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Madonna, Mariah, J. Lo – DJ-producer Hex Hector has transformed them all. He spoke to Garrett Bithell ahead of his Mardi Gras Party set.
“Jennifer and I were actually involved in a nudist colony for displaced Puerto Rican immigrants with low self-esteem,” Hex tells SX.
He’s telling a lie of course; but it’s a lie of impressive originality and construction, especially for a DJ.
He is talking about Jennifer Lopez, however. And the truth of their relationship is almost stranger than fiction. It’s one of those glorious full-circle relationships – a relationship that culminated in Hex winning a Grammy in 2001 for remixing her mega-hit, ‘Waiting for Tonight’.
“In the very early ’90s at China Club [in New York], I met a friendly, young, energetic girl,” Hex says. “We became friends, eventually exchanging numbers. She’d call; I’d put her on my guest list. That girl turned out to be Jennifer Lopez. She moved to Hollywood and became a big star. I never heard from her again until ‘Waiting for Tonight’. We reconnected and won a Grammy in the process. It sounds like a bad plot from a terrible sitcom!”
At the moment, Hex is perched happily and confidently on his mantle as one of the most sought-after and celebrated DJ-producers in the world. Scan his discography and the credits are staggering:
Madonna, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson and Aretha Franklin, just to pick a few gems from the diamond mine. He is currently lending his Midas touch to Mika’s next single, ‘Relax’. Everything But The Girl and other club darlings like Kim English have also benefited from Hex’s ability to straddle the line between mainstream and underground acceptance.
“I’ve been blessed with opportunities to work in the studio with some of the most amazing singers and entertainers put on this earth,” Hex raves. “But I have to say the only time I was ever star-struck was when I worked with Donna Summer on ‘I Will Go With You’. When she walked into the studio I was a mumbling fool!”
His line of work has put him in the firing line of more than a few spoilt divas. “I can’t say I’ve had a bad experience in the studio, except maybe once while working with Whitney for ‘I Learned From The Best’,” Hex says. “I’d gotten her to sing about 80 per cent of what I needed… and without a word she just put on her coat and left. I guess when she’s done, she’s done!”
Hex was barely out of nappies when he first set his sights on the DJ booth. “At the age of three I had the ability to identify and retrieve records I was asked to get,” he remembers. “I guess I was born into it!” A child of the mighty ’70s, he grew up listening to Al Green, Santana, Celia Cruz, Pink Floyd et al.
He now holds residencies in both New York and Miami, and has perfected a sound that can only be described as “Rollo meets Sound Factory circa 1993 overseen by Larry Levan having lunch with C&C Music Factory with a touch of Shep Pettibone”. You get the drift.
Unlike sundry other DJs who want to ‘take you on a journey’, Hex’s philosophy is simple – no preconceived notions. “I try to go at every project with a pure non-planned thought [process] and watch the music evolve and take shape as it comes along.”
In a programming coup, New Mardi Gras has secured Hex as the headline DJ to play at the 30th anniversary party on Saturday, March 1. It seems fitting considering his resume reads like the set list of any Mardi Gras DJ before him. He’s not looking forward to the long-haul from New York however, but he’s got some “little blue friends” to help him through.
“I plan on giving it my all and letting you Aussies know how we do it here in New York,” he says. “You’re going to get it!” Hex admits he hasn’t played a straight set in eons. “From what I remember straight crowds are more interested in getting drunk and getting a piece of ass than music.”
Methinks he is underestimating the amount of ass-chasing that transpires during Mardi Gras. He’ll see.
Hex Hector is playing at this year’s Mardi Gras Party on Saturday, March 1 at Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park. For tickets visit www.mardigras.org.au or call Ticketek on 132 849.
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Remix master
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