DJ STEPDAD

Whatever your thoughts are on artists with goofy monikers, Ted Davis (aka DJ STEPDAD) has likely heard them before. In line with Davis’s worldview at large, the name of the dance project is as much an act of lighthearted sincerity as it is a reflection of his unbothered sense of humor.

Initially a product of the short-lived lo-fi house boom and its endless cheekily-named producers, DJ STEPDAD began in 2018—around the same time Davis started hosting scrappy living room raves out of dingy college houses in Orange County. Reconnecting with a childhood friend over beers and Serato that winter break, the conversation turned to all the support Davis’s stepdad, Mike, had given his musical pursuits over the years. The name DJ STEPDAD had a ring to it, and was decided then and there as a quasi-tribute.

Aside from the 2019 EP, for my stepchildren vol. 1, and the occasional stand-alone single, DJ STEPDAD remained a fleeting party trick while Davis relocated to Los Angeles in the early throes of the pandemic. Quickly becoming a respected critical voice in ambient music, Davis was netting bylines with his favorite publications while his own music fell into stasis. Lacking a sense of community in the SoCal sprawl, it didn’t take Davis long to find what he had been missing after relocating to New York in 2022. Within weeks of moving, DJ STEPDAD was playing sets on The Lot Radio, and building friendships with formative electronic influences.

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