Twitch DJ Profile – Jen Symmetry (USA)

Jen Symmetry is one half of Twitch DNB DJ partnership slpdnb alongside husband Nick Merchant. We caught up with her recently to hear her story.

How did you discover Twitch?

A local DJ used it to stream shows, so I always knew of it, but all the DJs began talking about it during the lockdown as a way to stay in touch. So I wasn’t really interested in it until March 2020. I was never on any streams as a listener before, but Nick and I set up OBS and tried out the platform as DJs right away.

Who were the first DJ’s you started watching?

Living in Minneapolis, I would watch Minneapolis DJs first. A lot of promoters threw all-day online events at the beginning of the pandemic, so the first Twitch scene I had was my in-person scene. I had no idea there was an entire international community. The first community I started watching outside of the local shows was Proper Chicago dnb’s Twitch channel because I’d guest on there occasionally. From that channel, I saw a lot of other streamers pop in and say hi. I got a little bit of a feel of how expansive the community was from watching and guest DJing on that channel.

When and how did you first think about performing on the platform?

In March of 2020 during the shutdown, all gigs were cancelled for the foreseeable future, so I was looking for a way to continue DJing. My partner Nick and I decided to try out Twitch for the purpose of keeping our skills fresh starting in April. We started up with Twitch right away, and did very little for aesthetics at first. Most of our small community was local back then.

What would you say are the most positive things about DJ’ing live over the internet?

Meeting people from all over the world feels like the biggest benefit. I am so astounded by how close the Twitch drum & bass community has become over the last year and a half. We’re just starting to meet each other in person when traveling and it’s been very cool. It’s also great to be influenced by other regions. I’ve learned about a lot of little labels, producers and DJs that I wouldn’t have known about without Twitch. 

And the negatives?

It’s a lot of work. A lot of time and energy goes into the channel. It’s a labor of love though. Most of the time it’s very worth it. I think there were three months during the pandemic where I was just getting a little burnt out, but I took a Twitch break during July and August and felt glad to be back after that.

It can also be hard to put in all that time when you’re just starting  out and not getting many viewers. The community has a  lot of ways to help out new streamers with this though.    

What stream teams are you part of, and how did you become part of them?

United by Bass is Guddah’s Team, and Team Junglist is Etownjunglist’s team. I belong to both. These teams are set up to be a directory of all things breakbeat and junglist.

What does it mean to you to be in a stream team?

Teams provide a lot of exposure to the teammates, anytime you go to the team page, you can see who’s streaming. A team is led and chosen by a Twitch Partner. Up until now, in the dnb community at least, it has been pretty exclusive: most streamers are not part of a team, so it’s a great opportunity. The two teams I mentioned above are open to all drum & bass streamers.

How much of a challenge did you find setting up initially?

OBS took some time to get used to initially. We had a few tech issues when we got a little more involved with our stream, and eventually needed to buy new equipment, rearrange our studio, learn how to design scenes, and develop a lot of other new skills.  Initial setup wasn’t that tough, but it seems like every time we wanted to add to our stream, there were a few snafus.

Once, when we added a new interactive visual feature called kappagen, the feature got used so frequently by our chatroom that it froze our video. Afterwards, we learned which settings to choose to avoid that from happening, but when you’re streaming for 75 people and your video freezes indefinitely, it’s stressful.

The interactive chat while streaming has brought performing to a whole new level. You have a fan base that can reach out and talk to you while you play. How do you find that?

I love chatting with the chat room now. I was very nervous about getting on the mic at first and rarely talked. People tune in now to listen to music, but I think most people in the chat want to say hi as well.  A lot of people will listen without getting into the chat too, so it’s a matter of talking, but not so much that quiet listeners (lurkers) can’t enjoy the music. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about how much talking should happen in a stream. If I’m guest DJing on someone else’s show, I’ll chat less than I do on my own show.

So, on the subject of subscribers and donations, those ‘bits’ must come in useful in terms of keeping equipment running and buying new music?

It’s definitely nice when Twitch pays for itself or you get a little extra.

Do you see ‘Bit’ donations as an immediate reaction to how your performing, and what you’re playing?

Sometimes we have really high viewers and a lot of chatting but don’t get that many bits or subs for a show, but I see everyone having fun. Sometimes you have a smaller number of viewers, but receive a lot of cheers/bits from one person, or just a few people. There are so many variables, it’s hard to gauge your performance on immediate reactions. If you want to do this long term, it’s best to just go with the flow and not be too hard on yourself if you don’t get the ideal reactions on a certain day. 

What is the role of the ‘mod’, or moderators within your individual streams, and how important are they to you?

Moderators are essential if you expect more than a couple viewers. They keep the community safe by being able to ban bots and harmful viewers, first and foremost. It’s usually hard for the performer to keep a constant eye on the chat to that degree. They can also really help viewership by creating a welcoming environment and helping new viewers understand what type of interaction is available on the channel. They can assist with raids, welcome new viewers, add commands, keep the chat going, and just generally add so much value to channels.

Do you feel like you’re being exposed to more new music now, as artists and producers can send stuff to you live while you’re streaming, ready to debut ‘in the moment’?

I usually preview a track before I play it, so don’t usually play things that are sent to me during a stream. I do get a lot more promos from smaller artists to check out, and if they happen to pop into a stream after I’ve listened to it, I try to play it while they’re listening. That has been fun.There is a Twitch D&B community out there that is growing daily. This is a really exciting time to be broadcasting from home! (discuss).
I agree! I’d love for more junglists to find Twitch. It is such a supportive community.

What are your views on the longevity of D&B on Twitch post pandemic?

I think this format is probably going to stick around. Enough of the community is attached to it by now, and whether it’s on Twitch or another platform, people are going to want to share music and talk to each other while they’re doing it now. 

What would be your counter argument to those who might say that Twitch could damage ticket sales in clubs, because people might choose to stay in during the current climate?

I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. The people who want to go out are going to go out. Twitch doesn’t really feel like a substitute for going to a club, but if you have to stay home for any reason, it’s really nice to be able to show support by tuning in. It’s also awesome to check out a live event in another city. I’ve played in Chicago and my friends in Minnesota and California were able to hear my set, and I’ve tuned into live events my friends have played at in other states. When I want to go out though, I’m going to go out. 

How can people find out more about you as a DJ, and do you think using Twitch right now will help you get back out into the ‘real world’,

Check out twitch.tv/slpdnb (that is my Twitch channel, that I share with Nick Merchant) and Instagram.com/jensymmetry
I have been doing live gigs since July, and some of those gigs have been a result of my streaming on Twitch. So hopefully I will be able to continue doing both and they will both support the continuation of the other. 

What would you say to somebody with no experience of Twitch who might be looking to try it?

Just give it a shot. If you have tech questions, reach out to another streamer. Most artists know where to point a new streamer for all the information you need to get started. Participate in the community to get to know people because that’s a lot of what makes it so fun.

Thanks Jen! We are a big fan of your here at INSIDE DNB and we wish you all the best for the future!