For the twenty-sixth installment of our interview series, we introduce Tigerhead.

Emerging from an isolated city in the quiet confines of Bohemia, but based in Berlin for more than a decade, Tereza K. built a steady reputation over the past few years with appearances on various beloved techno labels and gigs in some of the most respected clubs and festivals on the planet.

Tigerhead has found her sonic niche, driven by an obsession with digging for hidden treasures, and underpinned by a deep musicality fostered over time as a musician, vocalist, DJ, and producer.

For her next release, Tigerhead presents her debut EP on Ellen Allien‘s imprint BPitch. ‘Please Remain Calm‘ is a three-track story that ventures into varying forms of psytrance-influenced, dancefloor-driven techno, playing with references to genres governed by an innate curiosity and a tripped-out mentality. Pre order HERE.

We chatted in depth with Tereza about her new EP, plus a few more aspects of her career, and we found really interesting answers. Read the full interview below. 

¿Hello Tereza, Luis from Living Techno here, it’s a pleasure having you in our interview series, thank you. First of all, how are you and where in the world are you taking this interview?

Hey, thank you for having me! I’m in Berlin getting ready for my gig for Synoid.

¿Do you remember how you discovered electronic music?

I remember precisely, I was a teenager and got an offer to be a singer in one electro-pop band.
The head of this group was a music producer & composer, who created all the concepts.
I once went to his studio to record a demo.
When I saw all of his gear I fell in love. He had all the synths you can imagine. At this moment I knew I didn’t want to be his singer. I wanted to be like HIM.

¿What led you to start your career in the electronic music scene… How, when and where did you take the decision to dedicate professionally to it?

I was very young and had big dreams. I didn’t think of it as something impossible. I just followed my path and didn’t think of a plan B. And one day it happened.

¿How would you describe the evolution of Tigerhead’s sound, have you changed anything since you started the project?

My sound started as a singer & songwriter, inspired by a huge scale of artists from Portishead, Björk, PJ Harvey, Miss Kittin to post punk like New Order, Bauhaus and Joy Division.
From that all I went to Kraftwerk and since then I knew I want to do nothing else than electronic music.
Moving to Berlin more than a decade ago, it only took a small step to fall into the ‘’techno trap’’. I’ve also tried other genres like House, but always came back to techno. It just has the right tempo.
So even though I have a very rich past in terms of genres, Tigerhead has always been a techno act.

¿What’s your opinion on the current state of the scene in your location… is there something that you would change?

To be completely honest I would change almost everything. But since some time this subject has been controversial and I do not want to leave any comments about it yet.

¿It’s crazy we are half 2024 already, how has this year treated you so far?

There have been many positive changes, two VA releases, one EP and two more compilations to be released. Also became a part of my beloved BPitch so I think this year treated me more than good!

¿Congratulations for your new EP ‘Please Remain Calm’ which will be out this month on Ellen Allien’s imprint BPitch. How does it feel to debut in such a great label and what’s the story behind this big achievement?

This is a very sentimental story for me, because it takes me to the past, about twelve years ago, a young teenage girl in Berlin, knowing nobody, having nothing but a dream and digging in all of the record stores. Discovering BPitch and collecting plenty of their records. Having Ellen as one the heroes. And a few years later, many ups and downs, a lot of hard work and never giving up – I’m part of this!

¿What’s the concept behind ‘Please Remain Calm’, and what can we expect to hear from the EP?

I’ve been working a lot with my vocals recently. Back then I didn’t as I felt there were a lot of female vocals used in the techno tracks and it all sounded the same. Monotonous echoed voices without depth. Of course not all of them.
I started to record the vocals in one take and tried not to add much effect to let it sound organic.
Something like Miss Kittin in techno.
And it worked! It sounds much more raw and unique to me.

¿Can you tell us about the production processes and inspiration behind each track of the EP?

I have to compose whenever I feel completely free in my head. This EP took many months to be done as I was never satisfied. I created many tracks with the vocals, but found those three fit together perfectly. ‘’I know I’m not a stranger’’ is a dreamy story, ‘’I like him’’ is much more sharp and sexy and ‘’PSY Party’’ is a repetitive unclear mixture of sound perfectly fitting to build up any set.

¿Can you describe to us your studio, what gear do you have, and what gear do you wish to have, how are your sessions and regularly how many hours do you spend in each session?

My favoritest is the ROLAND 303, I have such respect for this synth. There’s nothing more than the acid sound. Other than that I own TR 909, but wanting the Elektron Mkii instead, also have a Roland TR8S and I’m happy about it. Then I have Nord Rack 2x, other than that Arturia MiniLab MKII, Waldorf Rocket and some other stuff. But these are the most used. I wish to have the Dave Smith Rev 2-8v.
I spend many hours in my studio as it’s my job. But I still have a lot to learn.

¿How do you prepare your DJ sets when you have gigs?

Depending on what gig, it’s very different if I play records or digital. If records, it’s hours of digging and preparation. If digital, it depends on the venue, I prepare more to check the vibe of the club, audience, background etc. A wide musical knowledge is a win-win situation. Know your crowd.

¿In your personal opinion, do you consider it important that every DJ should become a producer too at some point in his career?

That’s a tricky question. I dare to say I don’t have an opinion on that, everyone should do as they please and where they feel most comfortable.

¿Could you name three important moments/events in your career that positioned you where you are today as an artist?

Berghain, Awakenings and wanting it or not – HÖR. But it is hard to name only three. Everything was more or less important and unforgettable.

¿Living the Dj/producer life, how do you handle your spirituality side and how do you stay focused on what’s more important in life, like family, etc.?

My son and my family keep me pretty much spiritually awake. They do not care if I’m DJ or not, they just want a strong person to be there. So I simply do not have time to be tired or feel overwhelmed.

¿Thanks for your time, to close the interview, what advice would you give to people that are thinking of becoming DJ’s or Producers and dedicate professionally to it?

Do whatever you feel is right in your heart and my advice is, don’t take any advice:)

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