Can you imagine a time when becoming a DJ was more of a hobby than a viable career option? A time where there were no promises of seeing the world and collecting six figure checks. And what about starting a label that was as far removed from your name as possible instead of slapping your face on every release and piece of merchandise? A lot of these life choices sound atypical in today's Dance music landscape but for Huda Hudia, they were the only logical ones. The Florida DJ, producer, remixer, 1/2 of The HOTHEADZ, and owner of several labels is still one of the hardest working DJs, but don't expect any complaints because he does it all for the love of the music. Currently residing in Atlanta, Huda may have changed with the times by adding visual components to his sets but he still remains a true student of the old school and what it really means to be a Dance music DJ.
Huda Hudia's entrance to the DJ world was by chance. Around 1990, Huda and two of his older friends had fake IDs and would frequent bars in high school. One day the DJ had quit. Huda's friend suggested that he take over. Already the owner of an impressive CD collection by then, Huda agreed and an unofficial summer residency began. After his partners went on to college, Huda continued throughout his senior year and gradually improved his party rocking skills while incorporating:
"Alternative, Industrial, and Techno… such as Front 242, Eon, Snap, 2 Unlimited, Lords of Acid, Age Of Love, and many more. The most important thing I learned from DJing at that venue was that I could play the music I loved, I could get free drinks, and that it helped my game with the ladies. Back then, DJs earned only a free bar tab or $50. The highest paid DJs were getting $150. Us 90’s DJs started because we loved the music, not because we could make a career out of it."
When we asked him about the moment he considered becoming a full time DJ, he laughed it off since the reality of that option never really occurred to him, nor to anyone else at the time. Attending the Winter Music Conference from 1992 to 1998, Huda would remember when only 70-80 DJs were pushing the envelope in terms of making a full-time career out of it. He would then come home and see his friends working day jobs to supplement their DJ gigs on the weekends. He knew that he wanted more. So rather than chasing fame right out of High School, he attended college and kept his chops up until finishing his degree. It would prove to be a wise decision because after graduation, it was off to the races for his music and labels.
As someone who grew up with Dance music and fell in love with it organically, Huda can be depicted as one of its guardians. He was named Tampa's top jock in 1996. When we brought that title up, he was understandably proud of the recognition, but he also brought up how much the culture has changed in hindsight:
"Even some DJs' sets are fake with most of them playing pre-recorded sets, most have ghost producers, and pushing the model male as its heroes. For example, Steve Aoki. How do you have time to mix while throwing cake on people? Look at the top 100 DJs and you won’t see any women. At least last time I checked."
But don't confuse his perseverance to stay true to what he knows best with being overly conservative or traditional. Huda is at the forefront of incorporating the visual element to his sets1. Although he doesn't feel like video is suitable for every venue, He can't get enough of the ones that have been built for it: "Large venues have so much space you can get lost. The visual element just adds to the crowd’s entertainment."
Things would get complicated for him when he moved to Atlanta due to a job promotion that his now ex-wife received at the time. Whereas he had found his niche in Florida, he was considered a one trick pony in Atlanta. So he went from $1000-1500 for a Breakbeat show in Tampa to barely $100 a night re-establishing himself in a new open format scene. Everybody gets knocked down, the true test is how you bounce back, and Huda is living proof of how to do it right. If you ask him now after that humbling period, he'll tell you that he's made it as a DJ. Having evolved and adapted to keep with the times, he's now holding down official residencies at 5 Paces and Andrews Upstairs (Burn) and he's given up two of his five nights DJing a week to work more on remixes for ULTIMIX/FUNKYMIX.
Although a true Breakbeat fan at heart, Huda is capable of much more when it comes to remixing. Instead of trying to avoid the original sound as much as possible, he aims to impress the original artist by having him/her think, "'Ok, yeah, I should have thought of that. Ok, yeah, that was a good choice.'" The energy level varies from remix to remix, and this is intentional. He's creating for his own sets. And as every good DJ knows, you need different vibes for different times of the night. Whether it's the opening hour or the primetime slot, Huda keeps one theme steady: "I have learned the art of not over doing something or over-producing." As a master remixer, he's had the opportunity to take apart songs and look at the genetic makeup of them. Consequently, he's come to respect Calvin Harris' work and sees him as the game's top producer. He is careful to qualify his respect by noting Calvin's "golden years" as those from 2012's "18 Months" til the present where the focus switched from vocals to the production. In a close second, Huda hails Jack U (Skrillex & Diplo).
During the 90s when Florida breakbeats were at their peak, Huda formed the iconic Kaleidoscope Music. Using the trademark colorful cartoon party goers as their visual calling card, they dropped some of the most hard-hitting, crowd pleasing tracks of the era. They must have had the music machines working over time because they put out over 200 releases, many of which were his own.
Recently his collaboration with DJ Volume known as HOTHEADZ has been tearing up the charts. He's earned placement in TV and video game promo campaigns but the label's true function is pushing new artists: "I don’t want to mention names, but in Florida you had certain labels only pushing that label owner. I wanted to create a team of artists and distance myself as much as possible as the label owner." He enjoys this role and smiles at the fact that whenever he looks at the Beatport top 100 breakbeat tracks, he can always see at least 4 artists that he's helped in the early stages of their careers.
With such a legacy, catalog, and ever-evolving approach to life, we salute DJ Huda Hudia and hope that he continues to break it down, long into the future.
1. ["Thanks to my sponsorship from www.smashvision.com and www.avdistrict.net. I am able to provide club goers with the best quality videos every week."]^
Last Call
1. What is your favorite movie of all time?Groundhog Day
2. As a young DJ, who was the one DJ you looked up to?Andy Hughes
3. As a DJ, what's your biggest pet peeve?Let’s see… I guess when someone comes to the booth asking for something with a full drink over all the equipment.
4. What is your current set up at home?I have 1200s and CDJ’s set up with a Rane TTM-57. My production set up is too long to list. The basics are Logic X. My two favorite synths are Nexus and Spire. My outboard top pieces are Virus, TB303, Roland Vocoder, Waldorf Pulse, fully expanded Roland 5080, and Novation Bass Station. Everything else I sold to get a collector convertible in my garage [laughs]!
5. What's your favorite record of all time? I am amazed by backmasking. "Stairway To Heaven."
Keep up with Huda Hudia on his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Bryan Hahn wonders how much DJs make now on average compared to 20 years ago. He's on Twitter: @notupstate.