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With self-assembled equipment and an unstoppable drive for music, Franz Hager, aka Defex, discovered his great passion at just twelve years old. Today, he’s a well-established and recognized figure in Ibiza—as a DJ, producer, and behind-the-scenes connector. His sets, spanning house, techno, and NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle), are energetic and free. His career is a mosaic of long-term dedication, lived passion, and stubborn consistency. While others chased quick success, he worked his way through Vienna’s club nights, the legendary Zoo Project in Ibiza, and releases on labels like Poker Flat, Cocoon, and Moon Harbour—without much fanfare, but with real substance. Why this Bavarian-by-choice with an ADHD diagnosis and incredible DJ skills stayed under the radar for so long—even for us—and why Ibiza still calls to him despite all its changes—Defex shares all this in a very personal conversation. He also provides this month’s official FAZEmag download mix.
Your new single “ZAXNDI” with Maniac is out on Pokerflat. How did that collaboration come about—and what does the track mean to you?
After “WE ARE THE BEAT” with Blondewearingblack did really well on Pokerflat, I sent “Zaxndi” over—still without vocals. The bassline is so fun, hence the Bavarian title, which roughly means “You’re floored!” Steve Bug’s feedback was that it still needed vocals. So I asked Maniac, a rap legend in Bavaria—and the only one I could picture stylistically. Three days later, I had the files—and was blown away, just like I was with the stripped-back, clubby remix from Kollektiv Turmstrasse. I had a gut feeling both would work—but that it would turn out so mind-blowing? I’ll just quote Maniac: “Bounces so hard, your neck is wrecked!”
You’ve long been active behind the scenes. Was it a conscious decision to now focus more on yourself as an artist?
For 13 years, The Zoo Project Ibiza was my main focus—with weekly events from early May to mid-October, plus a UK festival for three years. A great project, but being part of something that big is intense. Through Zoo, I also helped manage other big gigs, like the Corona Sunset Festival, Cocoon & Solomun in Benimussa Park. But as an artist, I always ended up on the sidelines—there just wasn’t enough time. Then the pandemic hit, and everything stopped—plus the venue was re-leased and restructured. That was tough, but I’d been simmering inside for a long time, and I quickly knew it was time to focus on myself. Since Covid, I’ve had releases and remixes on Moon Harbour, Cocoon, Pokerflat, Kittball, Muna Musik, Klaphouse, Junapoly, and Traxx Records. Ibiza gigs at Chinois, Akasha, the newly revamped Tantra Club, and Zoo Project shows at Ibiza Rocks Hotel, Bora Bora, and Cova Santa have been highlights—but I still needed a real home base.
Now you’re a resident at Pikes, 528, and the Utopia-Kinky parties, with regular gigs at Eden, Café del Mar, and across Europe’s top clubs and festivals. Does it feel like you’ve arrived?
Only in the sense that the puzzle pieces are now fitting together, letting me go all out. Being a German resident DJ at Pikes—I don’t think that’s happened before. The playful apartment hotel, surrounded by 45 years of legends like Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones, Madonna, Wham, etc.—it has an amazing club and incredible vibe.
Eden has the Void Incubus, the island’s most intense sound system. Utopia is a great project; Kinky is still pretty fresh for Ibiza—playful and sexy, but not sleazy. I find the Kinky scene fascinating—it uses costumes as self-expression, helping people break patterns and live more freely.
528 is the venue where The Zoo Project used to be—where I played my first Ibiza season—and just a few weeks ago I did a spontaneous 3.5-hour set there at Solomun’s add-on event. That recording is also my FAZE mix. The island has a strange sense of humor, but it likes me, it watches over me. Even this skeptical Bavarian has to admit that, even if he usually only believes what he can touch. The gigs across Europe right now are all great and unique. I’m especially excited for my third year in a row at Nature One—this time with He.She.They and my Kittball crew.
That was the first festival I attended as a 19-year-old raver—traveling from Vienna. Fittingly, the next day I’m playing Pratersauna.
A somewhat secret tip is the hand-crafted Free Tree Festival in Austria’s Innkreis region—everything about it is just right. Same goes for Zimmer in Mannheim: club concept, sound, and especially the crew! I’m excited for debuts in Lisbon and Romantica in Stuttgart, where I haven’t been in far too long.
Altogether, it doesn’t feel like I’ve “arrived,” but more like I’ve reached the moment I’ve been working toward for a long time—where everything finally makes sense. I’m incredibly grateful, and it’s bringing a certain lightness—I think people notice that on stage.
You really do come across as free and exuberant on stage—which might surprise those who know you offstage.
I hear that a lot. As a DJ, I’m lucky to play the music I feel fits the moment best. Whether it’s house, techno, tech-house—all mashed into one set—or even some oddly fitting NDW at the Pikes pool.
I generally follow my instincts rather “autistically,” but in daily life you usually have to explain your decisions. When I DJ, that inner hamster wheel finally quiets down. (laughs)
You’re open about your ADHD diagnosis and have done burnout coaching. How has that shaped your creativity and work style?
I was only diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and I soon realized that after Ibiza summers, I was burning out more and more. Florian from swellness.de helped me a lot during two week-long coaching sessions—challenging my mindset and showing me how to do things differently, so I wouldn’t keep smashing my stubborn head into the same walls.
I see being on the AuDS spectrum as a total superpower. I’m made for events and DJing: creative, laser-focused, and relentless—until the end of the party, weekend, or Ibiza season.
But in a world where school teaches us what “normal” should look like, I never really fit in. The hunter vs. farmer hypothesis helped me make sense of myself—and gave me permission to set things up the way I need to be creative.
Events have meetings and deadlines. Making music? You can always push that to “tomorrow.” A good strategy is to go to the studio with friends—then you have fixed appointments, and it’s no longer just your own project without deadlines. Bonus: it’s fun, and everyone brings different skills—plus, when you’re two people, you don’t spend 30 minutes adjusting one clap.
You once said you finally understood in the studio that “it’s okay to ask for help.” What exactly did you mean by that, and what changed for you?
That’s part of the AuDS perfectionism spiral—which mainly just stops you from making progress. I taught myself production—starting on an Atari with a tracker. My first project was a 2Unlimited techno edit. Then came Cubase, a Quasimidi Quasar synth, Reason, Logic, and now Ableton with loads of hardware. I thought I had to do everything myself or it wouldn’t be real.
But I had no clue about acoustics, and there weren’t any YouTube mixing tutorials yet—so the tracks never sounded good in the club. Some took years to finish—if they ever did. I even held back tracks people wanted to release because they didn’t sound “pro” to me. I learned a lot, but I also despaired unnecessarily.
Now I know the final product is what matters. And my tracks still sound different from those of the people who help me. I’ve found folks who feel like cheat codes. Top of the list: Tsodor—we understand each other almost blindly, often just using grunts to communicate. Big thanks to Stefan Seelenwald, who taught him at Abbey Road Institute Berlin and knew we needed to make music together.
You’ve got around 50 finished tracks on your hard drive. Where do you want to go next—musically and career-wise?
Finding the right labels—that’s definitely not my superpower. I mainly make music because it has to come out of me and the machines. Trying to plan a track for a specific label has never worked.
Remixes are a good way around that—labels are already set and there’s a deadline.
This month I have remixes coming out for Italo Brutalo on Bungalo Disco and Ede & Deckert on Heideton. More remixes are in the pipeline—for Giorgio Moroder, Drumcomplex, KMS Records (Kevin Saunderson), Lapsus Records (Supernova, Italy), Luna City Express, and Die Rakete Records in Nuremberg, one of my favorite clubs.
Original releases are confirmed for Cocoon, Moon Harbour, Moodmusic, Kittball, Pokerflat, Raft, Solaris, and Espada. Collaborations with Phil Fuldner, Dario D’Attis, Terry Francis, Sergio Flores, Italo Brutalo, Maxinne, Federico Grazzini, Blondewearingblack, Clickclick, Turnup Tun, Wade Teo, Svetti, Olivia Homberg, Seelenwald, Franjazzco, Jade Praize, Playtime, LVMercedez, Wemi B, and of course Tsodor are in the works.
That’s a solid plan. How did growing up in a 1,500-person village in Lower Bavaria shape you—musically and personally?
I had to push through a bit because I never really fit in. Not in school—failed a year and barely passed my final exams thanks to a 15-point paper on Napster. Not socially—often shy, no interest in alcohol or smoking.
DJing at parties and presenting my musical vision was my way of fitting in. My first gig was at twelve—carnival party in the art hall with my parents’ stereo and a Vivanco mixer. Ramalamadingdong, Rage Against the Machine, Bacardi Feeling, 2Unlimited—in that order. I even snuck in “Felix – Don’t You Want Me.”
As a party DJ, I learned to read crowds and understood the power of flow—and that people go wild for “shock tracks.”
After two factory jobs, I worked at a record store. Every Tuesday we recorded FM4’s High Spirits, trying to identify the tracks. I even wrote to the station asking them to post the tracklists online—they read the letter on air, I still have the clip.
Regular spots were Boogaloo in Pfarrkirchen, Alcatraz in Landau, Kreuzkeller in Pocking—basically any nearby rave.
After graduation, you moved to Vienna and quickly found your place in the scene. What was that time like?
I quickly got involved in the underground, co-organized a truck for the Vienna Love Parade, and ran my first events in Sub Zero and Flex. Since 2006, I’ve also been running the Caaarusel Festivals in Lower Bavaria—now only during the holidays in Passau. A citywide festival across multiple clubs with everything from deep house, drum & bass, psy-trance, techno, dubstep.
I was also a resident at Flex and Sass and got booked regularly across Austria and Bavaria. I often ran into the underground vs. commercial or house vs. techno debate.
Tough, because I just love music. I follow my heart—it matters more to me than fitting into any box. I feel like the scene is more open now.