{"id":370203,"date":"2026-07-02T18:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germany.10magazine.com\/?p=370203"},"modified":"2026-07-02T18:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T16:40:08","slug":"teed-unveils-a-dj-kicks-mix-shaped-by-la-nightlife-and-anticipation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/germany.10magazine.com\/en_gb\/teed-unveils-a-dj-kicks-mix-shaped-by-la-nightlife-and-anticipation\/","title":{"rendered":"TEED unveils a DJ-Kicks mix shaped by LA nightlife and anticipation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TEED\u2019s contribution to !K7\u2019s long-running DJ-Kicks series brings together the different strands that have shaped his relationship with electronic music over the years. Raised between classical training, church music and an early immersion in jungle and drum & bass, his perspective has always moved between discipline and instinct, structure and release. Rather than focusing on peak-time club energy, the mix is built around a more subtle emotional register: the build-up, the shift in mood, and the sense of expectation that frames a night out before it fully begins.<\/p>\n

Having spent over a decade living in Los Angeles, he also reflects a city where nightlife operates with a particular openness \u2014 defined less by genre than by attitude, community and atmosphere. From formative experiences at parties like A Club Called Rhonda to the wider club landscape, LA runs through the selection without ever fixing it in place. The result is a set that moves between intensity and restraint, clarity and blur, where transitions carry as much weight as destination, shaped by memory, environment and instinct.\u00a0We caught up with TEED to discuss the release.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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Your DJ-Kicks feels rooted in a very specific feeling: the anticipation of a night out rather than the night itself. What was it about that idea of “pre-gaming” that made it the right starting point for this mix?<\/b><\/p>\n

I was thinking about when people listen to mixes in this era we are in, and which of those times is most exciting for me to work towards. I don\u2019t like the phrase \u201cpre-gaming\u201d so much, but I do really like what it is. The few hours before going out for a big night is such a big part of the whole thing (if you want it to be), and I sort of romanticised it in my head for this mix<\/p>\n

You mentioned revisiting classic DJ-Kicks from artists like Tiga, Erlend \u00d8ye and Honey Dijon while preparing the mix. What does joining that lineage mean to you, and did it change how you approached the project?<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an honour to be a part of it. I\u2019ve been listening since the beginning and some of the albums were formative, introducing me to new music that changed my life. I remember sharing headphones with my sister on a bus while she showed me the Erlend \u00d8ye album. Hearing the Kemistry and Storm album coming from another sister\u2019s bedroom. And everyone I knew seemed to have the Kruder & Dorfmeister DJ Kicks album. I listened back to some of my favourites and the recent releases as the first phase of working on my own one, looking for what to lean into and what I wanted to avoid. I was drawn to the Dj-Kicks with the most amount of ideas!<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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You have now spent more than a decade living in Los Angeles, and the mix feels infused with the city’s energy. In what ways did LA shape the sound and atmosphere of this DJ-Kicks<\/b>?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so hard to answer that directly. Places and scenes contain attitudes and values, atmosphere and unspoken histories. There are always people who\u2019ve been there way longer than you have, and there are people arriving today who could change everything. LA nightlife always seemed like an adventure you could write for yourself. It wasn\u2019t so concerned with genre, more about how you liked to party, what people and places you wanted to be around, and the music followed that. That\u2019s how I always experienced it anyway. I can\u2019t understate the impact of A Club Called Rhonda, I think I first played for them in 2013 and have been playing or just going to party with that crew ever since. I think this mix is indebted to that specific party. I have to add that in my experience pre and post pandemic LA nightlife are two very different things, and like so many places it was better before.<\/p>\n

There is a real sense of optimism running through the mix, even as it moves into deeper and more introspective territory. What draws you to that balance between euphoria and reflection?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so glad you hear that. Optimism is the only choice! I\u2019m always drawn to music that has those qualities. Thinking about it now that you mention it, it\u2019s how you might describe a lot of my favourite dance music. At the risk of stating the obvious here, there is a very popular and clearly credible layer of dance music that is just aesthetics and style, and I\u2019ve always been more interested in the intentionally expressive stuff.<\/p>\n

Several of your own tracks were completely reworked for this release. When revisiting older music, do you hear the artist you were at the time, or are you more interested in what those songs can become in the present?<\/b><\/p>\n

Returning to old session files is like time travel. I can see what was going on in my head from the music and I immediately remember what was going on in my life. It\u2019s fascinating but it\u2019s dangerous, for example I\u2019m very cautious about going back and listening to unreleased sessions – those can really make me feel dizzy and sad. It\u2019s very fun to revise an old song though, I recommend it.<\/p>\n

The mix gradually shifts from vocal-led house into something more hypnotic, psychedelic and dreamlike. Do you think the most memorable nights out are defined by those subtle transformations rather than the obvious peak moments?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have found that the nights people remember are the ones where I talk the biggest risks. It sounds overblown but I\u2019ve been stopped in the street to talk about an ambient record I played at the wrong time fifteen years ago. People appreciate musical statements, but the gravitational pull of keeping the dancefloor going discourages djs from going there. I find it always pays off though, I\u2019ve never regretted it.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

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