HASKELL Talks “The Heat” and Reinventing Himself Through Music

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After dropping his latest single, “The Heat,” HASKELL stopped by to discuss the mindset driving his evolution from professional rugby player to electronic musician.

HASKELL is the type of artist who throws himself fully into everything he does. For more than a decade, he was a formidable force on the rugby pitch. Competing professionally for Wasps RFC and Northampton Saints in England, he has built a reputation for being relentless and precise. When he retired from professional sports in 2019, he carried that same work ethic and discipline into music. Discovering a new calling behind the decks, HASKELL shifted gears and channeled his competitive drive into building his career as a creator.

Nearly seven years later, HASKELL still catches some people off guard when they see him on stage. Yet his achievements in music speak for themselves. Since transitioning from rugby into the electronic scene, he has performed at renowned venues across the world, including Café Mambo Ibiza, Ibiza Rocks, Ministry of Sound, and Soho Garden in Dubai. His recordings have also found home on respected labels such as Toolroom Records, D4Dance, and Love Juice.

Beyond music, HASKELL has also established himself as an outspoken and charismatic media personality. Over the years, he has fronted several podcast series spanning comedy, sports, and music, including the comedy show Amuse Douche, his house music series Backrow Radio, and the popular sports podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, which he co-hosted alongside Sky presenter Alex Payne and former rugby union player Mike Tindall.

That same relentless drive continues to fuel HASKELL in the studio. This year alone, he has already delivered a string of high-energy releases, including “Ice,” “Magic Pills,” “Anthem,” and “Rasa,” proving his instinct for crafting records that make you move. His latest studio venture sees him partner with Slique on the fiery, new single “The Heat,” which landed on Stereohype. Packed with booming basslines and pounding rhythms, the track is a full-throttle weapon that captures the sheer rush and adrenaline of a runaway bullet train.

Amid an ever-growing list of projects, HASKELL took time to sit down with us to reflect on a career spanning professional sports, books, podcasting, and music. From his evolution as an artist to the inspiration behind his latest releases, he shed light on the mindset and ambition that continue to define everything he does. Read on to learn more about HASKELL.

Stream HASKELL – “The Heat” on Spotify:

What first pulled you toward DJing and production while you were still in professional sports, and at what point did it begin to feel like something you wanted to seriously pursue?

I started going to Ibiza and Vegas years ago, and I completely fell in love with the music, the atmosphere, and the whole scene. At the time, I was looking for something to really get stuck into outside rugby, something that could become a genuine passion and give me that same buzz of performance and creativity.

When I moved to New Zealand and was living in Dunedin, life was pretty quiet outside rugby. One of my teammates DJed and had some old Serato and Vestax gear back in the day. We used to go round to his place, mess around on the decks, play music, and I just became obsessed with it. What started as a bit of fun quickly turned into something much bigger.

I ended up doing a DJ course with a company called Subbase, and they offered the opportunity to play at Ministry of Sound if you were good enough. I got the chance to play back-to-back with another guy there, and honestly, from that moment, I was addicted.

It gave me the same feeling I used to get from playing rugby in front of crowds. It became the perfect replacement for that competitive energy and performance side of my life. The fact that it could eventually become something commercial and sustainable as well made it even more exciting. I’ve now been doing it for around 13 years, and I still absolutely love it.

You have now built careers across sports, broadcasting, podcasting, and music. Between touring, content, podcasts, and studio time, what do your creative process and day-to-day routine look like?

My creative process is quite unusual because I wear so many different hats. Music is massively important to me, and it is probably my biggest passion creatively, but balancing everything can be difficult.

What I try to do is use whatever downtime I have to sketch out ideas and build grooves, vocals, concepts, or arrangements. Then I’ll sit with an engineer or collaborator and properly build tracks out. Sometimes we’ll finish two or three records in a day because I’ve already laid most of the foundations myself beforehand.

The difficult part is always time management. There are moments where other work commitments become more pressing, whether that’s podcasts, television, business, touring, or family life. But I’ve actually got a huge amount of finished music ready to go, so creatively, I’m in a really strong place.

You have also been very open online about reinvention, public perception, and starting over in a completely different industry. How has entering the dance music world shaped the way people understand or respond to you now?

Breaking into the dance music world has definitely been challenging. Acceptance takes time. I still think there are loads of people who don’t even realize I DJ or produce music seriously. I’ll turn up at events and people will ask, “What are you doing here?” and I’ll say, “I’m DJing.” They’re genuinely surprised. I think people now realize this isn’t a novelty project or a hobby anymore. I’m over 30 releases deep now, and I take it very seriously.

At the same time, having a public profile across lots of different industries does make things harder. If I only did one thing, it would probably be much easier from a branding perspective. But I’ve always been someone who enjoys creating and pushing myself in different areas. I write books, do podcasts, work in television, I’m developing stand-up comedy, I’ve got gin and tequila businesses, production projects, and obviously, being a dad is the most important role of all. Sometimes all those things compete for attention.

At this point, your audience spans rugby fans, podcast listeners and dedicated dance music crowds. How do those different audiences intersect, and what have you learned about navigating those different sides of your public identity?

There’s definitely a crossover between sport and music. Some of my audience are older rugby fans who probably do not fully understand the dance scene, but equally, a lot of them are old school rave heads and absolutely love it. There are loads of intersections there, which is really interesting.

Let’s talk about your new single, “The Heat.” The track feels darker, heavier and more intense than some of your previous releases. What feeling were you and Silque trying to create when you first started working on the record?

Whenever I make music, I’m always thinking about where it fits in a DJ set. I’m imagining the energy, the crowd reaction, the moment in the room, and who could potentially play it.

With “The Heat,” the vision was always to make a peak-time weapon. I wanted something bold, memorable, energetic, and confident. As we built the record, it became obvious that James Hype‘s StereoHype were the perfect home for it. It sounds like something James would play in his sets and something that fits the identity of the label really naturally. That bigger, punchier energy was exactly what I wanted to lean into.

For me, “The Heat” is a massive milestone because releasing it on StereoHype means a lot. James Hype has done so much for modern DJ culture and really showcased the technical skill and showmanship side of DJing to a huge audience. To be involved with that world is really exciting.

Over the years, you have released music across a wide range of respected house and techno labels while steadily refining your sound. Where does “The Heat” fit into your broader evolution as a producer, and what does it say about where you are creatively right now?

As a producer, evolution is constant. The difficult thing now is that there is so much music everywhere that it’s very easy to get distracted. You hear someone else doing something incredible, and suddenly, you think maybe you should move in that direction creatively. But I think you have to stay in your lane and trust your instincts. For me personally, those bigger peak time records are where I naturally belong because they are the tracks I genuinely want to play. They fit my personality and the kind of energy I bring to a set.

You have built a substantial catalog of singles over the past few years. Are you thinking about the idea of a larger body of work at this stage, whether that takes the form of an EP, mixtape, or full-length project?

I’ve released EPs before, but I do think sometimes the second track on an EP can get lost a little bit, which is frustrating. I would absolutely love to make a full album at some point. Realistically, I could probably put one together now with the amount of finished music I have.

But for me, an album needs a narrative and a proper story behind it. It has to feel cohesive and meaningful rather than just being a collection of tracks. At the moment, singles still make the most sense strategically because they allow you to focus all the energy around one record at a time.

Finally, as you look ahead a year, where are you most interested in focusing your energy across touring, broadcasting, content, and music production? What feels most exciting to you creatively right now?

Looking ahead, loads are happening. I’ve got two shows in the Carl Cox universe coming up in August and September, which I’m massively excited about. I’m also headlining a show at the castle in Dubrovnik, which is going to be unbelievable. Outside music, I’m working on a stand-up tour, and we’re launching a tequila brand, which is next-level exciting as well.

But music and DJing underpin everything I do creatively. That is the real passion and the thing that genuinely drives me every day. I’ve got a lot more music coming between now and December, so this is really just the beginning.