Though raised only a short drive away from Detroit, Hila Lubman, better known as Hilu, has been calling Israel home since 2007. She’d always been drawn to electronic music, and would regularly go out to parties, but she didn’t try mixing it until 2015, when she discovered it was her “true means of self-expression,” she says. Since then, her relationship with it has changed—from that of a dedicated clubber, who would spend endless nights immersed in the sounds and atmospheres of The Block, Tel Aviv’s most famous club, among others, to one who would create them for herself. To do this, she relies heavily on her experiences watching artists like Honey Dijon and Raresh, who are among her favourites, and constantly digging to discover new sounds.

Fast forward to today, and Hilu is DJing all across Europe, while hosting her own events in Tel Aviv through Zaza Island, a female-led event series that has already hosted artists like Traumer and Francesco Del Garda in quirky venues like ancient theatres and pecan and orange fields, bringing European style events to the Middle East. Soon she’ll launch her record label of the same name.

For this week’s podcast, Hilu has delivered a live recording from the closing party at The Block, where she held a residency before it closed last year. It was a “super emotional event,” she recalls, and she stepped onto stage for the middle slot between 3 and 6 in the morning. As you’d expect, this part of the set is filled with deep and groovy minimal house tunes, coming from artists like Dana Ruh, Chaos In the CBD, and Steve O’Sullivan. Listen carefully, and you’ll also hear a rare remix of DJ Vasile by Rhadoo!

01. What have you been up to recently?
I’ve been putting a lot of effort into spreading my Zaza Island project together with my partner, Roni Amitai. This is a female-led brand which runs parties in Tel Aviv, and soon it’ll become a record label. Besides that, I’ve been studying to be a yoga teacher and I’m staying super dedicated to my practice.

02. Where and when did you record this mix?
Late August in 2022. It was recorded live at the closing party for The Block before they sadly shut down.

03. How did you go about choosing the tracks you’ve included?
It was a very spontaneous selection in the moment. Most of the tracks are more in touch with my “deeper” side as this was also the general guideline for the club. That’s also because the sound system was so good that you didn’t need much more to catch the crowd.

04. What’s next on your horizon?
Working on some Europe touring, studio time, and having Zaza Island break boundaries.

XLR8R Subscribers can download the podcast below. If you’re not an XLR8R subscriber, you can read more about it and subscribe here.

Tracklisting

01. Cojoc “Timeless” (Otaku Records)
02. Mario Liberti “Get Lost” (Piros)
03. Heerd “Hellrot” (Stomping Grounds)
04. Dana Ruh “Natural High” (RDV Music)
05. Politics of Dancing X Nail “Track 2” (P.O.D CROSS)
06. Robert James “Soundscaping” (Outright Records)
07. Morose “Holy Ghost” (Humboldt County Records)
08. Chaos In the CBD “Digital Sound” (In Dust We Trust)
09. Mariusz Kryska “Octopussy” (PURISM)
10. Steve O’Sullivan & Ben Buitendijk “Take it” (SUSHITECH)
11. Brako “001 Bandit” (Brako)
12. DJ Vasile (Rhadoo Edit) “Nu Vrei Sa Mergi Cu Noi” (Unreleased)
13. Neighborhood Watch Patrol “The Poon Street Boys” (Telomere Plastic)
14. Politics of Dancing (Mome Remix) “Robin Sucks” (Politics of Dancing Records)
15. 9th House “Keeping Me Up” (9th House)
16. Cosenza “Future Salad” (HOARDER Records)
17. Eric OS “Lost And Found” (Terrazzo)
18. Mehlor “Holster” (Jambutek Recordings)
19. Shonky “Kombattant” (Third Ear Recordings)
20. Mr. Ho + Mogwaa “Bail-E” (Klasse Wrecks)
21. Nebulaee “Xtraction” (PURISM)
22. REda daRE “Eraserheard” (PURISM)
23. Raymond Castoldi “Cycles Of Life” (X-Ray Records)
25. Steve Bug & Clé “Let It Go” (Bassmix) (Nu Groove Records)
16. Jimpster “Lightshine” (Suol)