tia cousins
Owning records is easy, playing them, easier. Reading a room, knowing what lands, stitching tracks into something that moves a crowd - that's where the craft separates itself from the collection. The tapestry of becoming a real DJ is an art form few truly master.
Step forth, Tia Cousins, London-based selector, radio broadcaster, and self-proclaimed BoG Witch who has made a name for herself by digging through the cracks others overlook. In an era drowning in information, she's carved out a niche collecting the in-between sounds - experimental gear, obscure niches, the old and the new - amassing a collection of music that frankly shouldn't belong to someone her age.
It's one that has won her plenty of recognition in all the right circles, from NTS to Balamii, the Tate Gallery to Brilliant Corners. Tia's extensive knowledge threads together EBM, Italo, Techno, Synth-Pop, Post-Punk and House, leaving no stone unturned. Learning to DJ in her university bedroom after a friend left their decks behind, she's refined her approach over the years: finding moments of silence to transition, and keeping things simple with minimal effects.
These dizzyingly eclectic yet well-sequenced selections have turned heads on radio stations around the world, most recently landing her a monthly residency on Bristol's Noods Radio. Her well-curated radio shows have become a calling card - a space for music she actually wants to listen to at home, rather than the usual ‘club’ fare.
Reaching deep into jazz, krautrock, ambient, and the experimental fringes that keep dancefloors guessing, she's also cleared a few floors in her time, "I quite like doing that - filtering out the crowd so that only those who are vibing remain."
Tia's also turned her unique ears to A&R, heading up the musical direction for the Ransom Note's record label, as well as co-parenting the ambient and plant cassette label Music To Watch Seeds Grow By. Born from a sober stint spent hyperfixating on gardening and sprouting seeds, the cassette label pairs ambient music with the slow, mindful art of horticulture.
The past couple of years have been huge for the young selector, and she can be found performing with the likes of Optimo, Decius, Lena Willikens, Helena Hauff and Vladimir Ivkovic. This year she's debuted at Panorama Bar, Convenanza and Waterworks, toured Asia, alongside regular appearances at Field Maneuvers, Love International, Golden Lion, Bugged Out and Watching Trees - where she's soundtracked silent films, played main stage sets whilst co-curating the The Bush of Ghosts ambient area.
When you add in mixes for Erol Alkan's Phantasy, BICEP, the fabric International Women's Day series, as well as being featured on Resident Advisor's mix of the day, it’s safe to say Tia is quietly earning acclaim that even the most seasoned of artists would yearn for.