Premiere: DJ STEPDAD ‘lambrusco jam’

DJ STEPDAD (aka Ted Davis) will release a new mini EP, ‘the hits with DJ CLUB’, later this week on Image Research. Have an exclusive first listen to ‘lambrusco jam’ below.

Following the release of his January EP, ‘time to figure things out’, the New-York based music writer, producer and DJ returns with another helping of dreamlike house reverie on ‘the hits with DJ CLUB’. The two-tracker – landing 25th October on leftfield Florida imprint, Image Research – is packed with warm dubby grooves, crisp sound design and flushed ambient soundscapes, but in keeping with previous DJ STEPDAD projects, there’s an undercurrent of something more complex at play.

Described as “sun-drenched with an eerie undercurrent”, the project comes tinged with a feeling of existential dread, like the weightless grooves of ‘lambrusco jam’ could sweep you out to sea at any moment, or perhaps the stargazing arpeggios of B-side ‘club bliss’ are so otherworldly that they might just be. In doing so, Davis adds another dimension to an already entrancing body of work.

Speaking to DJ Mag about the release, he shared: “For as much as my professional and creative life revolves around electronic music, I‘m not as much of a club rat as one might expect. My new mini EP for Image Research, ‘the hits with DJ CLUB’, is wary of the hedonism that draws someone to a party.

“It’s inspired by a sunlit beachside rave in which the water’s uncomfortably blue and everyone’s having just a bit too much fun,” Davis added. “I see ‘lambrusco jam’ and ‘club bliss’ as the “day versions” of my usual sound. I was trying to create something almost jarringly utopian when I made these tracks, and I hope I succeeded.

“Also, it’s a pleasure to be debuting on Image Research. This is my first label release, and it’s great to be landing on one that I’ve been a fan of for a while.”

‘the hits with DJ CLUB’ is out 25th October via Image Research. Pre-save the mini EP here, and have an exclusive first listen to ‘lambrusco jam’ below.