Based in Finland, Deeprhythms is the brainchild of Helsinki-native Timo. He is truly immersed in underground electronic music. Picking up DJ’ing in the mid ’90s after immersing himself with all kinds of electronic music since the late ’80s. He has curated an extensive podcast series with over 200 hours of mixes. Timo also runs the label “Echocentric Records” and has been a DJ for over two decades.
There is a nice quote to be found on his website:
Mixing technique is secondary, music is everything
Connect with Deeprhythms on Deeprhythms.com, Soundcloud and the labels Echocentric Records and Coymix Ltd!
Tell us in a few words the history of Deeprhythms?
First off, thanks a lot for the invite, was a pleasure to record a set for Tanzgemeinshaft!
Deeprhythms went online in 2001 during the mixsites era ie. the times before iPhones, Facebook and Soundcloud. I was really into deep ethereal house at the time, you know, labels like Deep4Life, Driftwood, Subwoofer, Music Is… and Straight Up Recordings. Music not really aimed at club play but more for inner-space explorations.
I had an expensive hobby of buying loads of vinyl and to be honest, I needed an excuse to continue doing so. And of course, I wanted to connect with like-minded people and a little community of DJ’s running mix-sites formed on various message boards and mailing lists (the social media outlets back then). Shout-outs to ODJ Pirkka, Truly Madly, Brad P, Estimulo, Roxnadz, Joe Keto, Andy Grant and all the rest I forget to mention.
20 years on I’m still actively maintaining the site publishing interviews & mixes by various guests and the occasional mix by myself. Currently though, running two labels (Echocentric Records & I’m one half of Coymix Ltd.) and doing mixes by invite for others keep me quite occupied.
DR still serves the purposes – so many good friendships have been formed through the site that I really treasure and I’m going to keep finding time to continue doing so. The guests on DR range from more established names to upcoming ones which keeps it interesting as there’s always a lot to learn from how people approach DJ’ing and sourcing music.
Why did you want to become a DJ? Where does your passion for electronic music come from?
Tough one. It was never a conscious choice in the sense of “I’m going to go and have crack at being a successful DJ”. By the end of the day I’m just a big music head. Ever since my teens I’ve always spent a lot of time trying to find great new music to listen to and to share.
I got introduced to electronic music in the turn of the late 80’s. It was a certain techno mixtape that quite literally opened a world of new music. Warp, +8, Jumpin & Pumpin & UR and all that.
But I’ve never really listened to only electronic music. If a piece of music evokes really strong emotions and atmospheres that you can get immersed into, then it gets on my rotation. It’s a cliche yes but music is a form of escapism. I really enjoy the feeling when you realise you’ve just spent three hours playing records without realising how much time has passed by,
Describe some of the feelings you have when you are behind the decks?
Playing records has a very calming effect on me – like, it’s seizing the moment and trying to get into a story telling mood. I also like the feeling of nervous excitement when you’re blending two records together that you’re not sure of if they fit – taking risks and making mistakes is fun!
It’s been a while since I started this thing so I think I’m at a stage currently where I don’t take it too seriously at all, that’d kill all the fun. And if the fun’s gone then… been there and don’t ever want to go back.
What excites you the most as a DJ?
Finding a perfect match between two tracks that generates something that didn’t exist before the mix, a new piece of music. Finding new music that’s still off-the-radar. Connecting with people who share the same view on DJ’ing. Playing the music I love out to a crowd and sensing a connection. Having shitloads of stress-free fun, that’s still where I get most of my kicks from. Music should be treated with utmost respect but never ever too seriously.
How will the future of a DJ look like, let’s say, in 2040? Meaning technology-wise. Go crazy.
Technology-wise I’d like to see a development in the industry which would lead to labels and artists getting a proper compensation when their music gets played out. Without music there’s no DJ culture.
I’d like to see technology opening more opportunities to form local music communities, a little antidote against globalism, that’s the idealist me talking.
But, I’m really, really hoping there will be a backlash against the streaming giants who are shaping the way we consume music currently. The way they’re trying to commoditize music into a throwaway piece in a playlist, ripped totally from the original context of an ep or and album just infuriates me.
Yes, grumpy old man rambling but it really is a fucking scary development when you combine it with the fact that they pay absolutely shit-all to the people providing the music. The changing economics of electronic music is a dear subject of mine, RA did a nice editorial of it here and here.
What can we expect from the mix you made us?
This one turned out quite a bit darker than what my intention was when I turned on the decks. There’s quite a bit of sub bass, electro and breaks in there, I started chasing a sci-fi narrative, but it turned out to be quite dystopian. Just listen to it with open ears and check the playlist, hopefully, there’s something new in there for you that you end up buying. Always dig deeper!
Track list
01 – Heavy Lies The Crown – Pugilist (Trule)
02 – Spore – Yak (R & S Records)
03 – CPU Limit 99 – No Moon (X-Kalay
04 – Danger Close – False Persona (Typeless)
05 – Temple Runner – Asquith (Who’s Susan?)
06 – The Private Stage – Customer Service (Control Freak)
07 – My Reality Cheque Bounced (feat. DJ Zozi) (Roza Terenzi)
08 – Solid Lines – Tom Place (Bade Records)
09 – Network 313 – Proxyan (Something Happening Somewhere)
10 – Days Of Dissent – UMWELT (Kille Kill)
11 – Mindprints – TenGrams (Noia Records)
12 – 31 Seconds – Galaxy87 (Solar One Music)
13 – Down With Us (Vocal) – Westcoast Cruisers (Syncom Data)
14 – Wide Eye – Yak (R & S)
15 – Specialist – Klon Dump (A Colourful Storm)
