Tommy Four Seven on Forward-Thinking Techno, Staying True, and the Energy That Fuels It All

Some artists ride the wave, others build their own. Tommy Four Seven is the latter. A producer, DJ, and label head who’s spent the last two decades carving out his own brutalist take on techno—raw, experimental, and entirely his own. He rarely does on-camera interviews, but this time, he sat down with us to talk about Berlin vs. London, staying true to techno, the energy behind the music, and even a bit of veganism.

London Roots, Berlin Evolution

Techno’s spiritual home may be Berlin, but Tommy’s journey started in London. "There was always something more rebellious about the London scene,” he says, reflecting on the early 2000s. "Everything felt grittier, more unpredictable." But Berlin had the infrastructure—a city where techno isn’t just nightlife, it’s a way of life.

"The biggest difference? Time. Clubs in London were always racing against the clock—last calls, curfews. In Berlin, you don’t play against time, you immerse in it. That changes the way people experience music. The way DJs build their sets. The way producers think about sound."

That shift shaped Tommy’s approach to techno—heavily textural, driven by tension, less about instant gratification and more about constructing entire sonic worlds.

Tommy Four Seven on Forward-Thinking Techno, Staying True, and the Energy That Fuels It All

Staying True: What Even Is ‘Real’ Techno?

Ask ten people what "true techno" is, and you’ll get ten different answers. Tommy’s take? It’s not about nostalgia, not about following a formula, and definitely not about keeping the genre frozen in time.

"I don’t care if you’re making techno with analog gear, software, or some weird AI plugin—if it’s got soul, if it’s pushing something forward, then it’s real," he says. The problem? "People cling to this idea that techno has to sound a certain way, look a certain way. That mindset is killing creativity."

His label, 47, has been a platform for artists who refuse to be boxed in. Industrial, hypnotic, experimental—it’s techno, but it doesn’t obey the rules.

Energies, Veganism, and the Invisible Side of Music

Beyond the mechanics of sound, Tommy is deeply aware of energy—both in music and in life.

"Everything carries an energy—what we consume, what we create, the environments we immerse in," he says. His shift to veganism wasn’t just about health or ethics; it was about clarity. "It changed the way I feel, the way I focus. When you strip out distractions, everything becomes sharper—including the music."

What Techno Needs More (and Less) Of

In the extra material, we go even deeper—what motivates him to stay locked into his vision, what the techno scene is missing, and whether he’s ever felt like quitting.

"Techno doesn’t need more rules. It needs risk. We need artists who take chances, who create without worrying about algorithms or Beatport charts. If you’re making music just to fit in, then what’s the point?"

So will Tommy ever step away from it all? Not likely. The vision is too strong. The energy is too real. And techno still has new places to go.

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