HATIHATI, the collaborative project of Bart Demey and Tania Gallagher, has evolved through years of experimentation across electronic music, performance, and fashion. Known for working under shifting aliases and developing interdisciplinary work, the duo has built a practice rooted in exploration, movement, and long-term creative exchange.
Photo credit: HATIHATI – Official
Now stepping into a new phase, they present their debut on DEEWEE with the two-track EP ‘Whip It / Head’, co-produced with David and Stephen Dewaele. The release captures their approach to sound design and composition, shaped by an ongoing process of building and refining their own sonic language.
In this conversation, HATIHATI open up about their latest release, their connection with DEEWEE, and the ideas driving their creative process.
EG: Hi, Tania! Hi, Bart! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been doing?
HATIHATI: We’ve been good, thank you.
EG: First of all, congratulations on the release of your new two-track EP, ‘Whip It / Head’. You must be thrilled to be able to share this one. What has the initial reception been like so far?
Tania: We’ve been a bit dazzled by how both tracks have been received equally well. There’s been strong DJ support, and we’ve had nods from people like Boys Noize, Tiga, and Ewan Pearson. Yesterday I woke up, checked my iPad, and saw that The Chemical Brothers had liked a post on our Instagram. Two weeks ago, just before the record came out, we googled it and we landed on Whip It, a website for a cooking brand.
EG: So, what can fans expect to find on this one? How would you describe this pair of tracks?
Bart: Both ‘Head’ and ‘Whip It’ share the same DNA, but they’re quite different in how they unfold. One is short and slow, while the other is more of a longer shapeshifting track that keeps on building. More like a kaleidoscope kind of vibe. ‘Whip’ It was described on BBC 6 Music as “slowed-down hyperpop,” which was a description we quite liked. We like being right on the edge of hyperpop, electro, and industrial. It should hit, but still have a certain pop sensibility about it. Like any music, if it hits you, you feel it immediately.
Tania: Was it Frank Zappa who said talking about music is like dancing about architecture?
EG: This EP also signals your debut on Soulwax/2manydjs’ DEEWEE imprint. What does this mean to you? How did your relationship with the label come about?
Tania: It feels good that the DEEWEE label is in essence a bit like a small family. We’ve known each other for a while—Steph and Dave have been supportive of our other projects. One of our tracks ended up in their ‘Under The Covers mix’, so the connection grew quite naturally. During the pandemic, we started talking about making something together. We sent some music, which turned into a small SoundCloud exchange, and later we had a first listening session in the studio where we even outlined a rough tracklist.
Bart: What also helps is that DEEWEE, apart from being a label, is also a physical place. You can sit there and suddenly you’re talking to someone about music, or architecture, or some obscure experimental film from the ’70s.
“We are inspired by all forms of art—music, painting, sculpture, fashion, architecture, performance. Nature is also important to us”
EG: Now, back to your origins… When and how did you guys first connect? Was the idea for HATIHATI always there?
Tania: I used to be in different bands and Bart had a solo project, which I did some vocals for. At one point we started a performance collective, combining music, art, and performance. From there, we more or less stayed together musically but shifted into different aliases. We became collectors of aliases, but over time they stopped being separate projects and became part of the same universe.
Bart: The beginnings of HATIHATI came out of a sound library we started building during the pandemic. We were in a village in the south of Crete, and as an exercise we began building sounds from scratch, using synthesis instead of sampling. At some point, the library became large enough to serve as the foundation for a new project.
EG: You’ve also worked across theatre, performance, and fashion. How do these disciplines influence your music?
Tania: We are inspired by all forms of art—music, painting, sculpture, fashion, architecture, performance. Nature is also important to us. It’s rarely direct inspiration, but rather how things stay with you and shape how you feel. All these influences feed into the same aesthetic, even if the context changes.
EG: What would you like to accomplish this year?
Bart: We are focused on finishing our album and developing our live show. We feel our music works best when experienced together with other people.
“We like being right on the edge of hyperpop, electro, and industrial”
EG: What challenges do artists face today?
Tania: It’s difficult for independent artists to cut through the noise. Social media creates pressure to constantly share. We appreciate artists who build worlds and leave space for interpretation, rather than over-explaining everything.
EG: What’s next for HATIHATI?
Bart: We have some things lined up that we can’t talk about yet, but they’ll be revealed in time.
EG: Thank you for your time.
HATIHATI: Thanks for having us, it was a pleasure.
HATIHATI’s ‘Whip It / Head’ is out now on DEEWEE. Stream and download here.
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