A true icon of the contemporary techno scene, I Hate Models rejects genre labels and clichés of any kind. He creates a sound that is both violent and tender, destructive and cathartic. Like an emotional alchemist, he uses techno, trance, and industrial merely as raw materials to forge deeply personal narratives – brutal, fragile, and always authentic. His tracks defy linearity – energy can erupt in an instant and then collapse into introspective silence, without rules or warning. For I Hate Models, rebellion is the essence of musical expression; it’s resistance against anything that limits or confines.
Guillaume Labadie, known on the techno scene as I Hate Models, is a French producer and DJ who did not wait for the pandemic to embrace the mask that has become his signature, adding authenticity and a layer of mystique to his persona.
He launched his career under the pseudonym in 2015, releasing his debut track “Persephone.” Just a year later, he dropped his first EP, “Warehouse Memories.” The labels T/W/B, Voitax, and Pls.uk played a key role in shaping his genre-fluid sound. On Voitax, he released “Absolution XXL,” an EP steeped in the brutality of industrial techno but also marked by moments of introspective melody, now a defining element of his work. On T/W/B, tracks like “State of Control” and “Totsuka No Tsurugi” further cemented his reputation as a producer who merges aggression and euphoria within a single release.
The tracks “Toro” and “Daydream” rank among his most recognizable, racking up millions of streams across all major platforms. While the former leans dark, the latter reveals a nostalgic, introspective side, a contrast that is central to his artistic signature. The track “Intergalactic Emotional Breakdown” even became the soundtrack for a Prada Men’s runway show in Milan, highlighting the growing crossover between fashion and the electronic scene. Though his stage name might sound provocative in the context of fashion, it’s not aimed at the fashion world, but intended as a rejection of rigid patterns and genre “models” within electronic music.
View this post on Instagram
I Hate Models’ debut album “L’Âge Des Métamorphoses,” released in 2019, laid the foundation for his artistic direction. Just a year later, he became the central figure behind his own label, Disco Inferno. The first EP on the label, “Disco Inferno 01,” opened the door to his signature fusion of brutality and tenderness, industrial and melody.
With his second album, “Forever Melancholia” (2024), I Hate Models delves even deeper into the introspective layers of his artistic identity. The album plays like a melancholic diary written in techno rhythms, a journey through emotions that are both vulnerable and explosive. Through this narrative format, he explores the tension between ecstasy and sorrow, nostalgia and pain, constantly shifting between melodic lines and sharp, pounding beats in moments of self-reflection. Compared to his previous work, this latest album is a more mature and cohesive achievement, reaffirming his status as one of the most compelling artists on the contemporary electronic music scene.
Over the past few years, I Hate Models has performed at some of the world’s most iconic festivals, clubs, and even stadiums. His performance last year at the legendary GelreDome stadium in the Netherlands drew a crowd of 30,000 people. He also left a strong impression at the recent EDC in Las Vegas, where he joined forces with fellow techno heavyweight Nico Moreno in a back-to-back set performed in front of 50,000 fans.
View this post on Instagram
At EXIT Festival’s Dance Arena last year, he delivered one of the most intense and playful sets of the entire event, taking full command of the rhythm and showing the Petrovaradin Fortress crowd exactly why his sound has become one of the defining voices of today’s scene.
View this post on Instagram
I Hate Models has also proven himself a creative force beyond music with a short film “Requiem for Synths,” a hybrid of documentary and performance art. Set in a dystopian atmosphere, the film follows a masked DJ as he navigates the chaos of an urban landscape marked by political tensions in the streets of New York.
I Hate Models is set to perform at the 25th edition of the EXIT Festival on Friday, July 11, immediately following the legendary electro-punk group The Prodigy. His set will be part of the premiere of the “Rebel Rave” program concept on the festival’s Main Stage, also featuring Lorenzo Raganzini and Paolo Ferrara, the Italian metal-influenced duo presenting their final exclusive b2b set, along with a special appearance by Trym.
