I Hate Models: From Metal Fan to Hard Techno Icon
· re:union Radio editorial · 2 min read
I Hate Models shapes the hard techno scene like few others. Career, sound, and milestones of the French artist at a glance.
I Hate Models is one of the most defining names in current hard techno. Frenchman Guillaume Labadie, born 1995, has evolved from newcomer to one of the scene's most in-demand live acts since his 2015 debut – with a sound fusing industrial, EBM, and tech trance into a distinct, dark signature.
At a glance
- Real name: Guillaume Labadie, born June 8, 1995 in France
- Active since 2015, first single "Persephone"
- Debut EP "Warehouse Memories" (2016, label ARTS) featuring the track "Daydream"
- Own label "Disco Inferno", founded early 2021
From Metal Remixes to Own Sound
Labadie explains his artist name as a rejection of pigeonholing – a "loathing of models in the literal as well as the figurative sense," as his bio states. Musically, it all started with remixes of metal and punk tracks before he made the leap into the techno scene with the single "Persephone" in 2015. A year later came "Warehouse Memories" on the label ARTS, his first EP, still considered the starting point of his career.
Perc Trax and International Breakthrough
The next big step arrived in 2018 with the EP "Spreading Plague" on the London industrial techno label Perc Trax. The trade press took notice:
"His sounds become denser" – Tsugi on I Hate Models' development on Perc Trax
DJ Mag also praised both the main track and a remix by Perc himself. In June 2019, his first album "L'Âge des métamorphoses" – twelve tracks strong – appeared, also on Perc Trax. Resident Advisor reviewed the album with nuance:
"L'Âge Des Métamorphoses is only original when it's not just hammering into your skull" – Resident Advisor
Despite the critical notes, Mixmag named him one of the DJ discoveries of the year that same year.
Own Label and Big Stages
In 2020, I Hate Models performed alongside Anetha and Ascendant Vierge as part of the Possession collective for France Télévisions. Early 2021 saw the launch of his own label "Disco Inferno" and the parallel release of the EP "Disco Inferno 01". The stages grew larger: In March 2023, he opened the club Phantom beneath the Paris Accor Arena; early 2024, he played a full night at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon – the first act to do so in over two decades. A Shotgun study crowned him the most-streamed live act of Gen Z in January 2024 – ahead of Fred Again.
More on current releases from the hard techno sphere in our roundup of the best Hard Techno Releases 2026, and we took a closer look at the earlier Disco Inferno release "Daydream" in the EP feature.
FAQ
Who is behind I Hate Models?
Behind the pseudonym stands Frenchman Guillaume Labadie, born 1995, active since 2015, who also operates as a label boss with his own imprint Disco Inferno.
Which labels has I Hate Models released on?
His discography includes releases on ARTS, the London label Perc Trax, and his own label Disco Inferno, founded in 2021.
Source: Wikipedia – I Hate Models, accessed September 25, 2026
