Above all, Teykirisi’s goal is simple: to make people feel sexy, free, and immersed in the joy of dance. RANGE recently caught up with her to find out what fuels her dance party endeavours. 

Who are you?

I’m just a person who loves listening to, collecting, making music, and sharing it with others.

How would you describe your sound, influences, etc. to someone unfamiliar?

I genuinely try to not tell people so they can experience it on their own. Mainly because I feel like it changes often, and I don’t want people to have any expectations when they see me play. I really just want people to feel sexy and shake their ass really hard at the end of the day. I always hope it’s fun and a little unexpected.

Who are your biggest influences sonically?

It’s hard to make an “of all time” list, so I’ll just name people who I’m learning from right now. Definitely all of my close friends who make music and share their advice. One of my big ones is DJ Rashad and the whole Teklife movement. Others are Sega Bodega, Xyla, Kelela, James Blake, Bad Gyal, Chuqimamani Condori, Aleroj, Jane Remover, Jetty, ML Buch, and so many others.

When did you start DJing? Tell us the story behind what influenced you to pursue it!

I played my first show at the end of 2019, right before the pandemic. For years I used to make playlists constantly and post them on 8tracks. They were based on moods and scenarios that I would make up or ideas of songs that would sound cool mashed up. My friend who hosted a radio show suggested that I would be good at something like DJing, and it gave me confidence to download Traktor and start exploring from there. 

Can you describe a moment on the dance floor, either as a DJ or a listener, that shaped your approach to music/DJing?

One of my favourite feelings in the world is when you can only feel bass flowing through your body. It’s almost overwhelming, as if no thoughts can be formed in your brain and it just feels like there isn’t space for anything else except the music. I try to take my sets to this spot every time, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience sets by other DJ’s that made me feel this way. 

In your point of view, how has the role of DJing shifted in the past decade, and where do you see it heading?

I’ve only been DJing for four years, and I don’t think of my role as an individual much. I sort of see myself as someone who learned the software and instruments, and now I’m just part of an ecosystem where my role is to communicate a feeling that I find hard to describe with words. Instead, I put songs together to try and express it through music. 

What’s the most unexpected source of inspiration you’ve drawn from while creating a set?

Creating sets is always a delicate balance for me, I always want to play my favourite tracks at the moment, anything percussive driven or hard hitting. I’m never genre-bound, could be neoperreo edits, jersey club, electronic cumbia, it’s always based on my mood. I’m very into preparing the playlist for all my sets, I try to make them all unique and with distinct vibes.

How would you hope people feel when leaving one of your sets?

Like they danced as much as their bodies allowed them to, and yet, they still need more.