October 18, 2024 • 54 mins
Join us for an electrifying conversation with the acclaimed DJ James Hype, who shares his remarkable journey from the gritty clubs of Liverpool to the dazzling stages of Las Vegas. Discover how the challenges of the COVID pandemic served as a catalyst for his career, propelling him into the global spotlight through strategic online engagement. James' story offers a compelling narrative of turning adversity into opportunity, underlining the significance of resilience and adaptation in the face of change.
Gain insight into the perseverance required to succeed in the competitive world of music as James recounts the formative experiences that shaped his career. From playing to sparse crowds to catching the attention of the music scene, he highlights the power of social media as a vital tool for connection and self-promotion. We also take a look at the vibrant world of dance music and its expanding influence, as James discusses his aspirations to collaborate with industry giants like The Weeknd and Wyclef Jean.
Balancing the high-energy demands of DJ life with personal well-being is no small feat. James opens up about the importance of fitness and setting boundaries, a theme that resonates throughout his career journey. From lively performances in Vegas to unexpected on-stage surprises, listeners will be captivated by tales of thrilling gigs and the quest for balance in a fast-paced lifestyle. This episode is packed with inspiration, excitement, and an insider's glimpse into the dynamic world of DJing.
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----- Content -----
00:00:00 - Intro
00:09:06 - Journey of a Successful DJ
00:17:30 - Musical Evolution and Global Influence
00:28:43 - Balancing Fitness and DJ Lifestyle
00:37:05 - Life of a DJ
00:46:08 - Evolving as a Headlining DJ
00:52:35 - Empowering Connections and Future Collaboration
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
straight over there, joined today by somebody's
taking over the entire scene.
One of my favorite djs rock.
You cannot hide from this guy.
He is everywhere.
No, he calls Vegas his secondhome, mr James Hype.
Yes, sir, thank you for havingme.
Welcome my man, welcome myfriend.
(00:36):
As I said, one of my favoriteDJs, bro.
I appreciate that Truly.
I grew up, obviously, in Walesin the dance scene.
I was a little DJ myself Allthe way.
I was a little dj myself, yeah,a little happy hardcore, yes,
and I transitioned into, uh,some dance music.
Obviously, for me, the era thatI came from was dj vibes, dj do
(00:56):
go in the hardcore scene andthen, uh, it was dj jewels and
paul and oakum paul, oakum, foldguys that you know personally.
And again, my paths went alittle different direction.
But yours, my friend, startedat a very young age and it's now
blown up into superstardom.
So it's great to have you hereon the show, my friend.
(01:17):
Thank you, mate.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Could have been DJ Jack Flex.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I mean, that would have been something Well my
nickname Flex was at six, so itwould be probably Flex Lewis,
but I dod that would have beensomething.
Well, my nickname Flex was atsix, so it would be probably
Flex Lewis.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
But I dodged that bullet, but anyway it's not
about me, bro.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's about this man right in front of me, the hype
man himself in the building.
Yes, Welcome, Welcome, myfriend.
Listen.
We can talk about so manydifferent things, but for me,
right now, you're taking over,bro.
There's not a station, if I'mwatching or listening in dance,
that doesn't have one of yoursongs and again, the
(01:48):
collaborations and just yourtrajectory that has happened in
the last couple of years.
Does it really hit home?
Like whoa?
This guy all the way from theUK now is seen all over Vegas
billboards and everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I feel like Vegas is one of those places where it
does hit home, because yourealise, oh, this is as big as
it gets.
You know, there's a lot ofthings that don't really hit
home and you don't realise howfar you've come and I'm sure you
can probably relate from thesuccess that you've had.
But when you do see the Vegasbillboards and stuff it is a bit
(02:23):
like woah, when did you do?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
see the Vegas billboards and stuff, it is a
bit like whoa, when did youreally see yourself blowing up?
When was it you realized it'slike wow, my music is getting to
years that I never really knew.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I've been doing this a long time and I really had a
moment during the COVID pandemicwhere I was so active on the
internet that loads of peoplediscovered who I was and then,
as the world got normal againafter that, I was just kind of
riding this path and from thenonwards it's just been a upwards
(03:02):
journey yeah, but you know,it's like I I mean 2017, you
really kind of broke out rightand so going into 2020, you know
, I mean you must have beengoing on doing all the lives
doing all that, and is that kindof what you were doing during
2020?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Yeah, it was a crazy time, youknow, but I'm sure it was great
for your fans and and people tostay connected to you during,
you know pretty crazy time inthe world.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I actually loved it like it's crazy because I didn't
make any money.
I had to, like, borrow money tosurvive and whatever.
But I'm probably similar foryou actually with the gym or
whatever like.
But yeah, I didn't, I didn'tget paid, but I just had a great
time.
I was just hanging out djingevery day, making amazing music,
and I'm actually reallygrateful for that time.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Yeah, obviously for me, making that move from
florida, las vegas you know wekind of see in there and
obviously listen.
Covid was covid right, it wascrazy times for some people and
and for everybody, but youreally had to.
For me I had to take a stepback and see what I could change
my life from this.
During that time and you pouredinto your music.
(04:09):
You know that was.
That was something that youjust doubled down on every day,
just putting lives out and justworking on on yourself.
How much do you think that youevolved from, from that covid
times, just putting that musicout every single day, and that's
it's.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It's a huge part of my evolution, I think, before
the reset happened becausethat's what it was for a lot of
people, before that happened, wewere just, we were ticking
along and there were a lot ofthings that happened and we'd
turn up and we'd get paid everymonth, and there were a lot of
things that were maybe not quiteoptimum, but because they were
(04:46):
happening continuously, youdidn't question them and then,
when all of a sudden,everything's interrupted, it
allows you a chance to say hangon, is this, is this actually
right?
Am I doing the best thing here?
And I think, coming out of theother side, you were able to, or
I was able to, be moredeliberate about everything that
I wanted.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, if I could.
It's like that period of time,you know, it caused everyone, I
think, to have self-reflection.
You know what am I doing here,and so for me, I could say that,
like, for the first time in mylife, you know, I wasn't a slave
to my phone.
You know, at one point in timeI had three phones, you know,
(05:30):
and it's one of those thingswhere, like, I would wake up and
I wasn't the first thing, Iwasn't checking with social
media or my emails or textmessages.
It was like I was free and eventhough financially I got crushed
, I wouldn't, I wouldn't changethat time because I tap back
into nature.
I had all this alone time todeal with, you know, traumas and
things that I had in my my life, and it was like a period of
time that I wouldn't give away.
But I also lost so much money,um, but you know, you, you, you
(05:51):
realize that there's moreimportant things than money,
right, and and and your time,you know.
So I feel like thatself-reflection, maybe, you know
, um, for you, as you're saying,like it was a great moment.
Did you get inspired to createnew music during that time?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I think the thing that inspired me was the live
stream and the connection withthe people through the internet.
I think if that wasn't there, Iprobably would have gone a bit
crazy.
So, yeah, I'm grateful toeveryone who, everyone who came
and watched me dj on theinternet, because that's, that's
, the source of the inspirationbeing a musician in general.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I mean, you guys do change the, the rhythm of
people's life.
You know, uh, whenever I'm in abad mood or a good mood, I'm
putting on music, right, likethat's what, that's what moves
me and it moves people intoemotion, right?
So do you feel that when you'reputting out your songs, are you
, are you tapping into emotion?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
it's almost.
I don't really think about howsomeone else is going to feel
when they hear my song untilit's out.
It's almost like it's my songuntil it's not and then, it's
everyone else's song, but it'shard to see it as everyone
else's song while it's still mysong, right?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You're speaking to yourself and if they feel it
some people really feel it yeah,yeah, and and obviously I
really want them to.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
It's kind of like a child or something.
You know I don't have children,but it's how I imagined it
having a child to be.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
but it must be wild to see, you know, like I know,
you play a lot of festivals likeEDC and you're seeing, you know
, 200,000 people just you knowjumping up and down to one of
your songs.
I'm getting goosebumps justtalking about it because it's
just a crazy thing.
It's crazy, it's awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Where do you get that sort of creative thinking to
put songs out there?
Is it inspiration thrownyourself from other people, or
does this just come naturallyfrom some source?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I think I have music and ideas in my head that I have
to create and over the past 10years I've learned the skills
necessary to create what I hearin my head.
And before I could do that itwas almost frustrating.
It was like I really want tomake this but I can't get it
quite right.
So I just think I mean,everyone creates and everyone
(08:05):
gives to the world in differentways, and the way that I was
designed to give to the worldwas like kind of musical
creation.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Do you hear it in your head first, because I got a
fucking monkey with atambourine in my head.
I don't know how thattransition into me making or
producing music, but I'm surethat monkey's not in your head.
Hopefully not.
Anyway, different monkey, yeahyeah, that's what I get as I put
my fucking head down at nightuh, but no, listen, let's take
(08:32):
it back down to the, to thejames hype that young, 17, 18
year old stepping into a bar um,for the very first time, your
first gig you want to call itthat at that age to then
transition into your sets thatyou were playing in Liverpool
From the Liverpool era how muchdid that mould you Because I
(08:57):
know you talk about that eraquite a lot and is that
something again that you've beenable to transition now in all
these places around the world?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I feel like that era was my 10,000 hours.
I used to DJ six nights a week,sometimes seven in the busy
times of year, and I'm talkingfive-hour DJ sets, you know,
like proper shifts, andsometimes it's terrible.
(09:26):
Sometimes there's no one thereand sometimes you have a great
night and it's just you learnhow people respond to music and
that's like that's a skill thatI have from those hours that I
think a lot of people don't have, um, and that's that's sort of
like the magic that comes frommy time in Liverpool and, yeah,
(09:50):
that goes with me everywhere.
That goes with me to the studio, that goes with me to South
America, to a country I've neverbeen to before.
That absolutely goes with me toVegas, you know.
So it's those little things thatmay not have seemed important
at the time, when it's a sundaynight and there's five people on
the dance floor, but it's that,it's that repetition, it's like
(10:14):
.
It's like bodybuilding, it'snot.
It's not um, it's not about the, the one moment of victory.
It's about all the days thatyou turned up to the gym when no
one else did you know, and allthe, all the nights when you
were DJ into five people, allthe unseen.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, exactly how do you stay motivated during that
time?
You know, obviously you hadself-belief, right, you're,
you're turning up, you know,every, every day or every
weekend, whatever it was, I know, at one point in time, I think
you started off on a tuesdaynight right, so yeah, and it was
not many people there, but youstill had that self-belief to to
make well, just to turn upright and put that work in.
(10:55):
Did you see that as like thelearning curve just djing to
them five people, or you didn'tcare how many people were there?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I think I was always aware that if I performed well,
I wouldn't be doing the Tuesdaynight anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
How long did that?
Speaker 3 (11:11):
take.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I mean, yeah, I was really bad when I started.
I was really bad Like the firstnight I ever played in a real
club in Liverpool.
I actually ran out of music andI was like repeating songs at
the end of the night like justhoping no one was going to
notice, because that's like when, when you first learn about
DJing, that's the worst thingyou could ever do is like repeat
the song.
So, yeah, I just, I just didn'twant anyone to notice and
(11:36):
luckily I got a second chanceand came back the next week with
like way more music.
But it took me a while toactually get good.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So then break happened during the Liverpool
era.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I'm guessing people seeing you, you know, and I mean
, there's all these differentlevels to a break, but I think
really the break as a DJ has tohappen when you actually make
music, because there's a lot ofgreat DJs out there in the world
who no one's heard of, you knowum, yeah, musically, like I was
(12:09):
gonna ask who were, who did youlook up to like who?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
who was it that inspired you in the dj world?
You know, like man, like I wantto do this there's a.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
There's a dj from the uk called kizzy sell and he was
always someone that I reallylooked up to.
He used to mix different genrestogether and sort of make them
somehow come together.
And then even just in Liverpoolthere were just DJs.
Like, like I say, I started onthe Tuesday night.
There was the guy who did theSaturday night and I was like,
yeah, I want to be there.
(12:41):
It's almost.
People sometimes getdisappointed when I give these
answers because they want me tosay someone that is really well
documented online, but they'rereally not.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
It's just like the local guy yeah, but you probably
learned from that guy and he,you know, learned how to control
the crowd exactly like thatthing.
Right, it's like there's somuch that goes into it, because
I feel like people see you onstage rocking and they don't
realize those years, thosehardships, trying to set
yourself different, apart fromeveryone else.
And even now it's like socialmedia.
(13:11):
I see you're very active there.
It's like we all have topromote ourselves, we all have
to do the social media thing,and I see you do that a lot.
Do you like doing the social?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
He laughs.
Yeah, that usually means no.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Does anyone like social media?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Oh, there's a lot of influencers here that love
looking at themselves in thefucking reflection.
Trust me.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, it could just be a means to an end.
You know, like I think I'mquite good at social media, but
it's not.
If I didn't have to do it, itwould be pretty cool, you know,
if I could just make music andnot think about that, and play
music and not think about makingit look good for social media.
But that's the world we live innow.
It is a mixed reality.
It's the same for everybody.
(13:54):
It doesn't matter if you sellhouses or what.
You have to think about thatall the time.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, because I came from the era of print when I got
into bodybuilding.
You made it when you got signedby Joe Eder.
Their own flex magazine put onthe Mr Olympia and I was one of
the athletes that got signed asan amateur, so I was under a
print contract.
There was no social media atthat point in time.
So then social media started,you know, blowing up.
(14:20):
I jumped on it, of course,didn't know what the hell I was
doing.
I know if you're not on socialmedia you're not available for
anything.
Sponsors everybody needs toutilize that social media to
push, promote not only theirbrand but their sponsors, et
cetera.
But you've done one hell of ajob for being that DJ that
(14:42):
really pours into his fansBecause, again, that is now
something so tangible.
You create some content and, inyour regard, you're playing a
set.
You chop it up, you put it onsocial media.
Everybody gets to see youplaying overseas.
But yet they're coming intotheir living room, into their
phone.
That sounds actually a badfucking sentence.
(15:04):
They're playing off the phone,into your living room, into
their phone.
That sounds actually a badfucking sentence.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They're playing off the phone into your living room
off the TV.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
But again, that just goes to show the evolution of
every aspect my world, yourworld, his world.
You just have to be on that.
But that's really being able toblow you up, oh for sure.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
It's a love-hate thing, right, because there's
there's part of it where it'sgreat that you can like really
connect with your fans, you know, like one-on-one even, right,
that wasn't available to otherartists before, and then it's
also having to do all that workand content and all the other
stuff that goes with all that,and then people knowing
everything about it's going onin your life, right, right.
So there's like these goodthings and these bad things, but
(15:46):
as we're evolving, it's like weall got to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
You know you mentioned earlier about making
music and you know you've workedwith some massive DJs obviously
come from the UK.
Craig David I'm going to sayCraig David.
Bloody Americans got me sayingCraig now.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Craig David.
I have always called him Craigfor the record.
Good good, my brother's name isCraig not Craig.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Craig David is one of them guys that you worked with
and blew you up into a differentgenre.
How did that come about?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I'm actually trying to remember.
It was so long ago.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Sorry Mo.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
I think someone at a record label put us in touch.
No, no, no, no, I'm lying, I'mlying.
It's a way cooler story thanthat.
I actually just dm'd him oninstagram and we'd never even
met but, um, somehow he saw mydm and I had this.
I had this song, the no dramasong that you're talking about,
and it was.
It was like we'd written itwith one of the most like
successful songwriters from theUK at the time, so we were
leading with that.
It was like, oh, we've got thisamazing song and it was written
(16:52):
by this guy.
Um, and yeah, he was, he was upfor it and we, we met up in, we
went to his studio in Londonand then we did like some shows
together and Ibiza and stuff,and he's so, he's so nice, like,
yeah, just such a positiveinfluence, you know yeah, and
that was for me, you know, bro,when we were putting the show
(17:14):
together and of course, Ifollowed you for years.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
It just amazes me just how many fucking bangers
that I've forgotten about that.
You've made me.
Yeah, just that.
I've forgotten about that.
You've made Me.
Yeah, just done and producedand worked on.
It's funny, I don't even feellike I have.
Well, I do.
I mean, this is my world.
Coming from the UK, this is allI listen to, and I've converted
so many people in the US intodance music.
(17:38):
I mean, when I had my privategym in Florida, that's all I
would play dance music.
And a lot of the guys there,whether American or coming from
overseas, that's the first entrypoint they've ever had to dance
music.
And when they heard it first ofall, you know, they were like
oh, we're not playing hip-hop oranything like that.
It's like, no, this is what wetrain to, because it's so
(18:02):
rhythmic.
You can fall into that trancewhen you're training with that
dance, repetitive beat and stuff.
And then so many people youknow have been introduced to
dance music through music thatyou've produced, which I can
personally say because I've beenthere Again, not that I've said
you've got to listen to JamesHype, but I'm going to go back
and fucking tell these people Iintroduced them to James Hype,
(18:23):
since I brought you on the show.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
You're claiming me now.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
yeah, yeah, yeah yeah , but we were mentioning,
obviously, craig Davin andproducing and stuff like that
and you slighting his DMs,obviously outside of Flax Lewis
slighting the DMs, or did youmessage me?
I can't remember.
Either way, who have you beenshocked to wake up to and see a
DM from?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
F1 driver.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
OF model.
I said OF model.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
A bunch of those, a bunch of those.
There's a few OF models inthere.
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Nico Hulkenberg yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I need to try and link upwith him.
But he sent me a message andhe's like hey, he's a big fan.
It's crazy.
I told my dad and my dad waslike what?
Because my dad couldn't believeit.
Because he's like a superstarto my dad.
Yeah, anybody else there's?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
probably so many.
Yeah, I mean, is there anybodythat you really want to work
with?
Right Like, you do a lot ofcollabs, you know.
So, as you continue forward,who is like the like, I want to
do a track with that guy girl,whatever, right.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
For vocals it's got to be the Weeknd.
That'd be crazy, Huge.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, got to make that happen.
Has anything happened yet?
Is the conversation started?
Okay, there's no conversation.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We are going to tag the shit day.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
All the fans now watching this.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Make sure you tag the crap of the weekend yeah, able,
come on, let's get them on,yeah, yeah I want some skin
there's something here?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
yes, most definitely anybody else um off the top of
my head white clef john ah I sawhim perform the other day so
he's fresh in my mind.
But he's insane man, Amazingperformer.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
But that makes you so unique?
Because, for anybody who'swatched you for quite some time,
you have such a unique style ofplaying where you will take
people on a journey and in themiddle of the set you'll drop in
something old school, whichdoesn't even match the beats,
(20:36):
but yet it matches the beats.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
You fucking put it in .
How did you come up with thatstyle?
I think it's my, my own sort ofmusical palette because, like
we were talking about, when Iused to dj every night of the
week, I wasn't just playinghouse music, I was playing all
genres of music.
So I have an understanding ofall these different genres.
And then, just even when I'm athome, I don't really listen to
house music.
I mean, I do if I'm in the gym,yeah.
(20:58):
If I'm chilling at home, I'mlistening to, like, classic
music from the 80s and stuff.
So I think I know quite a lotabout music.
Um, and even, like you weresaying as well, you're
introducing people to housemusic through my sets.
I feel like I am quiteentry-level in that way, in that
(21:18):
I take elements from all aroundthe world musically.
So you might not even likedance music, but there's
probably something for you inone of my sets.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, it's like it makes it easy for people to
cross over into it, right?
And something you said you know.
It's like I've been in Vegas along time and I've seen the
dance music explosion in theUnited States and obviously you
know a lot of guys coming fromoverseas and that sort of thing,
but we've just seen it growhere in such a way over over the
(21:56):
years and you know, in vegas itwas one of the first like
really big booms in the unitedstates for dance music.
Well, you had that part.
Well did.
The first dance music partyever here, residency with paul
oakenfold, perfecto, wow, thevery first dance music.
And jason will strauss will tryto argue with me and say that
marillo was the first one, butjay Murillo was an after-hours
party.
It only happened four times ayear.
We did it every Saturday.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
I don't need no beef on this.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
He's going to see it, he's going to punk me.
Yeah, man, at that time it wascrazy.
We had Calvin Harris for $7,000.
We were booking these guysbefore it really hit here,
because Vegas was vegas was veryhip-hop and it was really a
celebrity too.
It was like let's book kimkardashian, just hang out, or
this person or that person, youknow.
So it took a while for dancemusic to to hit here.
(22:38):
It was all hip-hop.
Now it's all dance music andhip-hop is like, you know, maybe
one venue, two venues, right,um, so it's just exploded here.
So to see that whole explosionhas been amazing and as you were
coming up seeing it blow uphere, you know, and the
residency's happening here,right, like I know now, like
vegas is like I've made it, I'min vegas on the fucking strip,
(22:59):
you know, like that's kind of isthat?
Is it like that?
You know, guys from I'm, youknow I'm on that inside, but I'm
not from a dj, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
So, yeah, I think from my perspective it is.
I think I'm being totallyhonest.
I think there's djs out therewho would probably think they
were like too underground toplay vegas, you know, because it
is um, it's hard yeah it is, itis uh yeah, exactly, it is a
tourist market.
So for for someone like me whois experienced in all these
(23:27):
different club settings, I feelquite at home here.
But for someone who was to playReally on the ground music then
they might actually struggle to, yeah, get a crowd going here.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So it kind of depends on your perspective whether you
see that as the, as thepinnacle, or not right, you're a
hundred percent right, though,because when you're first here
and you do something that'smaybe too cool, right that that
to a new Well like Vegas is avery touristy market.
When you get into New York andLA in different pockets, you get
this really cool undergroundscene.
We are a very tourist drivenmarket.
(23:57):
You know, everybody coming herewants, you know like they want,
those tracks they hear on theradio and certain things like
that.
You know, but you know, to yourto, to to your point right,
like I guess it's what you'relooking for, to to to your point
right like, um, I guess it'swhat you're looking for.
I mean, we've tried doing, youknow, underground, we've tried
doing it on the strip, and itjust it takes time for that to
(24:17):
develop, you know, I mean we had, we had diplo for three, three
thousand dollars and nobodyliked that hard stuff when he
first came out and then all of asudden he evolved and boom,
right, um, when you look at theevolution of where you're going,
obviously you have this musicalpalette that just evolves with
your growth.
Are you finding music every day?
(24:38):
Are you looking for it?
Speaker 2 (24:44):
I'm always trying to push the sound that I play
because I never want to get to apoint where I'm bored of it.
And also, I never want to getto a point where I'm bored of it
.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
And also, I never want to get to a point where I'm
predictable as well, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So it's sort of a.
It's sort of a constant balance, trying to find what the people
who come to see me willappreciate.
But also, where can I push itwithout it being sort of two
foot off of those people?
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Right.
How has life changed for you,bro?
How has life changed for you,bro?
How has life changed?
How has life changed?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
for you.
I mean, yeah, life's prettywild.
I spend a lot of time traveling.
I mean, when we're recordingthis, we just finished summer.
So summer for me is four orfive shows a week, and that's
not four or five shows in week,and that's not four or five
shows in one country, that'sfour or five countries.
Um, sometimes doing two flightsto get to the next place, and
(25:38):
so there's a lot of a lot oftravel.
Um, if, if we were to rewindthree years ago, it was actually
a lot harder because I wasdoing the same amount of travel
but with way less money well,that's improved, so when you,
when you get paid more money,then you can afford the private
(26:00):
jets and stuff like that, andpeople on the outside may see
that and think, oh, it'sexcessive, and whatever, but
that's actually what allows alot of the top djs to actually
do the shows that they do,because there is no way that you
can get from croatia to ibizafor in waiting and waiting on
lines in the airport.
Yeah, yeah, or even then, likesometimes there are routes that
(26:22):
you actually just can't fly.
So, yeah, life is life ishectic a lot of the time, and
then very fortunate as well,like in the time that I do have
off, like I was able to take mywhole family on an amazing
vacation, and yeah it's.
It's uh trying to find thatbalance because it's easy to
(26:43):
just work, work, work, you know,um, and just trying to make it,
make it special and make thingshappen.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
That we'll all remember.
Yeah, and during that time too,you still have to have that
creative mindset.
You know you have to.
You're always consciously aware.
You know I've got a lot offriends in different genres.
Right, and excuse the crazinessoutside the door.
We have a zoo here at the gymright now, as you can hear.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
And we don't have headphones on today.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
There's a line out there waiting for Flex.
We don't have headphones ontoday because James Hype said no
headphones.
I am done with the headphones.
He said.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
I just hope you've learned he wears headphones all
the time.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
He needs a day off, that is true, that is true, I
just got to bust his balls.
But even when you're on theroad, a lot of and again
personal friends no names thathave produced music, they then
live off that track for as longas they can.
But the guys who are reallyahead of the game, they're
already working on the next, orthey've got a couple of ones in
(27:44):
the back pocket.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So when you're taking that timeoff, are you still conscious
about making sure that we havealready got something that's
going to be coming out soon tofollow the last banger?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
yeah, I'm, uh, I'm, I'm never satisfied, you know
never I'm like obviously that's.
That's a bad thing, isn't it?
But?
Speaker 1 (28:02):
like yeah, I get it, trust me.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Oh, we have fucking trophies in the wall, yeah of
course, yeah, yeah so, yeah, I'mnever satisfied, so I'm always
looking for the next thing, andyou get that one tiny win and
then maybe it just settles theanxiety down for a little bit
and then you're all right, what?
What is next?
We have to do this today.
So, yeah, the, the ideas andthe search for the gold.
(28:28):
That never stops, um, and I'mactually really good at sort of
doing that wherever I am as well, like I make some of my best
music on a flight to vegas orwhatever.
Yeah, just no one's on thephone, no one's, yeah, so, yeah,
put the headphones on and I can.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
The life on the road, though, you know, is also can
be tough right, like, and Idon't know how much you party or
drink or whatnot, but I've beenon the road with a lot of DJs
and it's like being extremelyhungover, waking up at 6 am to
get on a flight at seven, thengetting on another flight the
next day hungover, then gettingon another flight the next day
hungover, like, and you talkabout balance, like how do you
(29:04):
balance that with you know,fitness, your just your mental
health, and then, like I said, Idon't know how much you party,
but I've been around guys andI'm like how do you do this?
How do you live this life?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So I don't party when I work, and if I did, I
wouldn't be able to.
I wouldn't be sat here feelingas good as I do.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah he was texting me at 2 o'clock this morning.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Saw this guy as fresh as the daisy right now.
No it I.
I think if I'd have beensuccessful when I was a bit
younger, I probably would havepartied more.
But I'm um, how old am I?
34 years old, and I probablysaw majority of my real success
after the age of 30.
I mean, when I was in my early20s I was going to ibiza and
(29:48):
having some crazy nights, like alot of people do, and I still
have that in me which can bepulled out occasionally.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
But we all do, we all do, yes, yeah, we all got a
devil in there somewhere.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
But yeah, for me that's separate to the work.
I think that is reallyimportant because I don't
understand how anyone ismaintaining a healthy mind and a
healthy body.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
You've seen it, though You've definitely seen it
with other DJs.
Oh yeah, it's wild right.
And just thinking about gettingon a plane every day hungover.
Also, the private jet probablyhelps that for those guys who
are, you know.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
But if those who don't have the private jet
unfortunately hung over at theairport?
Yeah, you know, it's on.
Spirit Airlines.
Yeah, but with something youmentioned, you now are on your
own fitness journey.
Yeah, I've seen you.
I think it was COVID times,maybe a little bit post-COVID
times.
You started really getting inshape and I see a physique
(30:49):
changing, really getting inshape and I see a physique
changing.
Has that fitness journeysynergistically helped you with
your career and yourperformances?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
I would say mentally, yes.
I mean physically it doesn'treally matter.
I'm jumping around a bit onstage, you jump a lot, bro.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
This guy is an energy bunny.
I don't know where the hell hegets that energy.
Yeah, he's burning all thecalories there.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Yeah, yeah that's my cardio.
You should put a whoop on himand just track that once.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I don't know, I think he'd burn the whoop out bro,
yeah, but yeah, I think you know.
Just um, yeah, about two, threeyears ago, I just I got like a
sort of moment where I was like,oh, I just want to.
I actually really want to startlike properly going for this
fitness thing, because I used towhen I was younger, I used to.
(31:41):
I used to go to the gym sevendays a week when I was younger,
and then I just I think I gotreally busy with work and it
just started getting less andless.
And then, a few years ago infact, you had wes watson on your
podcast.
Yeah, yeah, so I was.
I came across a load of weswatson videos and I was like
fuck yeah I was like I fuckinglove him like he's, so he's so
(32:03):
love hate, isn't he?
yeah, that's the correct termyeah, but yeah, I saw a few of
his videos, started deep divinginto where's watson.
Next thing, you know, I'm inthe gym every day and I'm
talking like got back from theshow at 3 am, got a flight at9
am, I'm getting up at 6 to go tothe gym and like to the point
(32:24):
where it was like it's probablyactually not good for me to do
that, because the sleep reallykind of has to come first.
But I got, I got a bit obsessedwith the gym after watching
where's watson anyway, and thenfrom there I started taking it
seriously and like figuring outwhat I was doing, got a trainer
and just actually learned how todo all the kind of the correct
motions and stuff, because Ithink, well, a lot of people, as
(32:46):
men as well, we all believethat we just sort of know
everything.
Yeah, that's my wife.
Yeah, I was going to say andyeah, we actually don't know
everything.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
So sometimes you can ask for help with things, so you
will have a trainer thatfollows you.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
No, I don't have that much money.
I have a trainer in london and,um yeah, when it's not the
summer, I can spend three, fourdays a week in london.
So, yeah, training with atrainer most of the week and
then a bit of stuff on my own aswell, do you want on the road
you?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
do you make sure you have that time for the gym?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
no, it's not a priority, it's the sleep is the
priority, and sometimes that isactually just hard to hard to
get.
So if I can, if I can trainfour days in london, smash it
out.
I'm happy to do the three-dayweekend without hitting the gym
and I'll just come back onmonday and smash, yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
So it's just finding that that balance for I, fully
for me.
You know, be in the thebodybuilder for so many years
and then retiring, every time Istepped in in the gym, the only
way I knew how to train was justas I did for the Mr Olympia.
You know it'd be like probablytelling you okay, james, you
only can play pop music in thisgenre and that's it.
(34:07):
You know, you can't, you can'tgo as crazy as you do and you
can't jump around.
So you're controlling thatnarrative.
But then I had to learn, youknow, that that gym for me, is a
big part of my, my mentalhealth.
Yeah, you know, that's what.
I would just get everything outand it's pretty much like you,
four days, four days a week, ifthat you know.
I'm coming back off this tricepinjury and it truly taught me
(34:28):
how much I missed the gym byhaving it taken away before.
It was by design, this was notyeah so now I I know the
importance of the gym, so you'rejust finding that balance for
that physical um, whether it'sphysically or mentally, it still
plays a part when you can fitit in on the road, right it's
nice to look good as well, it'snice to look good it is nice to
(34:52):
have big guns flex it is, it is,it is
Speaker 3 (34:55):
but also like same.
Same for me it's like it'sgreat for just stress, right, we
got a crazy world right now.
We all have our own personalproblems.
Right, for me, it's always beenthe stress reliever that I
needed.
You know, maybe I didn't knowit was always that, but it was
always that for me, um, um, youknow, even if it's just a
routine, right, like I found alot of, you know, successful
(35:15):
people, like they have thismorning routine and I try to
keep it.
You know, sometimes I fall offof it.
But do you have any like habitslike that, or rituals, uh,
morning routines type thing thatyou know?
You kind of every day, like forme it's no phone for the first
30 minutes, then I go into aworkout, then I have my coffee,
then I go into all my other crap, right, but I have to do that
and if I don't, um, I feel likemy day starts not the way I
(35:37):
would like it.
You know, do you have anythinglike?
Speaker 2 (35:40):
yeah, I, I have a tendency to be really uptight
about things like this, so I'mI'm like all or nothing.
So if I'm, if I'm on tour, thenI'm like, oh, it's whatever,
like it's almost like I don'tkeep my own schedule you know,
yeah, I have an app on my phonethat tells me what time we're
going to the airport you'rewaking up to room service and
then you're flying out.
Yeah, yeah, but but when I'm athome, I, yeah, I, when I'm at
(36:01):
home, I'll see my trainer at aspecific time to make sure my
day starts at specific time.
And so I'll actually havearguments with my, with myée,
about it, because she'll be likecan we have a lie-in?
And I'm like no no.
I'm not going to have the day Iwant.
I'm not going to be happy allday if we do that.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Please just let me do that.
She's a DJ as well.
Right, yeah, she is.
Yeah, she's fucking good too.
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Do you guys ever playback-to-back this year?
We?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
have a few times in Ibiza and yeah, it's not
something we do all the time.
So when we do it it's extraspecial because a lot of people
will follow both of us andthey're like no, no way.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah, well, I know we mentioned this and this is an
interest for the fans who'veasked this question.
What is a typical day in thelife of James Hype?
At home or on tour.
Let's do this when you're homeand you're consistent in London,
yeah, and then when you're onthe road.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Okay, the London one's easy, because that's very.
As I say, I'm all or nothing,so that's very rigid.
So a day at home in London, setmy alarm for eight o'clock,
wake up, have some electrolytes,have a coffee, go to the gym,
work out for about an hour likesort of strength training, don't
(37:21):
do any cardio, you don't eatthem, no, and then eat healthy
food, hang out with my missusfor an hour, go to the studio,
which is 10 minutes from where Ilive.
I walk to the studio and I'llspend five or six hours in the
(37:41):
studio, try to ignore my phone,but probably end up doing a few
calls and stuff as well.
And then go back home in theevening, hang out with my missus
, eat some food I mean,sometimes she comes to the
studio with me as well so goback home in the evening, hang
out with my missus, eat somefood I mean, sometimes she comes
to the studio with me as well,so it's not uh and then probably
end up making music in myapartment as well in the evening
, because you have a studiothere as well, I'm sure?
(38:01):
No, I actually don't know.
I used to in an old apartment,but I've just I'm.
So I travel so much that mystudio is just my laptop.
That's all it needs to be.
Wow, anything else is a bonus,but it's really not even
necessary.
I've got like apple headphones,apple laptop and, yeah, you can
actually make hits like that.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
It's crazy well, you can me and him and then, yeah,
go to bed around midnight 12, 30yeah when you're, you know,
obviously, you know you have agirlfriend, fiance, yeah, um,
you know outside, you know beingon your couch eating snacks
when you, when you have time offright, because I'm sure, like
(38:40):
that's probably your favorite,time is nothing right nothing is
the best thing, but outsidenothing, you know, is there any?
is there anything you you reallyenjoy that you like to do
outside work, outside the wholeparty life?
You know like, is theresomething there?
You know, like, flex grew upyou know training birds and he
is these things that he's done.
Bro, why are you the bird manin this?
(39:02):
On the fuck.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
You're the bird man.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
I'm just saying, does he have?
You know like, like I like toride motorcycles, you know like
it's a big difference betweenfucking birds and more.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
You're gonna be a lot fucking cooler than that, okay.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Well, you have a lot of other cool things, but you
know stuff like that.
What do you enjoy doing outsidethis world, man?
I mean, I know you have to getout of it sometimes, don't?
Speaker 2 (39:23):
say birds bro, I've never trained a bird.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
That's cool.
Different kind of birds.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
I've worn a lot of feathers in my hat.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
No pun intended uh, what do I do um?
I mean, for me, working outit's a hobby, that's, that's my,
that's one of my side things.
You know um, I like?
I was gonna say I like travel,but that's work.
So I honestly, I really like I Ilive my dream life.
(39:51):
It's, I don't need anythingelse.
It's crazy, yeah, and I'mfucking grateful for that.
But yeah, that's, that'sliterally it.
Like if you left me on my ownand told me if, if you took
money out of the equation orwhatever, I'd still just be sat
there making music and hopefullydjing to some people.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
That's awesome I mean , you're doing what you truly
love.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
I'm living it every day as was I man.
We're truly two guys from theUK that are living their dreams.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Did you just say you're from the UK?
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yes From Wales UK.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Part of the United Kingdom.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
Obviously, we've had some questions from fans and I'm
kind of dripping them in, butwhat is the, I would say the
most weird and random thingthat's ever happened to you
during a set?
Speaker 2 (40:43):
During a set.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
You guys in the back are laughing, so obviously they
remember something straight away.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
I don't know what that is they got all the good
stories back there.
Can we get these guys on have?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
we got, give me a hand, all right.
So we're at this club inmallorca and if you're, if
you're from europe, you probablyknow magaluf is like the place
where, when you're when yearsold, you go on like a holiday
there with your mates 16.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Cheap drinks, it's loose and yeah, we're on the
stage in this club and I'm DJingin the middle of the set, all
of a sudden all these girlsstart running up onto the stage
and I don't really know what'sgoing on.
But it's all happening so fast.
I look up and my tour managerhas one girl under each arm,
(41:39):
like like proper, like rugby.
And he's not even a big guy.
I don't even know where hefound the strength of this, but,
yeah, we even have it on videoand it's just him with a girl
under each arm, like sprintingacross the stage with his head
down's it.
Yeah, I don't know if that'slike the most weird, because
that's like that's not that outof the ordinary.
(41:59):
I've got another one, okay.
So if anyone who follows meknow that, knows that I have a
catchphrase.
Who does this?
Right?
So I'm at, I'm at a show in theuk and it's in like a theater
type venue.
So the stage is quite adistance from the crowd and, um,
the only people on the stageare the people who work there,
(42:20):
the crew.
And all of a sudden, this guywalks up onto the stage like he
totally belongs there and, um,but he's not wearing the right
clothes.
He's wearing like just nightout kind of clothes and he walks
all the way up to the front ofthe dj booth but nobody stops
him because he looks like he's,he's, he's walking like he's
meant to be there and, um, allof a sudden he's right in front
(42:43):
of me and I'm like, what's goingon?
Who's this guy?
Um, and in that moment Irealized he had a glow stick in
his hand and I was like, oh, no,no he doesn't work here so one
of the security guys runs overand he's like pushing him out
the way and he goes.
Oh no, I just need to.
I need to get to james.
I need to ask him a question.
His question was who does this?
Who does that?
Yeah, so he's, he's run, he'srun all the way up to the stage
(43:06):
and found his way on there.
It's just a yeah wild likepeople.
People, when they've had a bitto drink, are just like they're
man.
They lose all inhibitions.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
For me, when I was going outback in the day, somehow people
would find themselves in the DJbooth and try to take over the
DJ.
They'd try to jostle you outthe way or grab the mic or
anything like that.
Have you had anything like that?
That's ever happened.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Oh, mics yeah, when I used to DJ in the north of the
UK, there's always some guycoming in and he's like oh, you
got a mic.
You got a mic there, mate, ohfuck.
And he starts rapping in yourear.
You know, like spitting in yourear.
Oh, mate, I don't care how bador good you are, you are not
rapping in this club, right?
Speaker 1 (43:49):
Mike, come on.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Honestly mate.
When people have had a fewdrinks they're like, yeah, this
is my moment.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Was it any good?
Speaker 3 (43:56):
No, no, no.
They come up and they requestBritney Spears.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
I'm sure you get that a lot yeah the request as if,
like you know, but well,obviously we're, you know, here
at the Olympia weekend, just tokind of say that and you're
going to be DJing at IU and theDragon's Lair are doing a
Dragon's Lair takeover.
So we're doing a collaborationwith Resorts World and you are
(44:22):
going to be spinning.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I'm not going to jostle you out the way, oh, got
the mic, just to let you know.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Nobody can fucking understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
He can flex.
I'll tell you that we're goingto bring some baby oil.
You'll be all right.
Oh, jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
No fucking Diddy jokes.
Okay, there's baby oil waybefore Diddy, bro.
Yeah, okay, okay.
Well, I'm very excited for that.
This is going to be your firstMr Olympia weekend.
Oh yeah, are you excited to seethis craziness?
This is another world to me.
It is, it is.
I'm waiting until I take youaround the gym.
You're going to see a lot ofbig guys and girls.
(44:59):
Yeah, you know arms that you'veprobably never seen before.
On the girls Better on the guys.
Speaker 3 (45:04):
There's cuts everywhere out there right now.
Yeah, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I have a question.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
Go on.
Is there a favorite show right?
Like there's one show that,like every you know, like that's
what you really look forward to, it's your favorite place to
play, like what's that for youthere's probably two.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
So have you ever been to Space in Miami?
Yes, so that place is magic.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
It's nowhere like it.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
You just feel like you're.
I feel like I'm on a night outwith all those people.
That's how it feels to playthere, and the sun comes up and
it's awesome.
You've been part, you've beendancing with the same people for
seven hours and you're like.
I feel like I'm like your matenow and we're just listening to
my tunes together.
It's mad.
And then I have a similarfeeling when I play in Ibiza as
well.
(45:48):
I don't play for as long inIbiza, so it's not quite the
same, but it's just that perfectenvironment for music and the
people are all on the samewavelength, right.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Is it Pasha, though, or is it like a?
Speaker 2 (46:00):
specific place in Ibiza, in Ibiza.
So I've been playing at high.
That's where I've been for thepast two years.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
What about festivals?
I know you played earlier on inthe year, if I believe, Drum
Sheds.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, you played earlier on in the year, if I
believe, drum Sheds.
Yeah, that was fucking bang.
Tomorrowland 15,000.
What was that like?
That was mad bank.
Because I've been I feel likeI've never really had the
acceptance from the UK.
I sort of blew up, as I said,through the pandemic and ended
(46:35):
up traveling all around theworld, coming to the usa, edc
tomorrowland, all of thesethings, and then didn't really
do anything in the uk because,no, it's like the people who
book the artists, just didn'tlike me I don't know um.
So when my manager was like, oh,let's do this, we'll do the
show in the uk for 15 000 people, I was like, yep sure okay,
(46:59):
yeah and um and yeah.
Then it actually sold out and Iwas just standing there in on
that stage with 15 000 people infront of me and that was a real
, like a real moment for me,like I actually, I actually
cried like real tears when I wasstanding on that stage because,
it was just, it just didn'tfeel real.
and it's so much more specialwhen it's when it's the people
(47:23):
that you, you know the best,like the, the actual, the
british people in front of youand right into, like I've lived
in london now for don't evenknow like 10 years, so like
right in my home as well.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
That's incredible, you know.
Talk about living that boyhooddream, starting off playing in
front of five people to 50,000people yeah.
It must have been just a smashof emotions.
Speaker 2 (47:50):
It literally is because a show like that can be
so stressful as well, becausethere's so many things that can
go wrong, and I'm standing onthe stage thinking like, oh, the
lighting's not very good rightnow, you know I'm not actually
focused on the enormous, theenormousness of the, of the
thing in front of me half thetime.
But yeah, when it all comestogether, it's, it's unreal and
(48:12):
it came together.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
What a fucking set too.
You know, I've seen a lot ofdifferent sets of Jaws life, in
fact my daughter because what wewould do is this is kind of our
thing, not to sound fuckingbougie we got the outdoor pool.
I never had that in fuckingWales, trust me you wouldn't
want that in Wales.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
No, you wouldn't want that in Wales it was like an
outdoor pond, yeah and we have a, an outdoor tv and we put you
on life.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Yeah, so my daughter now understands.
You know what a dj is.
That's great.
So she she's saying, daddy, canI do this, can I do this?
And I says very hard, you know,and I I tell her it's like
daddy used to do this, but dadused to have techno direct
drives a little new Mac mixer inhis bedroom.
So this now evolution again,with my daughter looking at you
(49:03):
playing and being so charismaticand the fans just looking at
you like, let's be honest,they're looking at you like God.
Right, they're in yourfingertips.
You can take them on a journey.
You can change the mood in thewhole room or at the festival.
That does come withresponsibility and, as you
mentioned, pressure.
(49:23):
Do you feel that sometimes whenyou're going into some big sets
like this, and what do you doif you do to calm yourself down?
Speaker 2 (49:33):
I think the pressure is always internal Because
really, like, the only thingthat you can really do to mess
it up is stop the music.
Like it's not.
This is going to sound kind ofstupid, but it's not hard to DJ.
All you got to do is play music.
Just press play.
Don't let the song stop.
If it doesn't stop, you're good.
(49:53):
You got to do is play me.
You just press play it's don't.
Don't let the song stop.
If it doesn't stop, you're good.
But then you build it all up inyour head and I have such a
high expectation of myself.
I'm like, oh, I need to deliverthis.
It needs to be technicallyincredible, it needs to be
something they've never seenbefore, so I can build it up to
something huge in my head.
That then puts me on on edgeand but but I kind of need that
(50:15):
pressure.
Without that pressure I don'tthink I would be James Hype.
But yeah, I often find myselfremembering all you've got to do
is not stop the music.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
That's a great line.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
I've seen this many times with yourself too.
You have put sets of yours onyour Instagram and you'll say I
messed this up.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
And I'm like where, yeah, when.
And I watched it again.
Speaker 3 (50:44):
I was like man, that was flawless, but really when
you think about it, it's likethe pot calling the kettle black
over here, because you'reexactly the same way, wow.
Exactly the same way.
But that's why I think you know, you guys have risen to the top
right.
It's that you're not willing toaccept average mediocrity.
It has to be perfect, you know,and sometimes I get to them,
I'm like dude, perfection is theenemy of done.
(51:05):
Sometimes, you know, andsometimes you can overstress
yourself, but I do believe thatis one of the characteristics
that just keep pushing youforward, because you always want
more, you always want better,and I am also similar to this.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
I know, I know this is why we're all in the same
room.
So, in wrapping up this,podcast.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
What is next for James Hype?
What is next?
I'm excited for the next stagebecause the next stage I feel
like the previous stage was mebeing introduced to all these
countries and all thesefestivals and the next stage is
like moving up to like theheadline slot and being like the
.
You know, I just want I wanteveryone to know who I am and I
(51:51):
want it to be like when youthink of a dj, I want you to
think of james hype, because Iwant it to.
I want to show people what a djactually can do, because a dj
is such a it's such a broad term, like we even talk about the
people who play records on theradio as a dj, and I I just want
, I want to show a dj can besomeone who gives an incredible
(52:13):
performance and presents to youthe music that you may or may
not know in a way that you'venever even heard before, and
sort of bringing all of thattogether.
And, yeah, I want to be anexample for the people like your
daughter, you know, who look atthat and think I want to do
(52:33):
that.
So yeah, that was a very messyanswer, but I want to show
people what's possible, andyou're certainly living in my
friend.
Speaker 3 (52:46):
Rock.
Is there anything you want toadd to that man?
No, it's been really greattalking to you.
I enjoy, you know, watchingyour career.
Continue forward, man.
And yeah, dude, it's reallycool to meet people who are
living their.
I enjoy, you know, uh, watchingyour career continue forward,
man.
And uh, yeah, dude, it's.
It's really cool to meet peoplewho are living their dream.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
You know it is so I get to sit around this guy all
the time and from my perspective, mate, as I mentioned earlier
in the podcast, I've seen yougrow, um, not obviously
physically, you know, I've seenthat change too but just how you
have grown in your fan base,how you've grown through your
music, how you are doubled downin how you play your sets.
(53:23):
To me, there's nobody else likeJames Hype.
Thank you, you take us on ajourney and it's truly inspiring
to hear and know your story andI want to say thank you again,
mate, for for making time todayto sit down and tell us a little
bit about you and and whereyou're going next.
Speaker 2 (53:41):
So, from you to you, my friend, anytime you're in
vegas, this is your home, fromhome, and, uh, I'm excited for
the future no, it's really niceto actually just connect our two
worlds as well, you know,because this is something that I
look at from a distance andobviously you're the same with
me.
Speaker 3 (53:56):
So yeah, thank you for now you guys are going to
work out and he's gonna.
You're gonna be reallyregretting that tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Yes, we actually are.
Thank you for reminding us.
Tomorrow we're gonna get aworkout in and I'll let him
choose the body parts orwhatever that is he's probably
going to train triceps since i'sgoing to have a mangle fucking
tricep right now, butnonetheless it's been a blast
and an absolute fucking pleasure.
Bro, I'm excited to see yourset on Saturday and, as I said,
(54:23):
now that you call Vegas yoursecond home, I look forward to
seeing you much, much more andanything I can do we can do for
you Whilst you're here.
Here, you know you've got afriend now.
Thank you, brother, my man.
This is Flax.
This is Rock James Hype.
We are out.
straight over there, joined today by somebody's
taking over the entire scene.
One of my favorite djs rock.
You cannot hide from this guy.
He is everywhere.
No, he calls Vegas his secondhome, mr James Hype.
Yes, sir, thank you for havingme.
Welcome my man, welcome myfriend.
(00:36):
As I said, one of my favoriteDJs, bro.
I appreciate that Truly.
I grew up, obviously, in Walesin the dance scene.
I was a little DJ myself Allthe way.
I was a little dj myself, yeah,a little happy hardcore, yes,
and I transitioned into, uh,some dance music.
Obviously, for me, the era thatI came from was dj vibes, dj do
(00:56):
go in the hardcore scene andthen, uh, it was dj jewels and
paul and oakum paul, oakum, foldguys that you know personally.
And again, my paths went alittle different direction.
But yours, my friend, startedat a very young age and it's now
blown up into superstardom.
So it's great to have you hereon the show, my friend.
(01:17):
Thank you, mate.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Could have been DJ Jack Flex.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
I mean, that would have been something Well my
nickname Flex was at six, so itwould be probably Flex Lewis,
but I dod that would have beensomething.
Well, my nickname Flex was atsix, so it would be probably
Flex Lewis.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
But I dodged that bullet, but anyway it's not
about me, bro.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's about this man right in front of me, the hype
man himself in the building.
Yes, Welcome, Welcome, myfriend.
Listen.
We can talk about so manydifferent things, but for me,
right now, you're taking over,bro.
There's not a station, if I'mwatching or listening in dance,
that doesn't have one of yoursongs and again, the
(01:48):
collaborations and just yourtrajectory that has happened in
the last couple of years.
Does it really hit home?
Like whoa?
This guy all the way from theUK now is seen all over Vegas
billboards and everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I feel like Vegas is one of those places where it
does hit home, because yourealise, oh, this is as big as
it gets.
You know, there's a lot ofthings that don't really hit
home and you don't realise howfar you've come and I'm sure you
can probably relate from thesuccess that you've had.
But when you do see the Vegasbillboards and stuff it is a bit
(02:23):
like woah, when did you do?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
see the Vegas billboards and stuff, it is a
bit like whoa, when did youreally see yourself blowing up?
When was it you realized it'slike wow, my music is getting to
years that I never really knew.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
I've been doing this a long time and I really had a
moment during the COVID pandemicwhere I was so active on the
internet that loads of peoplediscovered who I was and then,
as the world got normal againafter that, I was just kind of
riding this path and from thenonwards it's just been a upwards
(03:02):
journey yeah, but you know,it's like I I mean 2017, you
really kind of broke out rightand so going into 2020, you know
, I mean you must have beengoing on doing all the lives
doing all that, and is that kindof what you were doing during
2020?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
Yeah, it was a crazy time, youknow, but I'm sure it was great
for your fans and and people tostay connected to you during,
you know pretty crazy time inthe world.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I actually loved it like it's crazy because I didn't
make any money.
I had to, like, borrow money tosurvive and whatever.
But I'm probably similar foryou actually with the gym or
whatever like.
But yeah, I didn't, I didn'tget paid, but I just had a great
time.
I was just hanging out djingevery day, making amazing music,
and I'm actually reallygrateful for that time.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Yeah, obviously for me, making that move from
florida, las vegas you know wekind of see in there and
obviously listen.
Covid was covid right, it wascrazy times for some people and
and for everybody, but youreally had to.
For me I had to take a stepback and see what I could change
my life from this.
During that time and you pouredinto your music.
(04:09):
You know that was.
That was something that youjust doubled down on every day,
just putting lives out and justworking on on yourself.
How much do you think that youevolved from, from that covid
times, just putting that musicout every single day, and that's
it's.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It's a huge part of my evolution, I think, before
the reset happened becausethat's what it was for a lot of
people, before that happened, wewere just, we were ticking
along and there were a lot ofthings that happened and we'd
turn up and we'd get paid everymonth, and there were a lot of
things that were maybe not quiteoptimum, but because they were
(04:46):
happening continuously, youdidn't question them and then,
when all of a sudden,everything's interrupted, it
allows you a chance to say hangon, is this, is this actually
right?
Am I doing the best thing here?
And I think, coming out of theother side, you were able to, or
I was able to, be moredeliberate about everything that
I wanted.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, if I could.
It's like that period of time,you know, it caused everyone, I
think, to have self-reflection.
You know what am I doing here,and so for me, I could say that,
like, for the first time in mylife, you know, I wasn't a slave
to my phone.
You know, at one point in timeI had three phones, you know,
(05:30):
and it's one of those thingswhere, like, I would wake up and
I wasn't the first thing, Iwasn't checking with social
media or my emails or textmessages.
It was like I was free and eventhough financially I got crushed
, I wouldn't, I wouldn't changethat time because I tap back
into nature.
I had all this alone time todeal with, you know, traumas and
things that I had in my my life, and it was like a period of
time that I wouldn't give away.
But I also lost so much money,um, but you know, you, you, you
(05:51):
realize that there's moreimportant things than money,
right, and and and your time,you know.
So I feel like thatself-reflection, maybe, you know
, um, for you, as you're saying,like it was a great moment.
Did you get inspired to createnew music during that time?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I think the thing that inspired me was the live
stream and the connection withthe people through the internet.
I think if that wasn't there, Iprobably would have gone a bit
crazy.
So, yeah, I'm grateful toeveryone who, everyone who came
and watched me dj on theinternet, because that's, that's
, the source of the inspirationbeing a musician in general.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I mean, you guys do change the, the rhythm of
people's life.
You know, uh, whenever I'm in abad mood or a good mood, I'm
putting on music, right, likethat's what, that's what moves
me and it moves people intoemotion, right?
So do you feel that when you'reputting out your songs, are you
, are you tapping into emotion?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
it's almost.
I don't really think about howsomeone else is going to feel
when they hear my song untilit's out.
It's almost like it's my songuntil it's not and then, it's
everyone else's song, but it'shard to see it as everyone
else's song while it's still mysong, right?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You're speaking to yourself and if they feel it
some people really feel it yeah,yeah, and and obviously I
really want them to.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
It's kind of like a child or something.
You know I don't have children,but it's how I imagined it
having a child to be.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
but it must be wild to see, you know, like I know,
you play a lot of festivals likeEDC and you're seeing, you know
, 200,000 people just you knowjumping up and down to one of
your songs.
I'm getting goosebumps justtalking about it because it's
just a crazy thing.
It's crazy, it's awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Where do you get that sort of creative thinking to
put songs out there?
Is it inspiration thrownyourself from other people, or
does this just come naturallyfrom some source?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
I think I have music and ideas in my head that I have
to create and over the past 10years I've learned the skills
necessary to create what I hearin my head.
And before I could do that itwas almost frustrating.
It was like I really want tomake this but I can't get it
quite right.
So I just think I mean,everyone creates and everyone
(08:05):
gives to the world in differentways, and the way that I was
designed to give to the worldwas like kind of musical
creation.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Do you hear it in your head first, because I got a
fucking monkey with atambourine in my head.
I don't know how thattransition into me making or
producing music, but I'm surethat monkey's not in your head.
Hopefully not.
Anyway, different monkey, yeahyeah, that's what I get as I put
my fucking head down at nightuh, but no, listen, let's take
(08:32):
it back down to the, to thejames hype that young, 17, 18
year old stepping into a bar um,for the very first time, your
first gig you want to call itthat at that age to then
transition into your sets thatyou were playing in Liverpool
From the Liverpool era how muchdid that mould you Because I
(08:57):
know you talk about that eraquite a lot and is that
something again that you've beenable to transition now in all
these places around the world?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, I feel like that era was my 10,000 hours.
I used to DJ six nights a week,sometimes seven in the busy
times of year, and I'm talkingfive-hour DJ sets, you know,
like proper shifts, andsometimes it's terrible.
(09:26):
Sometimes there's no one thereand sometimes you have a great
night and it's just you learnhow people respond to music and
that's like that's a skill thatI have from those hours that I
think a lot of people don't have, um, and that's that's sort of
like the magic that comes frommy time in Liverpool and, yeah,
(09:50):
that goes with me everywhere.
That goes with me to the studio, that goes with me to South
America, to a country I've neverbeen to before.
That absolutely goes with me toVegas, you know.
So it's those little things thatmay not have seemed important
at the time, when it's a sundaynight and there's five people on
the dance floor, but it's that,it's that repetition, it's like
(10:14):
.
It's like bodybuilding, it'snot.
It's not um, it's not about the, the one moment of victory.
It's about all the days thatyou turned up to the gym when no
one else did you know, and allthe, all the nights when you
were DJ into five people, allthe unseen.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, exactly how do you stay motivated during that
time?
You know, obviously you hadself-belief, right, you're,
you're turning up, you know,every, every day or every
weekend, whatever it was, I know, at one point in time, I think
you started off on a tuesdaynight right, so yeah, and it was
not many people there, but youstill had that self-belief to to
make well, just to turn upright and put that work in.
(10:55):
Did you see that as like thelearning curve just djing to
them five people, or you didn'tcare how many people were there?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
I think I was always aware that if I performed well,
I wouldn't be doing the Tuesdaynight anymore.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
How long did that?
Speaker 3 (11:11):
take.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I mean, yeah, I was really bad when I started.
I was really bad Like the firstnight I ever played in a real
club in Liverpool.
I actually ran out of music andI was like repeating songs at
the end of the night like justhoping no one was going to
notice, because that's like when, when you first learn about
DJing, that's the worst thingyou could ever do is like repeat
the song.
So, yeah, I just, I just didn'twant anyone to notice and
(11:36):
luckily I got a second chanceand came back the next week with
like way more music.
But it took me a while toactually get good.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
So then break happened during the Liverpool
era.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I'm guessing people seeing you, you know, and I mean
, there's all these differentlevels to a break, but I think
really the break as a DJ has tohappen when you actually make
music, because there's a lot ofgreat DJs out there in the world
who no one's heard of, you knowum, yeah, musically, like I was
(12:09):
gonna ask who were, who did youlook up to like who?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
who was it that inspired you in the dj world?
You know, like man, like I wantto do this there's a.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
There's a dj from the uk called kizzy sell and he was
always someone that I reallylooked up to.
He used to mix different genrestogether and sort of make them
somehow come together.
And then even just in Liverpoolthere were just DJs.
Like, like I say, I started onthe Tuesday night.
There was the guy who did theSaturday night and I was like,
yeah, I want to be there.
(12:41):
It's almost.
People sometimes getdisappointed when I give these
answers because they want me tosay someone that is really well
documented online, but they'rereally not.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
It's just like the local guy yeah, but you probably
learned from that guy and he,you know, learned how to control
the crowd exactly like thatthing.
Right, it's like there's somuch that goes into it, because
I feel like people see you onstage rocking and they don't
realize those years, thosehardships, trying to set
yourself different, apart fromeveryone else.
And even now it's like socialmedia.
(13:11):
I see you're very active there.
It's like we all have topromote ourselves, we all have
to do the social media thing,and I see you do that a lot.
Do you like doing the social?
Speaker 1 (13:21):
He laughs.
Yeah, that usually means no.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Does anyone like social media?
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Oh, there's a lot of influencers here that love
looking at themselves in thefucking reflection.
Trust me.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean, it could just be a means to an end.
You know, like I think I'mquite good at social media, but
it's not.
If I didn't have to do it, itwould be pretty cool, you know,
if I could just make music andnot think about that, and play
music and not think about makingit look good for social media.
But that's the world we live innow.
It is a mixed reality.
It's the same for everybody.
(13:54):
It doesn't matter if you sellhouses or what.
You have to think about thatall the time.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, because I came from the era of print when I got
into bodybuilding.
You made it when you got signedby Joe Eder.
Their own flex magazine put onthe Mr Olympia and I was one of
the athletes that got signed asan amateur, so I was under a
print contract.
There was no social media atthat point in time.
So then social media started,you know, blowing up.
(14:20):
I jumped on it, of course,didn't know what the hell I was
doing.
I know if you're not on socialmedia you're not available for
anything.
Sponsors everybody needs toutilize that social media to
push, promote not only theirbrand but their sponsors, et
cetera.
But you've done one hell of ajob for being that DJ that
(14:42):
really pours into his fansBecause, again, that is now
something so tangible.
You create some content and, inyour regard, you're playing a
set.
You chop it up, you put it onsocial media.
Everybody gets to see youplaying overseas.
But yet they're coming intotheir living room, into their
phone.
That sounds actually a badfucking sentence.
(15:04):
They're playing off the phone,into your living room, into
their phone.
That sounds actually a badfucking sentence.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They're playing off the phone into your living room
off the TV.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
But again, that just goes to show the evolution of
every aspect my world, yourworld, his world.
You just have to be on that.
But that's really being able toblow you up, oh for sure.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
It's a love-hate thing, right, because there's
there's part of it where it'sgreat that you can like really
connect with your fans, you know, like one-on-one even, right,
that wasn't available to otherartists before, and then it's
also having to do all that workand content and all the other
stuff that goes with all that,and then people knowing
everything about it's going onin your life, right, right.
So there's like these goodthings and these bad things, but
(15:46):
as we're evolving, it's like weall got to do it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
You know you mentioned earlier about making
music and you know you've workedwith some massive DJs obviously
come from the UK.
Craig David I'm going to sayCraig David.
Bloody Americans got me sayingCraig now.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Craig David.
I have always called him Craigfor the record.
Good good, my brother's name isCraig not Craig.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Craig David is one of them guys that you worked with
and blew you up into a differentgenre.
How did that come about?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
I'm actually trying to remember.
It was so long ago.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Sorry Mo.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
I think someone at a record label put us in touch.
No, no, no, no, I'm lying, I'mlying.
It's a way cooler story thanthat.
I actually just dm'd him oninstagram and we'd never even
met but, um, somehow he saw mydm and I had this.
I had this song, the no dramasong that you're talking about,
and it was.
It was like we'd written itwith one of the most like
successful songwriters from theUK at the time, so we were
leading with that.
It was like, oh, we've got thisamazing song and it was written
(16:52):
by this guy.
Um, and yeah, he was, he was upfor it and we, we met up in, we
went to his studio in Londonand then we did like some shows
together and Ibiza and stuff,and he's so, he's so nice, like,
yeah, just such a positiveinfluence, you know yeah, and
that was for me, you know, bro,when we were putting the show
(17:14):
together and of course, Ifollowed you for years.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
It just amazes me just how many fucking bangers
that I've forgotten about that.
You've made me.
Yeah, just that.
I've forgotten about that.
You've made Me.
Yeah, just done and producedand worked on.
It's funny, I don't even feellike I have.
Well, I do.
I mean, this is my world.
Coming from the UK, this is allI listen to, and I've converted
so many people in the US intodance music.
(17:38):
I mean, when I had my privategym in Florida, that's all I
would play dance music.
And a lot of the guys there,whether American or coming from
overseas, that's the first entrypoint they've ever had to dance
music.
And when they heard it first ofall, you know, they were like
oh, we're not playing hip-hop oranything like that.
It's like, no, this is what wetrain to, because it's so
(18:02):
rhythmic.
You can fall into that trancewhen you're training with that
dance, repetitive beat and stuff.
And then so many people youknow have been introduced to
dance music through music thatyou've produced, which I can
personally say because I've beenthere Again, not that I've said
you've got to listen to JamesHype, but I'm going to go back
and fucking tell these people Iintroduced them to James Hype,
(18:23):
since I brought you on the show.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
You're claiming me now.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
yeah, yeah, yeah yeah , but we were mentioning,
obviously, craig Davin andproducing and stuff like that
and you slighting his DMs,obviously outside of Flax Lewis
slighting the DMs, or did youmessage me?
I can't remember.
Either way, who have you beenshocked to wake up to and see a
DM from?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
F1 driver.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
OF model.
I said OF model.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
A bunch of those, a bunch of those.
There's a few OF models inthere.
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
Nico Hulkenberg yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I need to try and link upwith him.
But he sent me a message andhe's like hey, he's a big fan.
It's crazy.
I told my dad and my dad waslike what?
Because my dad couldn't believeit.
Because he's like a superstarto my dad.
Yeah, anybody else there's?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
probably so many.
Yeah, I mean, is there anybodythat you really want to work
with?
Right Like, you do a lot ofcollabs, you know.
So, as you continue forward,who is like the like, I want to
do a track with that guy girl,whatever, right.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
For vocals it's got to be the Weeknd.
That'd be crazy, Huge.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah, got to make that happen.
Has anything happened yet?
Is the conversation started?
Okay, there's no conversation.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We are going to tag the shit day.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
All the fans now watching this.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Make sure you tag the crap of the weekend yeah, able,
come on, let's get them on,yeah, yeah I want some skin
there's something here?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
yes, most definitely anybody else um off the top of
my head white clef john ah I sawhim perform the other day so
he's fresh in my mind.
But he's insane man, Amazingperformer.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
But that makes you so unique?
Because, for anybody who'swatched you for quite some time,
you have such a unique style ofplaying where you will take
people on a journey and in themiddle of the set you'll drop in
something old school, whichdoesn't even match the beats,
(20:36):
but yet it matches the beats.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
You fucking put it in .
How did you come up with thatstyle?
I think it's my, my own sort ofmusical palette because, like
we were talking about, when Iused to dj every night of the
week, I wasn't just playinghouse music, I was playing all
genres of music.
So I have an understanding ofall these different genres.
And then, just even when I'm athome, I don't really listen to
house music.
I mean, I do if I'm in the gym,yeah.
(20:58):
If I'm chilling at home, I'mlistening to, like, classic
music from the 80s and stuff.
So I think I know quite a lotabout music.
Um, and even, like you weresaying as well, you're
introducing people to housemusic through my sets.
I feel like I am quiteentry-level in that way, in that
(21:18):
I take elements from all aroundthe world musically.
So you might not even likedance music, but there's
probably something for you inone of my sets.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Yeah, it's like it makes it easy for people to
cross over into it, right?
And something you said you know.
It's like I've been in Vegas along time and I've seen the
dance music explosion in theUnited States and obviously you
know a lot of guys coming fromoverseas and that sort of thing,
but we've just seen it growhere in such a way over over the
(21:56):
years and you know, in vegas itwas one of the first like
really big booms in the unitedstates for dance music.
Well, you had that part.
Well did.
The first dance music partyever here, residency with paul
oakenfold, perfecto, wow, thevery first dance music.
And jason will strauss will tryto argue with me and say that
marillo was the first one, butjay Murillo was an after-hours
party.
It only happened four times ayear.
We did it every Saturday.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
I don't need no beef on this.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
He's going to see it, he's going to punk me.
Yeah, man, at that time it wascrazy.
We had Calvin Harris for $7,000.
We were booking these guysbefore it really hit here,
because Vegas was vegas was veryhip-hop and it was really a
celebrity too.
It was like let's book kimkardashian, just hang out, or
this person or that person, youknow.
So it took a while for dancemusic to to hit here.
(22:38):
It was all hip-hop.
Now it's all dance music andhip-hop is like, you know, maybe
one venue, two venues, right,um, so it's just exploded here.
So to see that whole explosionhas been amazing and as you were
coming up seeing it blow uphere, you know, and the
residency's happening here,right, like I know now, like
vegas is like I've made it, I'min vegas on the fucking strip,
(22:59):
you know, like that's kind of isthat?
Is it like that?
You know, guys from I'm, youknow I'm on that inside, but I'm
not from a dj, you know.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
So, yeah, I think from my perspective it is.
I think I'm being totallyhonest.
I think there's djs out therewho would probably think they
were like too underground toplay vegas, you know, because it
is um, it's hard yeah it is, itis uh yeah, exactly, it is a
tourist market.
So for for someone like me whois experienced in all these
(23:27):
different club settings, I feelquite at home here.
But for someone who was to playReally on the ground music then
they might actually struggle to, yeah, get a crowd going here.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So it kind of depends on your perspective whether you
see that as the, as thepinnacle, or not right, you're a
hundred percent right, though,because when you're first here
and you do something that'smaybe too cool, right that that
to a new Well like Vegas is avery touristy market.
When you get into New York andLA in different pockets, you get
this really cool undergroundscene.
We are a very tourist drivenmarket.
(23:57):
You know, everybody coming herewants, you know like they want,
those tracks they hear on theradio and certain things like
that.
You know, but you know, to yourto, to to your point right,
like I guess it's what you'relooking for, to to to your point
right like, um, I guess it'swhat you're looking for.
I mean, we've tried doing, youknow, underground, we've tried
doing it on the strip, and itjust it takes time for that to
(24:17):
develop, you know, I mean we had, we had diplo for three, three
thousand dollars and nobodyliked that hard stuff when he
first came out and then all of asudden he evolved and boom,
right, um, when you look at theevolution of where you're going,
obviously you have this musicalpalette that just evolves with
your growth.
Are you finding music every day?
(24:38):
Are you looking for it?
Speaker 2 (24:44):
I'm always trying to push the sound that I play
because I never want to get to apoint where I'm bored of it.
And also, I never want to getto a point where I'm bored of it
.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
And also, I never want to get to a point where I'm
predictable as well, you know.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So it's sort of a.
It's sort of a constant balance, trying to find what the people
who come to see me willappreciate.
But also, where can I push itwithout it being sort of two
foot off of those people?
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Right.
How has life changed for you,bro?
How has life changed for you,bro?
How has life changed?
How has life changed?
Speaker 2 (25:12):
for you.
I mean, yeah, life's prettywild.
I spend a lot of time traveling.
I mean, when we're recordingthis, we just finished summer.
So summer for me is four orfive shows a week, and that's
not four or five shows in week,and that's not four or five
shows in one country, that'sfour or five countries.
Um, sometimes doing two flightsto get to the next place, and
(25:38):
so there's a lot of a lot oftravel.
Um, if, if we were to rewindthree years ago, it was actually
a lot harder because I wasdoing the same amount of travel
but with way less money well,that's improved, so when you,
when you get paid more money,then you can afford the private
(26:00):
jets and stuff like that, andpeople on the outside may see
that and think, oh, it'sexcessive, and whatever, but
that's actually what allows alot of the top djs to actually
do the shows that they do,because there is no way that you
can get from croatia to ibizafor in waiting and waiting on
lines in the airport.
Yeah, yeah, or even then, likesometimes there are routes that
(26:22):
you actually just can't fly.
So, yeah, life is life ishectic a lot of the time, and
then very fortunate as well,like in the time that I do have
off, like I was able to take mywhole family on an amazing
vacation, and yeah it's.
It's uh trying to find thatbalance because it's easy to
(26:43):
just work, work, work, you know,um, and just trying to make it,
make it special and make thingshappen.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
That we'll all remember.
Yeah, and during that time too,you still have to have that
creative mindset.
You know you have to.
You're always consciously aware.
You know I've got a lot offriends in different genres.
Right, and excuse the crazinessoutside the door.
We have a zoo here at the gymright now, as you can hear.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
And we don't have headphones on today.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
There's a line out there waiting for Flex.
We don't have headphones ontoday because James Hype said no
headphones.
I am done with the headphones.
He said.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
I just hope you've learned he wears headphones all
the time.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
He needs a day off, that is true, that is true, I
just got to bust his balls.
But even when you're on theroad, a lot of and again
personal friends no names thathave produced music, they then
live off that track for as longas they can.
But the guys who are reallyahead of the game, they're
already working on the next, orthey've got a couple of ones in
(27:44):
the back pocket.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So when you're taking that timeoff, are you still conscious
about making sure that we havealready got something that's
going to be coming out soon tofollow the last banger?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
yeah, I'm, uh, I'm, I'm never satisfied, you know
never I'm like obviously that's.
That's a bad thing, isn't it?
But?
Speaker 1 (28:02):
like yeah, I get it, trust me.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
Oh, we have fucking trophies in the wall, yeah of
course, yeah, yeah so, yeah, I'mnever satisfied, so I'm always
looking for the next thing, andyou get that one tiny win and
then maybe it just settles theanxiety down for a little bit
and then you're all right, what?
What is next?
We have to do this today.
So, yeah, the, the ideas andthe search for the gold.
(28:28):
That never stops, um, and I'mactually really good at sort of
doing that wherever I am as well, like I make some of my best
music on a flight to vegas orwhatever.
Yeah, just no one's on thephone, no one's, yeah, so, yeah,
put the headphones on and I can.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
The life on the road, though, you know, is also can
be tough right, like, and Idon't know how much you party or
drink or whatnot, but I've beenon the road with a lot of DJs
and it's like being extremelyhungover, waking up at 6 am to
get on a flight at seven, thengetting on another flight the
next day hungover, then gettingon another flight the next day
hungover, like, and you talkabout balance, like how do you
(29:04):
balance that with you know,fitness, your just your mental
health, and then, like I said, Idon't know how much you party,
but I've been around guys andI'm like how do you do this?
How do you live this life?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So I don't party when I work, and if I did, I
wouldn't be able to.
I wouldn't be sat here feelingas good as I do.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Yeah he was texting me at 2 o'clock this morning.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Saw this guy as fresh as the daisy right now.
No it I.
I think if I'd have beensuccessful when I was a bit
younger, I probably would havepartied more.
But I'm um, how old am I?
34 years old, and I probablysaw majority of my real success
after the age of 30.
I mean, when I was in my early20s I was going to ibiza and
(29:48):
having some crazy nights, like alot of people do, and I still
have that in me which can bepulled out occasionally.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
But we all do, we all do, yes, yeah, we all got a
devil in there somewhere.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
But yeah, for me that's separate to the work.
I think that is reallyimportant because I don't
understand how anyone ismaintaining a healthy mind and a
healthy body.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
You've seen it, though You've definitely seen it
with other DJs.
Oh yeah, it's wild right.
And just thinking about gettingon a plane every day hungover.
Also, the private jet probablyhelps that for those guys who
are, you know.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
But if those who don't have the private jet
unfortunately hung over at theairport?
Yeah, you know, it's on.
Spirit Airlines.
Yeah, but with something youmentioned, you now are on your
own fitness journey.
Yeah, I've seen you.
I think it was COVID times,maybe a little bit post-COVID
times.
You started really getting inshape and I see a physique
(30:49):
changing, really getting inshape and I see a physique
changing.
Has that fitness journeysynergistically helped you with
your career and yourperformances?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
I would say mentally, yes.
I mean physically it doesn'treally matter.
I'm jumping around a bit onstage, you jump a lot, bro.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
This guy is an energy bunny.
I don't know where the hell hegets that energy.
Yeah, he's burning all thecalories there.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Yeah, yeah that's my cardio.
You should put a whoop on himand just track that once.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I don't know, I think he'd burn the whoop out bro,
yeah, but yeah, I think you know.
Just um, yeah, about two, threeyears ago, I just I got like a
sort of moment where I was like,oh, I just want to.
I actually really want to startlike properly going for this
fitness thing, because I used towhen I was younger, I used to.
(31:41):
I used to go to the gym sevendays a week when I was younger,
and then I just I think I gotreally busy with work and it
just started getting less andless.
And then, a few years ago infact, you had wes watson on your
podcast.
Yeah, yeah, so I was.
I came across a load of weswatson videos and I was like
fuck yeah I was like I fuckinglove him like he's, so he's so
(32:03):
love hate, isn't he?
yeah, that's the correct termyeah, but yeah, I saw a few of
his videos, started deep divinginto where's watson.
Next thing, you know, I'm inthe gym every day and I'm
talking like got back from theshow at 3 am, got a flight at9
am, I'm getting up at 6 to go tothe gym and like to the point
(32:24):
where it was like it's probablyactually not good for me to do
that, because the sleep reallykind of has to come first.
But I got, I got a bit obsessedwith the gym after watching
where's watson anyway, and thenfrom there I started taking it
seriously and like figuring outwhat I was doing, got a trainer
and just actually learned how todo all the kind of the correct
motions and stuff, because Ithink, well, a lot of people, as
(32:46):
men as well, we all believethat we just sort of know
everything.
Yeah, that's my wife.
Yeah, I was going to say andyeah, we actually don't know
everything.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
So sometimes you can ask for help with things, so you
will have a trainer thatfollows you.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
No, I don't have that much money.
I have a trainer in london and,um yeah, when it's not the
summer, I can spend three, fourdays a week in london.
So, yeah, training with atrainer most of the week and
then a bit of stuff on my own aswell, do you want on the road
you?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
do you make sure you have that time for the gym?
Speaker 2 (33:28):
no, it's not a priority, it's the sleep is the
priority, and sometimes that isactually just hard to hard to
get.
So if I can, if I can trainfour days in london, smash it
out.
I'm happy to do the three-dayweekend without hitting the gym
and I'll just come back onmonday and smash, yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
So it's just finding that that balance for I, fully
for me.
You know, be in the thebodybuilder for so many years
and then retiring, every time Istepped in in the gym, the only
way I knew how to train was justas I did for the Mr Olympia.
You know it'd be like probablytelling you okay, james, you
only can play pop music in thisgenre and that's it.
(34:07):
You know, you can't, you can'tgo as crazy as you do and you
can't jump around.
So you're controlling thatnarrative.
But then I had to learn, youknow, that that gym for me, is a
big part of my, my mentalhealth.
Yeah, you know, that's what.
I would just get everything outand it's pretty much like you,
four days, four days a week, ifthat you know.
I'm coming back off this tricepinjury and it truly taught me
(34:28):
how much I missed the gym byhaving it taken away before.
It was by design, this was notyeah so now I I know the
importance of the gym, so you'rejust finding that balance for
that physical um, whether it'sphysically or mentally, it still
plays a part when you can fitit in on the road, right it's
nice to look good as well, it'snice to look good it is nice to
(34:52):
have big guns flex it is, it is,it is
Speaker 3 (34:55):
but also like same.
Same for me it's like it'sgreat for just stress, right, we
got a crazy world right now.
We all have our own personalproblems.
Right, for me, it's always beenthe stress reliever that I
needed.
You know, maybe I didn't knowit was always that, but it was
always that for me, um, um, youknow, even if it's just a
routine, right, like I found alot of, you know, successful
(35:15):
people, like they have thismorning routine and I try to
keep it.
You know, sometimes I fall offof it.
But do you have any like habitslike that, or rituals, uh,
morning routines type thing thatyou know?
You kind of every day, like forme it's no phone for the first
30 minutes, then I go into aworkout, then I have my coffee,
then I go into all my other crap, right, but I have to do that
and if I don't, um, I feel likemy day starts not the way I
(35:37):
would like it.
You know, do you have anythinglike?
Speaker 2 (35:40):
yeah, I, I have a tendency to be really uptight
about things like this, so I'mI'm like all or nothing.
So if I'm, if I'm on tour, thenI'm like, oh, it's whatever,
like it's almost like I don'tkeep my own schedule you know,
yeah, I have an app on my phonethat tells me what time we're
going to the airport you'rewaking up to room service and
then you're flying out.
Yeah, yeah, but but when I'm athome, I, yeah, I, when I'm at
(36:01):
home, I'll see my trainer at aspecific time to make sure my
day starts at specific time.
And so I'll actually havearguments with my, with myée,
about it, because she'll be likecan we have a lie-in?
And I'm like no no.
I'm not going to have the day Iwant.
I'm not going to be happy allday if we do that.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
Please just let me do that.
She's a DJ as well.
Right, yeah, she is.
Yeah, she's fucking good too.
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Do you guys ever playback-to-back this year?
We?
Speaker 2 (36:24):
have a few times in Ibiza and yeah, it's not
something we do all the time.
So when we do it it's extraspecial because a lot of people
will follow both of us andthey're like no, no way.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah, well, I know we mentioned this and this is an
interest for the fans who'veasked this question.
What is a typical day in thelife of James Hype?
At home or on tour.
Let's do this when you're homeand you're consistent in London,
yeah, and then when you're onthe road.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Okay, the London one's easy, because that's very.
As I say, I'm all or nothing,so that's very rigid.
So a day at home in London, setmy alarm for eight o'clock,
wake up, have some electrolytes,have a coffee, go to the gym,
work out for about an hour likesort of strength training, don't
(37:21):
do any cardio, you don't eatthem, no, and then eat healthy
food, hang out with my missusfor an hour, go to the studio,
which is 10 minutes from where Ilive.
I walk to the studio and I'llspend five or six hours in the
(37:41):
studio, try to ignore my phone,but probably end up doing a few
calls and stuff as well.
And then go back home in theevening, hang out with my missus
, eat some food I mean,sometimes she comes to the
studio with me as well so goback home in the evening, hang
out with my missus, eat somefood I mean, sometimes she comes
to the studio with me as well,so it's not uh and then probably
end up making music in myapartment as well in the evening
, because you have a studiothere as well, I'm sure?
(38:01):
No, I actually don't know.
I used to in an old apartment,but I've just I'm.
So I travel so much that mystudio is just my laptop.
That's all it needs to be.
Wow, anything else is a bonus,but it's really not even
necessary.
I've got like apple headphones,apple laptop and, yeah, you can
actually make hits like that.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
It's crazy well, you can me and him and then, yeah,
go to bed around midnight 12, 30yeah when you're, you know,
obviously, you know you have agirlfriend, fiance, yeah, um,
you know outside, you know beingon your couch eating snacks
when you, when you have time offright, because I'm sure, like
(38:40):
that's probably your favorite,time is nothing right nothing is
the best thing, but outsidenothing, you know, is there any?
is there anything you you reallyenjoy that you like to do
outside work, outside the wholeparty life?
You know like, is theresomething there?
You know, like, flex grew upyou know training birds and he
is these things that he's done.
Bro, why are you the bird manin this?
(39:02):
On the fuck.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
You're the bird man.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
I'm just saying, does he have?
You know like, like I like toride motorcycles, you know like
it's a big difference betweenfucking birds and more.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
You're gonna be a lot fucking cooler than that, okay.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
Well, you have a lot of other cool things, but you
know stuff like that.
What do you enjoy doing outsidethis world, man?
I mean, I know you have to getout of it sometimes, don't?
Speaker 2 (39:23):
say birds bro, I've never trained a bird.
Speaker 3 (39:27):
That's cool.
Different kind of birds.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
I've worn a lot of feathers in my hat.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
No pun intended uh, what do I do um?
I mean, for me, working outit's a hobby, that's, that's my,
that's one of my side things.
You know um, I like?
I was gonna say I like travel,but that's work.
So I honestly, I really like I Ilive my dream life.
(39:51):
It's, I don't need anythingelse.
It's crazy, yeah, and I'mfucking grateful for that.
But yeah, that's, that'sliterally it.
Like if you left me on my ownand told me if, if you took
money out of the equation orwhatever, I'd still just be sat
there making music and hopefullydjing to some people.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
That's awesome I mean , you're doing what you truly
love.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
I'm living it every day as was I man.
We're truly two guys from theUK that are living their dreams.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Did you just say you're from the UK?
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yes From Wales UK.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
Part of the United Kingdom.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
Obviously, we've had some questions from fans and I'm
kind of dripping them in, butwhat is the, I would say the
most weird and random thingthat's ever happened to you
during a set?
Speaker 2 (40:43):
During a set.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
You guys in the back are laughing, so obviously they
remember something straight away.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
I don't know what that is they got all the good
stories back there.
Can we get these guys on have?
Speaker 2 (40:56):
we got, give me a hand, all right.
So we're at this club inmallorca and if you're, if
you're from europe, you probablyknow magaluf is like the place
where, when you're when yearsold, you go on like a holiday
there with your mates 16.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Cheap drinks, it's loose and yeah, we're on the
stage in this club and I'm DJingin the middle of the set, all
of a sudden all these girlsstart running up onto the stage
and I don't really know what'sgoing on.
But it's all happening so fast.
I look up and my tour managerhas one girl under each arm,
(41:39):
like like proper, like rugby.
And he's not even a big guy.
I don't even know where hefound the strength of this, but,
yeah, we even have it on videoand it's just him with a girl
under each arm, like sprintingacross the stage with his head
down's it.
Yeah, I don't know if that'slike the most weird, because
that's like that's not that outof the ordinary.
(41:59):
I've got another one, okay.
So if anyone who follows meknow that, knows that I have a
catchphrase.
Who does this?
Right?
So I'm at, I'm at a show in theuk and it's in like a theater
type venue.
So the stage is quite adistance from the crowd and, um,
the only people on the stageare the people who work there,
(42:20):
the crew.
And all of a sudden, this guywalks up onto the stage like he
totally belongs there and, um,but he's not wearing the right
clothes.
He's wearing like just nightout kind of clothes and he walks
all the way up to the front ofthe dj booth but nobody stops
him because he looks like he's,he's, he's walking like he's
meant to be there and, um, allof a sudden he's right in front
(42:43):
of me and I'm like, what's goingon?
Who's this guy?
Um, and in that moment Irealized he had a glow stick in
his hand and I was like, oh, no,no he doesn't work here so one
of the security guys runs overand he's like pushing him out
the way and he goes.
Oh no, I just need to.
I need to get to james.
I need to ask him a question.
His question was who does this?
Who does that?
Yeah, so he's, he's run, he'srun all the way up to the stage
(43:06):
and found his way on there.
It's just a yeah wild likepeople.
People, when they've had a bitto drink, are just like they're
man.
They lose all inhibitions.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
For me, when I was going outback in the day, somehow people
would find themselves in the DJbooth and try to take over the
DJ.
They'd try to jostle you outthe way or grab the mic or
anything like that.
Have you had anything like that?
That's ever happened.
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Oh, mics yeah, when I used to DJ in the north of the
UK, there's always some guycoming in and he's like oh, you
got a mic.
You got a mic there, mate, ohfuck.
And he starts rapping in yourear.
You know, like spitting in yourear.
Oh, mate, I don't care how bador good you are, you are not
rapping in this club, right?
Speaker 1 (43:49):
Mike, come on.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Honestly mate.
When people have had a fewdrinks they're like, yeah, this
is my moment.
Speaker 1 (43:54):
Was it any good?
Speaker 3 (43:56):
No, no, no.
They come up and they requestBritney Spears.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
I'm sure you get that a lot yeah the request as if,
like you know, but well,obviously we're, you know, here
at the Olympia weekend, just tokind of say that and you're
going to be DJing at IU and theDragon's Lair are doing a
Dragon's Lair takeover.
So we're doing a collaborationwith Resorts World and you are
(44:22):
going to be spinning.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I'm not going to jostle you out the way, oh, got
the mic, just to let you know.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Nobody can fucking understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
He can flex.
I'll tell you that we're goingto bring some baby oil.
You'll be all right.
Oh, jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (44:36):
No fucking Diddy jokes.
Okay, there's baby oil waybefore Diddy, bro.
Yeah, okay, okay.
Well, I'm very excited for that.
This is going to be your firstMr Olympia weekend.
Oh yeah, are you excited to seethis craziness?
This is another world to me.
It is, it is.
I'm waiting until I take youaround the gym.
You're going to see a lot ofbig guys and girls.
(44:59):
Yeah, you know arms that you'veprobably never seen before.
On the girls Better on the guys.
Speaker 3 (45:04):
There's cuts everywhere out there right now.
Yeah, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I have a question.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
Go on.
Is there a favorite show right?
Like there's one show that,like every you know, like that's
what you really look forward to, it's your favorite place to
play, like what's that for youthere's probably two.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
So have you ever been to Space in Miami?
Yes, so that place is magic.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
It's nowhere like it.
Speaker 2 (45:28):
You just feel like you're.
I feel like I'm on a night outwith all those people.
That's how it feels to playthere, and the sun comes up and
it's awesome.
You've been part, you've beendancing with the same people for
seven hours and you're like.
I feel like I'm like your matenow and we're just listening to
my tunes together.
It's mad.
And then I have a similarfeeling when I play in Ibiza as
well.
(45:48):
I don't play for as long inIbiza, so it's not quite the
same, but it's just that perfectenvironment for music and the
people are all on the samewavelength, right.
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Is it Pasha, though, or is it like a?
Speaker 2 (46:00):
specific place in Ibiza, in Ibiza.
So I've been playing at high.
That's where I've been for thepast two years.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
What about festivals?
I know you played earlier on inthe year, if I believe, Drum
Sheds.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yeah, you played earlier on in the year, if I
believe, drum Sheds.
Yeah, that was fucking bang.
Tomorrowland 15,000.
What was that like?
That was mad bank.
Because I've been I feel likeI've never really had the
acceptance from the UK.
I sort of blew up, as I said,through the pandemic and ended
(46:35):
up traveling all around theworld, coming to the usa, edc
tomorrowland, all of thesethings, and then didn't really
do anything in the uk because,no, it's like the people who
book the artists, just didn'tlike me I don't know um.
So when my manager was like, oh,let's do this, we'll do the
show in the uk for 15 000 people, I was like, yep sure okay,
(46:59):
yeah and um and yeah.
Then it actually sold out and Iwas just standing there in on
that stage with 15 000 people infront of me and that was a real
, like a real moment for me,like I actually, I actually
cried like real tears when I wasstanding on that stage because,
it was just, it just didn'tfeel real.
and it's so much more specialwhen it's when it's the people
(47:23):
that you, you know the best,like the, the actual, the
british people in front of youand right into, like I've lived
in london now for don't evenknow like 10 years, so like
right in my home as well.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
That's incredible, you know.
Talk about living that boyhooddream, starting off playing in
front of five people to 50,000people yeah.
It must have been just a smashof emotions.
Speaker 2 (47:50):
It literally is because a show like that can be
so stressful as well, becausethere's so many things that can
go wrong, and I'm standing onthe stage thinking like, oh, the
lighting's not very good rightnow, you know I'm not actually
focused on the enormous, theenormousness of the, of the
thing in front of me half thetime.
But yeah, when it all comestogether, it's, it's unreal and
(48:12):
it came together.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
What a fucking set too.
You know, I've seen a lot ofdifferent sets of Jaws life, in
fact my daughter because what wewould do is this is kind of our
thing, not to sound fuckingbougie we got the outdoor pool.
I never had that in fuckingWales, trust me you wouldn't
want that in Wales.
Speaker 2 (48:32):
No, you wouldn't want that in Wales it was like an
outdoor pond, yeah and we have a, an outdoor tv and we put you
on life.
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Yeah, so my daughter now understands.
You know what a dj is.
That's great.
So she she's saying, daddy, canI do this, can I do this?
And I says very hard, you know,and I I tell her it's like
daddy used to do this, but dadused to have techno direct
drives a little new Mac mixer inhis bedroom.
So this now evolution again,with my daughter looking at you
(49:03):
playing and being so charismaticand the fans just looking at
you like, let's be honest,they're looking at you like God.
Right, they're in yourfingertips.
You can take them on a journey.
You can change the mood in thewhole room or at the festival.
That does come withresponsibility and, as you
mentioned, pressure.
(49:23):
Do you feel that sometimes whenyou're going into some big sets
like this, and what do you doif you do to calm yourself down?
Speaker 2 (49:33):
I think the pressure is always internal Because
really, like, the only thingthat you can really do to mess
it up is stop the music.
Like it's not.
This is going to sound kind ofstupid, but it's not hard to DJ.
All you got to do is play music.
Just press play.
Don't let the song stop.
If it doesn't stop, you're good.
(49:53):
You got to do is play me.
You just press play it's don't.
Don't let the song stop.
If it doesn't stop, you're good.
But then you build it all up inyour head and I have such a
high expectation of myself.
I'm like, oh, I need to deliverthis.
It needs to be technicallyincredible, it needs to be
something they've never seenbefore, so I can build it up to
something huge in my head.
That then puts me on on edgeand but but I kind of need that
(50:15):
pressure.
Without that pressure I don'tthink I would be James Hype.
But yeah, I often find myselfremembering all you've got to do
is not stop the music.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
That's a great line.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
I've seen this many times with yourself too.
You have put sets of yours onyour Instagram and you'll say I
messed this up.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
And I'm like where, yeah, when.
And I watched it again.
Speaker 3 (50:44):
I was like man, that was flawless, but really when
you think about it, it's likethe pot calling the kettle black
over here, because you'reexactly the same way, wow.
Exactly the same way.
But that's why I think you know, you guys have risen to the top
right.
It's that you're not willing toaccept average mediocrity.
It has to be perfect, you know,and sometimes I get to them,
I'm like dude, perfection is theenemy of done.
(51:05):
Sometimes, you know, andsometimes you can overstress
yourself, but I do believe thatis one of the characteristics
that just keep pushing youforward, because you always want
more, you always want better,and I am also similar to this.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
I know, I know this is why we're all in the same
room.
So, in wrapping up this,podcast.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
What is next for James Hype?
What is next?
I'm excited for the next stagebecause the next stage I feel
like the previous stage was mebeing introduced to all these
countries and all thesefestivals and the next stage is
like moving up to like theheadline slot and being like the
.
You know, I just want I wanteveryone to know who I am and I
(51:51):
want it to be like when youthink of a dj, I want you to
think of james hype, because Iwant it to.
I want to show people what a djactually can do, because a dj
is such a it's such a broad term, like we even talk about the
people who play records on theradio as a dj, and I I just want
, I want to show a dj can besomeone who gives an incredible
(52:13):
performance and presents to youthe music that you may or may
not know in a way that you'venever even heard before, and
sort of bringing all of thattogether.
And, yeah, I want to be anexample for the people like your
daughter, you know, who look atthat and think I want to do
(52:33):
that.
So yeah, that was a very messyanswer, but I want to show
people what's possible, andyou're certainly living in my
friend.
Speaker 3 (52:46):
Rock.
Is there anything you want toadd to that man?
No, it's been really greattalking to you.
I enjoy, you know, watchingyour career.
Continue forward, man.
And yeah, dude, it's reallycool to meet people who are
living their.
I enjoy, you know, uh, watchingyour career continue forward,
man.
And uh, yeah, dude, it's.
It's really cool to meet peoplewho are living their dream.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
You know it is so I get to sit around this guy all
the time and from my perspective, mate, as I mentioned earlier
in the podcast, I've seen yougrow, um, not obviously
physically, you know, I've seenthat change too but just how you
have grown in your fan base,how you've grown through your
music, how you are doubled downin how you play your sets.
(53:23):
To me, there's nobody else likeJames Hype.
Thank you, you take us on ajourney and it's truly inspiring
to hear and know your story andI want to say thank you again,
mate, for for making time todayto sit down and tell us a little
bit about you and and whereyou're going next.
Speaker 2 (53:41):
So, from you to you, my friend, anytime you're in
vegas, this is your home, fromhome, and, uh, I'm excited for
the future no, it's really niceto actually just connect our two
worlds as well, you know,because this is something that I
look at from a distance andobviously you're the same with
me.
Speaker 3 (53:56):
So yeah, thank you for now you guys are going to
work out and he's gonna.
You're gonna be reallyregretting that tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (54:03):
Yes, we actually are.
Thank you for reminding us.
Tomorrow we're gonna get aworkout in and I'll let him
choose the body parts orwhatever that is he's probably
going to train triceps since i'sgoing to have a mangle fucking
tricep right now, butnonetheless it's been a blast
and an absolute fucking pleasure.
Bro, I'm excited to see yourset on Saturday and, as I said,
(54:23):
now that you call Vegas yoursecond home, I look forward to
seeing you much, much more andanything I can do we can do for
you Whilst you're here.
Here, you know you've got afriend now.
Thank you, brother, my man.
This is Flax.
This is Rock James Hype.
We are out.
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