Tommy Hart : The Sound Stud
With roots in New York's Brooklyn house music scene, Tommy Hart has made Mexico City his home base — and found that the city's balance of chaos and control has made him a better artist. Between a residency at [sic] and producing his own parties, he's built something real in the underground scene there, learning along the way that the most meaningful moments in nightlife are often the ones you can't replicate. He takes the music seriously, but wears his warmth openly — a genuinely rare thing in a world that sometimes confuses cool with cold. Funny, self-aware, and quietly grounded, this is someone who has figured out that doing the work with honesty and humility is its own kind of flex.
HOLD - Your roots are in New York — Brooklyn house music, the energy of the city — but you're now based in CDMX. What was the moment you realized Mexico City could actually be a home base for the kind of DJ you want to be, not just a stop along the way?
TOMMY - New York molded me and will always inform how I view the world, but I approach my work as an artist through the lens of Mexico City. I like to view the balance of chaos and control here as the relationship between house and techno, one melding into the other, often indistinguishable. Embracing the things that don’t make sense to me instead of fighting them keeps my heart and my mind open, and that makes me feel more in tune with the city. It’s a daily practice.
H - You hold a residency at [sic] and produce your own parties — what does it mean to you to be building infrastructure for the scene there?
T - I am a small cog in the underground machine in Mexico. Playing at [sic] twice a month when it opened in 2021 gave me a ton of experience and helped me develop as an artist. It was pivotal for me to have that sense of belonging. When I threw my own party from 2024-2025, I was tied to this idea that if I wasn’t producing a monthly or weekly event, or didn’t have some sort of consistent “product” to prove that I was working, then projects weren’t worth pursuing at all. Now I look back at some of the best parties or my proudest moments, and they were really ephemeral, had-to-be-there type of things that weren’t replicated again. I’ve found the value and the beauty in that over time that feels like a departure from the capitalist ethos of New York.
H - You've played all over the world. What's the most chaotic thing that's ever happened mid-set, and how did you recover?
T - I was staying with a friend in LA, snacking a bit and picking at food in his pantry while preparing music and sending in guest list for the party that night. A few hours later, I started feeling really off in the middle of my set, my heart racing, eyes unable to focus, and I was really sensitive to the flashing lights—I thought I was having a seizure. Luckily I was playing back to back with another dj, so I took a moment to lay down backstage and regain my composure while he continued the set, but it felt like things were getting worse. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had unknowingly eaten close to 100mg of weed gummies that were in an unmarked bag in the pantry next to some Sour Patch Kids…there was no recovering from that. My friend drove me home and I slept for 30 hours straight while the edibles wore off. I was so embarrassed.
H - You've said you don't love being in front of the camera — but you're clearly a natural at it. How do you snap into that ease so easily?
T - I come from a theatre background and I’m a people-pleaser, so I can turn it on when I get into character. But it’s not easy being constantly perceived.
H - You have this warmth about you — genuinely friendly and open, inside the booth and out in the room — which honestly isn't a given in nightlife. Where does that come from, and do you ever feel like it goes against the grain of a scene that can sometimes take itself very seriously?
T - Don’t get me wrong, I take my work very seriously. But I view the music as a source of connection, so when I approach the booth with humility and honesty, set my ego aside, and let the music breathe, the pathways are wide open to give and receive. The music has been good to me, and I am so lucky to do what I do. There are a lot of characters in the industry, but it has never once hurt me to be kind. And if other people don't see the vision, or feel intimidated by my light, I keep it moving. I don't dwell on it. The work speaks for itself. Then when I’m in the club, I just try to be the friend I would want to have, and be the artist I would want to work with, treating other people the way I want to be treated—groundbreaking stuff. For some reason people are always surprised to find that I’m not an asshole.
H - Where do you actually want to be in five years — not the bookings, not the cities — but what does the version of this that feels most meaningful look like to you?
T - I try to stand by every decision I make. My life is a series of my choices and I have very few regrets so far. The older I get, the more I know myself, and listening to that voice hasn’t led me astray.HOLD - You are such a go getter and always down for a gig, what drives you?
