Episode 004 of our rv_cast has arrived! Hac Le is our first guest DJ with a stellar live mix from this years Forecastle Festival for your listening pleasure.
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Hac got his start into DJing with a residency at Kontrol Factory in LA in 1993, although it wasn’t until moving to Chicago in 2000 that he rekindled his romance with the decks. In 2002 he met Jason Short at Gramaphone Records—the Chicago record store—and soon they started to DJ produce together under the Kyaro moniker.
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A tour around Mexico in 2003 saw him open up for the likes of Deep Dish and Hernan Cataneo, and later in the year he formed Play Co. with Chris Caliendo and Sasha Navarro back in Chicago.
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2004 could be considered a turning point in Hac’s career seeing him play gigs along side Kazell and Lee Burridge in Mexico, and more notably catching the ear of John Digweed who named him the winner of the Future Music “Next Big Thing” DJ contest.
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In 2005 Hac got the chance to play for the first time in Miami at the Winter Music Conference, and also at the Love Parade in San Francisco, which is where I met him and Jason Short for the first time at FunkyCozy afterhours party in the basement of a Mexican restaurant! (We launched RV 1.0 at the Love Parade in San Francisco back in 2005.)
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Since ’05 it’s been onward and upward for Hac, as a partner in the San Francisco based record label Auralism and gigs in New York, Detroit, Louisville and London along the way. In 2007 he became a listed Productions resident, and was cemented into the legacy of the listed Tikki parties in Miami. That year also saw James Zabiela naming him as the DJ Mag “Breakout DJ of 2008″.
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I had a chance to catch up with Hac to ask him a few questions for his rv_cast which I’m pleased to share with you here.

SG: Tell me about Auralism… Who’s behind the label, who are the main artists, and what’s in store for the label?
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HL: Launched in 2007 by longtime friends, producers and DJs, Jason Short, Marc Smith, Clint Stewart, Hac Le and Tim Kelleher, San Francisco-based Auralism Records brings the machinations of Berlin to the Bay Area’s famously funky dance floors. Auralism’s roots trace back to 2005, when Smith and Short, producing together as the duo Coalition of the Killing, realized they’d need an outlet to handle their formidable stockpile of unreleased tracks. After top-flight DJs began blowing up parties worldwide with their white labels, they knew what needed to be done: the only way to give the music the forum it deserved was to release it themselves. Thus began the vision for a driven, analog-centric label that will finally get Bay Area techno noticed by its European counterparts.
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From its original conception as a conduit for COTK’s output, the imprint has since matured into a diversified, international roster of artists both seasoned and newly arrived, including Elon (Made to Play), Mikael Stavoestrand (Sunset Diskos), Franklin De Costa (Trapez), Touane (Persona), Alland Byallo (Nightlight), and Miguel Colmenares (Subtropical). Auralism’s main roster consists of SF locals COTK, Dead Seal, Limaçon, Kenneth Scott, Jason Short, Clint Stewart, Marc Smith and Kyaro. Auralism is very much a cooperative, encouraging its artists to experiment within its twisted, propulsive blueprint while pushing them to the outer limits of impeccable sound design. The label has also hit the ground running with some of the dirtiest throwdowns that San Francisco has seen in years, importing talents like Pier Bucci, Lee Curtiss, Billy Dalessandro, Appendics Shuffle, Exercise One, and Pan-Pot to go head-to-head with the label’s residents.
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With a refocus on local artists, Auralism is set to release its first full length album by Dead Seal followed up by remixes of the album by SF locals such as Dave Aju, Alland Byallo and many more. Auralism is going out on a limb here and pushing a refreshing new sound defined by Dead Seal that words can do it no justice. You’ll just have to hear it when it comes out in October.
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SG: What are your top 3 labels right now and who are your top 3 producers right now?
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HL: Not counting our own label and artists: Oslo, Spectral Sound and Herz ist Trumpf. Producers: Jonas Kopp, Seuil and Martin Wormer.
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SG: You moved out to San Francisco from Chicago this past year. How does it stack up against Chicago, and what was the main reason for your move?
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HL: It is an interesting contrast. I would say that the Chicago scene is bigger in terms of numbers but the SF scene has more parties on any given week. I am really digging the creative vibe and sense of community here in SF. There are so many talented artists in this city it’s really humbling. I do miss my friends in Chicago but one thing I don’t miss is the winter!
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My main reason for the move was be able to work more closely with my label partners and to pursue my artistic endeavors. I have been in love with SF for a long time and knew one day I would move there and now here I am.
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SG: What is the best party you’ve been to this year, and why?
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HL: I don’t want to make it sound like I am tooting my own horn, but we recently threw an underground party for our Primaveral release at the Compound which is in my opinion the best underground venue in the city with the best sound. It comprised of 4 live acts (Dead Seal, Alland Byallo, Moniker and Marc Smith) and 2 DJs (Elon and Clint Stewart), all in full surround sound. The party had a concert vibe with break in between sets so the next act can set up. We also had the musicians work closely with our resident visual artist That Mold Science to custom tailor the visuals for each act. This was our last party for awhile as we decided to focus our energies on the label so we went all out on the production and hired a 3 camera film crew to document the event which reflected who we were about, our sound and the direction we were heading towards. Stay tuned for the release of the incredible video footage.
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SG: What’s the best gig you’ve played, and why?
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This is a toss up between my gig at Electromundo in Montanita, Ecuador and the official Forecastle Festival after party on the Belle of Louisville steamboat in Louisville, KY. The one in Montanita was at an open air venue right by the beach and had an “Alice in Wonderland” theme that was fully decorated with a giant glowing mushroom on the dance floor. The crowd was amazing and I played until the wee hours of the morning. Special thanks to Eduardo and Tetina for making my stay there so warm and welcome. I was not really sure what to expect for the after party in Louisville but the crowd surprised me. I would have to say that it was for one of the most fun crowds I have ever played for. The highlight of the night was when during a breakdown of the track, I was doing my usual dancing antics by the decks and I was twisting and lowering myself behind the decks, like the first 4-5 rows of people in the front were mimicking my moves and we all jumped up at the same time when the song kicked backed in. That was such a rush and so much fun. Thanks Louisville! You guys rock and special thanks to Sam and the RV crew for being such great hosts. Hope we can do it again next year!
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So there you have it, Louisville can officially rock it! Thanks to Hac for answering the questions, and providing a killer mix for the rv_cast. We’ll absolutely get you back for Forecastle next year!
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Track list:
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01 Nhar – Dolido’s Groove [Mina Records]
02 Butch, Virginia – From Above [Area Remote]
03 Sierra Sam, Marcus Vector – All Together (Dubby Mix) [Toys For Boys Records]
04 Kenneth Scott – What Do I Do? (Rift Remix) [Auralism Records]
05 Sweet N Candy – Weird Hole [Dumb Unit]
06 Limaçon – With You [Auralism Records]
07 Lee Curtiss – The Mantra [City Fox]
08 DJ Madskillz – New Order [100% Pure]
09 Seuil – Musm [Moon Harbor Recordings]
10 Varoslav – I Love Us featuring dOP (David K House Mix) [Dirt Crew]
11 Peace Division – Eh Oh Um (Christian Burkhardt Remix) [Tsuba]
12 Re-UP – Nobody Is Perfect (Nicolas Duvoisin Remix) [Kina Music]
13 Okain – Blackrock [Quartz Rec]
14 Fritz Zander – Keep Focused [Bpitch Control]
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Tags: Auralism Records, Forecastle Festival, Hac Le, rv_cast 004