HUGEL, a certified gold and platinum DJ and producer, has made a name for himself, becoming one of the most popular house hitmakers in dance music. After releasing his first certified gold collaboration with Robin Schulz's 'I Believe I'm Fine (2017), Hugel reached new heights with a remix of El Professor's 'Bella Ciao', becoming one of the official summer hits of Germany. 2018 and subsequently achieved platinum status in GSA while achieving gold certification in France. Accumulating more than 500 million streams on all platforms.
A catalogue that includes collaborations with talents such as; J Balvin, Tiesto and Jonas Blue. HUGEL has engraved himself in the very fabric of the scene, performing in front of hundreds of thousands of fans every year, all over the world on some of the biggest stages in the world; including David Guetta's world tour, Tomorrowland, Parookaville and a monthly residency in one of the meccas of dance music, Ushuaia in Ibiza.
THE INTERVIEW
CR: Hello Hugel, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing and tell us a little bit about yourself?
H: I’m great man super happy to be with you today to answer these questions.
For the people who don’t know me, I’m a French DJ and Producer, who did a couple of songs you might already know.
CR: Culture plays a huge part in musical inspiration can you tell us a little bit about your recent track ‘Morenita’ and where the inspiration came from?
H: ‘Morenita’ is my biggest track this year. It received support from Diplo, Fisher, John Summit, Vintage Culture, Roger Sanchez, Carnage, even David Guetta played it. I used to live in Ibiza before the pandemic and I think I just miss the island so much. That’s what inspired me to produce ‘Morenita’, you can hear the Balearic inspiration in the drums.
CR: Can you describe the process from an idea to a song? How long does it each step take before you go to the next? Do you get an “in the zone” feeling when you do create a new track?
H: First I get inspired by a sample or something that I think I can turn into something for my DJ-set. Then after that the process of producing around this idea take couple of hours, usually 4-5 hours, and I have it. Then it’s just arrangement and mixing on another day. I can produce everywhere as long as I have my laptop, my headphones, my hard drive and the INTERNET!
CR: You grew up in France but learnt how to Produce/DJ in Cannes and Monaco, how did both cultures influence you as an artist and a person?
H: I think the type of restaurant/club called ‘champagne clubs that you find everywhere in the world now is based on the clubs in St. Tropez. This was a thing in the South of France a long time ago already before the Americans even set foot there for party reasons. Now it is a standard, you find these places in Miami, LA, Tulum, Mykonos, Ibiza, and so on. I learned how to DJ in the south of France so it is easy for me to bring the vibe promoters are looking for since we have been doing it since the beginning.
CR: Is there anything else about the current state of dance music that you’d want to change?
H: I really like the situation in dance music right now. Even though Covid changed everything, I feel like we are back to the roots. Back to the House Music and this is amazing. Be ready for the summer of love 2022 is going to be LEGENDARY!
CR: What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?
H: I think Cajmere - Brighter Days is forever that track for me
CR: This is a three-part question, your first set, The last set you played and your favourite set so far?
H: My first set was in Metal Cafe Marseille France when I was 16 years old.
My last one was in Dubai last week.
My favourite set I played was « hangout music festival » in Alabama USA
CR: You have played with a lot of artists already but if you had the chance to play an opening set for any artist around the world, who would it be and where would it be?
H: I think I would love to open for Diplo and probably in Vegas.
CR: What does an average day look like for Hugel when you are not producing or DJing?
H: Usually I wake up get breakfast and go to boxing class. Then my management is harassing me with tons of emails, hahaha. So I have to answer them. And sometimes when I decide to ignore everyone, I like a little Netflix and chill and eat a lot of cake on the sofa.
CR: To wrap it up, are there any projects that you are working on that our followers should know about?
H: Yes I have a lot of music coming up. I just signed new records on Defected / Toolroom / Higher Ground (diplo’s label) / Sweat it out
Also, a big collab with Jude & Frank & Twolate will be out 7th of January on Spinnin’ Records.
And I’m thinking of launching my own label « Make The Girls Dance Records » this year through Warner Music.
LIGHTING ROUND
Texting or talking? Talking
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Hard liquor or Wine? Wine for sure
Cake or pie? CAKE
Hot dogs or hamburgers? Hamburgers
Xbox or PlayStation? Playstation
Movie theatre or arcade? Theatre number 1 but i can only go to Paris ahah so Movie
Guitar or piano? Piano for me…
Marvel or DC Comics? Marvel
Dog or cat? I love both but when they belong to someone else
Hot weather or cold weather? Hot for sure
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