Charlie Sparks has become known for his energy, transmitted through his productions and performances, which have taken him around the world in the last 6 years, seemingly blending Acid, Industrial, Rave, and Psytrance-like grooves with catchy vocals. Growing up between London and Tokyo, he spent his summers in Japan, where his mother was born, a place that has had a huge cultural influence on his career and personal life.
Since then, many standout performances have been landmark moments in his career development, the first at Fuse in Brussels, where he shared the stage with Dax J. His debut for Awakenings in 2022 at ADE, followed by their summer festival in 2023, and Awakenings’ Up Close festival in 2024. His Ibiza debut was for Pyramid at Amnesia alongside 9×9, Ben Klock and Nina Kraviz, plus shows for Printworks, Creamfields, Tomorrowland and Monegros Festival, where he played in a derelict airplane in the middle of the desert.
Having just released his debut album, Power Up, and a hectic tour schedule, Charlie knows a thing or two about travel. Below, he gives us the travel essentials that keep him sane and ready to bring the energy he’s known for.
Betron BS10 Earphones (my day ones)
I have had these earphones with me since the very start. They literally only cost about 15€, and you can buy them straight from Amazon, but for some reason, they have been my go-to producing earphones in and outside of the studio
The best thing is you don’t need to charge them, nice and old school, so you can produce anywhere at any time.
Sometimes less is more, hahah
One Piece USB charms
It’s kind of a ritual type thing. Maybe the One Piece characters are looking over me and giving me energy, but ever since I started touring, I have used them to distinguish each USB. I have had these from the start. It’s only missing Luffy, but that just takes me back to the sad day I lost my first USB.
Ray Ban Meta Glasses
These are a lot more fun than I thought. I use them to record aspects of life that you might not normally see, like the process of getting ready for a show or walking to the stage. It’s a great way to get that extra content, and it’s actually a really fun process, looking back at your own POV of a crazy night.
ACS Custom hearing protection
This is definite, and for anyone who does not use ear protection, I highly recommend it because that is our life.
These have been super good. They are custom molded to your ear, so they fit perfectly. You can choose the level of protection.
I know it’s hard to accept the fact that you might hear the crowd less or the bass doesn’t hit as good, but honestly, it’s all worth it once you’re back in the hotel room, and that sharp ringing noise is not blasting in your head when you’re trying to sleep
Dragon Ball Z travel pillow
This one is essential for your sleep if you manage to get some. Some say it’s not worth it and a waste of space, but for me, it makes such a big difference to put your head on this soft pillow or a hard plastic window. The possibility of places increases by about 100x, haha. It also makes that inner child in me so happy every time I see it on tour
Quick Fire Tips For Touring and living life on the road
Always wear comfortable shoes; you never know when you might have to run through the airport with a suitcase, dodging families along the way.
Make sure to always have something downloaded. Boredom on a flight, time and time again, is not good for you mentally.
Personally, I don’t drink coffee because I don’t know when I’ll fall asleep or take a power nap. So anything to increase my chances, I will do.
Make 2 backup USBs. Trust me, I have had times where, for some reason, a USB that worked the show before doesn’t work the next show, and the one that didn’t work before works the next show, haha. It’s just better not to take the chance
Try to enjoy the travel experience as much as possible and look at it as work. It’s not so bad, just waiting around and eating food for work, is it? (If only it’s as easy as that, haha)
