The word ‘Hoax’ is generally used negatively, commonly associated with deceit and trickery. HOAX (BE) adopted the name to subvert people’s expectations: a break from the norm, and not what you might expect.
Energetic; Emotional; evolving. HOAX (BE) is a rising Belgian electronica DJ and producer specializing in melodic and progressive house and deep techno. With previous releases on labels such as Sony Belgium, Loud Memory, Black Lizard and Blanco Y Negro, HOAX (BE)’s sound is based on expressing emotions through melody and elegant, evocative production as they seek to make their mark on the scene. electronic in 2023 and beyond.
Inspired in music production by his experiences at Belgium’s legendary Tomorrowland festival, HOAX (BE) began exploring various electronic genres, initially producing and playing disco music at outdoor parties before exploring the deeper nuances of house championed by acts like Purple Disco Machine, Tinlicker, Ben Bohmer and Jan Blomqvist.
Self-taught in YouTube videos since the age of 15, HOAX (BE)’s productions are often highly emotional and remain firmly rooted on the dance floor. From the disco-tinged funk of tracks like Hot For You and Deeper Love, which have racked up hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify, to the epic, progressive scope of 2022’s Vision of You, their music has a clean line and consistency without seeming formulaic, and is consistently energetic, emotional, and evolutionary.
In 2022, HOAX (BE) made their DJ debut in Ibiza, playing three parties over the summer, including a pool party hosted by B Jones, with further performances in Miami for WMC and Amsterdam for ADE.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Hey Hoax, thanks for talking to us. Where can we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Right now I am back in my house in Belgium after a few days spent in London doing a photo shoot. I consider London my second home because I work a lot over there. It feels good to be back home though.
When did the idea of starting a musical project start to take shape? Has it always been something you wanted to do?
In don’t come from a «music family» so when I was a kid I did not play an instrument or anything, but since I was very young I have been affected by the dance music culture of Belgium… some festivals like Tomorrowland are from here and I think this culture has made it possible for me to seriously consider deejaying as a feasible work for me.
At 16 I started producing some of my first tracks and I was lucky enough to work with a sub label of Sony to be able to officially release some new versions of disco classics. Seeing the streaming numbers go well in a relatively short period of time I started believing more and more in this being an actual possible work for me. And then I started playing all over Belgium and step by step also internationally.
How much time do you get in the studio with your collaborators? Or is it mostly remote working these days?
I live in the studio, so when I am not traveling I am listening to music, creating playlists, making my edits and coming up with new melodies and tracks. I sometimes whistle my tracks on voice notes of my iPhone and then I go straight to the studio to record my ideas.
When it is about singers, I work mostly remotely because the singers I have been working with so far are based in very different places, for example Canada, the UK< Australian South Africa and more…
We’ve heard you have some exciting releases in the pipeline… what can you tell us about these?
I have done 2 remixes for great artists I love and I am inspired by… and those will be out quite soon.
I also have a lot of original tracks that will be out in a few months… very excited about them, they are a bit more on the progressive and melodic side, and they really reflect my feelings. When I have some tracks with vocals, I worked in direct contact with the singers to make sure that these emotions were channeled right.
What other artists are you interested in these days?
I love Tinlicker and I went to their concert in London the other day. It was a huge emotion.
Can you tell us anything about your projects for 2023?
Traveling, playing and releasing music! I have a few trips to London already planned, since I consider that city a bit like my second home… I am also about to go to LA and then Miami for the winter music conference… oh and I will be spending a considerable time in Ibiza this summer, it is such an inspiring place both for playing and for producing new music.
HOAX (BE) SOCIALS
