A surge of curiousness swept my otherwise all-partied-out mind as I read the story behind HOSH's new album Stories From Sa Talaia. Ever since the German producer/DJ joined the Diynamic family last year at DC10 for 10 Years Diynamic, I've kept a close eye on Holger, otherwise known as HOSH. Anyone who can fill DC10's vast space with such an eclectic atmosphere is only destined for the most creative of projects, and man has HOSH created something special.
Presenting his masterpiece was clearly just as important to HOSH as the making of it. The Finca was unsurprisingly the chosen location for the launch. Situated in the scenic Sant Joan de Labritja, the Spanish restaurant could only be described as a tranquil paradise. Whilst arriving at the location, it quickly became obvious why he and his family moved to the island. Holger's warm energy matched the surroundings flawlessly. It was clear that he found his home on Ibiza. Now his mission was to make every visitor at his launch feel as calm as he was.
Mirrors hung from trees, giving us an extra dose of the breath-taking surroundings. “There's a certain vibe to it. Myself, my wife and my baby girl felt a call to come here. We're not like super esoteric or anything, but we read the signs. It's a very concentrated spot here with a lot of good vibes,” he explained, after I asked him whether his aim to hypnotise and mesmerise his listeners matched his feelings of the island.
The description of his new album left me burning with questions. An album with such depth and fluidity could only go hand-in-hand with a riveting story. “I did around 22 tracks in the beginning; then I got the feeling, ‘Wow this is really a lot!' so I took a few out and changed a few, to make it into more of a journey which is the whole approach to it.”
Each track holds significance to HOSH's life, with many of the titles revolving around the White Isle, such as Atlantis Is Not a Fairy Tale, Brotherhood Balearea and Island Blues. Stories From Sa Talaia paints an elegant picture of Ibiza. Each sound that stood out for me whilst indulging in the album reminded me of a specific sound or place in Ibiza: “This just came naturally through producing in Ibiza. The later part of the album for me is the perfect song for Ibiza, for a villa after party for example. This is what I completely pictured when I did it.”.
The production of the album has been described as a "creative explosion." With the move to Ibiza and the years of touring behind him, HOSH uniquely blended each track into a melodic mix, telling a story with an extensive array of sounds. Having spent two months writing stories in a simple studio made in his rented Ibiza house, he explained how the album aims to act as a portfolio of his work: “The idea was to write the album and create a sort of DJ mix, like a mixed compilation. However, the main goal was to produce every track myself, combining the production days when I really love being a producer, but also bringing in the DJ side showing my complete profile.”
"I still wanted to have some flavours from others out there, so I asked my favourite producers to send me some ideas and some loops from there; then I remixed the ideas."
In a world full of seemingly meaningless lyrics, I was left in a state of inspiration by the album, as if HOSH had told me his entire life story through one continual mix. It is an admirable move to put every breath into a project, but nothing quite topped the sample of the heartbeat of his daughter Mia Lee to begin the album, as well as the credit to her in the title. “That's what it's about when you make music. There might be some producers who keep it for them because it's private, but for me it's still club music. There's a lot of personality in it; otherwise I wouldn't release it."
More signs of the producer's compassion shone through as the interview continued, particularly whilst talking about his plans for the future with both his new record label Fryhide. When pronounced by native English speakers, it sounds like 'Freiheit', meaning freedom in German. This is yet another clever twist on the album, as HOSH reassured me as I flustered over not being able to pronounce the label name.
"I'm actually looking for talents that live here on the island. I want to make it an Ibiza based label. It will not only be featuring tracks by Ibiza-based artists, but I want to make this an Ibiza label for sure, not so much the party Ibiza, more like the whole-year Ibiza. I have different plans for the future. I want to open a location, kind of like a spot where those kinds of people can meet on a daily basis for in the winter, but let's see.”
HOSH explained how he had scouted his first talented producers as they were building his studio at the time. As imagined they are hooked on the idea of working with such an accomplished DJ, who admirably has so much time for others. The entire day was just another day for HOSH, as he shared his creativity and fresh ideas with his loved ones whilst remaining humble. After thanking us profusely, it was time to play the entire mix live as the sun set over his new home, Ibiza.
The island has welcomed yet another innovative artist with open arms. Only time will tell what experiments will come to life on Ibiza by HOSH. I will certainly be keeping a close eye on his journey.
HOSH's brand new album is released today. Listen and download it here for free.
Tracklist
A Meeting Mia Lee (feat. Mia Lee)
B The Watergate Affair (feat. ABBY)
C Ocean Data
D Standing still is moving backwards
E Fighting the Daemons
F Fire and Ice
G O fratello mio (with Lehar)
H Ristretto Love Story
I Atlantis is not a fairy tale (with Pig&Dan)
J Brotherhood Balearea (with Pig&Dan)
K One more before we go (feat. SONO)
L Awakening of the Birds (feat. Karmon)
M Island Blues (with Tim Engelhardt)
N Rose Marines Saga (with Musumeci)
O La Mer La Mer (with Johannes Brecht)
P Natalias Lullaby
Photography | James Chapman
