With “Got No Love To The Bass”, DJ Hussler doesn’t just tap into the raw electricity of classic rave culture – he reignites it with modern firepower.
Blending dirty, euphoric synths, relentless drive and a festival-scale build, the track stands as both a nod to hard-trance’s golden era and a bold statement of intent for his 2025 return.
In this interview, Hussler opens up about capturing instinctive ideas in the moment, the global influences that shaped his sound across three continents, and how belief, passion, and an unwavering love for high-energy dance floors continue to fuel his creative resurgence.
“Got No Love To The Bass” is described as both nostalgic and forward-thinking. What was your vision when creating this track, and what emotions were you aiming to capture?
I was creating another track and the idea popped into my head for Got No Love to the Bass. I couldn’t shake it so had to stop what I was doing, and then get the idea down. I usually capture ideas and then give them time to breathe before taking another look.
I love some of the harder techno stuff and have always been a sucker for the harder trance with dirty synths that Access Virus synthesisers are so renowned for. I wanted to create something that really builds the crowd up, big festival feel, and just keeps on building the energy even after the peak. Playing the track out at events, it was good to see that I achieved that.
The release leans heavily into classic rave energy. What elements of early hard-trance or ’90s rave culture do you consciously weave into your modern productions?
That’s a good question. I started making music over 20 years ago, but had a break for a while returning this year. A lot has changed, but I am seeing the cycle has gone full circle, with the older style rave sounds returning to festivals across the globe. Vinyl that I bought 20+ years ago are featuring in headline acts across Europe so the interest in this style of music has definitely been reignited. I love the raw high energy rave synths that carry you through a track, bringing on real euphoria, where it makes it hard to leave the dance floor.
You’ve had a unique musical journey spanning South Africa, the UK, and now Australia. How have these international influences shaped the sound you’re creating today?
When I relocated to London, I wanted to be close to the epicentre of dance music and I was very fortunate to land a job in the UK where I was paid to travel the globe and have enough time to also produce music and DJ. Seeing the best clubs in the world and the best DJs and meeting some interesting people was such an amazing experience. I thought the UK scene was big, but it was nothing compared to very large raves across Europe.
All of this just fuelled my love for varying styles of dance music, different dance cultures and entertaining crowds. Music has always been a place for me to turn to, to switch off, to refocus and to renew. Being influenced by various styles, I tend to bring a number of characteristics into my music, both in music production and DJing. Different styles of music bring different emotions out for people. I want to create music that makes people feel alive, keeps people in the present and helps them forget about everything else.
Your entry into DJing came from a friend secretly signing you up for a competition—and you ended up winning your regional heat. How did that early experience shape your confidence and trajectory as an artist?
Up until that point I never thought I would ever be good enough to play in clubs or outside of the house parties that we used to have. When my friend Louis signed me up, and we arrived at the venue, he didn’t give me enough time to think of backing out so I had a crack, not thinking I would get past the first step. Getting through the various heats, I grew in confidence and soon realised that it wasn’t my mixing or music selection that was changing, but rather I was believing in myself.
This is a key factor for DJs and music producers – if you don’t back yourself then no one else will. I became obsessed with music and DJing, sometimes playing for 8 hours in the evenings after work. Playing in front of a crowd and controlling their fun factor is addictive. Landing your production with a crowd on a dance floor is even more addictive!
During your time in the UK, you were surrounded by legendary hard dance figures like Tony De Vit, BK, and Nick Sentience. Which lessons or inspirations from that era still guide you in the studio?
A key takeaway for me was there passion for their craft. They never stopped hustling. Making music, playing, pushing the boundaries of new sounds, innovating sound design and creating new trends. They never conformed to boxes and were always leading. None of them were/are in this business for fame and fortune, just for the love of music. That passion comes through every track they made and their live performances.
After taking an extended break from the industry, what reignited your passion and motivated your return in 2025?
Whilst I had given up production and DJing, I never lost the passion. For a work leaving do in 2014, my team bought me a DJ console. It was my first digital DJ console, but it really sucked so I wasn’t converted from my 1000+ stack of vinyl that I longed to get back into. In 2018, I bought a Maschine MK3, and although it was great to dabble into music again, it still took time to get ideas down – although far less time than what it used to take back in the day.
In 2024, I purchased DJ Studio and wanted to create a few mashups. I was surprised at how easy it had become to create mashups. The more remixes I did, the more excited I became about getting back into it. A friend, who I provided some motivation to get into DJing before I stopped, had recently given up work to focus on DJing full time. That inspired me to get back into it. I had intended to make one or two tracks this year, but the more I produced, the more creative I became. So far this year I’ve produced four remixes and eight new original tracks.
Your recent tracks channel “uplifting hard dance” with a modern twist. How would you describe the evolution of your sound between your early days and your 2025 comeback?
It’s bringing back older dance sounds, but using more modern techniques, sounds and production arrangements to keep it interesting. I still want to take people on a journey and the challenge is keeping the audience interested throughout. When I compare my production approach now to when I started, it is totally different. Back then, it would take a few days to prepare samples, get the right synth sounds. I would have an idea but try and eat the elephant all at once. Fast forward to the present, it takes a fraction of the time as my music production space is always ready to go. I start with an idea, and take a small bite at a time and see how that evolves and where it takes me. I know when I am spending too much time on an idea and when to dump it and move on.
You recently joined Groove London Radio and Bondi Radio with weekly shows. How has radio hosting influenced your creativity or your connection with your audience?
Quite a bit actually. Firstly, it gives me a great platform to play original productions and build a following. I was playing a four hour set each week and not repeating one track from week to week – ~80-100 tracks in a set. That took a lot of preparation (in fact 4-5 days). I had signed up to it because I had a lot to relearn – new music, digital console, different mixing techniques, different genres, radio hosting, socials, etc.
After four months I decided to cut that back to a weekly two hour slot at Groove London so that I could get back the balance with music production. I joined Bondi Radio in September this year. I can’t see my audience, so it’s hard to read the room. I can however watch the stats and comments coming into the studio, but that can take time so you have to promote and build a following. People will either love or hate you so its really important to build that interest leading and out of shows on socials each week.
“Got No Love To The Bass” features sharp synths, relentless rhythms, and a chaotic drop. Can you share any behind-the-scenes production techniques or challenges you faced while crafting it?
I actually spend more time mixing and mastering than I do creating the track. Mixing tracks down, mastering, testing across various speakers, editing, tweaking and going around the cycle again multiple times. The biggest production issue on this one was trying to bring the various elements together, that created some unpredictable energy without it coming across as out of control.
I wasted days on sound design as many of my synth settings kept on resetting after spending an entire day mixing and mastering. It took me weeks to figure out what the problem was and I eventually replaced the free plugins I was using and moved to a better mixing and mastering suite. Once that was sorted, the next biggest issue was trying to maintain a punchy kick whilst avoiding other low-end clashes (bass / synths).
This track is framed as both a celebration of your journey so far and a promise of what’s coming next. What can fans expect from DJ Hussler in the near future?
I adopted the mantra, Don’t Stop The Music, this year to remind me not to get distracted by daily demands, and instead to focus on music and bringing that passion to life every day. Seems many people around me are looking for an excuse for their passion to be reignited so I’m happy to be that guy!
Having produced a number of tracks so far this year, I’m still experimenting with a few styles. I have some trance, hard trance and hard house tracks planned in the next quarter. I recently released a jackin house track, only because I have always wanted to produce one. I love piano riffs in dance music, so plan on bringing those into my upcoming hard dance productions. Looking back at the journey over 2025, I’m really pumped for what 2026 is going to bring.
UFO Network brings you music news daily! See more news here
Listen on Spotify
Connect with DJ Hussler
