"We need to give more people a seat at the table." The Australian DJ and producer talks about exclusivity in the music industry, neurodivergence and London's thriving lesbian scene.
The London-based Australian artist Teneil Throssell (AKA HAAi) doesn't have a typical DJ story. She moved to London in the early 2010s as part of a now defunct psych rock band, and once it broke up, she thought her stint in the music industry was over. Unsure what to do with herself, she started mixing dance music records at the bar where she was working at the time, Ridley Road Market. The right person happened to "discover" her, offering her a spot supporting Jacques Greene at the London club Phonox. She went on to hold a residency there for two years, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Throssell's career blew up almost immediately. For the last eight years that she's been DJing, she's toured internationally on a massive scale, sometimes going to six different countries in one week. She's also released a number of EPs and one LP on Mute Records, remixed Kylie Minogue and started two labels of her own: Coconut Beats and Radical New Theory, which she runs with her partner. Her style is eclectic, but fans of hers will know her for her upbeat, techno- and acid-inflected sound.
In this RA Exchange, Throssell dives into some emotional and complex topics, like the criticism she received from RA for her early EP Systems Up, Windows Down; London's lesbian scene; her ADHD diagnosis; and climate activism in the electronic music industry. Listen to the episode in full.
