Chaco Remixes pspsps’ ‘Hey Baby’ Into a Peak-Time Weapon

Some remixes preserve an original. Others find an entirely new purpose for it.

Selected as the standout entry from the recent dt weapons ‘Hey Baby’ remix competition, Winnipeg producer Chaco falls firmly into the second camp. His winning rework takes the character of pspsps’ original and redirects it towards a darker, tougher corner of the club, delivering a tightly controlled 129 BPM workout built with peak-time dancefloors in mind.

Crucially, Chaco has not lost sight of what made ‘Hey Baby’ connect in the first place. The recognisable hook remains at the centre of the track, but everything surrounding it has been rebuilt for greater weight and pressure. A heavyweight low end, clipped percussion and an insistent groove give the remix a more commanding physical presence, while the arrangement leaves enough room for each element to do its job.

It is a remix that understands the value of restraint. Instead of revealing everything at once, Chaco gradually tightens the track’s grip, using repetition, space and carefully measured transitions to build momentum. When the breakdown arrives, the energy is pulled back without allowing the tension to disappear. The vocal becomes the focal point, anticipation rises, and the eventual return lands with renewed force.

The result is direct without being predictable: a proper DJ-focused rework that knows precisely when to hold back and when to hit.

A new direction for ‘Hey Baby’

Released by Toronto producer pspsps through dt weapons in 2025, the original ‘Hey Baby’ arrived as a compact tech house cut driven by an immediately memorable vocal and a rolling, club-ready rhythm. The track became a natural candidate for reinterpretation: distinctive enough to remain recognisable, but open enough for another producer to take it somewhere new.

Chaco’s answer was to push it deeper into peak-time territory.

The remix exchanges some of the original’s lighter movement for a more muscular rhythmic foundation. Its bass carries real weight, the percussion feels tighter and more urgent, and the 129 BPM tempo gives the entire production a relentless forward pull. Darker textures sit around the edges of the mix, sharpening the atmosphere without overwhelming the core idea.

That balance is central to its success. Chaco respects the identity of the source material, but he never sounds restricted by it. The original hook becomes raw material for a new kind of club record—one designed to raise the temperature of a room and give DJs a decisive gear change when a set needs it most.

From Winnipeg to dt weapons

The release also introduces a developing Canadian producer whose catalogue has steadily moved towards this kind of controlled, dancefloor-first sound.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Chaco has established himself across house, tech house and the heavier edges of club music. His productions are guided by the same principles heard throughout this remix: strong low-end movement, economical arrangements and a clear understanding of how records function inside a DJ set.

His earlier catalogue has appeared across labels including S&S Sound House, Future Cuts, Replicate Records, Realty Records, AHOLIC Family, Warehouse Disco and What Ya Need. Those releases trace an artist testing different shades of house and techno while steadily sharpening his own identity.

Among the key moments is ‘Hit Ya Chest’, his 2024 collaboration with fellow Canadian producer Chris Maze, released through S&S Sound House. Its tough, bass-driven tech house framework offered an early indication of Chaco’s instinct for physical club music. That same year also brought ‘Going Up’ on AHOLIC Family, ‘Rude Boy’ through Realty Records and the Kratom collaboration ‘What It Feels Like’ on Replicate Records.

His remix of NITESHADE’s ‘Hypnotized’ demonstrated another side of his approach, while the two-track Burnin’ EP—featuring ‘Shakin’’ and the ATTICUS collaboration ‘Burnin’’—continued his relationship with Future Cuts in 2025.

Further momentum arrived with Fach collaboration ‘Work’ on What Ya Need and the solo cut ‘All Night Long’ through Warehouse Disco. Across those records, the common thread has been Chaco’s focus on movement: tracks made to generate momentum in real rooms, rather than productions designed solely for passive listening.

That philosophy extends to his work behind the decks. Chaco’s artist profiles describe an intentionally curated, crowd-conscious approach to DJing, while his growing presence in Winnipeg has seen him perform at festivals, sold-out local venues and support dates for artists including James Hype, Sikdope, Cloverdale and Luxo.

A remix competition doing exactly what it should

For Chaco, the ‘Hey Baby’ remix marks a well-earned debut on dt weapons. For the label, it represents exactly what a remix competition should uncover.

The most interesting competition entries rarely come from producers attempting to recreate the original as closely as possible. They come from artists with the confidence to recognise what must be preserved—and the imagination to change everything else.

Chaco’s version succeeds because his choices feel purposeful. The vocal hook remains familiar, but its surroundings are heavier. The groove is immediate, but the arrangement is patient. The production is forceful, but never overcrowded. Every decision appears to serve the same objective: creating a version of ‘Hey Baby’ capable of occupying a different moment in the night.

It is also a strong reflection of Chaco’s development as an artist. The remix draws together the muscular bass work, controlled energy and DJ-first structure that have increasingly defined his catalogue, presenting them in one of his most focused productions to date.

Fresh talent, a recognisable record and a genuinely new perspective: this is the outcome remix competitions are built to produce.

Chaco did not simply put his stamp on ‘Hey Baby’. He turned it into a weapon of his own.

Buy/ Stream ‘Hey Baby’ here