Tigerhead: Motherhood, Raving, and Redefining the Techno Blueprint
- Filip
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The smoke is thick, the strobe lights are relentless, and the bass pounds like a heartbeat through concrete walls. This is the world Tigerhead calls home—a world of old-school Detroit techno, acid-drenched industrial beats, and marathon DJ sets that stretch into the morning haze.
But unlike most artists in the global techno circuit, she’s also a mother.
We sit down with Tereza R., the Czech-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer known as Tigerhead, to talk about the untold side of rave culture: balancing motherhood with a life spent in dark rooms, pulsating with 140 BPM.
This isn’t just about DJing—it’s about breaking the stereotype that parenthood and underground music can’t coexist.
Pregnant in the Booth: A Techno Rebellion
Imagine this: You’re nine months pregnant—and you’re still behind the decks, commanding a crowd of thousands in a darkened club somewhere across the globe.
For Tigerhead, that was reality.
"It wasn’t a question of stopping," she says. "I felt strong, I felt connected to the music, and I wasn’t going to let pregnancy define what I could or couldn’t do."
It’s a far cry from the industry’s traditional image of a touring DJ—where sleepless nights, chaotic schedules, and endless flights are seen as a rite of passage. Motherhood? That’s a conversation most artists never even dare to have.
But Tigerhead is proving that the two worlds aren’t mutually exclusive.
Raising a Child While Raising the Energy of a Crowd
Today, her child is five years old. And while others might struggle to reconcile the duality of family life and a career built on nocturnal chaos, Tigerhead has found her rhythm.
"There’s no manual for this," she admits. "You just figure it out as you go. One moment you’re finishing a set at 6 AM, the next you’re making breakfast for your kid. It’s extreme—but it’s possible."
For Tigerhead, it’s about reshaping expectations. The music industry, especially the techno scene, is notorious for its "live fast, die young" mentality. But what happens when artists start questioning that narrative? What happens when they demand a space where parenthood isn’t a career death sentence?
She isn’t just raising a child—she’s raising the conversation about what it means to exist in techno long-term.
Berlin: The City That Let Her Be Both
It’s no accident that Tigerhead ended up in Berlin.
The city has long been a sanctuary for outsiders, rebels, and those unwilling to conform. From its roots in Detroit-influenced techno to the punk ethos of squatted clubs, Berlin thrives on rejection of the mainstream—and for Tigerhead, that spirit was the perfect match.
"My family never understood electronic music. It was rebellion from the start," she says.
That rebellion turned into a career, one that has seen her play in some of the world’s most iconic clubs and festivals, from Berghain to Boiler Room. But now, it’s more than just about the music—it’s about redefining what an underground artist can be.
Beyond Motherhood: The Future of Techno’s New Wave
Tigerhead’s journey is part of a larger shift happening in electronic music.
As conversations around mental health, burnout, and sustainability in nightlife grow louder, more artists are stepping forward to challenge the old ideals. The industry’s relentless pace is being questioned, and artists like Tigerhead are proof that there’s another way to exist in this space—one that doesn’t require self-destruction.
Can you be a parent and a world-touring techno DJ? Yes. Can you still produce mind-melting, industrial-fueled acid techno while raising a child? Absolutely. Can motherhood and rave culture coexist without compromise? Tigerhead is making sure of it.