TYLER JOHNSON KNOWS HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME

DJ, nightlife fixture, and longtime friend of PSB Art Director, Andy Roelofs, Tyler Johnson has only been DJing a few years but has already built up quite the name in New York’s nightlife scene. He’s played some of the city’s hottest venues, including Le Bain, Elsewhere, Mansions, Wiggle Room, and many, many more. Tyler met up with Sndy at their favorite Clinton Hill spot, Izzy Rose, to talk tumblr-era NYC, shaking ass, and why he’s “famously” intimidated by LA.

ANDY ROELOFS: Alright, take seven thousand.

TYLER JOHNSON: Two. Seven thousand and two. I was talking about who I am. My name is Tyler, and I am from the Midwest--to answer the question of “Tyler from where?” The Midwest.

AR: Where in the Midwest?

TJ: I grew up in a small town in Kansas. A lot of people hear Kansas and they immediately start thinking about Kansas City, which is where I moved here from. I am a Kansas City girl in some regards, but I really just like to tell people that I’m from Kansas. I’m from the country.

AR: Do you miss Kansas?

TJ: Everyday. Yeah, I do. I don’t miss Kansas in a way that makes me want to go back there, but I think about my little hometown a lot. I loved it. It was so sweet and quaint and quiet. Everybody knows everybody--for better or for worse. And you know what? I like that. Small-town talk is just gossip. Everybody knows everybody’s bullshit. It keeps people honest.

AR: And you’ve got a lot of family in one place. 

TJ: Yeah, most of my family lives within a few hours of each other. It’s kinda just me out here on this little island. At least it feels that way sometimes. 

AR: Were there any pop culture events that contributed to you wanting to move to New York?

TJ: A lot of what was happening when I was in high school--you know, the Tumblr era--seemed to be happening in New York City. There were a lot of hot girls in the city. There were a lot of photographers who were also DJs who were also models and editors, etc. They all had these little cult followings. While Gossip Girl and stuff like that was on the air, there were also people like Cory Kennedy, Mark Hunter of Cobra Snake, Alexa Chung and Santigold. Even Lady Gaga was rocking on the Lower East Side then. I thought New York was so cool, and I desperately wanted to understand and be a part of everything going on. I wanted to go out and pop champagne on the LES and smoke cigarettes in bars. We were doing that stuff in Kansas, but we were listening to different music and talking about different things, I guess. I honestly never thought I would move here, but I was definitely paying attention. 

AR: Everyone wants to be in the city. There are so many stories coming out of the city. Why not be here? I feel like everyone should at least give it a try. 

TJ: I feel that way, too. I moved around a little bit--to a bunch of smaller cities--before eventually moving here. I was actually considering moving to Chicago, but I chose to move here instead. 

AR: Thank god. 

TJ: No shade against Chicago, but it still felt like a Midwestern city. I was desperately trying to get away from things that felt like home. When I go to Chicago these days, I’m like, she’s cute, but I don’t want the club to close at 2am. [Laughs.]

AR: We don’t do well with that. 

TJ: Let me go get a cigarette and a white claw, and we can go somewhere else. Please!

AR: King of the afters. Would you say nightlife has always been a part of your New York experience?

TJ: Oh, for sure. When I got my first restaurant job downtown, a waitress I worked with had a boyfriend with a party collective on the come up that did underground raves that I got into pretty quickly. I was immediately very energized by New York’s nightlife scene. I loved the people that were going out. I wanted to get to know them and find out where else they were going out and where they went to dinner, where they shopped, what they were listening to at home.

AR: What are the spots that you were going to then that you’re still going to now?

TJ: My memory is so shot, but I loved 169 Bar and Forgetmenot. I remember Clandestino. Le Bain is one that I remember going to then that I now DJ at. There are little dive bars here and there that have been around. If I’m just dilly-dallying around the city--as I love to do--I’ll pop into one. I still see a lot of the same people that I knew back then. They’re all still around in various iterations. 

AR: What would you say is New York’s hottest new club?

TJ: That’s tough. I don’t even know if I can answer that. I mean, it’s not new, but I fucking love Mansions. 

AR: We always have a good time at Mansions. 

TJ: Mansions has been around for a little while, but I still consider it new because it’s recently gotten very popular. They just started charging a cover. Ugh. Get your paper, girl. I can go there any day of the week, and I know that I’m going to have a good time. 

AR: Is it too early to call the party of the summer?

TJ: I feel like the party of the summer was Zero Chill. Was that Pride? There was a Zero Chill recently that I didn’t go to, but I heard that it was giving the girls that they thing they needed. I went to Merge for Pride and that was so fun.

AR: The Britney moment!

TJ: Someone dropping a Britney moment into an otherwise very, very techno mix? I’mma support that everytime. No pun intended. [Laughs.] There have been a lot of really good parties this summer. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. I mean, every summer feels that way, but I had so many gigs and wanted to support friends that had gigs. My calendar has been pretty stacked.

AR: What’s the next step for Tyler from Where?

TJ: Nobody likes to admit that growing an audience is important, but I’m trying to think of more ways to invite new people into what I do. That involves playing new venues and finding venues that I go back to on a consistent basis. I want there to be a familiarity and a consistent space for people to go back to again and again. [Sings Charli xcx.] I want to do more live-recorded sets whether that’s playing Lot Radio more or New Town Radio. I really wanna do On The Radio. More parties, more radio shows. I wanna link up with more DJs to do stuff together and grow our audiences simultaneously. And a girl’s gotta outside of New York City. I really wanna go play in Miami. One thing about me? I fucking love Miami. I think Miami is so fun. It’s got this retro-nostalgia to it. So does LA but my friends know that I’m famously intimidated by LA. I have no problem saying that. 

AR: You’re too pretty. That’s why. 

TJ: No! LA girls are so pretty. I don’t know if I’m pretty enough! [Laughs.] Anyway, I know the New York winter is going to have Miami--maybe even LA--calling my name. 

AR: Tyler from Where plays Miami--what’s the headline?

TJ: Girl, I don’t know.

AR: Riots? Twerking?

TJ: I just hope that the girls who come out are ready to get in their bags, get in their feelings, and shake some ass. That’s how I always want my night out to go. 

AR: Okay, so when are you going to play an afters?

TJ: I’m not very fixated on playing an afters. It’ll happen when it happens. There are some that I would immediately pass out if they asked me, but I’m a loungey girl. I love a happy hour/post-dinner/daytime BBQ. I love having the ability to mix and blend tempos in a way that’s not going to throw the crowd. Most of the afters I’m at are giving 135 bpms and up. Hard and fast techno and house. I’m not super fixated on playing a set like that--yet. Again, though, there are some venues that I’d be there in a heartbeat if they asked. I’m putting on my black leather pants and tank top, and we’re getting it done!

AR: Alright, let’s pivot a little bit. What is pop culture to you?

TJ: Everything is pop culture these days because of the internet. Everything that happens has the potential to reach someone else. That isn’t to say that some girl walking the street is going to shift the culture, but your life is an extension of the things we consume and are inspired by. You never know when something that you share--because pop culture has to be on a stage--could catch on to the moment. 

AR: Who are some girlies that you’re seeing win right now?

TJ: Oh my god, I love this little group of girls that came out of NYU--Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edbiri, and Molly Gordon. I really love them. Emma Seligman, who is also behind Bottoms (2023). We’re in this era of the Renaissance woman in the media right now. They’re downtown girls who’s creative output is really making people look up and pay attention to them. Separate from that, I love the DJs on the scene right now. I love Honey Bun (aka Sam Taylor) and Lovie. What they’re doing with Soul Connection is amazing. It’s hard to even list people out definitively because it would take forever. The girls are eating. It’s epic. 

AR: We’re halfway through the year, what are some wins you’ve had recently?

TJ: I’ve played at some bucket list venues this year. I played at Le Bain, which I was really stoked about. I don’t know. I’m really proud of my strides as a DJ, but the best is yet to come. Summer is a wild, fast, and crazy time, but I think that there is still so much this year to be excited about and look forward to. 

AR: Okay. Fuck, marry, kill: Tom Holland, Tom Hardy, Thomas the Train Engine. 

TJ: I love how you chose all Toms. Obviously, I’m going to fuck Tom Hardy. His MySpace era? Let’s talk about pop culture moments that shifted things for everybody! If I wasn’t already out by then, his MySpace photos certainly helped. I would marry Tom Holland. Immediately. 

AR: You’re going to kill Thomas the Train Engine?

TJ: I personally feel like there are some better trains out there…

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and your viewing pleasure.

Lensed by Andy Roelofs (@andyxroo)

Styled by Bryce Ray (@popstarbiitch)