Contributing WriterTalal Hakim is a go-to producer for top DJs around the world. He has released numerous tracks over the last few years on labels such as Renaissance, Joris Voorn’s Spectrum, Booka Shade’s Blaufield, and many more. They have charted in more than 100 countries worldwide, broken into the Beatport Top 10, and firmly established Talal at the heart of the contemporary melodic house and techno landscape. He was last on this label in the summer when he contributed ‘Eleven Thirty’ to their annual VA Incanto release, and now impresses with solo EP ‘Delta’.
1. Hey Talal, thank you for sitting down with us today. How have you been?
I’m ok, just in the middle of an apartment move process which is taking some time.
2. Your new EP ‘Delta’ is out on the 26th of December. Could you tell us a bit about the release and how it came about?
I had a prior release on Black Rose, so I have been in touch with the label manager, Ciro, with some new demo materials. The batch of demos is a bit large,r but some of them are still in the review process with some other potential recipients, which will be finalized for 2026.
3. This is your first release on White Rose Records. How did you hook up with the label?
I previously had a release on the sister label Black Rose, so I have stayed in touch with new material, which was decided might better suit the White Rose direction.
4. Do you find that when producing music, you have potential labels in mind for release, or does that come later?
I try to avoid overthinking the big picture and focus more on the basics by testing and trying sounds that appeal, and then go from there. However, with that said, I think the sound lately has drifted into someplace between melodic techno and indie, Bicep playlisted a recent track, and I did a remix for Booka Shade recently – and some other similar artists are regularly testing material – so the tone somewhat fits in that area.
5. You’ve been releasing music for over 15 years now. How have you found your music style and production have changed as your career has progressed?
I have mostly been releasing regularly since 2015/2016; however, there was one release back in 2010 or so, but I stopped then for half a decade or so. I think styles are always changing; however, my production/idea development process has become much more productive. In the early days, I worked a song from start to finish almost as though reading from left to right, but over time it became more working from inside to outside – by first finding a core sound I like and then expanding it from there.
6. Your catalogue spans several genres. Do you have quite an eclectic music taste? How does this inspire your sound?
During university days in Los Angeles, I think I went to at least one concert per week for a few years, so you inevitably learn a wide range of music. I like to think that the best music will be appealing to listeners beyond a genre type and beyond a time period. This can be challenging because most record labels develop a footprint for a specific promo pool, which then also carries over into distribution and audience expectations – I think you see similar with film production too. But then, who would have expected Liam Neeson to go into action later in life and Robert De Niro into comedy. One of my favorite items to consider is how strong the old Jim Henson film works remain decades later.
7. You’ve received support from some big names in music, including Armin Van Buuren, Benny Benassi, and John Digweed. Who are some of your favourite artists that you support?
Any support is good support, so I am grateful for all. Lately, things seem to be drifting into a more indie sort of orbit with Bicep playlisting a track, a remix for Booka Shade’s new album, and other artists in that area are currently testing more items. Dave Seaman just playlisted this new White Rose release, Delta, which was great to see. I’ve been a fan of his work for as long as I can remember.
8. You’ve performed at some major venues like Amnesia Ibiza, The Standard Los Angeles, and La Torre Ibiza. What have been your favourite places to perform at? Have you got any shows coming up?
There have been some great experiences all over. Ludo and Tom Pook’s Family Piknik has been great, South France is a wonderful area, and it’s been a good experience all around, from the event to the people and landscape, and getting to collaborate with a range of artists from the festival label. Denis A of DAR Label was very kind to invite me to play at Beonix festival in Cyprus. It was my first time in the country, and it was nice to talk with Nick Warren in the hotel cafe for a while about a lot of music (we covered a lot of ground from the 1990s to the present day). Jason Swamy, way back, invited me to Robot Heart’s Further Future Festival in Nevada, which was a great experience and landscape. Logan Baker’s Shipwrecked festival in New Zealand was a great opportunity to get to see the nature/greenery of that country, and the festival crew very kindly invited me over after the festival in Auckland for a rooftop gathering. At the moment, I am likely playing in East Asia in March and Central/South America in April. There are a number of items still in discussions, but for now will be at Hong Kong’s Casa Dao early March, and potentially Tokyo + Bali. In April, I think I will likely start in Mexico City or Guadalajara, still in talks – Felax runs a label out there, PitchBend, which I am hoping to do a remix for in the near future.
9. It’s been great chatting with you today! What can we expect from you in 2026?
There is a larger demo that’s been in some review process since September 2025. I am hoping to get that done for 2026 shortly – beyond that, I am just trying to finish this apartment move and get the music demos rolling and finish up some of the event discussions.
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