DJ STEPDAD sets the record straight: New York-based producer and DJ STEPDAD began playing the drums as a Revolutionary War re-enactor in Virginia at the age of six.
“My mom actually met my stepdad Mike and he called her DJ STEPDAD,” said the artist, born Ted Davis. “In high school, I joined an experimental rock band and played a few shows at DIY clubs in Washington. When I was 17, I was often involved in the Los Angeles beat scene that was happening in the 2010s. I bought a Native Instruments machine because I liked artists like Flying Lotus/Shlohmo/D33J and he played cool electronic music in that vein for a few months before moving to Los Angeles for college. It's still on SoundCloud, but I won't tell you where to find it (laughs).
“In college I went back to playing in bad indie rock bands,” he continues. “But in 2018, my friend Alex Conrad – he did the cover for my next EP – it was time to figure it out – he got me into house music. He started organizing rave lounges, which I took on tour under the pseudonym Sebasien. Very stylish. Stuff from Lofi House, Baltra, Ross Like From Friends and Mall Grab, but I'd mix it with cool tech house like Claude VonStroke and FISHER. These sets... they weren't very good. But they were fun. Damn late. the evenings definitely made me more interested in DJing. Growing up, I thought artists like Burial and Laurel Halo were cool, so it was fun to play with those people in sweaty, stuffy clubs in Orange County.”
It took him a while to recognize the name.
“A few months after I started calling myself a #picker, my childhood best friend and I got drunk one night and were talking about hypothetical DJ names,” she says. “A DJ suggested the name STEPDAD as a tribute to my stepfather Mike. It was much funnier and cleaner than Sebasien, so I picked it up and it stuck. A little corny, sure, but I also really like the way this name looks when written. 2019. I made my EP My Stepchildren Vol.1 in a bedroom in Highland Park in 2011. It was put together over a sleepless weekend with Logic instruments and drums built in on Maschinen . I liked it better than the indie version I was into." I decided to stay in the dance scene rather than the rock scene. Over the next few years I released a few more records and continued to tour SoCal on the road. The highlight was the bubblegum vibe in Koreatown. When Covid hit. It pretty much put everything on hold and I took a step away from rock and electronic music to focus on my journalism career. I knew DJ STEPDAD was coming back, but I was waiting for a spark I couldn't find. “Southern California. I felt like none of my friends were listening to the music I was listening to, which made my interest in club and experimental music irrelevant.”
After moving to Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, things started to look up.
“After moving to Brooklyn in the summer of 2022, I started networking with influencers and DJs at some of my favorite radio stations and bars in the city,” he says. “I've worked hard to level up the project and this year I've worked hard to learn how to properly use CDJs and expand my USB audio range. There's more of a DJ culture in New York and that really inspires me."
DJ STEPDAD's sound has changed over the years.
“ On the first volume of My Stepchildren I was actively looking for a lo-fi house sound,” he says. “I think I get it and I love revisiting the EP. My music is the most melodic music. On the next EP, Beige Heaven, I was really inspired by Anthony Naples and Jenny Slattery's stuff and label, Incienso. The music is literally unlike anything ever released on this track, but I tried to capture the vibe of early DJ Python and Huerco S. It's very cool to not see it, but I'm proud of my work. Sure, it's not the most unique music in the world, but it feels more like its own thing compared to the current beat, and that makes me happy. Taking the time to figure things out brings out the style more and I think each track feels unique. First from the radio department. This is a cover of the band's song "Heaven's On Fire", which I heard for the first time this year. I listened to it over and over for days and finally decided that the only way to get rid of the obsession in my system was to write my own version. I really like how it turned out and I would say the beat sounds like Galcher Lustwerk and the vocals sound like Philly indie band Draag Me. The second song, "Fathers Can't Step", is my attempt at dub techno. Again, it's not exactly like Main Channel, but that's why I like it: I feel like it takes my first sound into new territory. The third track, “she take the Kids,” is my favorite song on the EP, so obviously it was the one that resonated with me the best. It's an 80s Balearic sound and when I made this I looked to early artists Ela Minus and Kilo Kish for inspiration. The last track, “bad vibes,” is an homage to a lot of the electronic stuff I was interested in in high school. Most of this EP was recorded using the best Native Instruments VSTs, but I only used Logic ICs on it, so in that respect it's a bit similar to my previous work. I think it's quite a nostalgic song."
"In general , I have time to think about things like 'ambient house and atmospheric techno,' and I think stylistically that's a pretty good description of where I'm at in 2023," he continues. “ Now when I perform, my voice changes. I mostly prefer listening to ambient music on the radio. But I get enough applause in bars and clubs. Davis Galvin, Priori and Piezo are my three favorites. If I had to point anyone to DJ STEPDAD's signature mix, I'd pick the latest one I recorded on The Lot radio station about a month ago . I felt really bad, but I did it."
DJ STEPDAD's latest EP is called Time to Does .
“The computer that was dying in my bedroom and on the kitchen table came to life again,” he says. “When I couldn't add another synthesizer to the track because I was running out of space on my hard drive, I decided it was over. Mastering was handled by Mr. Meme Zach Emerson, who owns the Doom Trip label and has mastered music from artists such as Panda Bear and Deer. My colleague Alex Conrad made the drawings and my former collaborator Tim Gagnon wrote the notes. All these guys still live in Los Angeles, so for an artist who draws a lot of inspiration from New York, I surprisingly stayed true to DJ STEPDAD's SoCal roots. Since it's electronic music, I don't think there's a clear theme. But for me it's been a very uncertain and unpredictable year, so I would say that music is very marked by uncertainty. I called it “It's Time to Figure It All Out,” after a phrase from the 1970s that sweetly described a couple's divorce. However, over the past year and into 2024, I've spent a lot of time exploring new creative and professional paths and figuring it all out. These songs play on repeat and keep me company as I weather the storm, and I think this EP will always remind me of the strange combination of disappointment, caution, and hope I've struggled with nearly every day this past year. "
DJ STEPDAD believes the current state of electronic music is "sick."
“I want to do this, but as someone who also writes about electronic music, looking at what's coming out now makes me feel really motivated to make music,” he says. “The last five years have seen the creation of myriad ambient, house and club labels that have profoundly shaped my taste in real time. More critically, I hate the capitalism of club culture and the scene that defines much of New York's nightlife. However, I think they come across when working with music of any genre in a large metropolitan area.
Looking ahead, DJ STEPDAD has a lot of plans for 2024.
“I think 2024 is going to be a big year,” he says. “ On January 26th I start looking for the time to understand everything . The expansion is already going better than I thought. There's a lot to be grateful for, even before this thing came into the world. I appreciate that many people I admire (including you) listen and spend their time. Brooklyn band Baby's All Right is holding a release party on January 23 and is expected to feature a solid mix of live acts and club DJs. I also have some amazing EP mixes that I'm really excited to share with the world. After the EP release I will release a single on the Mechanical label. I haven't announced the exact date yet, but I hope it will happen in March. A special guest plays slide guitar, creating a warm and soulful atmosphere, perfect for the arrival of spring. This CFCF artist has a song called "Marigold Mix" that inspired me to try adding some lone strands on synths and 909s. I think it'll be a great way to hit people because I'm trying to keep them interested in inventing for a long time .
“Today I'm working on my first film, which is almost finished,” he continues. “This is my favorite work as DJ STEPDAD, touching on a variety of styles and textures, from cold downtempo to 4am Berlin techno. Before starting, I purchased some new synths and plugins, including Omnisphere and Serum. My bank account has been negatively impacted, but the new tools have really improved my workflow and greatly improved the quality of the product. I don't have any specific tour plans, but I'm hoping to change that mid-summer once my album comes out. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Los Angeles to do some shows because a lot of my best friends live there. This is also an ambitious goal, but if I took a week off to do some meetings in Europe, I would cross something important off the list. I'm currently working on the last songs for my album, but for now I'm very busy promoting the EP. I have two part-time jobs and a writing career that takes up a lot of my time, but I put so much energy into this music and it's great that it's finally paying off!”
DJ STEPDAD clears things up: DJ STEPDAD Time to Clear Things Up EP drops January 26th.
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