“A lot of the songs I cover are originally dance music, but, here, turned into something between ambient and pop,” Courtesy tells us in this interview. “It is very deliberately produced without drums, which results in a more calm mood compared to my DJ sets,” she continues. Unlike her explosive DJ sets, which I’ve been lucky enough to dance to in festivals like Sónar Barcelona, Courtesy is exploring another side of her craft, one that is calmer, more serene, and even more intellectual. “After releasing two EPs, I developed this particular research interest in covering songs, finding that this process helped me to understand these classics of dance music better,” she explains.

Being more influenced by Berlin’s contemporary art scene than clubbing, Courtesy has been working tirelessly on her research-based practice, inviting other producers, singers, and musicians to help her cover eight iconic songs from decades past. From Erika de Casier to Lyra Pramuk, to August Rosenbaum and Francesca Burattelli, Courtesy has invited several collaborators to re-create some of her favourite songs, including the three mentioned above but also Madonna’s What It Feels Like for a Girl and Enya's Orinoco Flow. Today, we speak with the multifaceted artist about putting this record together, how she approaches producing vs DJing, and what else we can expect from her in the coming months.