New York’s pace suits the way Tekill likes to work: move quickly, get the arrangement down, and avoid second-guessing every decision. Much of Vial Swashbuckler came together in one session, but returning to the track gave him the chance to build a bigger introduction around its drop.

A waterfall recording from a family trip and a Gucci Mane vocal tied to his time in Atlanta brought personal details into the tune. With Vial Swashbuckler part of Louder Than Words from Dirtbox Recordings, Tekill talks about the jump-up records he still plays, the shuffle that drives his groove, and the Greenpoint water tower behind the release image.

New York has been central to your path as a DJ and producer. What has NY given you that still finds its way into the way you write and play music?

New York moves fast. Super fast. Everything is go GO GOOO here. So it’s the perfect energetic match with drum and bass and my writing process. I’m a big overthinker and so, when I sit down to write a tune, I try and get most of the arrangement done in one sitting. That means you have to move quickly and not get caught up second-guessing yourself. Vial Swashbuckler was one of those tunes to come together mostly in one session.

You were pulled into jump-up through the 2012–15 Low Down Deep era. What did you love about those records at the time, and what still matters in them to you now?

Yeah, first tune that comes to mind for me is Majistrate - Attention. What I love about jump-up from this era is the power that comes from restraint – a lot of these tunes just had 2-3 bass sounds that play off each other, opposed to a lot of newer style tunes that have a ton of different sounds and feel more focused on flexing sound design than groove and danceability. I’m still rinsing tunes from this era – Voltage - Roll Back VIP has been a staple in my sets all of this year.

You started Vial Swashbuckler in summer 2023, then kept returning to it through different versions. What kept drawing you back rather than letting it stay as an early idea?

The earlier version of this tune just had a short 16-bar intro and no vocal samples. The drop is pretty big so I revisited it to create a bigger build-up that does justice to the drop!

A lot of the track’s movement comes from the drums. What finally made the groove feel like it had the physical pull you were after?

The groove definitely comes from just catching a vibe with the shuffle and hats acting as a call and response to the bass line.

The opening comes from a recording you made at Kulaniapia Falls during a family reunion. How did that sound make its way from that moment into the finished track?

This field recording was in it from the beginning. I had just gotten back from that trip a few months before I wrote this tune, and recorded a bunch of dope field recordings. So it was fresh and I feel like the big, rushing energy of the waterfall matches the vibe of the tune!

There is a Gucci Mane vocal in the tune, tied to your time living in Atlanta. What did that connection bring to the record that another sample could not?

I was wearing a Gucci Mane shirt that I got at one of his shows in Atlanta when I sat down to add some vocal samples in, and this sample was sitting on my hard drive, so it felt right. It’s a gritty sample where he’s talking about his come-up, so I felt like it was a perfect fit for the track.

Vial Swashbuckler is a title with a lot going on: pirate imagery, wordplay, and a slightly unhinged edge. Which came first, the name or the feeling of the track?

Definitely the track! The name came to me at the end of the session. I thought to myself… this sounds like some pirate biz!!

The release image was shot near a Greenpoint court where you skate. What made that setting feel like the right visual world for this tune?

The water tower I took a picture of is visible from this court that I skate at almost every morning, and it kind of gives off this menacing vibe? It’s dirty and old with spiky scaffolding around it. I thought that paired with the shoes on the wire captured the gritty, street-level energy of the tune!

Louder Than Words gives the music, image, and story equal room. Did that change the way you thought about this release while you were making it?

Yeah it did. I think it pushed me to include a vocal sample that was more connected to my personal story.

You’re stranded on a desert island with a turntable, a generator, and one record. Which record are you taking, and why?

That’s a tough one! But I think Tool - Lateralus. This album would never get old because I think it would take me a lifetime to try and figure out all the time signature changes throughout. It’s like listening to an infinite puzzle.

Our thanks to Tekill for sharing the story behind Vial Swashbuckler and the music that shapes his approach.