Name: Tesfa Williams
Nationality: British
Occupation: DJ, producer
Current release: Tesfa Williams is part of the line-up for the new digital Family Affair Vol. 5 compilation on Razor-N-Tape, out now on vinyl. The album also includes contributions by Recloose ft. Hazmat Live, Mike Misiu, Medlar & Daisybelle, Mpharanyana, Saucy Lady, and Arnau Obiols.
Recommendation for the UK: I’ve just moved to a coastal town called Margate here in the UK. So I’d recommend visiting Botany Bay for a sunset walk. Just beautiful on a clear, dry day.
Things I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: There are definitely things I’m passionate about that I don’t always get to speak on. I care deeply about mental and emotional wellbeing, especially in creative spaces where we’re expected to always be strong, productive, and “on.” I think about how much resilience it takes to stay inspired, how much vulnerability sits behind the music people dance to, and how important it is to look after yourself while still giving your honesty to the art. This thought sits quietly under everything I do, even if I don’t always get the chance to say it out loud.

[Read our Marina Trench interview]
[Read our Arnau Obiols interview]

If you enjoyed this Tesfa Williams interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Soundcloud, and bandcamp.



When it comes to experiencing strong emotions as a listener, which albums, performances, and artists come to mind?

Mainly it comes down to performances.

There is a classic live pirate radio recording of DJ Slimzee, Wiley, Gods Gift, Dizzee Rascal +mre from 2002 rinse fm, that takes me back to an era where the emotion of London was felt strongly, not only in lyrics but in the way the instrumentals were put together. Full of emotion.



Also Paul Trouble Anderson's classix kiss FM recordings from the early 90s.

There can be many different kinds of emotions in art – soft, harsh, healing, aggressive, uplifting and many more. Which do you tend to feel drawn to most?

At this point in life, I try to bring my most uplifting and healing side to the forefront.

As someone who makes and plays multiple UK dance genres, starting out realising Grime music, I feel the more mature you get the more you want to share art that is positive in nature to always attempt to contribute in an uplifting, meaningful way.

I have had a hard time explaining that listening to death metal calms me down. When you listen to a song or composition, does it tend to fill you with the same emotions – or are there “paradoxical” effects?

It's more paradoxical for me; I’ve always had to explain that I used to listen to Jungle to go to sleep because it would literally calm me and send me into a dream world.

To this day its the same for me with making music, if I’m sad, mad or upset with the world then I’m more likely to create the uplifting opposite emotion, almost like I’m creating the remedy to my current state of emotion.

In as far as it plays a role for the music you like listening to or making, what role do words and the voice of a vocalist play for the transmission of emotions?

Words and voice have gradually become a more important part of my music-making and the transmission of emotions within a track over time.

When I was younger and making Grime I felt that words didn’t convey the message and emotions I was feeling, as there are truly no words in the English language for how I was feeling at times.

As far as listening goes, I tend to lean towards instrumental music, words have power and intentions of another artist cannot be truly known unless you know the person personally. So I tend to calm my mind and keep peace in my personal space.

When it comes to experiencing emotions as a creator, how would you describe the physical sensation of experiencing them? [Where do you feel them, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or a build-up of tension etc …]

I would say as a creator when creating, this is the one time where I can truly feel a full release of energy.

It can be hairs standing up on the back of you neck, full on tears of joy, or feeling the rage in your body dissipate.

When it comes to composing / songwriting, are you finding that spontaneity and just a few takes tend to capture emotions best? Or does honing a piece bring you closer to that goal?

I would say the my music in its truest form with all the emotion present is caught in a take or a session.

That's the best way to bring me to my goal if sharing emotions is the point.

How much of the emotions of your own music, would you say, are already part of the composition, how much is the result of the recording process?

I would say all of the emotion is already present in the composition no matter the process.

I am me and I’m always sharing my emotions in the composition.

For your current release, what kind of emotions were you looking to get across?

‘Breeze’ is about sharing the current feelings that I get living by the sea. I was sharing how it makes me feel in music form and hope it comes across.

How do you capture the emotions you want to get across in the studio?

I don’t spend time overthinking what I’m doing once I’m in the studio. So what I do at the time that I do it is me getting what ever emotions across.

What role do factors like volume, effects like distortion, amplification, and production in general for in terms of creating the emotions, energies or impressions you want?

For me, things like volume, distortion, and overall production are tools to translate what I’m feeling into something physical that people can actually experience.

I lean into instinct and feeling; if the music hits me in the chest or shifts my mood, I know it’ll connect with others too.

In terms of emotions, what changes when you're performing live on stage, with an audience present, compared to the recording stage?

Recording is more internal almost like having a conversation with myself and working through emotions in a focused, personal way.

Performing live is outward; the emotions become shared, more spontaneous, and raw because I’m feeding off the energy of the room. It’s the same feelings, but amplified by human presence.

How does the presence of the audience and your interaction with it change the emotional impact of the music and how would you describe the creative interaction with listeners during a gig?

When the audience is there, the music doesn’t feel like it belongs to just me anymore.

It becomes something we create together in real time. It feels like a conversation, not a performance.

What kind of feedback have you received from listeners or concert audiences in terms of the experience that your music and/or performances have had on them?

I’ve had people tell me my music helped them through really personal moments, or that a certain set made them feel alive, transported to the Caribbean, understood, or just freed from whatever they were carrying.

That kind of feedback means everything because it shows me the emotion I put in really does travel somewhere meaningful.

Would you say that you prefer to stay in control to be able to shape the emotions or do you surrender to them and allow the music to take over? Who, ultimately has control during a live performance?

I think it’s a balance. I guide the emotion with my choices and experience, but I also allow myself to surrender to the moment because that’s where honesty comes from.

In a live performance, I’d say control shifts constantly between me, the music, and the crowd we’re all shaping it together.

The emotions that music is able to generate can be extremely powerful. How, do you think, can artists make use of this power to bring about change in the world?

Music has the power to shift people emotionally, and when you shift emotion, you can shift perspective.

Artists can use that power by being honest, vulnerable, and intentional with what they put into the world. If people feel something real, it can inspire empathy, connection, and maybe even change how they move through life.