Hey Hilit, a pleasure to have you with us today! How are things with you and whereabouts are you chatting to us from right now?
Hey and likewise, thank you for having me! Things are sweet thanks. I’m doing this interview from my home studio in Shoreditch, London.
It’s been a great year for you this year with performances across the UK and beyond, including earlier this month performing for Elrow at Printworks. That must have been a special one! How was the night?
Yes it really was a great / mad year actually! Elrow at Printworks was unreal. It was my first time playing Printworks and I played two nights in a row – on both Saturday and Sunday – so it was a really crazy weekend. The combo of Elrow’s hedonistic art direction and Printworks’ monstrous structure was truly mind blowing. On Sunday night I was closing Inkwells while Adam Beyer was closing the main room – you can imagine the pressure hehe – but I managed to keep the room groovin’ so I was well happy. I’m very lucky I got to play there just before Printworks closing for refurb.
What other places have you played recently and what have the highlights been for you this year?
Oh there were quite a few special shows this year. Koko closing after Floorplan was definitely one, Egg’s for Trade’s 30th. Jaeger in Oslo, shows in Ibiza, Dubai, Poland, Elrow Croatia, festivals around the UK.
You recently gained the attention of Carl Cox for your edit of a Laurent Garnier classic, with Laurent supporting the edit himself too. What’s the story there?
I’ve been on the edit tip quite a bit this summer. I wanted to play certain “classic bangers”, as I like to call them, which really needed bringing up to 2022, so I had a go at making personal versions just for myself to play out – one of them was of ‘Crispy Bacon’. Never in a million years did I imagine that both Laurent and Carl would react the way they did and email me with the most genuinely excited, detailed and kindest reactions, saying how much they loved it and that they’re going to play it out! I literally stared at the screen for a good while, went away and came back to check that my eyes were good… I have so much respect for both of them, I’ve been a fan since childhood.
What can you tell us about the edit and is there any way people can get their hands on it yet?
I’m a big fan of Laruent’s and attending to this edit felt like a sacred mission – I wanted to dust it off so it would wreck a modern dancefloor like I imagined it could. The idea was to pay respect to the original but update it both in terms of sound as well as arrangement, and add a personal touch (at one point of the track I go stab jamming for a bit).
We hear that you spent a number of years working at the legendary Black Market Records in London’s Soho, what was it like working there and how big a role did those years play in shaping you as an artist?
It was fun, chaotic, interesting, intense, invaluable, silly and a bit more fun. I got to jam on the Bozaq day in day out, I was putting on the shop’s in-store events with icons like Derrick Carter, Louie Vega, Kerri Chandler, Todd Terry, Jovonn, and of course I had first access to all the new releases. My record collection grew significantly during those years… And I made some friends for life. Those years were definitely fundamental in me ending up as full time club DJ and producer – which was never the or a plan.
Is there a particular record that best reminds you of your time there?
Ahh too many, if I have to choose one then it’s Jon Cutler – It’s Yours. Still a killer tune! What a groove.
Are there any dates coming up where we can see you perform?
My next show is Elrow @ Warehouse Project on 17th December. It’s my debut there and I couldn’t be more buzzing.
Thanks for chatting with us today, Hilit! To round things off, is there anything else in the pipeline that you’d like to share with us and where’s the best place to stay up to date with you?
Thanks for having me! The pipeline is full of new music that’s due for release, including some unusual and surprising collabs, I can’t wait to share it with you all. Keeping up with me – eeeasy – you can find me on all the socials and of course in the booth and on the dancefloor!
Instagram www.instagram.com/hilitkolet
Soundcloud www.soundcloud.com/hilitkolet
TikTok www.tiktok.com/@hilitkolet
