What’s even better than an EDM festival on a cruise to the Caribbean? An EDM festival on a cruise to the Caribbean with the number one DJ in the world, James Hype. EDMHouseNetwork interviewed Hype onboard Groove Cruise 2025 about his path to DJ’ing superstardom & more. Be sure to catch the full interview below:
Q1: “Just to start off, you mentioned how Groove Cruise is a very different environment. It’s kind of like a festival, but an organized festival. How do you curate your set for something like Groove Cruise, compared to, say, OMNIA or Tomorrowland mainstage? And really change based on that atmosphere?”
Hype: “Well, as soon as I got on the ship today, I saw so many people wearing STEREOHYPE shirts. I was like, well, we got some real hardcore fans on here. And when those people are in front of me, I know they want to hear like, classic James Hype records, and they want to hear the kind of stuff that I’d be playing on a live stream. Whereas if I was to play OMNIA or Tomorrowland, then you’re trying to appeal to a wider audience. So when I’m trying to appeal to the wider audience, I’ll be trying to think of like popular tracks and play them in my way. Whereas when I’m playing to the STEREOHYPE [crowd], I know that I can go straight down that rabbit hole.”
Q2: “I saw in a Reddit Q&A one time, you mentioned how important it is to use influences from your musical upbringing [in production.] You mentioned how hip hop and some of those jungle beats were really influential to your production. So I’m curious, what’s one non-EDM artist who was really influential to your production style?”
Hype: “Production? Wow, non EDM production. I can’t think of like a specific artist for this. But recently, I’ve been listening to rock music from the 70s and stuff, and a little bit of metal as well. And it’s, I never really listened to a lot of it before, so it’s kind of like it’s a whole new thing I’m discovering. So maybe that’ll influence my production in the next few months. Who knows?”
Q3: “I know the “real DJ’ing brand is obviously your whole thing, and many consider you the best technical DJ in the world. How did you go about really refining that technical aspect growing up? Was it just kind of watching your favorite DJs? Was it really a hands on approach? How did you really get to refining that and you know, finding that technique?”
Hype: “When I was learning to DJ, there wasn’t YouTube. So, so it was trial and error. You know, I didn’t really have any friends that were DJs. So I was playing with my mom’s old records on some belt drive turntables. And I sort of self taught myself all the way. So my techniques are probably a bit strange compared to some other peoples’. And then when I started DJing in the clubs, I was DJing the clubs every night like a resident DJ. And when you’re playing for six hours every night, you start to get bored. So I was like, ‘oh, let me try to play a little acapella there.’ And that’s the style was just kind of born from that. And then when it started to catch on online, I was like, ‘oh, people like this, I’ll do it more.'”
Q4: “Additionally, what’s the fine balance that DJs need to find of being able to read the crowd and play the music they want to hear, but also staying true to their style?”
Hype: “It’s a very important balance. And it’s not a fixed balance either, because there’s always a show that you’ll do that …
maybe like, let’s say, at Tomorrowland mainstage. If you play Tomorrowland mainstage, you get to play to a huge number of people and even more people watch you online. It’s a huge opportunity to reach people all over the world, but it’s also, you have to think about, how am I going to speak to these people who maybe have never heard this sound before? So, the balance is always different, depending on the show. And the balance is also very important, because you’ve got to be true to yourself, otherwise you are absolutely nothing. I think the key comes with knowing a lot about music and a lot of music, because then you end up … it’s like if the songs are your bullets, then you have a huge arsenal to choose from, and that allows you to play to the room while also playing true to yourself. Whereas if you only have that kind of Beatport top ten, then you really just don’t have a very big arsenal.”
Q5: “Just to finish off, we’re on Groove Cruise, a tropical cruise. I gotta ask you, what’s your tropical drink of choice? You a daiquiri guy? Or a piña colada guy?”
Hype: “I’ve been on vacation recently, and I was drinking spicy margaritas. Is that a vacation drink? Yeah, I’ll have that.”
