T.Wan (aka Tiffany Wan; TUF)

Current top 5 tracks:

Rroxymore, “Tropicalcore” (Ostgut Ton) "Rroxymore is in my top 5 of DJ/producer crushes at the moment. Her productions are truly singular; incredibly complex, rhythmically and melodically compelling, and always with some quirky or unexpected elements thrown in. As a DJ, she effortlessly weaves between genres, moods, and textures. Her latest track, part of the Berghain 08 compilation, really saves listeners from a potentially dull listening experience."

The Blapps Posse, “Bus’ It (It’s Time to Get Busy)” (Blapps!) "I’ve been listening to a lot of late-'80s/early-'90s tracks, particularly from the UK, and this one came up during a recent YouTube rabbit-hole session of recommendations. An irresistible combination of breakbeats, catchy vocals, acid lines, and well-placed cowbell."

S’Express, “Funky Killer” (Rhythm King) "I’m making an effort to listen to and collect more downtempo tracks. This one is still a bit higher on the BPM spectrum, but I really like the dubby rhythm and trippy elements that tie this song together."

Witch Queen, “Got the Time” (Roadshow) "Boogie and late-'70s disco with a funkier edge are some of my favorite types of tracks to play out. Witch Queen was a side project of disco producer Gino Soccio, and the cover art for this album is spectacularly creepy."

Unit 93, “One More Story” (Bassic) "As part of my continued early-'90s UK exploration, this track came out on the Leeds label Bassic, which was only active from 1990-1991. I love the floating melody over the more calculated synth stabs and thick bass line. Reminds me of New Order a bit."

Crew/label affiliation: TUF

Styles played: "My sweet spots of music I can’t resist playing is anything with acid, hand claps/drums, jacking rhythm, heavily '80s-influenced (Chicago and Detroit house are key for me), catchy melodies, or weird textural sounds. I tend to have a weakness for tracks that other people might consider too maximal or cheesy. Generally speaking, I play house, boogie and disco, acid, techno, electro, breakbeat, and freestyle."

Events organized: "For the past two years, I’ve been one of the core organizers for TUFFEST, an all-day/all-night festival organized by TUF during the summer to celebrate female, trans, and nonbinary artists."

DJing philosophy: "Trusting your instincts and being attuned to what the audience is responding to are two of the most important things you can do as a DJ. Empathy is one of the strongest skills you can have when playing music for other people. In my opinion, the function of a DJ is to entertain and also educate. It’s a given that people love to hear music they already know (especially after they’ve had a few drinks), but to give them a little bit of that and introduce music they might not already know they like is a true skill. At the end of the day, if you’re not having fun and the audience isn’t, either, then what the fuck are you even doing this for? I don’t believe in gatekeeping when it comes to sharing music or DJ skills and techniques. If you’re withholding things like that from other people, it’s a sure sign of your own insecurities."

Format: Two CDJs (I have Pioneer 900s at home) and a mixer (I have a Xone 42 at home, but not particularly picky about Xone vs. Pioneer). Trying to incorporate my single Technics MK5 in the mix, as well."

Worst request: "I DJed my friend’s wedding reception last summer at a small-town bar and they hadn’t rented out the whole place, so there were lots of other random people around. Eventually another wedding party wandered in that was much rowdier than ours was, and a woman walked up to me with her phone and just waved their Spotify playlist in my face. I smiled and ignored her."

Upcoming events: "Orphan Radio on March 17 (12 pm-2 pm), Bottom Forty takeover at Timbre Room w/ Sappho and Hyasynth on March 17 (part of Research ft. Honey Dijon)."