We kick off a new year and a new decade with a mix from Varhat, one of Vincent Lubelli’s many hats, and the one he uses to DJ. Besides his work as co-founder of Yoyaku, the Parisian record store, booking agency, and distributor, Lubelli also releases as Niwa Tatsui, Vincen, YYY, Volière, and Hostom, the mystical alias, not yet officially linked to Lubelli, with intermittent releases on the label of the same name. Each EP sells out in weeks. As Vincen, Lubelli is also the in-house mastering engineer for the plethora of labels that operate under the Yoyaku umbrella.

A lot has happened since XLR8R profiled Lubelli in 2016. At that point, Lubelli, then 24, was still residing in Strasbourg, located in the northeastern region of France, where he met Benjamin Belaga, with whom he runs Yoyaku, then a fledgling record store with big ambitions. His early releases as Hostom, which began in 2015 and were strongly linked to him, and several outings as Varhat at the beginning of 2016, saw his name and his work become a hot topic of conversation among the slick minimal techno parties that anchor his sound. His releases received international attention and proved especially popular down in Bucharest, Romania, then a global focal point for his aesthetics, yet nothing was known about him or the processes behind his work. He was then contemplating a move to Paris and only really beginning to tour; when we first met him, he’d just been booked to play his first set at Club der Visionaere, drawing a big crowd in the process, many popping in to see what all the fuss was all about.

Fast-forward to today, and Lubelli is now a seasoned artist and a spearhead in a rich time for French minimal house. The young boy we first met, who spoke only broken English and still appeared a little dumbfounded as to why so many people wanted to hear his music, has been replaced with an artist now confident in his success and with a much clearer artistic vision. While releases were once fast and frequent, they’re now much more considered, much of them aimed at building relationships with other artists. He now calls Paris home and has spent the last few years building his studio in the French capital, all the while touring each weekend through Europe. Yoyaku, meanwhile, has become a linchpin of the minimal house scene, now representing the likes of Maayan Nidam, Thomas Melchior, Audio Werner, and a contingent of Lubelli’s French friends.

Lubelli’s XLR8R podcast is filled with the sort of smooth and silky house he produces, and it may well be widely his music; he’s opted not to disclose the tracklisting. He recorded a set for us in his studio but opted instead to deliver an hour-long segment from the early hours of a recent all-night set at Fuse Brussels. It’s testament to his maturing skills as a DJ, as he begins with some easy listening groove before really kicking things off towards the end. He describes the night as a highlight of his 2018, and wanted to share a segment of it as we turn in the decade. Press play for one hour of laidback groove from Vincent Lubelli.

Varhat is playing this year’s Epizode Festival, taking place in Phu Quoc, Vietnam over the next week. More information on the annual event, also featuring Alci, Cabanne, Janeret, and more, can be found here.

What have you been up to recently?

The last two years I moved to Paris, France with my girlfriend, and I’ve been taking time to set up my new studio. Recently, I have been spending a lot of time also in our record store and hanging around with friends and our team in Paris.

How are you balancing life on the road with your studio-time?

Lately I haven’t had much time in the studio because of gigs and tours, but on the other hand, when you travel you meet a lot about people, inspiration comes from this as well.

Can we expect an album anytime soon?

I’ve been working on it since last year but I don’t want to hurry. Even if it takes several years to do it, I will take my time. It’s really important for me to be satisfied with the final result.

What’s going on with Hostom at the moment?

Too much melatonin.

Which new(ish) artist are impressing you with their productions at the moment?

At the moment, IWOU, Italian artists who are are making good music. I plan to release many of their tracks. They are productive and have a specific sound, and they are also nice guys, humble, and sensitive.

I also recently met in Berlin Omer (O.BEE). I was really touched by his personality. He sent me some great music, that he produced himself and upcoming releases on his label. The world pushes us to be strong, so I have more pleasure connecting with emotional people.

Name a record that you just cannot put down at the moment.

Ricardo Villalobos’ remix of DJ Pierre’s “What Is House Muzik” is probably a track that influences me in my productions at the moment. Last summer in Ibiza, Arno (a.k.a Einzelkind) played it at a chill out after party. I hadn’t listened to it for a while and we listened to the 32-minute track and it was a most beautiful journey. The place and the people around gave the best atmosphere for this music.

When and where did you record this mix?

It’s an hour cut of an all night long set I played at Fuse Brussels.

What’s on the horizon for 2020?

Personally, still working on making music. Now I feel better and better in my new studio. The are also different artists with whom I am getting closer and we expect to make different collaborations. With Yoyaku, I plan to continue working with our lovely and passionate team, and I will definitely buy an alarm clock to wake up Hostom!

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.