NORTHMIX: Tep No

Our Northmix series has requested a variety of up-and-coming artists to create a unique set exclusive to THUMP. In each spotlight, we aim to introduce you to these artists, whether it be through their background, repertoire or impending projects.

But upon research of Toronto's Tep No?we realized our usual might be tested.

Citing "hot girls (the ones you eat sushi on), drugs and lots of alcohol" as his bait to dance music, Tep No's sarcasm isn't explicitly disclosed, but it's obvious. His honesty is similarly at the core of his production style?each track is elongated, and vocals are given room to breathe. Everything you find on Tep No's SoundCloud is far from the saturated, disrupted style of DJing that has become so popular.

"I don't understand DJs who play songs for ten seconds and then switch right away. I like to incorporate singing into my sets?I sing on most of my own songs," said Tep No. "I DJ by playing songs that I want to hear, regardless of tempo. I like to add songs that others have missed because of a lack of exposure."

Unlike his witty character, Tep No's music is sophisticated and sultry. His latest release titled "The Last Ones Standing" has even been given a nod from Pete Tong himself.

"It's every dance artist's dream, it felt amazing. It was a bit surreal actually," he said. "I celebrated when I heard it, drank a lot of Tanqueray. It took me a few days to recover, but it was worth it."

Honesty is the best policy, right?

Listen to Tep No's Northmix above.

Tep No is on Facebook // Soundcloud