Melodic and progressive maestro Teho returns with the Deluxe Edition of Shifting, his third studio album and most introspective work to date, released on 13 December 2024. This expanded release features stunning remixes by artists like Oxia, Moritz Hofbauer, and Lauren Mia, alongside two exclusive tracks, ‘Fracture’ and ‘Never Look Back’. Through this album, Teho embarks on a deeply personal journey, confronting fears, anxieties, and traumas while seeking inner peace. Balancing melodic brilliance with euphoric, dancefloor-ready energy, Shifting offers a masterful blend of tempos and emotions, solidifying Teho’s place as one of electronic music’s most compelling storytellers.
Read our interview with Teho and listen to a 25 minute live set below, exclusive to PLAYY. Magazine.
Set the tone for us. Why the arts?
Arts is what making us express ourself in different ways. I personally compose and produce music to try to share my deepest feelings, emotions, traumas but above all try to overcome them.
Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?
It depends on the tracks but most of time, I’m thinking about the mood I’m into and try to translate it into music. Obviously, the sounds are chosen accordingly to my state of my mind.
Does your material feature any collaborations?
Yes, there are two collaborations in the album, ‘Day Off ‘ with Romain Garcia and ‘Hanten’ with Makoto San. In addition, in the Deluxe Edition, there are the remixes of Oxia, Moritz Hofbauer, Fejka, Felix Raphael, Lauren Mia, Nihils, Tonic Walter and Nuage.
Stream Shifting (Deluxe Edition) below:
What’s on your current playlist?
A lot of different things ! In the electronic music category, I listen a lot to Christian Loffler, Parra For Cuva, Apashe, Max Cooper… I also listen to some Hip Hop music like Kendrick Lamar, Joyner Lucas, and some more. But I think these days, what I listen to the most are the Hermanos Gutiérrez, a duet band of guitarists very minimalistic.
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
When I play Live, I really need a connection between the crowd and me, that’s what will make my Live more intense. When people give me the energy, I can respond with each one of my synthesizers and my way to play with them, creating a very special vibe for this unique moment.
What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?
There are multiples techniques I experimented during all my years as a producer, but I think what makes my sound original is the main focus on melodies and harmonies. Compare to other kind of electronic music, almost all my tracks have a chord progression and a main theme based on melodies.
Take us through a day in the recording studio.
Generally, my tracks are made in three steps :
The first session is only based on searching and explore ideas, melodies, drums, find the chords and stay in a loop without working on the arrangement. For this step, I try to always change my way to compose, sometimes starting with drums, sometimes with chords, etc…
The second session is about reviewing what I made the first time, complete the sounds if needed, and start a draft of an arrangement.
And the third session is finishing the arrangement with fresh ears and doing a bit of mixing. Of course, after these three session, I’m often getting back to the project and make some adjustments or modifications.
Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?
I always wanted to do music and I discovered the world of electronic music when I was a teenager. But it was when I saw Daft Punk playing their Alive show in Nimes in 2007 that I realized I wanted to produce my own electronic music. This show totally blowed my mind, and still one the best I’ve ever seen until today. The day after, with my friend Tran we both have downloaded a music production software and started making music
What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?
Some drinks ! hahaha
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
After all these years producing, I have stacked so many gears and softwares, I cannot name all of them but I will try to name the most important ones. About the softwares, I’m using Ableton Live as DAW, with a lot of Native Instruments plugins, FabFilters, Arturia, Soundtoys, Output, Waves … About the synths, I’m using Minologues (normal, bass and XD), Moog Sub37, AFX Station, Poly D, Minifreak, Monotron, Juno-X, Ju-06A, Wavestate. I also have some hardware gears like Komplete S49, Roli Seaboard, Maschine, etc…
Any side projects you’re working on?
Yes, but for now, it’s still confidential hahaha
How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?
I always try to analyse the other artists, what process they have, what’s the intention behind their music, and also, on the technical aspect of production. I also am lucky to now be friend with few well-established artists, and sharing my tracks with them, having their opinion helps a lot to improve my music. But still today, I’m continuing my quest to create better tracks and sounding better.
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?
It’s been a while since I didn’t release music somewhere else than on my own label, but I can say now, there will be few releases on other labels.
Famous last words?
Thank you for this interview !
Stream Teho’s exclusive live set below:
Follow Teho:
Website – Spotify – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Facebook
