Rising house duo HILLS explains the origins of their project, how they collaborate remotely, support from major labels, and more.
Since debuting on Repopulate Mars just last year, duo HILLS have been on a fast rise through the tech house scene. The project has quickly gained traction with tunes that have landed on labels like FISHER’s Catch & Release, a recent release on Gorgon City’s REALM, and millions of views across their social media channels.
A gritty rework of Tyga’s “Rack City” sees them return to Repopulate Mars with a bass-heavy weapon that’s been getting traction in DJ sets and playlists. It’s a full-circle moment for HILLS, who credits Lee Foss and the label for being the first to believe in their vision.
Despite living in different cities, the duo has built a strong creative rhythm by sending demos back and forth and honing a darker, groove-driven sound that feels uniquely theirs. We caught up with HILLS to talk about the new single, their collaboration process, and what’s ahead. Listen to “Rack City” and read on for the full conversation.
Stream HILLS – Rack City on Spotify
Thank you so much for joining me today, let’s get into it. How did you both decide to form Hills? Why a new project instead of keeping what you were doing before?
Thank you for having us! We had been working on a lot of music that just started taking shape and was much different than anything we had done in the past. After a while, we realized we needed to do something with it, put a new focus and a path forward for not only ourselves but also the music. It started to take on its own life, so we wanted to give it some room to do its thing and for people to hear it.
Can you share what the collaboration process is like between the two of you?
Yeah, so we actually live in different cities, so for us, it’s a lot of sending back and forth. We have connected the dots on the sound and style of music we want to focus on so we agree a lot on what things need to sound and be like. We send ideas to each other multiple times a day, and we go through them and pick the best few demos out of the bunch so we can focus on what we think are our best ideas. We’ve found the sound we love so there are many ideas flowing daily for us! [Laughs]
What inspired or influenced the shift towards a darker, tech house sound?
This is a tough question I’m not sure there was a moment we decided this is the style we want to go for, it was more of we had started making music and realized they all kind of started to fit in this “darker tech” lane. I think it was natural, and we recognized right away that all the songs had a similar sound, and we were just letting the music lead us. So, for what exactly it was that inspired this sound, I’m not too sure. It’s just where our creative process was going, and we are just following the natural progression of the project.
The recent release on Repopulate Mars, “Rack City,” is big. Can you share the story behind this one? How have you liked the response so far?
Well, thank you for those kind words! Yes, so I remember one of us sent it over and was like, “Has anyone flipped this before? The bassline is perfect,” [Laughs] So we got right to work on the track and just really loved how it was flowing. Sometimes, when you go to try and re-work those big records, you find out instantly if it will work or not, and this one for us was working right away. We wanted the bass and vocal to drive the track with nice accents here and there but rely heavily on the groove and vocal. The response has been great so far. We’ve gotten a lot of love on Spotify, Apple, etc, and feel very blessed that people are enjoying it!
What has it been like to work with labels like Repopulate Mars and Catch & Release?
We couldn’t ask for better partners on this music we are making. It’s great to have a label like Repopulate Mars, Catch and Release, etc., trust our vision and give us the support to execute our ideas. It has been incredible to work with them.
Social media plays a huge role in the success of artists in the current era. How have these platforms helped you build a fanbase?
Instagram has been huge for us. It’s where we first introduced Hills. We’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to get our music to as many people as possible, and the support we’ve gotten from our followers has been incredible. We feel like we’re building a real family, and we try to give back as much as possible. It helped us grow exponentially, we put a lot of time and effort into the content so its nice to see results of that hard work turning into a dedicated fan base that we are so grateful to be building.
What motivated you to launch your own radio show?
It’s another tool for us to give back to the people who have been supporting us. At the end of your week, it’s nice to know you have an hour or two of new bangers to jam with your friends or while you’re out or pre-gaming, whatever! It’s fun to make, and it’s also a great way for us to go through all the new music coming out and hear some songs that maybe you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Looking ahead, where do you see Hills evolving in the next few years, and what projects are you most excited about? Any exciting collaborations or shows you’re playing soon?
We’re very excited about a lot of things coming up. I think mostly excited to be playing more and more shows. Getting to travel and play this music live will be a dream for us. We have tons of music on the way as well as some collaborations that we will be able to speak more on later. But you can for sure count on tons of shows and music coming from us!
