a consideration. If you’re Claptone and borrowing from Pantalone , that’s well within the public domain, so pretty safe. But maybe not, things that old tend to carry a few items of nasty racist cultural baggage with them, so maybe pick your face shield extremely carefully. But who cares when it’s possible to reappropriate the deeper meaning of the source and sell tons of long-nosed masquerade souvenirs at the merch stand. Just don’t just go full bank robber and lay out $5 to get yourself a balaclava, little merch potential there, too late.

6. Helmets

Let's skip Daft Punk and make the way to our the master of the strategy. The Mau5 himself gets it like nobody had before. The mascot draws the attention of the crowd. In any arena, anybody who knows about the live sports experience knows that. They’re the cartoonish figure shooting t-shirts, making over-the-top gestures, racing other mascots, etc., etc. The formula is simple, subvert the greatest mascot in the game and transport that character from the theme park main street to the species's other natural habitat, the events hall. Be forewarned, this is by far the most expensive and technical option to take, for obvious reasons.

7. Random Accessories

Rudimentary DJing is standing behind that riser and everything below is not always lost to the shadows. Uniforms are an interesting tactic. The Anna Lunoe trademark volleyball knee pads confused me when I first encountered her backstage at a festival. Why are you wearing those? You are a DJ, nobody’s going to see them behind the desk on stage. My complete ignorance was exposed when I watched her set and realized she hailed from the Diplo performing arts school for DJs where you learn to perform from on top of the desk. Checkmate Anna, checkmate.

Cam Weller has worked with artist on tours and festivals for more than 5 years, mainly in the dance and electronic music world. He has a communications degree from RMIT and produces content for organisations across various media.

@camweller