I Hate Models: The Mask Behind the Dark Techno Myth
· re:union Radio editorial · 2 min read
I Hate Models, aka Guillaume Labadie, has been shaping the dark techno underground since 2015 – anonymous, masked, and consistently unique.
I Hate Models is one of the defining names in the dark techno underground, yet the public never gets to see his face. Behind the project is French producer Guillaume Labadie, born on June 8, 1995, who consistently remains masked during performances.
At a glance
- Artist: Guillaume Labadie, aka I Hate Models, born 1995 in France
- Career start: 2015 with the single "Persephone"
- Debut album: L'Âge des métamorphoses (2019, Perc Trax)
- Own label: Disco Inferno, founded 2021
Rejecting Categories as a Program
His artist name is a statement: I Hate Models stands for an aversion to fixed genre models and categorizations. Musically, he moves between techno, synthwave, trance, and industrial – his productions are often compared to the rave culture of the early 1990s and thematically cover a spectrum from nostalgia and passion to loneliness, melancholy, and brutality.
Early Years and the Road to the Album
After starting in 2015, I Hate Models released early EPs between 2016 and 2018, including on the ARTS label. In 2019, his debut album L'Âge des métamorphoses followed on Perc Trax, and in the same year, he was nominated by Mixmag as DJ Revelation of the Year.
From Underground to Established Name
In 2021, I Hate Models founded his own label, Disco Inferno. In 2023, he headlined at the Parisian club Phantom, and in 2024, the EP Forever Melancholia was released – proof of how much this initially anonymous underground project has established itself in the scene.
If you're interested in the current dark techno landscape, you'll find further classifications in our overview of current hard techno releases and in the portrait of Kobosil on Ostgut Ton.
FAQ
Who is behind I Hate Models?
Behind the project is French producer Guillaume Labadie, born in 1995, who has been active since 2015 and performs publicly masked.
On which label was the debut album released?
The debut album L'Âge des métamorphoses was released in 2019 on the Perc Trax label.
Source: Wikipedia: I Hate Models
