Josh Teed Dives Deep into Recurring Dreams

In a scene dominated by computers, software, and battery life, it can be refreshing to explore the realm of music that touches the soul in ways only live instruments can. 

In just half a decade, multi-instrumentalist Josh Teed has taken the electronic community by storm with his ability to blend mind-melting bass with instruments like the violin, guitar, and didgeridoo.

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Teed was first introduced to the music world by his mother, who was a violin teacher. At the shy age of four, she immersed him into the classical realm, where he began taking violin lessons. Further transitioning into jazz, Celtic, bluegrass and more, he continued to pick up more instruments along the way. Now, being able to play over seven instruments, his talents stem from far more than just electronic music.

After living in Jacksonville for 12 years, Teed moved to New Hampshire, where one of his first experiences with electronic music began. Throughout this time, he discovered artists such as Shpongle, Troyboi and Minnesota. With such a legendary introduction into the scene, he attended his first musical festival called Psychedelic Sleepover located in New Hampshire. There, he discovered the Emancipator ensemble as well as Govinda. Through their live performances, both of these influential artists showed Teed that there was opportunity in this genre to incorporate both music production and live instrumentation. 

With his project being born just a few years ago in 2018, Teed has seen remarkable success. In 2023, his music has claimed over 1 million Spotify streams and 52,000 monthly listeners. Last year alone, he made festival appearances at The Untz Festival, Future Forest Festival, Yonderville, Big Fam, Evolutions, Driftmore Music & Arts Fest, Mountain Music Festival, Fire Lights and more.

One of Teed’s current successes is his latest album, Recurring Dreams. This eight-track masterpiece is centered around a specific dream that he has had almost his entire life. 

“In this dream, I wake up in a forest, and I’m walking through it for a while,” Teed told MP3 MAG. “I get up to this lake with a stone path that leads to an island in the center of it. There’s a stone table or altar, and every time I walk up to it, before I can reach the altar, I wake up. I’ve always felt like there was something to it, but I’ve never been able to figure it out, it’s been so interesting to me.” 

As a very visual person, most of his bodies of work are centered around a story or a place, so this specific dream gave him structure on how he wanted the album to come about. 

The first track released was “Ancient Illusions” ft Shanghai Doom in November, with the rest of the album following suit on December 2, 2022. Recurring Dreams also features collaborations with artists like Jason Leech, IZZI, Super Future, Daggz and Eyezic. Ranging from melodic mix downs to heavy-hitting bass, the album takes the listener on a magical journey from start to finish. 

While the album was everything fans wanted and more, Teed didn’t stop there. The Recurring Dreams tour was announced, which hits 32 different stops all across North America.

Teed has also actively used music for charitable causes, creating the Taiga Collective back in 2020. The collective is a non-profit label centered around melodic bass music, providing avenues for like-minded musicians to showcase their talents, with all profits going to wildlife conservation.

“I’m so excited to be working with people who are doing something like that. This has been the first and foremost of my interests for a long time. I feel like as far as any issues go that could be facing us, whether it be social or political, this is the biggest one. If we don’t have a planet, what does the rest of it matter to debate over?”

Whether it be giving back to the planet or to the community through music, Teed has made sure to stay true to himself and his dreams. As he breaks the barrier between bass music and live instrumentation, he continues to leave his mark on the community with his eclectic sound and passionate mind. 

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