DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ has quietly become one of the most prolific and innovative artists in the world of Plunderphonics. Her music draws listeners into a dreamlike journey back to the ‘90s, blending old sounds and samples into fresh, cinematic compositions that feel both familiar and entirely new, crafting a style that’s uniquely her own. In this interview, we explore her creative process, the inspirations behind her signature visual aesthetic, and her fearless approach to remixing the past.

You’ve been busy the past few years! You must be producing full time? How do you keep up such a prolific output?

I work every day! I start every morning and work through until I can’t take it no more, then I do something else (edit a video or some artwork or package some merch) and repeat all over again the next day!

Are you not scared of copyright restrictions? How do you create music so freely when sampling is such a legal minefield?

Music is just crazy 0’s and 1’s, pieces of amplitudes and pitches, rearranged and recontextualized by another musician for a new listener. Anyways, it is the organic and real music songwriters who bear the responsibility of most legal issues these days as far as I can tell...

If copyright laws didn’t exist, would that affect what you do and open up new possibilities?

The tech bros say A.I. has no copyright problems and the courts say what is A.I. generated is public domain, yet A.I. does not inspire! If copyright laws didn’t exist, we could all set-up our own big McDonald’s M signs like on Coming To America and everyone would still want the original McDonalds, so probably not! But, maybe!

What is the goal of DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ?

To make enough music that I never run out of my own albums to listen to.

Your music has a strong 90s vibe, are you consciously working to evoke that era or does it come naturally?

I love 90’s music and I love music from before and after the 90’s, maybe the 90’s has all of the sounds? So, I never get bored of 90’s music because it has so many styles in it, but later music has less and they didn’t invent them previously... the 90’s might be the center of the musical universe?

You also have a distinctive visual style. Do you create all the artwork yourself? What’s the process behind that?

Yes! I draw it in Aseprite and color grade it in Photoshop (except for Patreon artwork which I hand-draw with acrylic markers). I usually have an idea of the look and feel of the piece and try to capture that in my strokes (mouse clicks).

What’s the first piece of Plunderphonics you can remember hearing? Were there particular artists that influenced your style early on?

Fatboy Slim, Lemon Jelly, The Avalanches, Daft Punk... those were my original plundery pirate inspirations, but I stole most of my ideas from ABBA and Stock/Aitken/Waterman.

Can you shout out any other Plunderphonics artists we should know about?

Midfield General’s Generalisation and Cut La Roc’s La Roc Rocs are pretty underrated?

Mash-up culture often seems overlooked and relegated to meme fodder, yet you’re pushing it to new heights. Where do you see the potential of these art forms?

I guess the R’n’B and Rap scene strongly developed the mash-up concept, making new songs by pairing up two existing ones and remixing songs by inviting collaborations with peers. I just like strong bodies of work and how those individual components form the entire piece is not necessarily as important as the finished product.

Your music has a deeply emotional core that really resonates. Are you trying to tell a story with these songs or is it more about creating a vibe and an experience?

Every song has meaning, lyrically or emotionally. As always, it’s important for the listener to find the meaning that resonates with themselves, not for me to tell them how to laugh or cry. There’s no time for nonsense and non-sequitur.

Who or what are your biggest musical and visual influences? Are there particular artists, films, or memories that guide your aesthetic?

John Hughes movies, Hallmark, Young Sheldon, that tv show sitcom with a comical witch (can’t remember it’s name right now, there’s a funny cat in it and two aunts), Warp Records, Designers Republic, Hipgnosis, Shania Twain and Prince.

Is there a specific experience with a fan that’s stayed with you, that made you feel your music is making an impact?

There have been a couple of supporters of mine that have told me how much my music meant to them or how much comfort my albums have brought them in the last few months of their time here, it’s always incredibly sad when they leave but I am truly honored to have eased their pain or made their final weeks easier to endure. There have been many, many, wonderful supporters of course, but I think those are the memories that stay with you.

Can you point us towards some buried samples in your own work that everyone would recognize but might not spot? What are some of your favorite moments in your own productions?

I make my music primarily for me to listen to, it’s just a wonderful bonus that other people actually want to hear anything I do, it surprises me to be honest. If someone says my music is confusing to them or they never understand the appeal, it cuts quite deep as it feels as though they’ve listened to my private music that I just made for myself to hear and then said something mean about it. Of course, I don’t expect anyone to like my next album at all and I expect everyone to get bored and leave me any day now, but I make the songs to satisfy myself and if I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t allow anyone else to hear them. So, much of it is my favorite, intentionally. People are so good at finding samples, it’s more fun when it’s organically recorded/performed and people can’t find the sample!