9 Questions with Lee Foss: The Journey of a House Icon

Lee Foss, a Chicago native, has been one of the most influential and reputable names in the house and tech house scene. Growing up in the city where house music was born, Lee Foss was immersed in Chicago’s legendary underground scene from an early age. It wasn’t long before he gained attention for his unique sound and sharp production skills, setting him on a path to becoming one of the genre’s most impactful figures. A co-founder of the renowned label Hot Creations alongside Jamie Jones, Foss also launched Repopulate Mars, South of Saturn, and North of Neptune, helping define the direction of today's house music.

Throughout his career, Foss has worked with and nurtured talent like John Summit, Mau P, and Michael Bibi, providing them with a platform that has propelled their careers to international recognition. Known for his ability to spot fresh talent, he’s introduced countless artists to the global stage, securing his place as a tastemaker in the industry.

With a career that’s spanned over a decade and an undeniable impact on the music world, Foss continues to lead the charge, both as a DJ and a label boss. Now, let’s dive into our Q&A with him to get a closer look at his journey and what’s next.

Your new single "Pieces of the Night Sky" is coming soon on Repopulate Mars. Can you tell us anything about this?

My new single is coming out on Repopulate Mars on October 25, right after the show in New York. This is the first time I’ve sung on a record. I’ve been songwriting and producing for the past 15 years professionally, but this is the first time I’ve actually sung. It means a lot to me to finally put some emotion behind what I’m writing and to show that vulnerability. I think the song is sick. It's definitely a big step to perform live in front of people, but I feel like it’s time because I can carry it as an artist, and I think the song is great.

What qualities do you look for in up-and-coming artists when signing them to Repopulate Mars?

I look for fresh music, things that stand out, and also people I want to be around. Personality matters because you don’t want to tour with a bunch of assholes. A lot of clubs and festivals, especially in places like Space, trust me to break new artists and do back-to-backs with them. Whether it’s John Summit, Mau P, or Michael Bibi, their first Space shows were with me as back-to-backs. Especially in America, I think I'm a tastemaker, but the music has to be good, and they have to consistently deliver good tracks. Plus, they need to genuinely like the brand and be fun to be around—no jerks.

Name three artists that come to mind when you think of ‘underrated’ on any of your labels/sub-labels?

That’s hard because even the guys who got big, like John Summit, Mau P, and Michael Bibi, are still underrated in their own ways.

I’ve signed a lot of great artists across my labels, but I’d say Joshwa is one of the best producers out there, and he still doesn’t get his due.

Obviously, we had a huge collab together, but all his songs are bangers. Deeper Purpose is really growing in America, but I think he's underrated as a songwriter, producer, and DJ.

As someone who deals with technology and computers to write music, has there been a gut-wrenching moment where you lost your music or beats you were working on?

Yeah, I’ve lost a lot of songs that I hadn’t saved, sometimes after four or five hours of work. That’s really gut-wrenching because you can never recreate what you did. I remember working with Ardalan a year or two ago. We got five or six hours into a project, and then it crashed, and we lost it.

That’s uncommon now with better technology, but it still happens. Also, my laptop was stolen in Rosarito, Mexico, in 2010. They tried to ransom it back to me, but I had a bunch of unfinished project files on it, and losing those was devastating. I lost a lot of old project files, WAVs, and things I had bounced that I can’t get back.

From the production side of throwing a Repopulate Mars party, what’s the most important thing to have for a kick-ass show?

The most important thing varies depending on the market and the crowd. I love to make it immersive. You can’t always control all the factors depending on the venue, whether it’s Miami, Dubai, Ibiza, or Japan—each place is different. But I love having alien dancers, like we had a laser cage in Ibiza for a 14-week residency. I think giving people that immersive feel, like they’re really on another planet, fits that funky, alien style we go for. I’m also getting into filmmaking, so the visual side is really important to me.

How do you support the artists on Repopulate Mars beyond just releasing their music?

I think they know I’m going to champion their songs. I don’t sign anything to Repopulate Mars unless I’m playing it in my sets. So, I’m not just releasing it, but I’m trying to play it in most of my sets, get good videos, chart it, put it on my Spotify playlist, and interact with the artists. When I break records, whether they’re on Repopulate Mars or not, I’m getting them into the hands of the right DJs.

For example, with Massano or Meduza, I broke their first big records, and I made sure my friends were playing them. If it's great music and involves my friends, I’m out there getting it heard.

What has been the most challenging aspect of running Repopulate Mars?

People think it’s a bigger label than it actually is. In terms of infrastructure, it’s really just me and Kaysin (Nick Sommers), who’s my main A&R. We’re the only actual employees. We have a label manager and PR, but they’re not technically employees of the label.

So, we’re competing and outselling much bigger labels with a lot more staff. A lot of the work falls on me—I do the art, I make all the decisions—and that can be challenging. I’m running multiple labels, producing, DJing, traveling, and even starting to write for TV, so staying on top of everything is tough.

If you could eternally be stuck in one year's music scene, which year would it be?

Oh, wow, that’s hard. I’d say 1984. I’d also choose 1997 for hip-hop and 2001 for house music—that was my first summer in Ibiza, and it was magical.

Favorite restaurant in Ibiza and Chicago?

That’s a good question! Those are two of the best places on Earth, and I love food. In Ibiza, it’s Casa Maca, an amazing restaurant. In Chicago, I love Joe’s Crab Shack. Even though it’s a chain, they get all their seafood directly from Alaska, so it’s always fresh. Definitely check those places out!