NYC native Cheyne Christian has a pretty special history. He made resident DJ at the legendary Tunnel club when he wasn’t even old enough to drink at the age of 17. A whirlwind career took off with him securing other prestigious residencies at Avalon, Roxy, Webster Hall, touring to Ibiza and producing his debut album.
As is the case sometimes, life gets in the way and Cheyne’s career took a turn resulting in a hiatus from music.
Over the past couple of years, this bold and talented artist has returned with bang, signing a slew of release to Toolroom, Saved and Nervous, and earning himself A-list supporters in Claptone, Carl Cox and Cedric Jervais.
Now back spinning tunes across the USA and with new music just landed on Juicy Music – a remix of El Baile by David Novacek, Juan Galvis and ALD4NA – and his own Bridge & Tunnel Beat Co., we thought now would be a good time to dig into the story of Cheyne Christian.
WWD: How did a 17-year-old Cheyne Christian land a residency at the Tunnel?
Back in those days, I used to have a little hustle selling my mix tapes in school. My older sister used to work in the club scene, and she would always steal my tapes. I remember making a tape that week and was really feeling it, it had Hyper Trophy’s Just Come Back To Me and Beautiful Day, Robbie Tronco’s Freight Train, I think Danny Tenaglia’s Elements, amongst many others. As per usual, my sister stole the tape, but she ended up taking the master copy, so I couldn’t make dupes to sell them; naturally I was PISSED.
Back then there were no cell phones only beepers/pagers (unless you were rich or very important) and I got a page from a 917 area code (NYC) which had “911”, code for “important call now”. I go to a pay phone and call the number back. The dude on the line said he was a promoter at the Tunnel, and said he heard my tape and wanted to book me. I thought it was one of my boys playing a joke, so I said “get the fuck outta here, you think I was born yesterday?” and proceeded to hang up. They paged me right back, so I called, and this time I was annoyed, but they were like “this is not a joke, we were hanging out with your sister, and she was playing your tape. We loved it and want you to come in for a set next Friday at Afterhours starting at 4am”.
I was already working as a resident in a club down the Jersey Shore (way before that damn show), and one of the bartenders organized a charter bus for when the club closed at 2am so 75 of us could pack in a bus and drive an hour to the city for my debut at the Tunnel. It wasn’t the main floor it was one of the many and very cool side rooms. And that’s how it all started.
WWD: You must have so many amazing stories from that time. Is there one you tell more so than any others?
It’s so hard to choose as there are sooo many. I remember one night, I was opening the main floor, and while I’m mixing, someone was tapping me on the shoulder. A little annoyed, I turn around and ask what’s up. This guy introduces himself as the manager of an infamous boy band (I’m not going to name names) and he points to two of the members at the back of the massive main room DJ Booth at the Tunnel near the couch, and tells me they’re looking to get their hands on some K. He was wondering if I had it or knew someone… That was not my thing, but I knew where to point them. Later that night, I was playing after hours in the Fuzzy room and saw those two in the deepest K hole drooling all over themselves.
WWD: How did the various club residencies you had shape the sound of your production that we hear today?
NYC has and always will be a huge melting pot. Walking down any block you will hear Latin, Afro, Disco, Hip Hop, so playing and working a crowd in NYC requires you to be able to pull some familiarity from all the different cultures. One thing about NYC though is that there’s a certain rigid attitude, a fierceness if you will. That said, in my sets and productions you will always hear a lot of those global elements, but with a certain NYC edge and energy.
WWD: In your opinion, where are the best clubbing spots in NYC at the moment?
Brooklyn really reminds me of what the late 90s vibe in NYC was like. There are so many warehouses-turned clubs with a unique vibe and energy. For me Brooklyn Mirage is at the top of that list followed by Superior Ingredients. However, NYC is on a bit of a resurgence itself, some of my favorites are Nebula, Paradise Club, and Somewhere Nowhere.
WWD: We understand you took a hiatus from music for a significant period. Are you able to talk about your reasons behind that?
At that time, I had been grinding out for many years and after a few successful releases, my first album, a few key residencies in my area, and my first European Tour, I was living the dream.
I was partying hard and ended up getting a girl pregnant (unexpectedly). I was in Ibiza, and I got a call from this girl saying she was pregnant and was planning on keeping the baby. I was right where I always wanted to be in my career and I was not planning to return home from Ibiza, but when I got the news, I decided to leave it all behind, get a “real job” with health benefits and raise my daughter. It didn’t work out with that girl, but I have an amazing daughter (now 16).
I got married a few years later to an amazing girl I had known for a while, and she loves House Music just as much, if not more than, me. We have two kids, 10 and 7, and I have been working in Tech Sales for the last 15 years.
So that was my hiatus, but about 5 years ago, my wife told me that I was becoming an asshole, and I needed a hobby She said that she always admired how I was when I used to DJ and Produce so she took me to Guitar Center for Father’s Day. I started playing around with the CDJs, and next thing I knew, I had a few people crowding around me watching me get lost in the music. I ended up taking home the CDJs and mixer and started transferring my old CDs to MP3s and making mixes. A few weeks later I got a DAW and midi controller and started messing around. Next thing I knew I had a track finished and started my own label (Bridge & Tunnel Beat Co.) to release things on for fun. And here we are.
WWD: Your latest single ‘Spirit Release’ with IDA fLO is a special one for you. Can you talk us through that?
Music has always been a big part of my life, my escape from reality, and most importantly, my therapy, the light in the darkness. However, in late 2021, I got really sick from COVID. It lasted for a few months and caused all sorts of underlying issues that put me in to a really dark place, so dark, that I had no desire to create music.
Finally, after a few months, I pulled myself together and wrote the melody for the track. It was just a therapy session where I was able to get everything that I was feeling for the past few months out of me and on a track. After listening back, I thought maybe I can have Ida write something cool and we can see where it goes. Keep in mind that Ida had no clue about my situation and depression. After she heard the song, she called me, and wanted to share her thoughts. She was able to feel, and articulate, in words, my journey from darkness, back to the light. In my years of collaborating with someone, I’ve never felt this connected, and that’s when we knew we had something special.
WWD: What techniques do you experiment with to develop your own sound?
I love drums, so I’m always chopping up and blending loops and sounds trying to find that perfect groove. I’m a sucker for warm analogue sounds, especially bass, so I’m always tweaking every knob and button. Lately, I’ve been suffering from what I call Leonardo Da Vinci syndrome; I love history. Leo was never satisfied with his work, like how the Mona Lisa was incomplete. I’m like obsessing about every detail, which isn’t a bad thing I guess, it just makes for better quality.
WWD: What is on the horizon for the coming year, and what are you most excited about?
I have a bunch of projects I’m finishing up: Afro House, Latin House, bootlegs, two new radio show residencies, one weekly on Select Radio UK FM on Thursdays at 22:00, and on DI.FM the third Friday of each month. I’m also locking down some cool gigs.
WWD: We hear you’ll be at Miami Music Week this year. Where can people see you / what are your plans?
I’m still waiting on the final details of the MMW shows so please keep an eye on my socials.