During that 2024 brat summer, French DJ producer HUGEL invited us to celebrate his record label “Make The Girls Dance” party at the mythical Pacha Club in Ibiza. Being validated by the major house and electronic artists from David Guetta to DJ Snake, he’s been constantly touring all over the world. Catch him if you can but by taking a look at his social platforms, one thing is sure, HUGEL never remains in one location for long. Making people dance is his mantra, whatever your gender or sexuality, everyone needs to feel safe on the dance floor when his sets begin.
With more than 500, 000 000 global streams, he currently becomes the 5th most-played DJ in the world. That’s not surprising why some A-list artists want to collaborate with him, making worldwide smash hits. From Diplo to R&B American singer Muni Long as well as Malaysian singer Yuna, HUGEL explores the world by sourcing different voices and inspirations making his music worldwide. He’s now been doing quite all of the prestigious venues a DJ can be proud to make in the world.
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This summer, he summarized his successful story by having his first Pacha Ibiza residency on the first 2 Mondays of September. A symbolic statement for the French internationally recognized artist who came back where everything happened in Ibiza in 2016: The Pacha Club. Following his memorable “Make The Girls Dance” evening, we chatted with him about his influences, creating music while traveling, and all those clubbing memories that keep inspiring him day to day. Here is our conversation with HUGEL:
Hi Hugel, how are you? How was your summer?
I’m great! This was probably the most intense summer of my entire life, in the best way.
What was your first clubbing experience?
My first clubbing experience was when I was around 16 years old. I was at a club in Marseille (my hometown) called Bazar. I was invited out by a friend for his birthday. His dad knew some people and could organize a table even though we were underage at the time haha. This was really the first time I experienced the hypnosis of electronic music. Carl Cox was performing and I didn’t know any of the songs he was playing – I was literally like ‘What is this’ – but I danced for 3 hours straight. I was completely mesmerized by the shamanic power of electronic music and the crowd. I had never seen so many beautiful women dancing in my life.
Are there any particular sounds or tracks that build your musical influences?
Well my very first influence was 2000s hip-hop – Dr Dre, Jay Z, etc. – when it was hot. The sounds inspired me and I was like ‘wow I wanna create some beats too’. Later on, when I discovered house music and saw DJs like Carl Cox and David Guetta playing, I was like okay that is what I want to do.
You were in the south of France and now, you used to travel a lot. How do you feel about changing locations that much?
I have been so fortunate to travel and discover so many unique places all over the world throughout my life, it’s been a huge inspiration for me. It’s actually why I left my hometown, and what has ultimately brought me to Miami. The cities are day and night. I love Marseille, but I knew I needed to be somewhere that could fulfill the life I was leading, especially as my career was taking off. Being in Miami for part of the year has been amazing for that reason. That being said, my influences draw from my Mediterranean upbringing – from Marseille to time spent in Ibiza and the Balearic Islands – it’s completely shaped my vision and sound.
You played at the Pacha in Ibiza this summer promoting your record label “Make The Girls Dance”. What does Ibiza mean to you? And how important was it to promote this in this space?
In many religions, believers travel the world in search of their ‘promised land’. Ibiza is the promised land for DJs and electronic music. When you start your career DJing in your bedroom, you dream to one day playing in Ibiza. I have been dreaming of this moment for 20 years. It was really special for me to bring “Make The Girls Dance” to the island this summer.
Do you feel your parties also became a safe place for your community? I remember at the Pacha in Ibiza this summer, there was a large type of diversity on the dancefloor…
Definitely. I feel like my music is very colorful. My sound is not dark at all, it’s very positive and energetic. The influences I draw from are inspired by the Mediterranean. I incorporate elements that range from Spanish to Arabic, the Balkan and beyond – It’s not only relatable to so many people, but also very infectious. My parties encourage a crowd where people are dancing more than they’re on their phones filming. My goal is to make people dance together – even if just in that moment – through my music. It’s powerful.
How is it to create new music while traveling all over the world?
Let’s be honest, you don’t necessarily need a studio anymore to create music. Of course, we usually finalize and mixmaster in the studio, but I can build the main idea of the song and its groove in my headphones, be it in a hotel room or in an airport waiting for my next flight. I actually really like to create music while I am traveling, it’s a huge source of inspiration. Traveling gives something new to me in every city I visit.
Your latest single features a collaboration with Diplo and Yüna. How did all this happen?
Diplo and I have been friends for a couple of years and exchange music almost every week – we also released our track —’Stay High’ – together earlier this year. When I was searching for a new sample, I realized no one had ever made a house version of this song [Forever], so I figured I’d be the one to do it. Malou actually introduced him to the demo during a studio session they had together. I later sent him my first version, and he tested it out during his Antarctic set—it got a huge reaction, with so many people asking about the track. We made a few tweaks after that and shared it with the world.
Collaboration is an organic thing for you?
My collaborations have been super organic, but that doesn’t mean it always comes easily. Most of the people that I have worked with I either already have a relationship with, or they’ll connect with me on Instagram. They hear my music, they like it, and want to connect, or vice versa. I don’t have a preference when it comes to good music, but working with legends I have admired throughout my career definitely feels like a movie. At the end of the day, making music is doing what I love and if someone wants to collaborate and it makes sense, great.
What is the perfect song to start and to end a set?
My single ‘Patadas de Ahogado’. The melody and emotion it gives is so deep and it’s also less intense than some of the other tracks I play. I like to start my sets slow and smooth before going deeper, returning to something more steady and rhythmic to close it out. Patadas de Ahogado is the perfect track to both open and close a set in this way.
