BEHIND THE DECKS: WITH TEREZA
With Tereza, we’re introducing you to a DJ whose musical journey began in hip-hop more than ten years ago and has since taken her through house, disco, soulful electronic music and jazz influences. Alongside clubs and festivals, radio has also become an important part of her work, including her own shows on COSMO/WDR and Worldwide FM. In our interview, she tells us more about her musical journey, the influences behind her sound and her perspective on DJing.
In the interview: Tereza
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About Tereza
beyerdynamic Blog: You first became known for your BADUOLOGY mixtape, an ode to Erykah Badu. What was it about Erykah Badu that fascinated you so much that you dedicated an entire mixtape to her?
Tereza: How much time and space do you have? 🙂 After I randomly came across the album New Amerykah Part Two, I was instantly hooked. Musically, it was exactly my thing: raw, super soulful, innovative and, at the same time, deeply rooted in music history. Even 15 years later, the music video for Window Seat is still impressive. What inspires me most about Erykah Badu is her boldness. She has influenced generations of musicians, is constantly evolving and only releases music when she genuinely has something to say. That goes against any kind of commercial superstar logic, which is exactly why it feels so authentic. And above all, there’s her voice and the way she performs live. I saw her at a jazz festival in Poland a few years ago and it was pure magic.
beyerdynamic Blog: When and how did your journey away from hip-hop towards house, disco, broken beat and soulful bass music begin?
Tereza: It was definitely a process. I’m originally from Chemnitz, where hip-hop was everywhere for me, from the many DJ crews to splash! Festival, which unfortunately moved away before I was old enough to go. Still, I was completely immersed in the hip-hop bubble, with scratching, beat juggling and everything that comes with it.
Of course I was interested in the music, but honestly, the technical side of DJing was what initially got me into it. Over time, that focus shifted and my curiosity about the music itself kept growing.
Hip-hop was the perfect starting point. Following all those sample connections led me to dig deeper into jazz, soul and funk, and later into disco, house and all kinds of electronic music. Over the years, that evolved into the eclectic sound I play today.
Quick Fire Section
Favorite track for opening: “Cabana – Bailando Con Lobos” (Super Sound Global Edit)
Go-to peak time track: “Shuya Okino – Still in Love” (Kyodia Remix)
Most underrated track: Anything by Gerado Frisina
Headphones: On-Ear or Over-Ear? Recently on-ear!
Analog oder Digital? Analog girl in a digital world
Traum back-to-back Partner: Super hard. I’m actually not a huge b2b fan, but maybe Lakuti? Gilles Peterson? Ron Trent? Laurent Garnier?
Three words that describe you as a DJ: Electric. soulful, jazz.
Quick Fire Section
Favorite track for opening:
“Cabana – Bailando Con Lobos” (Super Sound Global Edit)
Go-to peak time track:
“Shuya Okino – Still in Love” (Kyodia Remix)
Most underrated track:
Anything by Gerado Frisina
Headphones: On-Ear or Over-Ear?
Recently on-ear!
Analog oder Digital?
Analog girl in a digital world
Traum back-to-back Partner:
Super hard. I’m actually not a huge b2b fan, but maybe Lakuti? Gilles Peterson? Ron Trent? Laurent Garnier?
Three words that describe you as a DJ: Electric. soulful, jazz.
Musical Identity
beyerdynamic Blog: You’ve already explained where the roots of your sound lie. But how would you describe your sound yourself?
Tereza: Eclectic, uplifting, warm, textured, percussion-heavy, groove-focused, soulful, raw and jazzy. No elevator music!
Those words are the common thread for me, regardless of whether a track is disco, house, UK garage, broken beat or jungle. The art lies in turning that mix of genres into a coherent story. It’s something I’ve become better at over the years, and I’m increasingly developing my own musical language.
beyerdynamic Blog: Your “WATERS” party project and “Blue Space” also show you as a curator and event organiser. How do DJing and curating connect for you? Do they complement each other or sometimes compete?
Tereza: The roles overlap completely. My musical interests and my taste as a DJ feed directly into my curation. For my party series, I’ve only ever booked artists I genuinely find exciting, some of whom I’d already been a fan of for years.
That said, you definitely shouldn’t underestimate the double responsibility of being the organiser or point of contact for everything while also DJing that same night. Can’t always recommend. 🫨
Club vs. Studio: From workflow to the dancefloor
beyerdynamic Blog: Alongside your own events, you move between clubs like Open Ground and Heideglühen and radio sets on NTS, Kiosk Radio and Worldwide FM. How do you prepare for these different formats, and how does your workflow change?
Tereza: The biggest difference is whether there’s a crowd or not, and that shapes how I prepare.
For a club set, I’ll usually think about a story, a rough structure and a few tracks as anchor points. But of course, after the fifth track I might realise that things are heading in a completely different direction. That’s when you need spontaneity and improvisation.
That’s exactly the thrill of DJing for me. The best feeling is when I get into a flow with the crowd and the set starts building almost by itself.
With radio, you don’t have that immediate feedback from the crowd. It allows me to focus much more closely on the story I want to tell, without being influenced by external factors. The improvisation happens more in the hosting or interviews instead.
beyerdynamic Blog: Despite the musical range, your sets feel very organic and coherent. How do you decide where to go next when you’re playing live: intuition or structure?
Tereza: Thank you. It’s important to me that there’s still a clear thread running through the set despite the musical range. That takes experience and a combination of intuition and structure. Intuition gives me the musical direction, while the pragmatic side helps me find the right track to create a smooth bridge from A to B.
beyerdynamic Blog: On your Worldwide FM show, you experimented with different formats and invited various artists. How has working in radio changed your understanding of music and curation.
Tereza: What I love about radio is that I can tell musical stories exactly the way I envision them. That really helped me during the pandemic in particular and broadened my musical horizons.
Without the pressure of having to read and play to a dancefloor, I could follow my curiosity much more freely and give each show its own focus. Radio became a kind of playground for me outside the club context.
Equipment: Setup and Gear Talk
beyerdynamic Blog: How has your setup changed over the years? Has it been driven more by technological trends or by your personal needs?
Tereza: I’m honestly really glad the days are over when I used to carry my own mixer to every gig and we had to change the setup between sets.
Now everything is very stripped-back and simple: two turntables, two CDJs and a mixer. I prefer playing on a classic Pioneer mixer because the effects, filters and faders give me maximum technical freedom.
For better sound, though, I’m also happy to play on certain rotary mixers. I’m willing to accept a few limitations when it comes to mixing in return.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which tools are essential for you when digging and preparing? You’re known for your deep Bandcamp dives. How do you organise your music workflow?
Tereza: Honestly, I’m less organised than I’d like to be. The only constant is that I make time to dig every day, or at least I try to. Sometimes I’ll disappear down a rabbit hole for an entire afternoon, and other times I’ll just spend 30 minutes checking out new promos. Pro tip: Exibeat is a relatively new platform where you can pay musicians for promos.
beyerdynamic Blog: What does a DJ headphone need to offer for you?
Tereza: For me, what I need from a DJ headphone depends a lot on the situation.
When I’m preparing a set, balanced and detailed sound reproduction is the priority. I want to be able to judge as accurately as possible what a track actually sounds like.
In the club, comfort and strong isolation become just as important. The headphones need to block out the surrounding noise reliably so I don’t have to turn the volume up unnecessarily high.
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Event Expriences and Stories
beyerdynamic Blog: What was your most unforgettable gig, and why?
Tereza: In 2022, I received a scholarship that allowed me to spend almost two months in Detroit, where I also got the chance to play.
That was very special to me. For one, some of my absolute heroes were there, and you can simply feel that the relationship people have with this music in Detroit is different. The energy is unique, and the whole trip is something I’ll never forget.
beyerdynamic Blog: Detroit certainly has a deep connection to electronic music. Aside from your most unforgettable gig, what’s the most unusual event you’ve ever played?
Tereza: Off the top of my head: my hometown Chemnitz was European Capital of Culture in 2025, and I was one of three DJs playing on a huge stage in front of thousands of people in the market square during the opening ceremony.
My last track was Celebration Suite by Airto. Samba in January, around 0°C, in Chemnitz. It felt just as surreal as it sounds.
beyerdynamic Blog: It’s clear that you play in very different contexts, whether it’s a market square, club, festival or radio. What makes a dancefloor feel right to you?
Tereza: I’m really happy to have this range and the opportunity to fully express myself musically.
Regardless of the setting, the same factors are important to me: an open-minded, curious and diverse crowd, a good sound system, a line-up that works well together and a strong team behind it all.
Tips and Inspiration
beyerdynamic Blog: What makes a good DJ set for you, and what three specific tips would you give aspiring artists to noticeably improve their own sets?
Tereza: For me, there are three things in particular that determine whether a set really feels complete in the end:
1. Understand the context and your role in the line-up
For me, one important thing is understanding the role you’re playing within the line-up. The first things I always check are my set time and the setting: Am I playing the warm-up, peak time or closing? Indoors or outdoors? Who’s playing before and after me? What’s the context of the event?
All of these are crucial factors in determining what I play and how I play it.
2. Track selection with a clear thread
And then, of course: track selection. Tell me a story! Surprise me!
For me, a great set isn’t just about choosing tracks that work. The selection needs to have a clear thread running through it while still leaving room for unexpected moments.
3. Use pacing consciously
And my third tip: pacing!
That’s something I have to remind myself of as well, because the usual 90-minute or two-hour slots can sometimes create this sense of time pressure. But it can make a huge difference to let tracks play out for longer and give them room to breathe.
beyerdynamic Blog: You’ve evolved from a hip-hop DJ into one of the most versatile DJs on the Berlin scene. Which skills and attitudes have helped you most along the way, and looking back, what would you do differently?
Tereza: As I mentioned earlier, hip-hop is the perfect genre for discovering lots of other genres. I’m curious and get excited about a lot of things, but I also get bored pretty quickly. It’s both a blessing and a curse.
At best, that turns you into a sponge for everything exciting around you.
What’s also essential is the willingness and courage to keep evolving, to step outside your comfort zone and sometimes say “no” when something no longer feels right.
beyerdynamic Blog: Looking back, what would you do differently?
Tereza: I’m actively working on worrying less and not overthinking things quite so much.
Looking back, I think that ruined some moments for me when I would have been better off simply taking in and enjoying the here and now.
Future and Trends
beyerdynamic Blog: What technological developments or trends are you currently observing in the DJ world?
Tereza: First of all, I don’t think there really is such a thing as the one DJ world.
With the growing popularity of “being a DJ” over the past few years, something that has probably always been there is becoming more and more obvious: there are all these different bubbles and movements existing at the same time. It’s fascinating, but also super weird!
Sometimes I find myself thinking, “Wow, this feels so far removed from my own world.”
I had that feeling last year during a panel discussion in Munich. The German DJ software start-up that had invited me presented a tool showing how AI could create entire setlists from just a handful of songs.
And I was just thinking: That’s one of the most fun parts of my job!
For me, that example perfectly illustrates the contrasts within the DJ world. On the one hand, you have this rapid technological development with AI. On the other, there’s a conscious move away from it: two turntables, a mixer and vinyl-digger culture at its best.
And somewhere in between, you have places like Open Ground setting new standards when it comes to sound. I hope more clubs follow their example.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which track best describes your current state of mind, and why that one?
Tereza: John Beltran – As The Sun
This song always gives me a certain sense of longing. Right now, I’m longing for summer. It’ll take me a little while longer to make peace with the cold and the early darkness. Until then, I’ll be reminiscing about summer festivals. 🙂
beyerdynamic Blog: Thank you, Tereza, for your open and honest insights into your journey from hip-hop to developing your own sound, and into your work across clubs, radio and curation!
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