HANK KORSAN: What do you think about on your drives home from being out?
AUSTIN GEBBIA: If I’m not falling asleep at the wheel and swerving into oncoming traffic [from being tired, not drunk (Ed. Note)] as it’s usually the ass crack of dawn, I’m thinking about what the next day is looking like and calculating how much sleep I’ll be able to get before I have to wake up. I then think about what music I want to listen to—usually R&B—and how my friend who works at my favorite gas station on the way home is doing (he lets me scan all of my items myself and, without fail, says “you got it!” after I ring it all in), amongst many other thoughts. Does Greta Thunberg ever just want to not advocate for global warming and take a fucking breather, if I’ll ever find someone romantically compatible, why I have hair on my ear, and the list goes on, why my aunt is randomly a lesbian. Normal thoughts that everyone thinks.
Least favorite question people ask you at the rave?
If I am working at the door, I hate when people ask if I’m coming inside soon. No, I am not coming inside soon, because who is going to do my job if I’m coming inside soon? If you see me inside, I’m checking on a client, a person, the talent, or feeling the room out. I will come inside when the door closes depending on my mood, at which point I’ll hang a bit with my friends or do my rounds. If I’m not working the party or the door, I don’t want to be spoken to at all if the music is on. Unless, of course, you are trying to tell me how beautiful I am, how funny I am, or that you want to hire me for something in the future. There is nothing worse than hearing a song you love being mixed in and having to entertain a sob story from someone you can’t stand about how their ex isn’t responding to their story.
First night club you went to?
The first nightclub I went to—I think—was called Rise in Lodi, New Jersey, or it was Pacha, where I later worked as an intern. At this stage in my life, I wore rhinestone Ed Hardy t-shirts and was going in tanning beds at least 3 times a week. I wasn’t even in high school yet, and I have no idea how I got into these places. The next year, at 14, I got “NO REGRETS” tattooed on the back of my neck. It clearly wasn’t the most aesthetically forward time in my life. I was just walking around nightclubs burnt to a crisp with a tramp stamp on the back of my head. Thanks, mom!
Austin Gebbia
Does dance music play into your sexuality?
I think there is definitely a correlation, of course, between being gay and loving dance music/house music, just from the history of the genre alone and the freedom that comes with it/came with it on the dance floor. For me, personally, I think it could be a geographical thing as I grew up in the tristate area where house music is prevalent and abundant. I'm not so sure a gay man in the middle of Ohio will want to start throwing his ass in a circle if he hears an old Junior Vasquez mix, though I hope and pray he would do that.
Why don’t you do drugs?
Too many reasons to count. I would probably be addicted to coke if I did it because I could get more work done and be in a better mood, and I cannot afford a cocaine addiction, nor do I want anything to happen to my nose. The numbness in my throat would send me over the edge because I would think I was forgetting how to swallow. If you couldn’t tell, I am extremely neurotic, and if I did hallucinogens, I would probably kill myself instead of waiting for it to pass because it’d be easier. I still text my dad and ask if I’m OK if I have a cold, so I’m not sure how he would feel when I text him at 8 a.m. from a TriBeCa loft that I finally found my great grandma’s heirloom blouse she lost in 2004. I also don’t do drugs because I don’t need to go on any other “journeys” through time and/or space. I’ve had enough character development for three lifetimes, and my mind is closed. Thank you.
Are you one of those ravers that get taken over by the music?
Depending on who’s playing and if my environmental circumstances allow for it (temperature, smell, sound, etc.) then yes, I will very much get taken over by the music. I cannot, however, let go completely, because everyone is insane and my head remains on a constant swivel.
Have you had to suck a wiener to get into any clubs?
I wish.
Worst text someone can send you the night of your party?
From the venue: “The air conditioner just broke.”
AUSTIN GEBBIA: So, do you know that I’m gay? How did you know?
HANK KORSAN: It’s written on your forehead.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of DJing?
Favorite part is being the selector. Crafting the room. Also people watching.
What do you do if you have to DJ but you have a stomach ache or a headache? I personally would call out.
Thug it out. I think every DJ has that drive to not let the dancers down. It’s a commitment and you gotta see it through.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a touring DJ?
Batting 7th, playing center field for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What’s your favorite sex position and why?
Doggy.
What is something you do differently than everyone else?
Doggy.
Your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?
Loving thyself, disappointing thyself.
Biggest pet peeve in the nightclub?
Spitting gum on the floor.
What—outside of DJing—empowers you?
I like to take care of my body. Yoga, gym, surfing.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
News Year's Day with Austin Gebbia.
Do you shave your balls?
Yes, I manscape.
How do you wash your ass?
Credit card swipe.
Truth or dare?
Dare.
Hank Korsan. At just 25, DJ/producer Hank has hit stages at prestigious spots like Hi, Brooklyn Mirage and Coachella, playing alongside DJ stars such as Seth Troxler, Diplo and Honey Dijon. If you look closely, Hank is everywhere: Stussy billboards, Rinse FM mixes, Louis Vuitton runways, DJing in your kitchen... A busy winter in the studio has his sights set on an endless summer.
