stress tess

Once I start digging into a new genre or sonic space, I can’t really stop myself. And when it comes to techno, there is always a new sound to try on, understand, and reinterpret. I started out playing that tough, stripped-back kind of stuff, but over the past few years, I’ve focused on bringing in more lightness and balance.

I write other kinds of music as well, but techno is entirely different: playing in a band is like wearing my heart on my sleeve, whereas DJing is like sharing my soul with the people I love.

I always thought I was exclusively a night lurker, but I actually do my best work when I first wake up. I can listen and feel my way through the music more intuitively when I’m not weighed down by all the worries that pile up during the day. So now, I try to protect my mornings for mixing and drinking black coffee and staring out my window. It’s been really nice.

Area X is the most stunning group project I’ve ever been a part of. We threw our first party earlier this year, with our next installment coming this summer. It all started with Vortex founders Seelie + Tomen as this idea that every time we open ourselves up to experience, change is inevitable. And in the context of the dancefloor, we’re especially interested in collective activation. That’s a long way of saying that this is just the beginning for some real cosmic connection and experimentation.

This is my personal mission. I really believe there’s nothing we can’t do as long as we’re doing it together, and that includes processing trauma. stress tess is a conduit for anxiety to serve its purpose. She rejects the premise that any feeling is a useless one, especially because she knows that most of the time, the only way out is through.

I am so looking forward to playing at the first open studio night by tension/release. This will be the first time I’m playing since it got warmer here in New York and, after this heck of a winter, I have a lot of pent up energy. That will definitely be coming through. See you soon!