Hani (producer)


Hani is a Kuwaiti / American producer and remixer living in Brooklyn, New York, whose restructurings of hits ranging from Michael Jackson to Alicia Keys have gone on to become club classics. He also scored a hit for himself: in 1999 he reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Baby Wants to Ride". The track also peaked at No. 70 in the UK Singles Chart in March 2000.
In 2006, Hani returned to the dance charts under the alias Disconfect, where his collaboration with Andrea Martin on "The Story Of My Life" peaked at No. 21 on Billboard 's Hot Dance Airplay chart the week of May 1, that same year.
In 1984 Hani back home in Kuwait was a bedroom Dj recording mixed cassette tapes for himself & close friends. By 1988 during his college years in Denver Hani became a professional Dj at several major clubs. Saved enough money to purchase used Synthesizers, Drum Machines & 4 track tape from pawn shops. Hani learned on his own the art of making Electronic Dance Music & was able to release few underground records just to put his name out there. Obviously that was not enough. In 1993 Hani got his start doing underground Acid House tracks for Carl Craig’s Label Planet-e & Deep Dish‘s labelYoshitoshi. Soon after Hani decided to take a dive and go to New York to live and study audio engineering.
By 1994 Hani was enrolled in the Institute of Audio Research in New York City. There he gained a well needed knowledge of the fundamentals of audio acoustics, electronic circuitry, engineering & mixing. While attending the institute Hani also wasted no time & applied at Bass Hit Studios for an intern job. He chose this particular studio only because it was the closest to his apartment. Soon Hani learned that Bass Hit was a Mecca’ for House music producers & remixers. Call it destiny i guess.
It was at Bass Hit Studios that Hani acquired a deeper sense of Electronic Dance Music by working for such House music luminaries as Masters at Work, Roger Sanchez and Danny Tenaglia.
Hani cleaned the studio after them, picked up the garbage and delivered food however, he also learned the basics of House arrangements and mixing.
While doing so Hani started his remix career working on projects for Artists such asDeee-Lite, Repercussions & Urban Soul. The competition in New York city was very high & Hani had to quickly make a name for himself therefore, he did not follow the rules. He did not wait for record labels to give him a chance at remixing songs he liked. He chose songs he gravitated to & went on to produce his own remixes in his simple little studio without being commissioned or paid to do it. Hani built a long list of Dj friends who admired his talent & consistently played his work around the globe. His 1995 unauthorized remix of Sade’s “I Never Thought I’d See the Day” under the aliasMusk Men;, got him the exposure he’d been waiting for. “It was bootlegged by several labels in US & Europe and gave Hani a Jump-start. Sadehowever, was not into remixes so never got an official release. Then came Hani’s unauthorized remix of Sting‘s “Sister Moon” which also was bootlegged. Due to its success, this remix got the official approval & got released by A&M.
The rather shy and always-keeping-a-low-profile Hani when it comes to his music, did not deny the fact that at the beginning of his career he was pushing for worldwide recognition. Hani’s passion for creating music became a steadfast career in the summer of 1996 with the release of his first No:1 Billboard production “Soul To Bare” with house diva Joi Cardwell. Moreover, Hani went on to produce another international hit “That Look” by Delacy. Both where featured by Pete Tong on BBC / Radio 1.
Hani kept on working & releasing several official remixes for various independent dance labels until in 1996 Hani decide to work on an unauthorized remix of Michael Jackson’s- “Earth Song”. Epic / Sony Was not planning on releasing the song as a single off MJ’s History album until dj Frankie Knuckles persistently kept on playing Hani’s remix on both radio & in clubs. One unforgettable afternoon Hani recalls ” I got contact by a big Sony executive to inform me of how much MJ & the label loves the remix & how excited they are to release it worldwide. “Earth Song” went on to become No:1 at new entry for six weeks on the UK pop chart. 3 months later Hani got commissioned to remix MJ’s “Stranger in Moscow”.
One of the great rewards of Hani’s new found ‘name-to-look-out-for’ status was an invitation to collaborate with the Godfather of House Frankie Knuckles on a remix project. “He’s one person who really impressed me, because there’s a certain sound in what he does that I think is really really interesting. I like the touch that he
has“, Frankie acknowledges.
1997 saw the birth of hit remixes like Jay Z’s “Can’t Knock The Hustle” & the famous unauthorized mix of “Rocket Man” by Elton John.
Remix & Production offers from major artists & labels started poring down from all directions, Hani was a very busy man working from his own basement studio. His remixes for Amber “One More Night” & Deborah Cox “I Never Knew” where major radio hits on heavy rotation across the US. True to Hani’s style, Arista records had no plans for Deborah‘s song until Hani decided on his own to transform the slow balled/album filler track into a major dance hit. Hani’s humble nature and perfectionist tendencies have allowed his songs to speak for themselves and they continue to be met with great success however, Hani felt that his work was drifting away from the club play arena & stepping more into the commercial radio world. In 1999 Hani decided to remind his early fans of his love for underground club music by producing the hit “Baby Wants To Ride” which went on to become Number 1 on the Billboard Club chart knocking Madonna off the top spot. Once again Hani is on top of the world as his tracks are international hits in several major markets & on various compilations. Soon Hani learned at first hand all about the technical aspects of the music business like publishing, copyright ownership & licensing.
Hani’s steady attention and effort toward his remix projects had earned him a fantastic reputation among the dance music ranks and that year witnessed the creation of such hits as “Drugs Are Bad” Hani vs. South Park, “Share the Love” by Andrea Martin and the remarkable “Tuva Groove” by Ondar was an Essential tune on Pete Tongs Show.
By the year 2000 success of remixes such as “There You Go” by Pink & “Glorious“Andreas Johnson cemented hani’s position as one of the top remixers in the US. Although he is increasingly well known by record labels with each project, Hani insists upon transforming tracks on his own initiative. His 2002 Beatles remix of “Eleanor Rigby” was so well done that Hani was complimented by Capitol Records executives personally, and was such an innovative idea that it was quick to be copied.
By 2003 Hani became one of the top electronic music producers & well known remixer to the stars. He went on to officially remix some of today’s top international artists. His phenomenal work on “Diary” by Alicia Keys earned him major respect from his peers & soared to the top of the dance charts. Alicia was not a fan of dance remixes. She turned down many attempts by several renowned remixers until she heard Hani’s work. Then came the famous “Cry Me A River” mix / mash-up for Justin Timberlake. This mix was played every hour on radio stations in New York, Miami & Los Angeles however, it never got an official release due to a sample clearance issue.
In 2004 Hani produced his third no:1 Billboard production “Foolish Mind Games” w/ vocalist Jason Walker (a cover of hani’s original work with Faith Trent currently on http://www.soteriosrecords.com
By 2005 Hani completed and released over 167 remixes! After ten years of producing & remixing for various labels, Hani decided to start his own record label to claim 100% of copyright ownership and publishing. He established Soterios Records in 2006 when downloading music from the Internet caused most major record companies to take a nose-dive in sales. Soterios is the portal to the many colors of Hani’s creative mind. It features his collaborative efforts with singers such as : Kristine W, Andrea Martin, Roland Clark & Virgin Killer. Hani writes, produces & programs almost 100% of his label’s releases under names such as : Jack Shaft, Miles Black Love, Extra Sauce & Ridikulous Kool. Soterios Records is currently on various online platforms including Beatport and iTunes.
Currently Hani is enjoying a second phase of creative energy and inspiration. “Middle of The Night” w/ Andrea Martin is currently receiving mega spins by deep UK & US djs. His latest Unauthorized mixes for Radiohead, Adele, Sade & Andrea Martin are receiving mega clicks on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/NumSound.
We have only scratched the surface of Hani’s accomplishments & talent. This legendary artist & his collaborations with high-calibers of the music industry worldwide established his name as ‘the one to look for’ when any artist wanted to take a hit song to the next level.

Remixography