A lot of good things come from Belgium and one of them is Tom Hades, a DJ, producer and a founder of the label Rhythm Convert(ed). He’s been playing and producing for the past 25 years, and recently he had brought us a new EP „Subbed“ that blew our minds. We had a few reasons to talk to him: his new EP and his future shows in Belgrade and Kotor. We also spoke about his beginnings, his friendship with Marco Bailey and some other things. You can read the whole interview below and we hope you’ll enjoy it!
Hello! First of all, thank you for your time, it’s a pleasure! How are you?
Thanks for getting to me! I’m fine, thanks !
As many DJs you started showing interest in electronic music while listening to DAF and Kraftwerk, but how did you came in touch with their music? And what was it that you liked about it, that made you want to be a DJ and a producer?
I started to listen to new wave and other electronic music when going out in local parties from my neighborhood where I grew up. I really liked the sequential, almost hypnotic way of building tracks with electronic soundscapes and sound design. That’s the reason I really became interested in this world because I wanted also to be able to make some hypnotic stuff and have people react on them.
Do you remember the first party you ever played at? How was it?
To be honest, very hard to remember because it is almost 25 years ago I think … But I think it must have been a very local thing with only 20 people or so but with everyone so hyper motivated that it was big fun.
The track that presented you to the world was the one you did with Marco Bailey – “I Love Techno”. How did the two of you meet and how did this collaboration happen?
Indeed, this track was one of the many things we did together in the past. I met Marco thru a good old schoolfriend, Redhead, where Marco at that time also did collaborations with. We just came together in the studio and started producing tracks together and it seemed to work straightaway so that’s why we’ve released so many things together I guess.
Your new solo EP “Subbed” is out on your label Rhythm Convert(ed), and it’s the 100th release on the label. Congratulations! What can you tell us about the EP? What was your inspiration?
Yes, I’m very happy that it is out. I stopped for a quite long time releasing stuff because I completely rebuild my studio and went back to my good old roots: using lots of hardware outboard gear and building tracks in 1 recording take so the human feel and organic touch is very heavy in the new productions. My inspiration is, like I said before, my own roots. I’ve been doing this for quite some time and I was, during the period I was only using software, missing somehow the touch of the buttons & rotary knobs where nothing is perfect but sounds oh so nice
In your recent press release you said that you have approximately 30 tracks prepared and waiting to be sent out to selected labels. Do you have any idea when can we expect some of those tracks? And do you have any other future plans?
I have a lot of tracks ready for getting out but it’s not sure that all will make it to the final stage. But expect in the next year to have more stuff coming out like the Subbed EP I did and especially with a more hypnotic, old school vibe. The big difference off course will be that the sound quality and mixing abilities will be much higher then what we could do 20 years ago. So get ready to be blown away with loads & loads of bass !
Looking back on your career – what do you think was the highlight? And what makes you really proud?
I’m proud on everything I did! I’ve played on big festivals and clubs but also on very small intimate venues where I got so connected to the people that the set I do only gets better. Getting energy means giving more energy. But above all that, I’m so happy that I got the chance to live my dream and meet so many people and cultures all over the world. Music unites and still does nowadays. And that is what the world needs !
How do you see the world’s techno scene at the moment? What do you think can be done it order to make it better?
I think we should focus more on the music and less on the whole thing around it like social media, profiling, likes, votes, charts, … . Back in the days, when there was only a vinyl store, you could only go there and listen to the music and judge for yourself what you liked and what not. And then you still needed to filter out probably due to the higher cost. But that brought so big quality of music that gets lost now in the huge pool of music. Let’s get back to what music is all about : listen and enjoy. And if not, just skip and get to the next one !
You’ll be playing in Kotor and in Belgrade this month. Have you ever been here before? What do you expect from the crowd?
I’ve played a couple of times already with my friend Speedy in Belgrade so I really look forward to be back ! Kotor is new for me but I heard a lot of good things about it so really anxious to start playing some tunes there ! I’m very sure the crowd is super motivated as I always enjoy playing in these countries !
People are pretty excited about both of those parties. What can they expect from you?
They can expect big energy, lots of love & smiles and only good music! Techno to its best !
And lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring producers and DJs out there?
Just go for your own thing! Make your own sound and be an individual with an own character.
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