Podcast 849: Hugo LX

Hugo LX is a Paris-based DJ-producer born Hugo Lascoux. Although his music is built on the foundation of house, it’s flavored by downtempo beats and touches of jazz, hip-hop, and ambient. His journey began in western France, a place where it was difficult to access music, so he would record Saturday night radio shows on tapes. “I’m a seaside kid that got his taste for music thanks to late night radio programs and music videos,” he tells XLR8R. Though he loved house and techno, he gravitated towards hip-hop and soon started DJing at Parisian breakdance events and using looped breaks and samples to craft his own original jazz- and funk-infused grooves. In 2011, he relocated to Japan, to begin work as an architect, but instead his affection for ambient, jazz and eastern hip-hop, became stronger. On his return, he launched Hugo LX, a project informed by these inclinations, and in 2016 he released four EPs and an album. A year later, he released Akegata, and since then he’s found his way onto Motor City Drum Ensemble‘s MCDE records and launched his own imprint, Doma Music.

For this week’s XLR8R podcast, Lascoux has delivered a techno-leaning mix recorded live from Womb Club in Tokyo for Mutek, filling it with tracks from XLR8R favorites including Kyle Hall, Donato Dozzy, Linkwood, and Wata Igarashi. 

”I had a little urge to leave the house, funk, and soulful spectrum for a second, and Mutek’s techno and electronic inclination allowed me that freedom,” he says.

01. What have you been up to recently? 


For the most part, I’ve been traveling lately, playing gigs in Europe and Asia. 
Ive built quite a strong network with promoters and crews over the years, which makes most trips feel like family visits. It’s a real blessing; most of the fam I get to work with always manage to add a little special treat on top of my visits. It could be some very local places to eat at, or some gorgeous architecture to see. These often fuel my creativity and add to the corpus of works I try to assemble: beats, writings, photos, and drawings, whatever it is. This way I’ve been able to craft quite a bit of music recently, at times working on a chair in front of a wide screen felt less inspiring, although necessary at some stage.


02. What have you been listening to?
I’ve been using the Bandcamp application a lot. I really love to order collectible, small-run wax or cassettes, and then make memories to it while traveling.
 Recently I’ve been listening to both Sam Wilkes and Sam Gendel a lot. Then, Mndsgn of course, Devin Morrison, Knower, Spacek, all the freshest beat stuff. Lots of Japanese ambient. And my automatic “go to” artists: Egberto Gismonti, Milton Nascimento, Wayne Shorter, Robert Wyatt, and Airto & Flora. And on a more danceable tip, I’m really into the music of Kyle Hall, Jon Dixon, K15, Stefan Ringer, Meftah, Deon Jamar. That for me represents a sort of new golden age of dance music on its own!

03. What is it that appeals to you about electronic music?
Energy and details. I remember hearing Ron Trent mention the high power of electromagnetic sounds when using analog equipment, and I could totally relate to it, although I use mixed techniques and digital devices. Like, how very few elements can bring so much energy out of our bodies, and the level of detail that tickles our brain cells. There’s a certain magic to it!

04. When and where did you record this set?
This set was recorded at Womb Club in Tokyo on December 9, 2023, for the Japanese edition of Montreal-based Mutek Festival.


05. What setup did you use? 


Two Technics SL-1200MK7’s, three Pioneer CDJ-3000s, and a Pioneer DJM-900NXS2
. Whatever set up I’m provided, I try to make the most out of it!

06. What made this recording so memorable?
I was actually very sick during that Asia tour! it’s one of these rare times I wasn’t sure I could actually perform, especially in Taipei and Jakarta.
 Fortunately, I received a lot of care and support, and I felt extra motivated. Also, listening to a DJ Sodeyama live set downstairs was inspiring and very energizing.


07. How did you choose the tracks you’ve included?
Even though I kept a certain house groove as a common denominator to most of the tracks I selected, I relied on quite a few techno elements and deeper cuts.


08. What’s next on your horizon? 

I’m currently putting the very final touches to my long delayed new album.
 Not a dance music project, more of a mixture of my downtempo, beats, jazz, and ambient inclinations, with a certain groove and a certain texture to it.
 This is one very special project, very dear to me as I got to enlist all my usual musician crew at once, which is a rarity with everyone touring so hard lately. Plus, I finally got the occasion to invite an artist I’ve been wanting to collaborate with for more than 10 years! I can’t wait for everyone to dream to, drive to, and live to this music.

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Tracklisting

01. OCB “It’s Alright” (Astro Fever Records)
02. Modes “M52” (Spazio Disponibile)
03. Kaoru Inoue “On The Road” (Seeds And Grounds)
04. KMFH “A2” (Self Released)
05. Roman Lindau “Sub Suggestion” (Fachwerk)
06. Donato Dozzy & Anna Caragnano “Parola” (Rework) (Spazio Disponibile)
07. Kyle Hall “The Cosmic Touch” (Apnea)
08. Gonno “Energy Flash” (Jin)
09. Laguna “Crossing Avenue” (Spazio Disponibile)
10. Tim Jackiw “Invisible Prison” (Self Released)
11. Call Super “I Love Like Your Men” (Can You Feel The Sun)
12. Architectural “Biding All In” (Remix) (Chapter Records)
13. Wata Igarashi “NRO” (WIP)
14. Linkwood “Nae Drama” (Night Theatre)
15. Hieroglyphic Being “The Lust Within” (Self Released)
16. Danton Eeprom “The Infinite Symbol” (Tsuba)

Photo: Marco Miraglia

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