Haai Systems Up, Windows Down

A need for experimentation, exploring new sounds and new ways of making music are the inspirations driving Mute’s newest signing HAAi, the Australian born London based DJ. HAAi, aka Teneil Throssell, rose from the ashes of a disbanded psych band, where she was vocalist and guitar player and, inspired by a chance trip to Berghain, started DJing by digging into a wealth of music on the psychedelic spectrum from around the globe. Her Coconut Beats parties in Dalston led to shows on Rinse FM and Worldwide FM, and eventually to a prestigious residency at the London club Phonox where Throssell played Saturday nights for two years. As her residency came to end, BBC Radio 1 broadcast her Essential Mix which went on to win the accolade of Essential Mix of the Year. Past winners include Flying Lotus, Helena Hauff, Nicolas Jaar & more. HAAi was then granted a monthly Radio 1 slot. The end of her residency at Phonox allowed HAAi to play shows and big festival stages all over the world, including Over the last year, including Sonar Festival and Glastonbury. Her new EP, Systems Up, Windows Down feels like an evolution from the previous releases on her own label. With a more mature, dancefloor focused sound full of heavy basslines, breaks and crisp percussive electronics, she has experiment more and pushed the boundaries of her production. The tracks lean heavily on her personal archive of field recordings, both from her own travels and scouring the internet. The opening track includes the revving of her step dad’s ‘60s Mustang engine. On ‘It’s Something We Can All Learn From’ she uses an almost forgotten artefact from a trip to Marrakech and ‘CHONKIBOI’ is grounded in an earwormy ritualistic vocal. Signing to Mute is a dream come true for HAAi. She first came to Mute’s attention via a remix for Daniel Avery. From there the rest is history. In addition to the new EP, she is readying a new album, which she says will have a more modern and contemporary sound. “I’m really excited about being part of Mute,” she says. “It blows my mind to think I have the support and encouragement to do all the things I would like to do and maybe I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do on my own.”