Four Teh: This Motley Crew Of Social Media DJs Are Redefining The Rules Of Publicity

Four Teh are Rekker, Viticz, Goth Mystery Mafia and JumbogoatXXL (Credit: Courtesy of Four Teh)

Amidst a saturated DJ pool and cluttered social media environment, it’s getting harder to promote yourself as a performer these days. Being a decent DJ alone might not be enough to give you that big break. It’s especially pertinent if you don’t play songs for the masses or you’re not represented by a major label, and it’s highly common to see DJs transform into multihyphenates who wear many hats just to be seen or heard. So what do you do then? For Four Teh, they decided to break the formula and put out their own outlandish brand of publicity.

Four Teh (what a name, eh?) burst into the scene through live-recorded DJ sets published on social media, but that’s where the similarity ends with other conventional publicity efforts. Where they differ is the unorthodox and eye-catching format of their recorded videos. These four musketeers first garnered buzz back with what they called a ‘toilet set’, a DJ setup filmed in a crammed home bathroom. They then followed up with a filmed ‘kitchen set’, where they essentially threw a house party dressed in chef outfits. And most recently, the quartet even took to the highway with an open-roof ‘car set’, filming themselves mixing while driving – with a designated wheelman – down the nocturnal scenic streets of Singapore (STB should take note).

It's a what-did-I-just-watch strategy that’s particularly effective on social media. Four Teh have also been shrewd and savvy enough to cut their recorded sets into snackable bite-sized clips to drive repeated engagement, ensuring that you catch wind of their antics over and over again. Except what you’re seeing is never the same trick; another pro point of Four Teh is the crew themselves. Four Teh consists of Rekker, Viticz, Goth Mystery Mafia and JumbogoatXXL (whom we featured in our Rising Arp piece), an ensemble of burgeoning DJs and producers who all flaunt varying tastes. When they all get together, you’ll hear the music flicking across hip-hop, broken beat, hard groove techno, breakcore, riddim, happy hardcore, and even some video game OSTs. It’s an anything-goes approach that also makes these DIY daredevils utterly unexpected and not at all dull.

Is social media marketing as important (or more) than one’s skills behind the decks? What do you think? (Credit: Courtesy of Four Teh)

The fact that I’m talking about them right now shows the power of their off-kilter publicity. While they might’ve gone under the radar as individuals who partook in standard publicity methods, their unified front has left an impression. Whether this wave of hype results in success (however you wish to measure that) for each of them remains to be seen, but it does provide food for thought for other aspiring or even established DJs about how to get ahead in a scene that’s getting more stuffed and competitive by the day.

Gimmick or genius? There’s no right way, really. For now, just have a sip, or four, of Four Teh.

Follow Four Teh’s activities on its members’ individual Instagram pages: Rekker, Viticz, Goth Mystery Mafia and JumbogoatXXL.