He is definitely one of the hottest men behind the turntables, but don’t let his Latin good looks fool you as Hector Fonseca can spin & produce music with the best in the business & is at the top of his class. He has done remixes for some of the top record labels including Star 69, Nervous NYC, Tommy Boy and Chumbomundo to name a few. His recent remix of Beyonce’s “Best Thing I Never Had” reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart last week & he’s officially remixed Lady Gaga twice on her current album! He was voted Out Magazine’s hottest DJ in 2007 and was named best international DJ/Producer by EdgeOnTheNet.com. It was a pleasure to sit down with Hector for a Hotspots Exclusive interview.
For me it goes back to when I was a kid and we listened to vinyl records in our living room. However, professionally it started when I was modeling and going out a lot to clubs and I had a friend who was a well known DJ and I told him how much I loved house music. He showed me how to put together demo tapes and before I knew it I climbed up through the New York Club Scene. 2003 was when I started to get my original music out there & my career really started exploding.
What was your first residency?
My first gig was at Limelight; I was lucky enough to get a demo into Legendary NYC Promoter, Mark Berkley’s hands. My first residency was at Heaven in New York City.
You have played in all the major cities in the world, what’s your favorite and why?
Right now, I am really loving playing in Spain, Italy and Brazil. It’s hard to say one. Oh, Montreal also cause it’s a sexy city that loves house music. But I really love Miami because it’s the world’s beach playground and there are beautiful people everywhere that have a passion for nightlife.
Of all the gigs you have played, what has been your favorite?
There are 2 that immediately stand out. My Winter Party gig this past year; their Sunday night party at Cameo called “Carnival.” I enjoyed it because we collaborated about the theme, decor and my performance. Everyone was really excited about the new event andthere were over 2000 people….I was so satisfied with the turnout! I think we created a yearly tradition.The second one was two weekends ago in New York City at the Matinee party at District 36 as it was a similar experience to Winter Party. We were all there to have a great time & had a packed house till 8am in the morning.
What separates you from other DJs?
With me it’s always been about my original music and work ethic. Although popular now, when I started DJing, if you looked good it was looked down upon and I was an ex model so I had to work really hard to fight against that. It instilled a good work ethic in me and motivated me to put out a lot of records over the years.You are an in demand producer working with the likes of Katy Perry, Suzanne Palmer, Offer Nissim, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and many more.
Who was your favorite to work with?
I would say Lady Gaga, because she really stands for a lot and she is changing our generation. I got emails from teenagers who thanked me for remixing “Born This Way” and told me they were able to come out to their parents because of that song. Lady Gaga forces people to think and that’s great to be around.You have released 2 top selling CDs, how was that to make and how hard is it to be limited to a certain amount of tracks?
I feel like making CDs is showcasing my art form and I have a lot of ideas so it’s hard to hone down. It’s a very creative process for me. I am currently in production of the Matinee North America CD. I am putting together a number of original tracks with my personal touch.
Other then DJing, what do you like to do for fun?
I like playing Xbox Kinect. You don’t need a joystick, it reads your body. Specifically I was playing Wipeout on it just now. I also love the beach.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
That I am kind of an introvert. Being on stage is hard for me because I am not the kind of person that wants to be the center of attention. I love what I do but I am not only playing music, I am also stepping out of my shell when I DJ .
What does the future hold for Hector Fonseca?
I am thinking lots of big things. I have done a lot rather quickly, but I feel like I haven’t pushed myself yet so there is a lot more for me to accomplish. I recently met Kelis and Natasha Bedingfield and have discussed doing original tracks for them. I am also in the middle of mixing a track for Erika Jayne and I am sure I will mix again for Lady Gaga.
I also want to have music and social awareness come together. I think you can party and still fight for your rights at the same time!
I am also very proud of helping introduce the Spanish Brand Matinee to North America and I am looking forward to working with them more this year as the parties have become what I believe to be the hottest thing in the circuit scene.
As for the near future, I’m very excited about coming back to Score as it was the first place that I spun in Miami & will have a lot of great new stuff and remixes to debut there like my Official Remix of Lady Gaga’s “You and I”!
Catch this superstar spinner, whose looks are as hot as his beats, as he returns to Miami on Saturday, September 24th to spin at Bigger Saturdays at Score.
