Get To Know: Callie Reiff

Photo By Bellamy Brewseter

It’s easy to become overwhelmed as a fan of electronic dance music with there being no shortage of talent dropping a steady flow of new music regularly but there are always a number of artists who seem to separate themselves from the rest of the pack proving to be a “breath of fresh air” when things seem to be stagnant. Callie Reiff is one of the fortunate few who have paved their own way into the spotlight.

The New York native popped onto the scene as a true musical prodigy and fashion trendsetter who would quickly find herself in the history books becoming the youngest DJ to perform at Webster Hall when she was 15.

Now at 22 years old, she’s blossomed into an accomplished DJ, producer, and all-around performer who continues to keep things fresh pumping out tunes that walk the line of indie pop and electronic.

Still buzzing off the release of her vocal-driven gem “Favors,” we took the time to get to know Callie Reiff a little bit better!

Callie Reiff – Favors |

TSS: Who or what introduced you to the world of electronic dance music?

Callie Reiff: I started off as a drummer and I remember one day hearing my sister talk about going to an “EDM concert” with her friends.. I was age 12 at the time so this was 2012. I had to ask her “what’s an EDM festival??” Then I went on to look it up and I saw these wild crowds and massive stages, started researching about DJs like Tiesto and Deadmau5 and my mind was blown… right then I knew I NEEDED to try it out. So shout out to the big sis! I’ve been in love with it ever since.

TSS: What made you fall in love with dance music as a whole?

Callie Reiff: As I began to learn about DJing and the community and culture behind it and seeing the crowd reactions and the feeling I got when playing on stage, there’s nothing like it to me. I have moments where I feel so connected to strangers through the music I play and when I am in the crowd watching someone perform. Each time I fall more in love.

TSS: You’re a New York City native; how much has the big city influenced your music?

Callie Reiff: Being exposed to all different types of genres and shows at an early age in NYC influenced me so much. I was able to play Webster Hall almost every weekend and hearing how different artists would play shows, the music selection and crowd reaction, would help to realize what I like, what I wanted to make and not be afraid to experiment / make something bad to just make it for practice and move forward.

TSS: How has the electronic music scene changed since you first emerged onto the scene?

Callie Reiff: The music scene has definitely changed a lot, I would say in only positive ways in my opinion because it just keeps getting bigger. More women on lineups getting the proper exposure they deserve (even though we still have TONS of work to do there) EDM as a whole has become a very broad genre. The community of edm fans has become worldwide. People also seem to have more open ears or into something more random than basic. EDM is a pop song, and then there’s a dubstep EDM EP and they are in the same circle essentially. It will continue to grow grow grow and I love being part of it!

TSS: How would you say your sound has evolved since then?

Callie Reiff: My sound has gone through a lot of different periods and I can say in the past 2 years is where I feel most confident that this is the right direction into what I always want to make and grow from there. When I first started, I was a DJ first before producing. Once I started playing shows, I loved dubstep and the energy it had when I would play it. So I decided to try to make it and it obviously wasn’t so easy, haha. I went through a lot of trial and error and taught myself how to produce in Ableton. I was lucky enough to have a lot of time to make really bad demos and then learn from there. As I continued to play shows, I wanted vocals and I wanted more structure… so slowly but surely, it evolved into this genre I like to call “Indie club” – which is having the foundation of a singer/songwriter indie track and focusing on a story and then keeping that club low end bouncy energy, meeting those two genres in the middle is what I try to do. I hope to always evolve with it and experiment.

TSS: Your career started as a teenager; what advice do you have for all the young up-and-coming talent out there looking to break into the world of dance music?

Callie Reiff: Always try the idea out, finish the song, youtube is your friend and you can start anything with very very little equipment. Also make the music you want to make, it will come together if you keep trying. Also also I love u and ur super cool!

TSS: What hardware and software do you use in the studio?

Callie Reiff: Just Ableton, I do a lot in my headphones in my room first and sometimes will then finish the work in a studio. If I’m in a cool studio and they have hardware/ synths/ fun toys, I do record as much stuff as I can or whatever I come up with on the spot.

TSS: What’s your creative process in the studio?

Callie Reiff: It definitely all depends on what I’m going in there with. Usually I like to start an idea just in my room or whenever I feel like working on something, and then I like to wrap it up in the studio and go over the details / sound selection. I’m someone who mixes as I go, I am not sitting there for 4 hours picking out a kick drum instead I’m just moving moving through it till the ideas are worn out and I listen back, tweak from there. I don’t really have a proper structure but there’s always one main small idea, sound or sample or loop that I start off with – like a solid baseline, vocal idea, or drum loop and then build the whole track around that initial idea.

TSS: When you have a rough week or hit a wall creatively, how do you get yourself back on track?

Callie Reiff: I always close the computer and give myself however long I need to get back into it. I have tried before to keep going when I haven’t been feeling it, and it never goes well. I always end up listening to new music or try to get inspired by some recent DJ sets. I’ll watch some videos, go for a long walk or hang out with friends and coming back after that always gets my head right. Whenever it happens, It is also important to know that it’s normal and to not beat yourself up.

TSS: Tell us a little about your new single, “Favors,” and how your upcoming EP came together.

Callie Reiff: ‘Favors’ is a really exciting one! One of my favorite releases, it took a minute to come out but it came together fast. I wanted Favors to come out because it felt like an anthem and really empowering to me which I hope it does to others too. I tried to keep the vocal in the front and give that a lot of room since it is super powerful and then have that energy release all in the drops. Whenever I play it out I see some people who didn’t know the song, once the 2nd pre chorus comes on they are singing along, which is so awesome. All the songs I’ve been working on for the EP really started the first year of COVID, where I had 0 shows for we didn’t know how long. I basically forced myself every day to be creative and try to build my music because it was the one thing where I didn’t feel was ready yet to release and not in the right place. After working on songs and random ideas every day for basically a year with no distractions, it started to feel so much stronger than I could ever imagine. The few songs that I have put out were part of that time period too now heading into this EP, some newer songs but mostly that time period is where I began to think of the music I was making could be an EP and I was so happy.

TSS: Dim Mak has become a staple in electronic music; how does it feel to continue to have releases on Steve Aoki’s imprint?

Callie Reiff: It feels super organic and so right to be with the Dim Mak team. I randomly played one of Steve Aoki shows as the opener for my first show back post COVID in NYC at Brooklyn Mirage, his team was there and that’s where the relationship began. Everyone that works at DM feels like my friend. From day one we have been on the same page and they really uplift my whole project and encourage me to try out different ideas. I feel so fortunate and just getting off the Steve Aoki tour, it was such an unbelievable experience.. His crowds are the best. Shout out to the DM family!!! <3 excited for the future. TSS: After opening the year with “Favors,” what does Callie Reiff have in store for 2023?

Callie Reiff: A few more singles, an EP, more shows and hopefully some first headline shows!! Thank you for having me!

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