In Session: Tessela

Despite growing up with a classical-obsessed father who inducted his son into music with lessons on a variety of orchestral instruments, Ed looked more to his ten years-senior brother Tom, aka Perc Trax producer Truss, for cues, hearing a variety of electronic music through his bedroom walls. Aged 11 he bought a pair turntables and began to experiment mixing with records he’d pinch from Tom’s collection, recording ramshackle mixtapes to sell at school.

While studying GCSE music Ed’s influential sibling bought him a copy of the production software Reason, calling it an “investment”, and the pair have maintained a close partnership over the years, releasing and playing live as TR//ER and Overmono, and now running Poly Kicks as a joint venture following a relaunch in late 2015. Five outings have come out since, seeing Tessela focus his sound to a more down-the-line techno approach while still keeping it bass-heavy, and Truss and Haroon Mirza both experimenting with locked grooves.

As a DJ Tessela has grown into one of the UK’s finest selectors, with a Radio 1 residency, shows on Rinse and NTS, and regular tour dates across the globe under his belt. His sets are crafted to be raw and explosive workouts. Listen to his In Session below for a thumping and at times disorientating trip through muscular drums, bassweight techno and propulsive acid.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter