The Prodigy
Cuebrick is the stage name of German DJ, music producer and radio host Rouven Hager. His career is connected with Mannheim’s electronic music scene, international EDM labels and a festival-oriented sound positioned at the intersection of progressive house, big room and mainstage techno. His best-known works include Watch Out, Iceland (Viking Clap), We Call It Home, Preacher, Squid Play, At Night and Evolution.
Early years
Rouven Hager began learning to DJ at the age of fourteen. He spent the money he earned during school holidays on turntables and taught himself how to mix music. His first performances took place at graduation events and student parties, after which he began receiving invitations from clubs. Hager also taught himself music production and how to use DJ equipment through tutorials and practical experience.
During his school years, he sang in a choir and played both recorder and transverse flute, although electronic music became his main professional direction much later. At first, DJing remained a hobby that he combined with his studies and work.
After moving to Mannheim, Hager enrolled at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University, DHBW Mannheim, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in trade fair, congress and event management. His professional education later proved useful not only for touring but also for promoting his own projects. Before music became his primary occupation, he worked as a head of marketing at an event agency.
First club performances
In Mannheim, Hager became a resident DJ at KOI Club. Regular performances convinced him to view DJing as a profession rather than a temporary interest. Around the same time, he began creating his own compositions: original releases were essential for moving from local club work to larger venues and festivals.
During the first years, his repertoire was focused mainly on progressive house and dance music with a strong melodic component. Unlike Cuebrick’s later work, his early tracks were generally built around extended harmonic climaxes, vocal parts and festival drops characteristic of early-2010s EDM.
Breakthrough with Watch Out
Cuebrick achieved his national breakthrough in 2014 with the release of Watch Out, recorded with the German duo The Disco Boys. The single spent seven weeks at number one on the German Dance Charts and made the Cuebrick name known beyond Mannheim’s club scene.
That same year, the musician joined the touring programme of the Holi Gaudy festival project, performing more than thirty shows in European cities. For the tour, he produced the track Colorblind, released by Kontor Records. This period established the early model of his career: studio releases were combined with regular festival appearances and radio work.
Following the success of Watch Out, Cuebrick continued releasing progressive house and vocal EDM. His early catalogue came to include Citylights, Moments, Leads Me to You, Unity and other tracks designed for both radio airplay and festival sets.
Entry into the international market
In 2016, Cuebrick released several records that expanded his audience beyond Germany. His collaboration with American producer APEK and singer Linney was titled Safe. One of the track’s official versions was the Breathe Carolina Edit, while the release itself appeared on Enhanced Recordings.
That same year, Cuebrick recorded Iceland (Viking Clap) with the American duo Tritonal. The idea was based on the rhythmic pattern of the “Viking clap,” which gained international recognition during the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Released by Enhanced Music, the track combined tribal percussion, a gradual buildup and festival progressive house.
His collaborations with Tritonal and Breathe Carolina coincided with an expansion of Cuebrick’s touring activity. He began appearing regularly at major European events, including Nature One, Electric Love and Ruhr-in-Love, and later toured in Asia and the United States. In subsequent years, his schedule included Creamfields, Ultra Music Festival, World Club Dome, Parookaville, Bootshaus and international club venues.
Nature One anthems
Cuebrick’s collaboration with the German festival Nature One occupies a special place in his career. In 2017, he produced the track We Call It Home, released under the name Nature One Inc. The song served as the official anthem of that year’s festival season.
In 2018, Cuebrick contributed to the next Nature One anthem, All You Need to Be. Rouven Hager is credited as one of the composition’s writers alongside Tobias Kasper and Rainer Füsslein.
Working on two consecutive anthems strengthened Cuebrick’s connection with the German festival scene. Unlike ordinary club singles, these compositions were created for specific large-scale events: their structures centred on a memorable vocal chorus and a climax designed for the main stage.
Kingdom of Fire
In 2019, Cuebrick released Kingdom of Fire with IIVES. The track became the official anthem of New Horizons Festival and was issued by Armada Music. The single continued his vocal progressive house direction but featured a denser rhythm section and a large-scale orchestral approach in its climactic passages.
During this period, Cuebrick also expanded his international touring territory and began performing in North America and Asia. His music was released by Armada Music, Spinnin’ Records, Enhanced Recordings, Ultra Music, Smash The House, Mixmash and Revealed Recordings.
bigFM nitroX radio show
Since 2015, Cuebrick has hosted the electronic music programme nitroX on the German radio station bigFM. The show focuses on EDM, progressive house, big room and music designed for major festival stages. In addition to presenting his own selections, Hager interviews DJs and producers.
Radio work became a permanent part of his professional activity. It allowed him to follow developments in festival-oriented electronic music not only as a producer but also as a music editor who regularly selects new releases.
At the same time, Cuebrick produces his own show, Cuebrick’s Conference. It features both established EDM artists and less widely known producers. In 2024, the programme was broadcast twice a month.
Preacher and Cry for You
In 2020, Cuebrick joined forces with German producer Neelix to record Preacher. The release combined Cuebrick’s festival EDM approach with the progressive trance and psy-trance rhythms associated with Neelix.
At the end of the same year, the single Cry for You was released. It was created with MOESTWANTED and featured vocalist Melody Mane. The track used the melodic foundation of Cry for You by Swedish singer September, reworked into a contemporary dance arrangement.
These records illustrate two sides of his catalogue. Preacher is aimed at club and festival dance floors, while Cry for You belongs to a more accessible form of vocal dance music.
Squid Play
One of Cuebrick’s best-known releases is Squid Play, recorded with the Dutch duo Blasterjaxx and released in October 2021 by Maxximize Records. Its title and some of its musical elements referred to the television series Squid Game, which was at the height of its popularity at the time.
The track is built around heavy big room rhythms, a short recognisable motif and an abrupt festival drop. Squid Play became one of Cuebrick’s key works during his transition from progressive house towards a harder mainstage sound. In his 2023 DJ Mag profile, it was identified as his most recognisable track.
Little Darling and the development of his festival sound
In 2022, Cuebrick and Uplink released Little Darling on Maxximize, featuring vocals by Maxiz. Despite its relatively soft vocal section, the track retained a festival structure with a short introduction, pronounced climax and dense bass foundation.
In his subsequent work, the producer began using elements of trance and contemporary big room techno more actively. This direction is especially evident in At Night and Evolution, released by Revealed Recordings. In its description of Evolution, the label specifically highlighted the combination of trance, big room and techno.
This transition did not mean a complete rejection of progressive house. Cuebrick continued releasing vocal and melodic tracks but adapted them to the higher tempos and harder rhythms demanded by major festival stages during the 2020s.
DJ Mag Top 100 DJs
In 2022, Cuebrick entered the reader-voted DJ Mag Top 100 DJs ranking for the first time at number 99. He rose to number 93 in 2023 and number 89 in 2024. In the 2025 poll, the artist placed at number 90.
The ranking is determined through an open audience vote and therefore primarily reflects international recognition and fan activity. Cuebrick’s consistent presence on the list coincided with the expansion of his touring geography and releases on Revealed, Spinnin’, HEXAGON and other international labels.
Releases in 2024
In 2024, Cuebrick continued working across several areas of commercial electronic music. Together with Italian producer Prezioso and South Korean artist DJ Soda, he released Viral, a track in the contemporary big room and festival dance style.
Another notable release was RADAR, recorded with MOKABY and issued by HEXAGON. It featured a more elastic house rhythm that differed from the harder sound of his releases on Revealed.
This stylistic diversity reflects Cuebrick’s approach, as he does not restrict his catalogue to a single subgenre. Progressive house, future house, trance, big room and mainstage techno coexist throughout his discography. In 2024, DJ Mag described his style as big room techno and progressive house.
The 2025–2026 period
In 2025, Cuebrick continued releasing both melodic and harder festival tracks. His catalogue expanded with Ocean Tides, Last Days of Summer, Find My Way, Calabria, Fall or Rise and Young Blood. He also prepared a new version of Freeze Time for the Revealed Legacy vs Destiny project, returning to the combination of trance melodies and EDM associated with his earlier period.
In 2026, he released Kids with Madism and Charles B, Ordinary with Diego Miranda, BIGMOO and TOPGREAT, and Fire with Yves V and Madism. These works continue his direction of dance music designed for both radio and major festival venues.
Musical style
Cuebrick’s work can be divided broadly into several periods. His early recordings were based on progressive house and vocal EDM, featuring extended melodic transitions, emotional breakdowns and pronounced festival drops. This period includes Watch Out, Colorblind, Safe, Iceland (Viking Clap) and the Nature One anthems.
By the end of the 2010s, trance elements and denser mainstage rhythms became more prominent in his music. Kingdom of Fire retained the song-based structure of progressive house, while Preacher brought Cuebrick’s sound closer to progressive trance.
During the 2020s, his main direction became a combination of big room techno and progressive house. Tracks such as Squid Play, At Night and Evolution are characterised by faster tempos, hard kick drums, short synthesiser motifs and more abrupt transitions between breakdowns and drops. In 2025, DJ Mag described his style as mainstage techno and progressive house.
At the same time, Cuebrick continues to release lighter dance material. RADAR, Be Ok, Cry for You and several later vocal singles demonstrate that his catalogue is not limited to harder festival techno.
Major Cuebrick releases
- Watch Out — with The Disco Boys, 2014;
- Colorblind — 2014;
- Safe — with APEK featuring Linney, 2016;
- Iceland (Viking Clap) — with Tritonal, 2016;
- Smoke and Fire — featuring Karra, 2017;
- We Call It Home — producer of the Nature One anthem, 2017;
- All You Need to Be — producer of the Nature One anthem, 2018;
- Kingdom of Fire — with IIVES, 2019;
- Preacher — with Neelix, 2020;
- Cry for You — with MOESTWANTED featuring Melody Mane, 2020;
- Squid Play — with Blasterjaxx, 2021;
- Little Darling — with Uplink featuring Maxiz, 2022;
- At Night — 2023;
- Evolution — 2023;
- Be Ok — with Blaze U and Manse featuring Crooked Bangs, 2024;
- Viral — with Prezioso and DJ Soda, 2024;
- RADAR — with MOKABY, 2024;
- Ocean Tides — 2025;
- Young Blood — 2025;
- Kids — with Madism and Charles B, 2026;
- Ordinary — with Diego Miranda, BIGMOO and TOPGREAT, 2026;
- Fire — with Yves V and Madism, 2026.
Cuebrick today
Cuebrick combines studio work, international performances and radio broadcasting. His music has been released by Spinnin’ Records, Maxximize, Revealed Recordings, Enhanced Recordings, Armada Music, Ultra Music, Smash The House and HEXAGON. He continues to host nitroX on bigFM and produces his own programme, Cuebrick’s Conference.
Over the course of his career, his sound has developed from the melodic progressive house of the first half of the 2010s to mainstage techno and hybrid festival formats. At the same time, Cuebrick has maintained his connection with vocal dance music and regularly collaborates with artists representing different areas of EDM.
