The Sound Behind Sextiae: Why MikeAndTess Is More Than Our Resident DJ

When people discover Sextiae, they usually notice the rosé first.

Then they notice the music.

That isn’t an accident.

Since the very beginning, music has been part of the brand’s DNA. Not as background entertainment, but as a way to bring people together. Every Sextiae Social Club, every playlist and every event is built around that idea.

Behind this musical identity is MikeAndTess.

Based in Aix-en-Provence, he has spent nearly three decades behind the decks. Long before streaming platforms and algorithms, he was already collecting records, discovering forgotten tracks and building sets that moved naturally between house, disco, funk and soul.

His story didn’t begin in a nightclub.

It began with records.

As a teenager, he collected 45s and albums, lending them to friends until one day he decided it would be easier to play them himself. What started with private parties soon became a first residency in Aix-en-Provence in 1996. Since then, he has performed across southern France and internationally, from Monaco and Geneva to Miami and San Francisco, while remaining deeply rooted in Provence.

Interestingly, disco wasn’t his first love.

His early years were shaped by New Wave, then Deep House and Soulful House. It was only in the early 2000s, when French house producers began sampling forgotten disco and funk records, that he realised many of the sounds he loved had much older origins.

That discovery changed everything.

Instead of chasing the latest releases, he started digging backwards.

Listening became research.

Research became collecting.

Collecting eventually became editing.

Today, MikeAndTess has produced hundreds of edits shared through SoundCloud and Bandcamp, earning recognition from DJs and producers around the world. Yet his motivation remains surprisingly simple: making great music easier to play while respecting what made the original special.

He often says that some songs don’t need changing at all. They simply deserve to be heard again.

That philosophy explains why vinyl still occupies an important place in his life. While digital technology has become essential for performing, records remain his preferred way to discover music at home. No pressure. No performance. Just listening.

This attention to musical detail naturally led him to Sextiae.

Every month, MikeAndTess curates three playlists for the brand:

Wake Up. Afternoon. Party.

They aren’t generated by algorithms or built around trends. Each one reflects years of digging, listening and refining.

The goal isn’t simply to recommend tracks.

It’s to create a soundtrack for different moments of the day while preserving a coherent musical identity.

That same philosophy comes alive during the Sextiae Social Club.

Anyone who has attended one knows that the evening isn’t designed around « bangers » or obvious crowd-pleasers. The energy builds progressively. Groove replaces urgency. Familiar classics meet forgotten gems. House, disco and soulful influences coexist naturally.

Much like a bottle of rosé shared among friends, the music never tries too hard.

It creates space for conversation, connection and unexpected moments.

That is probably why MikeAndTess feels like such a natural fit for Sextiae.

Both believe that experiences matter more than trends.

Both value authenticity over spectacle.

And both understand that the best moments are rarely the loudest ones.

So the next time you press play on a Sextiae playlist—or step onto the dancefloor at one of our Social Clubs—you’ll know there is far more behind those tracks than a simple playlist.

There is nearly thirty years of listening.

Story by Sextiae
Photography by @jekkerbluehill