Does touring kill creativity?

There are exceptions to the rule, though. Look at someone like Kieran “Four Tet” Hebden, one of the hardest-gigging DJs on the circuit, but who also seems to drop a new album every couple of months. Or grime 'n' funk young gun Swindle, who likewise tours like a beast, but continues to not only keep the music coming but appears to be improving and diversifying too. So what's their secret? Well, it's probably no coincidence that neither indulge in Class A drugs, to start with. Also both have a fearsome drive: “I've burnt out a couple of times,” says Swindle. “On one tour I dislocated my shoulder, got salmonella and developed a kidney stone – but still managed to make all my shows and be creative.”

But there's one thing more than anything which Swindle talks about as keeping him sane on tour: jamming with other musicians. Just like Hebden, who is a serial collaborator, he obviously thrives on the human connection of the music-making process. “Every DJ sits around for hours in hotels then says they have no time,” he smiles, “but music is my priority so I make time, ask for studio opportunity and make sure I connect with musicians in every country music sends me to. These are opportunities that might not be around forever: how could I be in South Africa and not make music! That's my picture or souvenir, and it might be my next record too. To be honest, I see it as part of the deal, music takes me around the world it's only right I use that to give back to music.”

All musicians are different, of course, and not everyone can be a Swindle, grabbing whatever musicians are around and kicking out the jams at a moment's notice. But maybe there's something important to note here. Whenever we hear of the psychological stresses of the DJ/producer lifestyle, solitude is a recurring theme: the loneliness of endless travel, of strained or fleeting relationships, but also the loneliness Krystal Klear eloquently describes of being just one person with your own failings and insecurities yet being expected to switch on the dancefloor magic like a tap.

Certainly a good chunk of time out from touring can help rekindle a love with music production although that's not always realistic for those with debts or mortgages to pay. But maybe making time while travelling to work with others and remind yourself how fun music making can be might be the pressure valve that some of the musicians stuck on the CDJ treadmill might need.

Joe Muggs is a freelance journalist and regular contributor to Mixmag. Follow him on Twitter

Alex Jenkins is a freelance illustrator and regular contributor to Mixmag. Follow him on Instagram