Lisbon-based producer Hugo Cantarra continues to blur the line between club culture and social impact. Releasing Your Eyes today on Insomniac’s Interstellar Recordings alongside Boston duo Warung, the French artist presents a track that unites his melodic house signature with a wider purpose. Rather than chasing streams or trends, Cantarra has built a model that transforms music into educational opportunities, earning support from names like Adriatique, Camelphat, Blond:ish, and Kevin De Vries while steadily shaping his own identity.
We spoke with Cantarra about this new chapter, one that connects his Together We’re Louder foundation with his artistic output. Having already funnelled streaming success into schools and supplies across several countries, he is now completing a residential education centre in Togo. “I just wanted them to groove to it the way a good club record should,” he explains of Your Eyes, a release that captures both his sound and his commitment to building something that lasts beyond the dancefloor.
Your debut on Interstellar Recordings with Your Eyes alongside Warung is now out for the world to hear. How did this collaboration first take shape, and what excites you most about finally sharing it?
I've been following Warung's work for a while, and we started chatting and exchanging ideas. They sent me a demo with the vocal for Your Eyes, which I loved, so I jumped on it! I'm excited to release it because I feel like I'm back with a fresh sound in my music after taking two months off from production. It feels good to stop and reflect sometimes!
What drew you to Insomniac's growing Interstellar imprint for this release, and how does it feel to join a label known for championing forward-thinking sounds in melodic house?
I'm happy to finally make it onto Interstellar since it's been a label to watch for a while now, and I see an avant-garde sound in their releases. I'm also happy to break into the American market, as this is one of my first releases on a US-based label.
When listeners press play on Your Eyes on September 26th, what's the first emotion or state of mind you hope the track conveys?
Indie house is my sound; that's my recipe. I've been refining this blend over time, and now it feels like I'm coming back musically to my roots from when I started DJing nineteen years ago. I'm excited about the music I have lined up for this year! With this song, I didn't actually have a specific emotion in mind for listeners to feel, but I just wanted them to groove to it the way a good club record should!
Warung comes from Boston in the US, and you're French, based in Lisbon, most recently having been based in London. How do cross-continental collaborations like this challenge or inspire your process?
I feel like in 2025, you just need your laptop, an internet connection, and your AirPods to produce a song or collaborate with any artist. We went back and forth a few times to get the best version of it, and it went very smoothly.
The education centre in Togo feels like a milestone. What was it like seeing an idea born out of your own difficult school experience materialise into a home for children?
We are building this education centre in the village of Tcheckpo, where there is no nearby school for children. I built Together We're Louder because I was bullied myself during my school years, and I want to give back to kids in every way possible and channel this into something good. I feel good seeing this idea, which was in my head for a long time, become a reality.
What was the moment when you realised you wanted to intertwine activism and music as part of your project's mission?
I always wanted to find a way to link my music with a deeper purpose, and in 2016, I suddenly had the idea to launch the label. Since my childhood wasn't easy at school, it was important for me to find a way to help kids.
Melodic house is often described as cinematic, immersive, and emotional. What's your own definition of the genre, and how do you channel that into tracks like Your Eyes?
It's actually surprisingly difficult to define a genre—not all songs fit perfectly into one genre, and people have slightly different interpretations of genre categories. For example, some people would categorise it as progressive, some as deep house... I like to produce songs that span the spectrum of multiple genres.
Beyond Your Eyes, you've got collaborations lined up with John Cala and Max Milner for Mahool/MDL Beast and Amour Propre on Abracadabra. How do you maintain focus when there are so many projects in motion?
For me, focus comes from passion. I love being involved in different projects because each one brings a new energy, a new perspective and keeps me inspired. I feel that music is something to be shared, so collaboration is perfect for it.
Has your recent move to Lisbon influenced your sound or rhythm of working compared to your earlier years in France?
Definitely. Lisbon has a slower rhythm compared to Paris or London, where I felt like I was in a concrete jungle, and that shift has influenced the way I create. There's more space, more light, and a certain freedom that makes me approach music with less pressure and more vibe.
From 138 million streams to performances in more than thirty countries, the numbers are impressive. But what's the impact that matters most to you when you look back at what you've built so far?
What really matters to me is the human connection behind those numbers. When someone comes up after a show and tells me a track helped them through a hard moment, or when I see a crowd enjoying themselves together on the dancefloor—that's the impact I want my tracks to have.
Finally, if Your Eyes opens this new chapter, what do you want the story of the next year to be?
Maybe an album? ;)