The Mix 071: Hannah Laing

Queues of hungry ravers snaking around the streets of San Antonio isn't an unusual sight smack bang in the middle of the Ibiza clubbing season — it is unusual however, for hundreds to be nervously waiting to access to a Scottish-themed pub in the West End. The reason for the commotion is Hannah Laing - the DJ, producer, label head and current Monday night resident in Hï Ibiza's Club Room - who is returning to The Highlander Pub for a one-off set this summer. An emotional moment for the artist, who unexpectedly started her first residency on the island in this very pub when travelling out to do a workers season in 2014.

"It was mental. I went in and the atmosphere was just like I remembered it," Laing tells Mixmag a few days later. "You know what's crazy? Some of the staff that used to work there are still there, they were all dancing on the bar, it was like old times. Even the booth... it's like exactly the same. So weird, so good. Scottish people are mental and having that home comfort in Ibiza, DJing to the Scottish all the time". 

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While kicking off a residency at Hï alone would spell a huge year for any artist, Laing's 2025 has been a mammoth run. March saw her sell-out Manchester's 5000-capacity Factory International for a Teletech headline show, while last month marked her first-ever festival in her hometown Dundee: Doof in the Park – headlined by Laing, Armin van Buuren, Judge Jules and Fish56Octagon. For Laing, who has long-held a determination to pay tribute to the trance and hard house she was raised on as well as a devotion to Dundee and its sidelined electronic scene, it was a full circle moment. 

With her Hï Ibiza residency currently underway we caught up with Hannah Laing to talk about bringing Armin van Buuren to Dundee for Doof in the Park, finding an unlikely following in the hard techno-loving Teletech crowd, and her connection to her '90s raver parents. Listen to her mix and read the interview below. 

So, you're halfway through your residency at Hï Ibiza right now. How is that going? Does it feel like a full-circle moment, considering your career started with an Ibiza residency?

Yeah, 100%. It was 11 years ago that I came over to do my first season, and I wasn't expecting to DJ, I came over to work and party – as you do. Then I got a residency at The Highlander - a Scottish bar in San Antonio - it's always crazy in there, seven nights a week; I used to DJ in there five nights a week, on rotation, seven-hours a night. Even though it was only a bar, it felt like a mini club in there – I did that for three summers. I was actually living in The Highlander hostel at the time, too, sharing a room with like six people, but I was 18 at the time and I absolutely loved it. I would DJ all around the island just trying to get gigs, playing at O Beach, the bars in the West End, I played at Eden a few times and then. After all these years, coming back, doing a proper residency and being able to have my own place here — not sharing with 6 boys — it took so long for that to happen and now that it has, it's fucking amazing. I feel so grateful to have got to this point.

You just recently held your first-ever festival, Doof in the Park, in Dundee – where did the idea come from? Can you tell us about the process of bringing that to life?

When things started to take off for me in 2022, I started doing my own shows – smaller capacity headline shows, but it was building. I decided once a year, I would play in my home city. The last headline show I did at home was in 2024 at this venue in Dundee called Caird Hall, which holds around 1,600 people. I put it on sale and it went absolutely crazy, so I decided to do two dates there, then there were enough people on the waiting list to fill it around five times — so, after that, there's no other venues in Dundee big enough for that demand. It's obviously a great position to be in, so I was like: "What can we do next?", to let all these people see me perform.

I'd played at Camperdown Park at a festival years and years ago; someone had put on a one-off festival and unfortunately lost a lot of money on it. It was called Carnival 56. Then, again, I played Radio 1's Big Weekend when it came to Dundee - also at Camperdown Park- and I thought, it's just such a beautiful location for a festival, and I wanted to try and do something. We had conversations with a lot of promoters in Scotland to see who we could partner with. We really needed to work with trusted people to pull off a festival, especially in Dundee. I ended up working with EE Live, who run Terminal V, I'd played with them a few times and decided they were the best people to work on it.

Read this next: Exploring the outer reaches of Scotland's music scene

Is it important to you to nurture the scene in Dundee?

Definitely, we've lost so many clubs. We had one club which was called the Reading Rooms, it was really small capacity but loads of big DJs used to come and play there: Green Velvet, Eats Everything, Patrick Topping. Now we're left with nowhere, and Dundee really has that gap — there are so many hungry ravers in the city that maybe don't want to/can't afford to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow, where they need to get hotels and trains, etc. I think because I was a resident DJ in Dundee for years, that is really where it all started - where I started raving - it's really important for me to keep it my home city and give back and keep something alive there. Also, I have so much support there, and I have the most fun playing there — it's the entire atmosphere, everything. I feel so comfortable, I know what to play, and I know what everybody likes.

When it came to Doof in the Park, putting something on that scale, I knew it would be great for the local economy — but not to the level that it actually was. We got loads of statistics and stuff after it of what it actually brought into the city; it really did blow my mind; it exceeded all my expectations. So, it's been a huge thing, and the feedback has been incredible. We're gonna do it again next year, and I cannot wait.

How was it bringing the likes of Armin van Buuren and Judge Jules to Dundee for Doof in the Park?

You know, I always have a mixed crowd of younger and older people, mostly because I play a lot of that music that my mum and dad raised me on. And because nothing happens in Dundee, I knew all the older ravers would come [laughs]. So I had some trance and hard house legends, then a new wave of techno for the young people. But never in a million years did I think I was going to be able to get Armin. When you think of trance, you think of Armin. Now I'm like... who am I going to be next year? [laughs]. That being said, as much as I was extremely grateful to have him on, I spoke to him, and he said he was so nervous to play. He hadn't played in Scotland for years, and it was such a good opportunity for him to be able to introduce himself to my younger fans. All the older ones knew who he was, but the 18-23 year olds, they aren't completely aware of him. So, as much as I thought he was doing me a big favour, he found it just as beneficial. He's such a genuine guy. We're doing a track together, and we premiered it at Doof in the Park on stage. I'll never forget that moment. Standing on stage with him was mental.

While i'm sure it was a huge undertaking, did it feel like a massive pay off to see Doof in the Park come to fruition?

Yeah, I mean, as you said - the stress, I really don't think I knew what I was taking on. Of course, I was working with my team, but also the festival partners, but I love being across everything. I say I love it... I'm like my own worst enemy [laughs]. But, at the end of the day, it's not like a normal festival; it's my face and my brand everywhere. I don't even think I fully processed it when I was standing there on the day; it was really overwhelming. The night before the festival, I took all my friends and family to the site. It was the first time I'd really seen it, too - I'd been living in Ibiza, and I was getting my team to just fill me in on Zoom calls etc. But that night, everyone was crying, and it was just like... woah. I don't even think it was until a week or so afterwards that I fully processed it; the day itself was full on. It was mental. But watching the videos back afterwards, seeing the feedback, that's when I realised, like, oh shit... look what we've done.

You recently played at Tomorrowland for the first time on the Atmosphere Stage with Teletech — how was it to make your debut?

Yeah, I mean, I always watch Tomorrowland's livestreams every year, it's like the pinnacle for DJs. Even just going to experience the festival, I've always wanted to go, and it's pure impossible to get tickets [laughs]. But yeah, it was incredible to go and explore it and understand the culture of Tomorrowland, why it's so hyped up. It blew my mind. The attention to detail is like nothing else. Also, the Atmosphere Stage is a 360 arena, so before you go on, there's fans coming over to chat to you from Asia, Australia, the US - it reminds you that you do actually have fans from these places. Super grateful to Teletech for getting me on their stage, they've got a crazy crowd, them lot.

You also did a headline show with Teletech earlier this year at Manchester's Factory International right? Do you feel like part of the Teletech family now?

I think, at the start, people didn't really understand it. Teletech are known for hard techno, and don't get me wrong, I play a little softer, more multi-genre. But now I've been playing with them quite a lot, I think people get where I fit with them, and I've been absolutely loving the shows with them, they have such dedicated fans. Being able to play to crowds that are really into it, they are there from start to finish - it's a great community to be part of.

Is the reason its worked so well because the Teletech crowd are receptive then?

Yeah, I think when Teletech first started, the crowd was so open-minded, and as it grew and the younger fans came in, who maybe weren't as clued up, they maybe didn't understand — but as they experienced, heard it, then they got it. That Manchester show was one of my favourite shows this year, and I've got loads more shows with them coming up. 

Read this next: A techno obsession: Inside the hard, fast rise of Teletech

Do you think people underestimate you?

100%. I completely get it from their side, too, because I had 'Good Love' in the UK charts and that automatically makes people see you as a mainstream, commercial artist. But that record was made for the dancefloor, it's 140 BPM - it was never supposed to be in the charts. It was unheard of. People put you in one bracket, but I play trance, techno, hard house — I play it all. The more you push, the more you try to get people to understand that they respect you for it. It opens you up to so many different worlds. I play on so many different line-ups, I can play A State of Trance and Teletech, I fucking love it. It would be so boring if I just did the same thing all the time. When I'm preparing my sets, sometimes I'm like, how the fuck am I fitting all this stuff in [laughs], but I make it work.

As a female, working class artist on this level, it is frustrating not to really have a blueprint of how to do this?

Yeah, I mean, that's why I started Doof. When I first started with my management, they said, "what labels do you want to be on?" and I was like, I really don't know who is going to accept my music. In Scotland, people just call it "doof doof music," and doof can mean so many different things; it just means banging music. So by that definition, it gives me the freedom to release what I want and the platform to give upcoming artists - who don't know where they fit either - an opportunity to get their music out there.

So that's more of an advantage then for you? Working out your own way rather than trying to fit into a particular scene/genre?

Exactly, I like playing it all. I'd feel like I was missing out if I were just playing one particular thing. You can take people on a journey with different genres during a set. If people ask me what genre I play, I still don't even know... but it doesn't even matter, man [Laughs].

You just play banging music.

It's just tunes at the end of the day.

Is that what you'd want from a crowd to think about you?

Yes. When I play sets and I post them online, I always get so many people asking for IDs, and I love that, because it's clearly music that people haven't even heard. It's a good feeling to be able to introduce people, rather than just giving them what they already know.

In 2022, you signed to Patrick Topping's TRICK label, but you've mentioned that you grew up on old school trance and hard house. Do you think your sound has evolved since then? Or are you just returning to your roots?

I think when I signed with TRICK, the label was pushing a lot of hard house and, yeah my mum and dad were '90s ravers — they brought me up on classic trance and hard house. It worked really well with that EP, because it was hard house. There is still so much of both elements in my sound, but I think it's also got a lot harder and faster. If we're honest, every DJ on the planet right now's sound has jumped up a few BPM. But every track that I make is always influenced by the music I grew up on, even the techno that I'm making at the moment — I wouldn't even call it techno, to be honest, it's techno-inspired, there are techno-elements. But there are always nods to trance and hard house.  

So you've got a festival now, a label, a party, a UK Top 40 hit... what's the next move?

I want to take the festival elsewhere. You know, it was never on my agenda. I was always focused on Doof in the Park in Dundee. But as people have got in touch asking me to bring it here and there, my brain has started ticking. I'd obviously want to be very careful with it, I wouldn't want to go too big too quick. I've even had the offer to do two days in Dundee, but I'm keeping it one for now. But I do want to take it elsewhere.

Read this next: The history of the White Isle: How did Ibiza become a party island?

Would you be tempted to take it to Ibiza?

I think, if it was going to be in Ibiza, it would need to wait, there is so much competition on the island and you need to be super careful. It would need to be much smaller scale. I mean, I'm learning a lot doing my residency at Hï, but when you're up against the biggest DJs in the world, it is intense. That being said, my confidence is growing every week — this is obviously my first big residency, so you're obviously going to have that worry. Even playing on the same night at Ben Hemsley's residency at Ibiza Rocks, but i'm quite lucky that I'm opening myself to new audiences.

You supported Ben on tour when you were starting out, right? Is it strange now to be both on the island doing these residencies?

I loved his music style, and we work so well together. Now we're kind of on that same level, we always say we came up together, and we've done this journey together. We're always bigging each other up. So it's amazing to be in this position now.

What is coming up next for you?

I just released the first instalment of my trilogy of EPs this year, 'Into the Bounce'. This one is a techno-inspired EP, but there'll also be a trance EP and a hard house EP. For each genre, I'm collaborating with someone in that world — so I collaborated with Charlie Sparks and Shlømo on the techno EP and then on the trance EP, it's Armin van Buuren. Then on the hard house EP I'll be collaborating with BK. Being able to show all the different styles of music that I'm into was really important, so the trance EP will be next.

Can you tell us about your mix?

I’ve wanted to do a Mixmag mix for years, so I’m honestly buzzing to finally share this. It’s a proper high-energy ride through bouncy techno, trance, and hard house, with loads of nods to the '90s rave sounds I grew up on. It’s unapologetically fast, euphoric, and full of character - exactly the kind of set I’d want to be on the dancefloor for.

'Into the Bounce' is out now, get it here

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter

Tracklist:
Hannah Laing - Bass Boys
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Portex, Elixyr - Feel The Rush
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⁠Ben Gold, Superstrings - The Whip
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⁠Hyperlogic - Only me (Stimulant DJs remix)
⁠Marie Vaunt - That Acid
⁠Julian DJ & Davide Sonar - Go Go Go
⁠Hannah Laing & Charlie Sparks - Love Is A Drug
⁠Lilly Palmer & Mauro Picotto - Komodo
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Maddix, Space 92 - Rolling
Kidd Kaos - Shut The Club Down
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