Mossy Mugler, is a dynamic DJ, producer and the mastermind behind Hauteragous, one of Montréal’s most prominent underground queer raves with a growing cult following. Their eclectic musical style draws from Top 40 pop, vogue beats, electronic sounds, and Middle Eastern ballads inspired by their Palestinian heritage. Their discography includes their boundary-pushing EP "ROCKSTAR" which dropped in 2022. From underground forest raves to headlining Boiler Room, We delve into their artistic evolution, the challenges of building a nightlife collective, and the power of music as a revolutionary force!
BY ROCHELLE ALLEN
Credits Production: Boiler Room Creative Director: Rochelle Allen Photography: Pablo Gaytan Styling: Mossy Mugler Hair: Mossy Mugler Set Design: Hauteragous
Mossy Mugler is wearing a black scoop neck top with bright red and black skinny pants, black leather gloves, a silver bangle and beaten up sneakers.
It wasn't a typical Montreal rave… It was the debut of Mossy's nightlife collective Hauteragous, alongside Moonshine and OCTOV at Boiler Room, which marked a significant moment for Montreal's queer underground rave scene!
I was a basket case full of anxiety because this was my first sober rave, which is major for a retired party girl like me! Despite the initial anxiety, everything subsided when I entered the space and explored the unique rooms that brought together different communities in a celebration of the city's vibrant queer nightlife culture.
A powerful moment occurred during Mossy's set while swaying back and forth, getting lost in the trance of the sounds around me. They dedicated their set to the people of Gaza by hanging a keffiyeh in front of the DJ booth representing their homeland, highlighting the power of music as a form of protest and unity.
This moment emphasized the potential of underground scenes to spark generational revolutions and mobilize communities for change. The night served as a reminder of the important role that music and nightlife can play in building a collective movement toward liberation for all.
Rochelle: Hi Mossy!
Mossy Mugler: Hiiii!
R: I've known Mossy for a couple of years now within the underground rave scene, and I’ve followed Hauteragous since it started, it’s amazing to see how you've been growing as an artist. Your impact on the Montreal nightlife scene is undeniable!
M: Thank you! It’s been a lot of work, but here we are. The space Hauteragous holds for the queer community here in Montreal is something to be proud of. People tell me they’ve made friends or met partners at Hauteragous, and moments like that make it all worth it!
R: Let’s talk about your upbringing. How was your childhood?
M: I grew up in Qatar in the Middle East, and moved to Canada in 2015. My childhood was unique, being visibly queer most of my life in a conservative culture was challenging. I was bullied at school and got in trouble with my family and it was a lot…
M: I'm grateful I grew up there with my whole family and the strength it gave me. It exposed me to a lot of things about the world that I wouldn't have had access to being here!
R: Okay, It sounds like you were the black sheep growing up!
M: Definitely…
R: I think many artists felt like the black sheep at some point in our lives, including myself.
M: Deep inside I think we all feel like we’re trying to fit into an environment but I think standing out differently from the people around you and showing abilities that aren't necessarily the status quo, puts a call to action just by being yourself and that is what makes stars!
M: Being the black sheep is like a hard process to go through, but I think it's a really rewarding process in a way!
R: I agree, If you want to be a star you can’t be scared to shine.
R: How was it like growing up in a religious culture as a queer kid and breaking out of that world?
M: My relationship with the religion was embedded. Things felt like a chore when it didn't come to me organically… I resented it because I didn't want to do it at the time and I stirred away from it for a little bit.
M: When I realized my sexuality, I thought it was Islam versus queerness, never Islam and queer, Muslim and queer. I had to battle that for a little bit. I thought I had to be either or and that I couldn't be both… Now as an adult, I've had many spiritual awakenings and existential crises that I had to self-reflect and look upon the world and started to understand religion as fundamentals of life.
M: Islam is fierce! It promote true mind, body, and soul connection in a way that I can see for myself and there's lots of peace, harmony, and answers to life's questions. I feel like I'm going back to religion in a fundamentalist way that I never thought I was going to do.
R: Interesting, how everything is full circle but with a new perspective! I’ve realized a lot of the same things over time regarding my relationship with religion and my queerness after a lot of deep inner work and reflection.
R: What would you say first got you into music?
M: When I first moved to Canada, I legit just went to school and didn’t do much… Then my sister’s partner introduced me to Montréal’s underground. As soon as I stepped into it, I felt that this type of artistry is who I am at my core! It was a place where weird people were celebrated and crazy creatives could thrive! I thought that was cool because I've never had that experience… Being introduced into a community like that was life-changing!
M: My mind was opened up to the way sound can be manipulated and used to create expression. I had never taken in how music can shape how you feel until then, music can express how you feel in ways words can’t and I truly understood it when I experienced it.
M: The first artist that made me want to make music was funny enough Kevin JZ Prodigy, the voice of Beyonce’s Renaissance Era! Back in 2018, Kevin JZ Prodigy was still very underground but when a friend showed me Kevin for the first time my mind melted! I was like whoa, this is cool how music could sound like this and how people's vocals could also be used to sound like that. From that point, I just continued to explore that idea and eventually started my music projects.
R: It’s amazing to hear how the underground music scene introduced you to a whole new world of limitless creative avenues to express yourself.
R: How would you describe the music you typically create?
M: It is very expressive! I don't follow rigid formats… I'm well-informed about different structures of music and I take pride in educating myself about music and its history. However, I wanted to use music as a tool to express how I'm feeling in a moment with no structure because sound can represent a feeling and emotion.
M: How I play sounds next to each other represents a moment. When that moment passes, I move on to the next and each moment has its sound. If you are skilled in making things cohesive, then you're able to create something that doesn't necessarily have structure, but is good and represents expression and sound!
R: Honestly, I view it in the same way! I feel like you mastered the art of deconstruction of music and not following typical music structures and that's the unique thing about it, you don't know what's coming next. It’s cool to be skilled enough to create something unstructured intentionally!
M: Thank you! I feel like as much as I want to create something different, at the same time I do want to create something that connects with people! Having strong references makes a really big difference for an artist. When tapping into those references, you have to self-reflect on who you truly are…
M: Like, who is Mossy Mugler? I am a child who grew up in Qatar, who escaped watching Disney Channel and YouTubers. I was really into the hyper-femininity of pop stars and I escaped into art when I wasn't able to escape from my reality… Pop music was the only thing I had access to back there, I was always listening to pop radio hits. Even though my music is crazy, and you wouldn't necessarily think of those things, when you listen to my music you can peep it!
R: What inspires you to make music??
M: It just comes out the way it comes out... I think it’s the moments in my everyday life that inspire me most, those moments that weren't planned or anything.I realized if I sit down and force myself to work, nothing will come out like it truly will not feel correct. I also think the sound that will come out will not feel correct to me!
M: When I'm full of inspiration and everything, all the sequence of events happen so synonymously for me to just sit down at my computer and be able to create something cool. I like those moments because they are magical. I don't know the sequence of events that could be sparked in a moment to make its way to the production of a song.
R: Yeah, like transmuting that magical energy into the physical form.
M: Yes! It’s really cool, I know that feeling too well for me to force it. I know when something is going to come out when something is good. When I don't like to work is always when I'm forcing it. My inspiration kind of just happens spontaneously all the time.
R: I feel like when you're in that creative flow state, everything just comes out naturally and you're a vessel for it to live in for that moment!
M: Definitely. I like working hard on taking care of myself, I think that's important to help with creativity. Although I do believe that creativity can come out of really sad moments in your life. It can be a lifeline in a moment where nothing else feels like it's worth anything. But for me, I make the best things when I'm happy and those things are what it takes for me to be happy! Art is just like always there for whatever mood you're in. It seems like it's the one thing that is always there.
R: I agree! Art is creation, and it’s always there all around us. Being human is the highest form of creation, everything is creation so everything is art. If you think about it, the world around us is just a very advanced design. It's cool to think about how everything is so connected and what you see in nature you can see within yourself! Life is art in so many ways and I think that's beautiful.
M: Yeah, I really love that perspective!
R: Can you tell me about your debut EP “ROCKSTAR” and the process of creating that project?
M: Yeah, I created my EP two years ago and every song on that EP is like a moment I've had in time and there's a story behind it. For example “Bitch, I'm Sad” was like a conversation on the phone that I had with my mom that didn't go well. I hung up and then just picked up the mic and just said, “Bitch, I'm sad, really, really mad.” and then the whole song kind of came out of like, those words. The sounds in the song, like represent my anger like the hard bass in the end alongside all these different elements.
M: But then there's like some fun and silly ones, like “Drunk” where like I was on the phone with my sis and we were talking about getting drunk at home by ourselves. Like I never thought to do that before and she was like, omg girl you should try having a bottle of wine or whatever. So I got drunk at home by myself and it was fun, and that's how I created that song.
M: What I like about the EP is how raw it is. It’s truly what was on my brain at the time and put onto a music production program and then released to the world. Now I have so much more exposure to production and the understanding of different things that some of the rawness I used on that EP doesn't come out the same anymore. My brain is filled with other information on how I should do things which filters my music in a way…
R: I feel like as you develop as an artist and you look back at your past work with a more advanced skillset or knowledge you sometimes think about how you would do things differently even if you appreciate that version of yourself at the time!
M: I wouldn’t change anything! I envy that part of myself that used to be so raw and organic. Now I feel limited by information if that makes sense. But also there's a way to utilize that information but there's just a specific sound to like, being amateur and fresh. I feel like it's a raw talent and it's like really cool. It's different from now, but it's something that I wouldn't change and it's something I learned from still. I learned from that part of myself all the time.
R: Do you feel like fashion influences your music or vice-versa?
M: Yeah, I feel like art and life are synonymous with each other. Fashion to me is another form of expression that music isn't able to do. For example, I can put a Hannah Montana sample in one of the songs and people can hear that and recognize that. At the same time, I could also put this gold skirt and white biker jacket on and pull a Hannah Montana look also expressing that part of myself just visually this time! Fashion is another form of art that requires references and history. I like studying its history, understanding where it truly comes from and why people gravitate toward it the way they do!
M: It's one of those things, like a tool of expression. I'm an artist who prioritizes expression and the visibility of expression. That's literally what I'm all about, that's the foundation of everything I do. My music, my fashion, everything all comes back to my love for drama and theatre. I will always be a theatre kid! I play a character with my music and my fashion, it's different every single day because I feel different every day! I'm portraying a character in whatever I'm doing…
R: What inspired you to create your nightlife collective Hauteragous?
M: After I graduated in Ottawa, I moved to New York for a little bit in 2019 and it was amazing. That's where Hauteragous was born! I was friends with this person named Pauli Cakes who I'm forever grateful for! They introduced and showed me so much and I learned so much from them in terms of how to create nightlife collectives and also leading with love.
M: Like, I've seen this person put together things that were so beautiful and brought the community together in such a way that I haven't seen in Montreal or I haven't seen in like Canada in general. I was able to see the difference between queer nightlife and gay nightlife and it felt cool to see something being created in that way. It inspired me! I was like wow, I want to do something like that. I've kind of always organized things and put things together so it felt right. I did my first party there and then and I just didn't stop!
M: Organizing parties is done in a very specific way in New York, so learning from that was helpful for sure. An example of that is having hosts on your party lineup or rave lineup. I feel like I got to see a lot of that in New York and then I started doing that here in Montreal. Being in New York during that time taught me things that I don't think I would have been able to learn here in Montreal.
R: Yeah, it’s so fucking true! It wasn't a thing to have hosts on party flyers in Montreal. I feel like when you started doing it with Hauteragous, it started to catch on as a normal practice for a lot of different underground nightlife collectives in the scene. That is for sure a New York thing that you brought over to Montreal!
M: It feels that way! I've learned some things that I was able to apply here and then have them be successful. I'm grateful for my time in New York and I go back very often I go back once or twice a year.
R: How did you find your community within the underground music scene in Montreal?
M: I feel like before I was a community member and now I'm some kind of community leader, so my relationship with the community changed for sure. But also at the same time, this is what I wanted to do so I'm like grateful for being able to do what I want to do and have the kind of support from people around me. I feel like I'm grateful for my community. Like, these are people that I love so much and will do anything for, and it's nice to know that they feel the same way!
M: When Hauteragous first started, it was mostly just my friends coming like there wasn't a Hauteragous crowd. I wasn't able to pinpoint the kind of people that came. But now it's so cool to see the community that Hauterageous has fostered and the community that it holds space for. I see so many new young people who are just discovering nightlife and things like that through Hauteragous and I was that person a few years ago, so it's cool.
M: Hauteragous is a bunch of queer and trans people that come together to enjoy good techno music and community! It's a cool community filled with love and joy, chill vibes, and people with taste. Might I add, everybody that goes looks iconic and amazing. Always, honestly!
R: Hauteragous was a headliner for Boiler Room Montreal, give me the background on how that happened.
M: I wrote DJ Boiler Room set in my 2023 manifestations on New Year's Eve 2022 and it came true! I decided to send out an email to Boiler Room introducing Hauteragous. I didn't expect a reply back or anything but I kind of just wanted to get us out there and grab their attention in some way! Anyway, nothing happened for like seven months and then I woke up one morning to an email from Boiler Room asking if Hauteragous wanted to be part of the roster for their Montreal stop on their world tour!
R: How did you feel?
M: I was excited, it felt surreal! I was proud and thought it was cool. Then I realized that this is an opportunity to share with the people that I respect in Montreal and nightlife specifically. When I got word that this is happening, I thought about how I could help share this iconic moment for the queer scene in Montreal with the people who helped create it.
M: Syana Barbara, my sister and who's a legend in the community! She helped build and pave the way for so many queer and trans artists! Syana and I performed our unreleased song at the time “Fuck” live for the first the together that night, it was special. Frankie Teardrop is somebody who gave me my first gig in Montreal. Pauli Cakes who I mentioned earlier, they were able to show me so much at the beginning of my journey and they were able to come down from New York to support and play for us!
M: Of course Mimi, a Hauteragous frequent performer is somebody who I truly believe in… Mimi's an icon. Mimi's a legend. Mimi's like everything! She deserves whatever platform is available to perform her amazing talent. I also just want to thank James Benjamin who worked with Boiler Room to get the Montreal lineup together!
R: I respect that you carefully curated the lineup to elevate and showcase the artistry of people who you admire and part of your creative journey, shaping who you are today!
M: Yeah! That's what people did for me like it's the least I can do if I'm in a position where I can choose who gets a platform. If I wasn't around people who are willing to help support, love and uplift me even though I was bad and still believe in my work, I wouldn't be anywhere! I wouldn't be doing anything, right?
R: I feel like community is so important, once everyone supports and uplifts each other we can all flourish and elevate! That's the vibe, I don't agree with people who think there's room at the top for only one person… It's weird and corny to me.
M: Definitely! When you have ulterior motives in whatever way, I think the universe can tell and does its thing…
R: Karma always comes back around, it’s just a law of the universe!
R: Do you believe that nightlife could be a form of revolution in political times?
M: Definitely! Nightlife is the birthplace of so much art, art influences people's realities and that’s where revolution happens. It's crazy to say that a rave can be the source of something big! It's not the typical environment that you think of when you think about a revolution, but it always has been one of the biggest ways of rebellion against an oppressive government by young people. Many cultural movements and boycott campaigns came out of the raving scene!
M: I'm not saying everybody who goes to raves is a good person! But the majority of people in the scene/culture have a similar mindset and I believe when you put a bunch of people who believe in a healthy society and are respectful, supportive and loving to everyone it builds a strong foundation that every resistance movement needs to be able to thrive and most of the time! When you bring all those energies together it can spark incredible change.
M: Raving has been demonized and stigmatized for however long it ever existed. I hate that people feel guilty and shame towards partying for some reason and I blame that on the religious structures that were embedded in society but alongside the government. The reality of the situation is that it's like a place where things could be born and flourish. It's a place that fosters art and that art can foster revolution! You never know what kind of person could be in a space like that, feel inspired by something and then create change out there in the real world because that space allowed for that. That's how I believe it's resistance.
R: Yes! Change happens when you're able to experience and learn from the people in your environment and from there action can happen to ignite change, like a ripple effect! Being in a welcoming space where you are accepted for who you are and can express yourselves without judgment is truly a gift and can bring so much light into the world.
R: I believe having these spaces is very important, especially finding that community in the underground scene since most of us are outsiders or marginalized in traditional spaces in society. In the underground we can come together in a safe and supportive space to be free and I feel like you're were able to create those spaces for young people and that’s fucking special.
M: Thank you! Those spaces where you're with your community and able to feel and think the way you want and explore freely without judgement are very rare to find to be honest so I’m happy to be able to create a safe space.
R: Do you have a dream collaboration?
M: Bjork.
R: That's such a good one.
M: I love Bjork so much, she's so cool. I think she's the perfect representation on a celebrity scale of somebody who uses art to express themselves in any format. Her music is so expressive of her. I think that's why it's so successful. I also think her fashion is expressive. I think she's a really intelligent person, so what she does is good. She's an artist that I respect.
M: Of course, there's Arca and like all these other girlies that helped shape the new sound that I think is cool. I like AG Cook from PC Music, I think it's so good and I would love to collaborate with him one day or something. But yeah, so many people but a pop collaboration like Miley Cyrus would be iconic!
R: How do you feel like the internet impacted the creative industry?
M: The world that we live in now is catered to social media and it can be a tool that can help you to get where you want to be which is amazing. But this tool has sharp ends and you can cut yourself easily using this tool if you're not careful! When you use it properly, it can help elevate you to where you want to be and we don't have another option right now either way… We live in a capitalistic society and need to make money to survive! Social media is one of the only ways for independent artists to promote themselves to be able to live off their work and get opportunities. I'm grateful for the tools that it was able to give me, especially after being chronically online for most of my life!
R: How do you think nightlife is changing in Montreal?
M: I feel like the nightlife scene is getting more expensive. That's one of the main things I can take away from it right now… There are a lot of things that are changing and I feel like social media highlights nightlife in Montreal in a way that people didn't have like 5 or 10 years ago. Like, there's the TikTokification of raves is odd to see because our spaces being showcased through a superficial lens.
R: Yes, I noticed that going to underground raves is a cool/trendy thing for the general public now! Which can be a good or bad thing depending on who you're asking… I feel like finding raves before social media was a more niche thing that you needed to be a part of a certain community or sub-culture to access, now anyone can type in “Montreal raves” on TikTok and find like five different raves they can pull up to with their friends that night!
M: Yeah! I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing… I think it's a good thing, maybe it could have the annoying qualities that can come with it like everybody having their phone out in the middle of the dance floor which is whatever but I think at the end of the day, it's a tool that people are using to help share what they're doing in their community and why not use it if it's available.
M: To me, it’s just a new form of communication, and this is just how the new generation communicates with one another! There are cons to it and creates a lot of development issues but it's not development issues, it's alternative development! It's just the new world we live in and we can either welcome it or resent it, but then if we resent it, we'll never understand it…
R: Yes! I agree. It's still the development of rave culture, just in an alternative way! I’ve been having these conversations about AI and the advancement of technology with friends, and most people I speak with are very scared and concerned with the development of society and the new digital age that is coming! I try to encourage them to learn the tech and understand how to use it for their benefit, even simple ones like ChatGPT. The worst thing you can do during a revolution is get left behind because of fear and ignorance. I feel like being present and positively imagining the future is always a good mindset to have!
M: Definitely!
R: What would you change about the creative/nightlife industry?
M: Well in the nightlife industry, I would change how artists get paid! For artists to thrive in this world, we need better structures that help give us sustainable and reliable income! It just doesn't exist for us… I find that mostly queer and trans organizers are always paying their artists the most and trying to give their artists resources because they know what it's like to be overworked and underpaid. Some organizations help support artists, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's accessible.
R: That's the thing…
M: And also, I hope that the industry kind of lets go of using a specific image or formula to push artists, I feel like the expression of self should be celebrated more. It always seems like an industry trying to change the artist so that they can mould them to be something that they could capitalize off of. But I wish there was a bigger push for authenticity, individuality, and creativity! I think it is going that way, for sure but there's also this new fabricated sense of individuality that Hollywood has right now that I find weird. I would like to see more creative expression on a really large scale!
R: What’s your vision for the future of Montreal nightlife?
M: I mean, there's a cool collective coalition called MTL 2424 and they are lobbying to make Montreal a 24-hour city for nightlife, which I think could be cool if we had something like that. I think it would bring in a lot of cool talent from around the world alongside more tourists visiting and experiencing what Montreal has to offer, especially in the nightlife scene. I think it could be a cool thing to see in the future!
R: I can see Montreal being that type of city we already have a foundation to be an internationally known place for our nightlight, art and culture! It just makes sense, I think It’s time…
M: Yeah, I agree. I also believe that hopefully in the future, Montreal's trans and queer artist representation is going to grow at a larger, more grand scale. I think there's so much cool queer and trans talent in Montreal.
R: We have so many amazing artists and creatives in the city, and it’s important to have platforms to showcase talent from marginalized communities. I like that we are FINALLY starting to see more of it in Montreal, there’s still a long way to go but it’s a good start!
M: Yeah, I feel like Montreal is on its way to doing that for its queer and trans community! But it’s up to us organizers to make sure that we keep that goal in mind in everything that we do!
R: What is a message you would want to give to your supporters?
M: I would say, try finding that voice inside you! Everyone has that voice inside guiding you, letting you know what you need to do! Deep down you always know how to act on your highest vibration or do the things you desire. The question is how good you are at listening…
M: Remember to love people around you and support them the way they love and support you. Be strong and forget about what others think you should be doing. Everything is circumstantial and life could throw so many things at you, but just find that voice that tells you what to do and find comfort in the fact that you already know the right answer! It's always with you, once you're able to act on it, so many amazing things can come out of that! Yes, It takes time I just discovered my intuition voice but when you do it's so powerful!
R: I love that, it was perfectly said Mossy! Find your voice and LISTEN TO IT!!
M: Unless you're like crazy, then maybe don't listen to it…
R: What are you looking forward to in your future?
M: I'm looking forward to the new year and seeing what that will have in store! I’m excited to continue to develop my art and to continue learning.
R: Do you have any recent projects that you're excited about right now?
M: I have a single out called “FRIENDSHIPS DANGLING FROM A STRING” streaming on all platforms! This one’s for all my girlies who’ve had friendship breakups.
R: Where can people find you on socials?
M: You can find me everywhere on all the platforms @mossymugler and my party page is @hauterageous_worldwide and you can also find it everywhere!
R: Thank you for talking with me, and being so open. I appreciate you so much!
M: Aw, thank you! I appreciate you sitting down and talking with me as well.
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