Our introductory feature is DJ TDR, you might have heard of him but it’s fine if you haven’t. Tishe Deji-Roberts (TDR) is one of the hottest up and comers in the Lagos DJ scene. Born in Los Angeles, CA, and moving to Nigeria at a young age, he has been exposed to different musical and cultural influences. His DJ journey started only two years ago and the learning process is one he describes as ‘fun’ and quite spontaneous. He is ‘very passionate’ about what he does and hopes to sell out massive shows in the future. Unsurprisingly, he also cites producing and listening to music as two of his hobbies. Apart from that, when he’s not regulating dance floors, he’s either doing some A&R work with artists, playing 2k, or doing homework. Find out more in our interview with him:
Have you always been into music?
I have always been into music, I grew up in a music house. My dad is a die hard Bob Marley fan and my mum put me on Wizkid (laughs), so there was a mix of everything. I played the saxophone for 8 years and did like a 3 week piano course. Music has always been a part of my life.
Why DJing?
I feel like with DJing, it was so natural. It’s very hard to answer the question why because I’d say DJing chose me. If anything, I would’ve been a rapper, because I can spit like many of these rappers in the game trust me (laughs). I never actually said I wanted to be a DJ, it just came to me. I remember making my first mix, with the purpose of getting traction for my clothing brand. Stupid idea but I guess it worked in another way (laughs). Also, if MayK hadn’t pulled up on me to actually start taking it seriously, I do not think I would be here.
Do you have a favourite genre to play?
My favourite genre to play right now is South African house/Kwaito music. The sounds are spiritually uplifting!
People don’t always see what goes on behind the scenes, what was the learning process like for you?
The learning process for me was so natural that I do not actually remember ‘learning’ per se. I went to a boarding school and that’s what everyone in my unit did. We all just battled each other on virtual DJ, made mixes and taught ourselves new techniques until we became good. When I got my decks in 2018, I just started playing around with it until I got the hang of it. My ‘learning’ experience was quite fun, so I wouldn’t say it was difficult.
Do you pre-select songs for your shows or just go with the flow?
I go with the flow. Pre-selecting songs before a show can really restrict you as a DJ and I strongly advise against that. I like to shock myself, so when I curate some mad transitions live, the way I burst your brain is the same way I burst my own brain too.
How do you really feel about song requests?
Haha very important question. When I was new to the game and more naive, I always took song requests, just so they won’t come and say I’m a bad DJ. Then I realised that people need to trust the DJ to have a good time, so lemme do my thing, trust me. I do not take song requests anymore though, as I have become more confident and I know more of what people want. Moreover, how can I be playing Tesumole and someone is asking me to spin Carti, does that even sound right??
Do you tend to play songs you think everyone knows or test your crowd & play lesser known stuff you think you will bang?
Depends on my crowd, to be honest, I can tell when a crowd is more open minded to music they don’t know, so I play it for them to enjoy, However, I’ve been around some arrogant crowds, so it’s best to just play what they know so that everyone has a great time.
Are there any other young DJs you mess with?
There are so many DJs out there tbh. Obviously there’s MayK and Adej, who have been my brothers since day 1. There’s Lolu, my goat.Honcho, Emeezy, Atobz, Saethedj, Kamso, so many more DJs making plays. I’m very forgetful, so there are a lot more that I like.
You were a relatively early buyer of Shakkar. What about us made you like the brand?
I never really cared for shades before Shakkar. I was younger at the time but I had no interest in shades whatsoever. I was just on instagram one day, I think you guys had a shoot on the beach or something. I fell in love with the first pair I saw, I had to cop it. Those were my first proper shades. Probably my biggest personal buy at the time.
There seems to be an undeniable drive and hunger among Nigerian youth today. Everyone seems to be making moves & writing their own rules. What do you think is behind that?
Everyone wants to be their own boss these days. I’d say social media has a lot to do with it. Our parents didn’t have social media and could not really see people make a way through their hobbies. They grew up in an era where you were not respected if you didn’t go to school to study law or become a doctor. The youth of nowadays have started to realise that they can actually make a living off their talent and make way more money than they’ll probably have made in a Nigerian law firm. Furthermore, I feel the youth are just inspired everyday, to try new things, at least that’s why I think we are writing our own rules.
Finally, where would you like to be in 5 years?
Honestly, I don’t know what may happen to me in the next 5 years, there’s only so much I can do to affect that. However, I am really passionate about DJing and I really just want to sell out big concerts, from Native, Rolling loud, Boiler room, all of that. I want to tour and DJ at crazy raves where people will be doing crazy stuff, so I could live through them. I also might try making music but there is so much uncertainty in that because I don’t believe in mediocrity. If I sound crazy though, I’ll put everyone on.
