And here he comes! A man from paradise but with a dark feeling. A man who proves that there is no need to be afraid of dark..disco..that in every dark is a blossoming beauty inside! yes yes, it’s him, we proudly present the number #010 in our Quixotical podcast series – TEVĀTEA! He brings to us a mix that is permeated with beautiful dark groovy sounds and a deep atmosphere that will ferry you to the world of endless disco, to the world where real paradise exists.
Together with a mix comes a very interesting interview! Check it out and learn about Tevātea’s first steps into the dark disco scene, his influences, living in paradise, and much much more!
Tev resides on an island in the South Pacific, called New Caledonia.
From his beginnings, he forged a strong link with the dark side of electronic music but he was
also attracted by the different ethnic cultures of the Pacific Ocean, both on human stories
and musically, before opening up to the rest of the world.
This wandering spirit is quickly spotted in the clubs of the capital Noumea and in the New
Caledonian forests. Very appreciated by the local underground public for his always catchy
playing, for his meticulous selections which leave a percussive and airy dance, able to
hypnotize you to dance with a smile in pitch darkness or in the middle of a morning.
Today, Tev emits his own frequencies with his traditional instruments, such as didgeridoo,
toere (polynesian percussion) to release his 1st SP Manava (welcome) in 2019. But his
influences do not stop only on tribal and downtempo . He quickly fell under the spell of the
Indie Dance / Dark Disco universe by the trio Damon Jee, Curses, and Dionigi. This podcast
honors this vast and mysterious universe to thank all these extraordinary artists.
His current projects will be the sum of a touch of tribal and EBM sounds.
Thank you, for accepting the invitation to record a mix and answer some questions for our Quixotical Mix series!
1. When we first have heard about Tevātea we thought that somehow we have missed this name in the dark disco music scene. We found the production of Tevātea very quality and superb professional and when we started digging into this project more we were very surprised and realized why we have not heard about Tevātea much… is not an old name in the dark disco scene, but already strong and climbing up very fast. How your journey in the music scene began?
-> Basically I come from the dancefloor, haha! And if I am in music today I can say that my friends contributed to it and ‘cause of favorable things series to develop myself.
In 2017, after my separation from the mother of my children, I discovered the electronic scene by friends in New Caledonia. I immediately felt the synergy between the dancers and the DJ, especially in the free parties. I loved this real sharing between people and I love this feeling of being attracted by the musical vibe. It’s natural that I wanted to mix with the new encounters that I made.
In the same year, I started to mix all over the capital Noumea, in clubs and raves. My first influences were dark techno and electronica. I quickly made a solid fanbase with the underground public.
Next year in 2018 I was contacted by a local booking agency/crew Genesys Production to join the team and that allowed me to become more known by doing big parties in beautiful places on the island…
Then in 2019, Nicolas Lecaillon aka NoclaisL, a friend from Marseille France, contacted me to help him to make a Deep House track. He wrote on Cubase and I sent him my first percussion instrument recordings. It was from this first experience that I became interested in production and I started to learn. My tendencies had evolved, I slowed down my bpm to join a big community around Downtempo and more precisely in the multi-ethnic genre. I am attached to tribal traditions, it reminds me of my Polynesian roots.
My first SP “Manava” sounded Tribal Techno. Then I was strongly influenced by Damon Jee’s universe when I discovered his remix of Dionigi – Dancing. I was a punk skater when I was younger, so his music was like a revelation. It awakened my rocker spirit.
I’ve dusted off my old electric guitar to release two tracks, Décadence and Walk to Dusk. To make myself known, I chose to start sharing my music for free.
Then everything followed little by little until such time as Freudenthal spotted me and proposed to me to post my future productions on his channel Feinstoff. I thank him again. You can find on Feinstoff, Indika (Indie Dance) in free download, and Atua Valley (Dark Disco) which was released on a VA of the label Zone Focus in 2020 for humanity cause. That’s how I started to reach the Dark Disco target audience.
Today I have projects in progress and I’m starting a collaboration with the international and that is very exciting! Music has almost become a way of life, but I don’t live from it yet, I have a job on the side that allows me to pay my bills and feed my blended family. Yes, today I have reunited with the mother of my children, we have become a family again and I am happy that they support me in my musical adventure.
2. Looks like you live in paradise on the island of the South Pacific. How the experience of living in a such beautiful place has influenced you and the music you produce? Where the inspiration to produce comes from? Inspiration to make dark electronic music…
-> Thank you for these words. Indeed, I was born on the French island, New Caledonia, located in the Coral Sea, east of Australia. To be honest, the electronic scene in Noumea has developed well since the early 2000s by European immigration which imported mainly Techno and House music. Only the psychedelic scene was mainly developed by the natives… So when I started Djing in 2017, the electronic community was already well established.
Musically, I am very eclectic, I like Johnny Halliday, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Bonney M, Lucky Dub, Bobby Holcomb !
As I said, my first influences were Dark Techno and Electronica, naming a few artists who influenced me: Vitalic, The Hacker, Miss Kittin, Sam Paganini, Alex Stein, Hatzler, Kiko and Citizen Kain, and many more.
At the same time, I went through a difficult and dark period in my life and music has helped me enormously to hold on. I think that’s why my influences were dark!
As my life stabilizes, I spent a lot of time listening and digging for a new vibe, a new influence, a little cooler but still dark ambiance. And I discovered the mystical universe of World deep or Tribal Downtempo. I was looking to reconnect with the life around me. I realized which these artists had a talent for mixing spirituality with electronic music. I would like to mention some artists to thank and to share with you: Be Svendsen, MI.LA, Just Emma, Rapossa, The Oddness, Ka:Lu, Thommie G, San Miguel, Nasiri, Wākhan, Kaöb, and more.
And now today, I add to my influences, the vast universe of New Wave, Electronic Body Music, Indie Dance, Italo, Dark, and Cosmic Disco. Those who have a strong influence on me are Damon Jee, Darlyn Vlys, Dionigi, AFFKT, Cosmo Vitelli and Eliezer, Cornelius Doctor, Fausto, Rebolledo, and Dombrance. I don’t tell you how it’s all going around in my head !!!
3. Is dark electronic music in New Caledonia different from the rest of the world dark disco scene? Is it popular in your country? And is it hard to find the audience in your country that loves this music genre?
-> No, Dark Disco is not known in New Caledonia because the underground movement remains mainly Techno, House, Drum & Bass, Progressive, and Psytrance. Those who have been following me since the beginning have noticed my different influences. I did things gradually and naturally, I included some Dark Disco tracks in my Techno sets for example. Sometimes even in my Downtempo sets when I played at raves and it goes down really well. That’s the particularity of this style which remains compatible and flexible with other registers and at any time of the day, whether it’s morning or peak time because it combines several instrumental ingredients such as synth, guitar, and an acoustic rhythm from a drum kit and gives a fresh air! So far I have good feedback. I’m waiting for the next!
4. The first release “Manava” from Tevātea is a very interesting piece of work. Tribal, rhythmic, with unusual instruments but dark and very attractive. Should we expect more work from you in this tribal techno genre?
-> Oh thank you very much my friend! Indeed my first album was a rather positive try. I enjoyed working with traditional instruments like the didgeridoo and the toere that is a Polynesian percussion instrument similar to that of the Aborigines. So yes ! That’s in my perspective!
5. Are there any producers/djs/artist that you would love to share the stage with?
-> Yes, of course! With Aurum Miles to start with, it’s not a joke!
If I could do it, I would share my stage with all artists I mentioned but also with new contacts in Dark Disco scene like Corresponsal, Guyd, and Akrav for sure. I would also like to share the stage with a local artist, Hold Out, who specializes in live music with a rocker’s soul.
6.How 2021 is going on your side? Any plans for the rest of the year?
-> The year 2021 opens new doors for collaboration, there are projects in the pipeline.
I’m planning to release a remix for GUYD on the Mexican label Nuff Music and maybe new participation in a VA but it’s too fresh to talk about it in detail. Personally, I’m preparing for the end of the year EP including remixes but I won’t tell you more.
Stay tuned! My adventure is just beginning.