Check Out Hubal Al-Hirsh’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hubal Al-Hirsh.

Hi Hubal, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been in love with music. As a kid I used to mess around with a audio editing software called Audacity, and I would make my own mashups. I was completely unaware that I was “mixing” music.

In 2023, I went to Chicago to see DJ Nanoos for a queer Arab dance party. We didn’t have a queer Arab scene in Cincinnati at all, so this was a dream come true. My cousins and best friends were with me. We looked around the party and every single person was queer and Arab. We met so many people who followed the same path as us, as if I saw myself in the future. We all were getting emotional, and then and there I decided that I was going to introduce this scene to Cincinnati and follow my dreams of working in music. About six months into being a “Spotify DJ”, I began to learn how to mix.

June 29, 2024 I opened for DJ Boywife for BRAT Night at Alice OTR. This was the first set I was debuting that I crafted, and I was so nervous I was shaking. Everyone absolutely loved it, and the rest is history. That set was recorded and is still on my SoundCloud, I’m really proud of myself for that being my debut. It was really good.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Learning how to mix was definitely a learning curve. Above all else, the issues I struggled with the most were internal. I would be so nervous I would start to shake. I would be mixing something really good and realizing that I was creating an insane moment for those on the dance floor, and I would start to shake. It’s as if I was realizing that I was accomplishing my goals and dreams in that very moment instead of realizing it later. We’ve got a good grasp on it now, I’m a lot less nervous.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When you go to a HUBAL event, you’re witnessing a collection of fluidity, both in the music and the people. My events are a safe space, where you can release all pressures building inside you in the form of dance. When I’m mixing, I don’t think of anything else. It’s the music and I. I don’t leave to use the restroom, I don’t leave to get a drink, I don’t leave at all. It’s that board and I dancing through the night.

What sets me apart from others is that I am mixing Arabic and English music, with the exception of Spanish and French. What I’ve found out is that there IS a queer arab community here. It’s small, but it’s there. I met them through my sets, and I love seeing the joy light up their faces as I play their favorite Haifa Wehbe song. I love playing what others haven’t heard, I love setting up sick transitions and seeing what I can do. 95% of what I’m mixing now is “freestyled”, so there are times where I shock myself. Arabs have had a shadow casted on them for a long time. I’m not having it. We are beautiful people with beautiful cultures. We’re responsible for so many resources the earth uses: numbers, coffee, algebra, surgery, the clock, etc. and we deserve more recognition everywhere. Colonization has taught the world to shut people of color up and erase our history. I am that voice and I’m not going anywhere.

How do you think about luck?
None. The connections I have built, the skills I’ve rehearsed, the music I have made, it was all from hard work and networking. I used to be significantly more shy than I am now. Talking to new people was nerve-wracking. Word to my therapist, because now it’s a breeze. Meeting people is exciting and fun. Networking with people on events to plan in the future has created so many unforgettable moments in the one year of me DJing professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/djhubal
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djhubal?igsh=MmF2cDNpYzBvMG9m
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/BmHHGlvKNzDMPydqIq