- Hazem Beltagui’s new EP + Interview
Today we released Hazem Beltagui’s new EP on Beatport (click to buy). I catched him on Skype for a mini-interview. Enjoy!
Hey Hazem! Today we released your new EP “Her Green Eyes / Cala Conte / Love Will Find A Way”; can you tell us something about it?
Hazem: Hey Kris. It’s quite an eclectic EP as I like them, since you get 3 different vibes on the same EP. Cala Conte is quite summery, deep and techy, while Love Will Find A Way is more laidback and melodic and to close this EP off you have the bigroom melodic Her Green Eyes.
As you say, the EP is quite diverse. Is there a specific style/genre you like more than others when it comes to producing?
Hazem: Actually this depends on my mood. Sometimes I feel like making techy stuff with lots of groove and swing while some other times I prefer focusing on the melodic aspect of the track. But lately I’ve been more into tech and deep house stuff!
I for one have always been a big fan of your track “222″, as you already know, which later received support by Armin Van Buuren in his warm-up set in ASOT Kiev. Now your new track “Cala Conte”, which some people compared to “222″, also got played by Armin in his warm-up set for his Las Vegas show. Can you tell us about your thoughts around this? It was quite unexpected for both of us!
Hazem: Well to be honest with you, I didnt see it coming at any time. When a friend of mine told me Armin just played 222 in his warm up set for ASOT 550 in Kiev, I was like, you got to be kidding me, not simply because this was the first time Armin support any of my stuff but also because the track was in no way the kind of tracks he’s into! So you can imagine how I felt when I knew he also played Cala Conte in his Warm up set in EDC Las Vegas. It was quite a surprise, but it surely increased my self confidence and made me wanna experiment more since this isn’t really the sound you would first expect when you see my name associated with a track.
That actually answers my next question as well. But speaking of experimenting; you made a remix for Tom Nucleus “Lucida” which will go out on promo in a few weeks. That’s something different from you as well, don’t you think? Frankly I was really surprised when you first sent me the remix.
Hazem: I knew you would bring this up. 
Well when I first start a new project, whether it’s a remix or an original, I don’t stick to a specific genre or sound, I just go with the flow of ideas and see where it takes me. For example for this Tom Nucleus “Lucida” remix, I loved the way the original sounded but I just had to add something extra to it. At no point U had the idea of the way it would sound at the end, I was actually surprised just like you when I got to listen to it when it was all done. Hopefully the Macarize Fans will enjoy this one as well.
Lastly, is there anything else you can tell us about the future? Do you have any goals you want to achieve or do you take it day by day?
Hazem: I have a main goal I’m running after, which is the same goal for all the producers I know, to go on tour and make a living out of my music. But I also have some short terms goals, which are, building a bigger fanbase and experimenting a lot more with music, hopefully my fans will follow me down the road.
Thank you for the chat, Hazem. I’m very happy to have in you in the Macarize Family. I hope you’ll stay with us for a long time! I think I speak for the fans as well. Cheers mate!
Hazem: You’re Welcome Kris. I’m very happy myself to be part of the Macarize family, and I guess I’ve already told you this like a million times before. I will stay with you as long as you dont kick me out mate, haha!