Good timing is everything, but for Juan Hansen, it’s all about the right frequency: his debut album Ultrasonido is finally out in the world. The Argentinian artist has spent years moving, experimenting, playing, and allowing his sound to evolve along the way. The result is a little gem of a debut — wonderfully varied, shifting between moods and energies, made for the dancefloor but just as fitting for a road trip, a late summer afternoon, or simply getting lost in your own thoughts. And trust us, picking a favorite won’t be easy: the album is packed with incredible tracks from start to finish.
Juan Hansen’s musical roots lie in acoustic instruments, indie, and rock before his path led him deeper into electronic music. As a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and live artist, he has spent the past years moving between electronic and organic sounds, improvisation and songwriting, playing stages from Buenos Aires and Berlin to Beirut and Burning Man. With Ultrasonido, he now brings these different sides together across twelve tracks while also launching his own label, Ultrasonido Records.
We caught up with Juan again to talk about finally releasing his debut album, the song that means the most to him, the story of a handmade guitar that still hangs in his living room, and why finding the right balance in life might be one of the most important things to learn.
photography by Ezequiel Monjo
Hey Juan! It’s so nice to have you back for a conversation after such a long time. How are you, where are you today, and how are you celebrating the release of your debut album?
Hey, it’s so nice to talk to you again after such a long time. I’m finally back in Buenos Aires, where I live, back in the studio and making new music. I’m really happy that my first album is finally coming out, and we’re celebrating it with the first Ultrasonido release show in Córdoba, Argentina.
Your album Ultrasonido is built around the idea of “feel this, don’t think about it.” Are you someone who finds it easy to trust a feeling, or do you tend to overthink things?
It doesn’t come easily to me, and that’s exactly what I’m celebrating with this album: the fact that it happened. There are moments when you manage to surrender to the work honestly, with more heart than head. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. With Ultrasonido, it did.
I love how varied the album feels. “LOVE IS A MELTING ICE-CREAM,” for example, is a little softer and almost romantic. What was the inspiration behind that song?
This song actually happens to be my favorite on the entire album. Like many artists, I found inspiration in some of my darkest places and in personal experiences where, at certain moments in my life, I felt love melting through my fingers like ice cream in the sun.
“I’m learning how valuable time is, and how important it is to take time for yourself while also knowing how to give your time to others.”
Oh, so that actually answers my next question. I tried to pick a favourite track myself, but I have to admit, I like too many of them. (laughs) So what is it about “LOVE IS A MELTING ICE-CREAM” that makes it your favourite?
Maybe because it represents something deeply personal to me, and because musically it builds into a crescendo of energy that makes you feel like you’re levitating in a very special way. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep listening to the songs you’ve created yourself. After hearing them so many times, some of them stop making you feel the same way. That doesn’t happen to me with this one. Every time I listen to it again, it brings a little smile to my face and still hits me the same way it did on the day I made it.
Do you remember the moment when Ultrasonido first started to feel like, “This is my debut album”?
Yes, there was a moment. I had put together five or six tracks from different genres that somehow still made sense together. That’s when I felt there was something bigger there and thought, now I finally have something I want to develop and present as an album. It wasn’t finished yet, but I could already recognize its identity.
You’ve played everywhere from Berlin and Beirut to Burning Man and huge stages back home. Where have you felt most free as an artist?
It might sound cheesy, but I feel free everywhere. I’m always trying to keep what I do connected to improvisation and freedom, so the day I stop feeling free is probably the day I stop doing this. It doesn’t depend on the country or the size of the stage, because I always give the same amount of myself. What does change is the energy of each audience, and that’s what I feed off. In Beirut, for example, people give themselves completely to the music and the dance, just like in Argentina, a country that experiences music with incredible intensity.
“The day I stop feeling free is probably the day I stop doing this.”
What is something small that has been making you happy lately?
I have two very different worlds. One is music, stages, loud volume, and intensity. The other is nature and fly-fishing, where all I hear is the sound of the water. Being able to connect with a place in that way makes me very happy.
Last time we spoke, you told us that your grandfather Lelo was the most important person in your life, someone who always encouraged you to be creative, think outside the box, and taught you how to figure things out for yourself. Is this something you still carry with you in your everyday life today?
Probably almost every day, I find some creative solution to something I need to do, and I feel that comes from my grandfather. When I was very young and wanted to start playing music, my parents didn’t have the money to buy me a guitar. My grandfather told me there was no problem, that we would make one. And we did. I still have that guitar hanging in my living room today.
And finally, what is one thing you’re currently learning about yourself, not as an artist, but simply as Juan?
I’m learning how valuable time is, and how important it is to take time for yourself while also knowing how to give your time to others. I’m trying to find that balance. I don’t think I’ve quite mastered it yet, (laughs), but it’s something I’m paying attention to, and meditation has been helping me a lot.
