Name: Michael Tello aka Lil’T
Occupation: Producer, DJ, songwriter
Nationality: American
Current release: Lil’T's new album Back 2 The Future is out via Pillowtalk Music.
Recommendations for New York: New York has lots of things to do and explore. The comedy here is really good, head to one of the legendary comedy clubs (Comedy Cellar) for some laughs, drinks and food. It's a vibe plus good for the soul.
Topic I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: I got into extreme planking while on tour overseas six years ago, it gave me something to do and would definitely get everyone's attention in the late hours of the after hours or party.
I also love my studio, I spend a lot of time on making sure the vibe is always right and gear dialled in which has its challenges when you share a space with multiple people.
I’ve been teaching and mentoring new artists and kids for over a decade. It makes me happy and proud to have the trust and admiration from such young and inspiring hidden talents that are eager and hungry to shine.

If you enjoyed this Lil’T interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, and the Pillowtalk bandcamp.



What were some of the musical experiences which planted a seed for your interest in electronic music?

I grew up on the West Coast in LA where I started DJing at the age of 12. My dad came home from Radio Shack one day and unloaded six big ass boxes of audio equipment in the family room/ballroom when we lived above my parents' furniture factory, “Touch of Class.” My dad would throw some unforgettable parties there.

He said. “here ya go kiddo, I want you to install this sound system by the time I wake up.” A command and challenge was given to me, I knew nothing about electronics but had a curiosity for what all the party DJs were doing with their fancy sound setups and party lights, vibe, etc.

I’ll keep it short, the process of discovering this new equipment for the first time, unboxing, and installing the amplifier, EQ, CD changer, radio receiver, double tape cassette deck, 2 techniques, a microphone, needles, and a radio shack 2 channel mixer (iykyk) was very intriguing and exciting. I couldn't believe my dad trusted me to just, ‘figure it out”.

Man, I stayed up as late as I could and read through each manual which y‘all already know is hard enough in itself. It took some trial and error, but honestly, I fell in love with it. I had a knack for it. My dad and family could
see that and were happy that I could satisfy his expectations.

Fast forward, this became the key moment in which I knew I wanted to be an audio engineer, not just a DJ. I wanted and needed to know how the sounds were created, understand what each waveform meant, and how I could do what I saw my dad's DJ friends do.

I grew up in a Latin household, my parents would listen to a lot of salsa, merengue, bachata, disco, R&B, and Latin freestyle. My brother, Joey, had a mint maxi-single collection, every R&B, New Jack Swing, Pop, and Rap album and single on tape. We would make mixtapes all the time.

My love for electronic music came one night when my older cousin Diego whose my brother's age showed up after, 2 am, to my dad's party with some friends and gave me a cassette labelled “House” and told me to give it to the DJ to play. I didn't know what to expect. It was the early 90s, the only thing I’d heard similar to what got played that night was the 80s and alternative records on the radio. I just remember all my older cousins and their friends got up to dance and the party blasted off again for a little while until the drunk old people demanded their Latin music again.

Shortly after that I found a record store in south Los Angeles and went with the $100 I would make in the summer working odd jobs in the factory to buy 10 records with my mom. This is when my eyes and ears were fully opened to the endless music out there and various subgenres of electronic music. I came home with India, River Ocean (which my mom picked) and Banji Boys, Love Thang on Strictly Rhythm. I truly started playing house as a kid.

It wasn’t until I was 15 that I finally got a Yamaha electric piano and an Alesis MMT8 8-track sequencer. This was the beginning of the end, lol.

Most genres of music make use of electronic production means. What does the term “electronic music” mean today, would you say?

Once the drum machine became more recognizable in a track than a live drummer I feel like a lot of genres went electronic. I'm a beats guy, and my 1st drum machine was MPC2000 which I rinsed early on making deep house and hip hop beats (Still got it).

“Electronic Music” today is a vibe and feeling that comes from the use of out-of-this-world sound design and heavy synth basses, drum machines, sequencers, and now the computer. You got guys making albums and winning Grammys on iPADS. Shit is crazy!

I grew up mainly listening to electronic music but lately, along with others I've spoken to, been somewhat disappointed by most new releases. I'd be curious about your own view on this, the “creative health” of the scene, and potential reasons for the disappointment.

Creators are in a hurry, they feel the need or pressure to feed the social media and label/release machine. Quality control goes out the door if a band or artist has three main album bangers, then the rest is “meh” at best. Or are artists just releasing singles to keep their algorithm consistent?

I only put out what I believe to be timeless tracks, albums, remixes, etc. It takes me 4 years to wrap a record sometimes, I’m a lot faster these days and have been on a nice wave in my Brooklyn Studio. I won't let technology or “the game” take away that personal A&R I do with myself and my team which leads to a solid catalog of self-expression.

What were some of the recent releases, or performances of electronic music that left a deep impact on you?

There are artists like Tone Of Arc, Life On Planets, ROWA, The Flair who are making and releasing some really great music I support. Here is a list of shows that inspired me and my live show and my production style and techniques:

Poolside – LIVE; Jungle – Live; Justice – Live; MoonBoots – Live;

2025 Red Axes - The Chosen One, 2025 Moody Jones - Die Rich, 2025 Jkriv, Megatronic – Intuition; 2023 Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft (Guilty pleasure I'm in her top 2% of fans, my daughter loved the album so we listened to it many times); 2023 Jungle – Volcano; 2019 Moon Boots - Bimini Road 2018; Leon Bridges - Good Thing; 2013 Disclosure – Settle

What kind of musical/sonic materials, and ideas are particularly stimulating for your work right now?

Looks like we are going into a recession here in the US, New York has a beautiful history of new and famous artists making raw uncensored post-punk electronic music with meaning reminiscent of the old “Velvet Underground” days that really turns me on. The new Lil’T EP and coming soon PillowTalk LP both are ginormous leaps deeper into our own sound while still keeping it fresh and modern.

I’m working on an electronic follow-up dance EP and it’s bringing it back to the dancefloor. The world is in turmoil and we need good DJs, sound systems, and venues to go to release the stress from this crazy time line we are living in at this moment.

My MAPA Studios in Brooklyn has loads of vintage analog gear and drum machines, we have it nicely patched directly into a MIDAS VENICEf32 for maximal jam potential. Having the ability for everyone in the room to be locked in sync is a key element to my production. I use the Pioneer SQUID sequencer to start, switch, and morph new ideas that are constantly flowing.

I use some SPLICE loops to sketch ideas and coined the term “Sashimi” when I slice them up to a more original patterns or rhythms. This keeps the studio sessions flowing nicely, all the synths are there if I hear and want to play a top melody or texture I feel is needed.

Where do most of your inspirations to create come from – rather from internal impulses or external ones? Which current social / political / ecological or other developments make you feel like you need to respond as an artist?

My daughter Nina, is about to turn four this month. Back 2 The Future is my third album, the first two were with my band PillowTalk.

To be honest, my absolute driving force is to express myself freely while being able to support my three queens, my mom, wife, and daughter. I believe in me and they believe in me, it's a winning combo.

In writing and performing my own vocals on all the new Lil’T projects which is super fun and therapeutic. The music I’m making is sexy, raw, and uncensored, and then there are songs that are peaceful, inspiring, and about love. It just depends on how I feel or who's around me that determines the lyrics and vibe of a track.

Music has become a lot more global, and incorporating elements from other parts of the world or the musical spectrum is commonplace. Do you still think there are city scenes with a distinct, unique sound? How does your local scene influence your work?

Yes, you can hear a city in the music. There is everything from rhythms, swing, BPMs, vocal cadence, and swag which give a track its geotag. I’ve been off and on the road touring, and this always sparks new musical ideas.

Since I run the live show for PillowTalk I travel with a mini studio at all times which allows me to capture some of those on-the-road, afterparty magic moments like a “ghostbuster”.

The band and I have not been to Europe for some years, I’m curious how my Lil'T music is being received and to meet those fans and promote the new record.

Today, electronic music has an interesting relationship between honouring its roots and exploring the unknown. What does the balance between these two poles look like in your music?

My philosophy is to “educate dem kids.” No, but seriously, if the veteran Jedi DJs are going to play crap then the rest will follow, same for production. I feel it's my responsibility to not surrender to the conformity of EDM or IDM.

PillowTalk has its own label now which gives us that freedom to own and release our own artistic creations. Making ten tracks wasn't hard, telling a story and creating a body of work that would stand the test of time while honouring its roots and exploring the unknown that was difficult. Great question :)

How much potential for something “new” is there still in electronic music? What could this “new” look like?

Music like fashion goes in cycles, the old is the new and new is played out. This is why it's important not to follow this cycle or “trends” and just produce art from the heart and soul.

There is a wave of indie dance, electro, future house, and post punk that's resurfacing which embodies a mix of analog synths and modular textures with live instrumentation that is cool and timeless in my opinion. This happy marriage of genres will be the future of where I see the music and new artists gravitating to.

What were some of the recent tools you bought, used, or saw/read about that changed your perspective about production, performing, and making music?

I’m a fan of the Toraiz SP-16 and Toraiz Squid, they are a winning combo for quick and pro sounding drum programming, sampling, and non linear midi sequencing. The ERM Multiclock keeps everything tight and locked in the studio and is the king of swing.

My favorite studio and touring keyboard is the Roland Jupiter-XM because of its ease and workflow, it has every Roland device and drum machine in one box with built in effects, made for the stage, but great in all studio applications

Do you think that there is a limit to what can be done in sound design – and what defines these limits?

I’m really good at sourcing what I hear in my head from my arsenal of gear and plug-ins.

I wish I was more knowledgeable when it came to a modular euro rack style of sound design but there is still time to learn. I spend a lot of time mastering the tools in my tool belt before buying or trying something new.

In as far as it is applicable to your work, how would you describe the interaction between your music and DJing/DJ culture and clubs?

Back 2 The Future was written and composed as a body of work, some tracks translate well in the club and others are great to listen to in context of the album.

But with DJs being more eclectic these days you never know who, what or when an album track will get played. The new unreleased Lil’T music is built for loud soundsystems and dancefloor friendly.

How would you say your live performances and your recording projects are connected at the moment? How do they mutually influence and feed off each other?

I’ve been blessed with the PillowTalk project and band. Performing live and writing music with the band has improved my technique, timing, patience, and taught me how less is more. I’ve been able to apply these valuable lessons across my other collaborations, remixes and solo projects.

Playing the same synth bass line for a five minute track live is exhausting and sometimes not the funnest because you're locked in the groove, but if you find the balance between performing and doing sound design it can lead to interesting textures and happy accidents in the studio and on stage.

Even if AI will not entirely replace human composition, it looks set to have a significant impact on it. What do the terms composing/producing mean in the era of AI, do you feel?

AI doesn't wake up in the middle of the night with a spark of inspiration and start a new track from scratch, it follows a command or prompt, without it, it's just a ghost in the shell.

The better humans get at prompting AI to generate music the less likely we will be to tell the difference between AI and real musicianship. Without God or a higher power giving it its inspiration AI will always just be a copy cat and good workaround for artists and labels.

Are there approaches, artists, festivals, labels, spaces or anyone/-thing else out there who you feel deserve a shout out for taking electronic music into the future?

Tone Of Arc, Chuwee, Mink, Greg Paulus, Seb Hall, Tate Masimore, Hannah Noelle, Matt FX, The Mekanism, NOAM, Life & Death, Visionquest, Razor N Tape, Mickeys Laundry Line, Love On Cropsey, Red Axes, Bahidora Mexico, Outside Lands (SF), Lightning In A Bottle, Garbicz Festival, Piknic Electronik, DGTL, We Can Dance, ADE, H0L0 (BK), The Office (LA), Beats On Time, The Lot Radio.