Fresh off the heels of performing at the magical and game-changing online festival Tomorrowland “Around The World, along with preparing for their upcoming DJ Mag 2020 campaign, we had the pleasure of speaking with the current #1 DJs, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.
You guys brought the house down at Tomorrowland. How did it feel to not be celebrating those two weekends with the people of Tomorrowland in Boom?
Dimitri: “Of course, we would have loved to have done the show with everybody at the festival site in Boom but we’re super thankfully that we got to connect with the fans via this incredible new virtual show. The Tomorrowland Around The World digital festival was an amazing experience and sharing it with fans from across the globe was an emotion occasional for us. 2020 has been a really tough year for everybody so holding an event like that brought everyone together was really special!”
Each year, you guys deliver incredible sets on the mainstage of Tomorrowland. Have you treated this online festival the same way or have you treated it differently compared to previous mainstage sets?
Mike: “We always bring something special for Tomorrowland and this show for Pāpiliōnem was no different. We always want to make it one for the history books because it means everything to us to give the fans an experience they’ll never forget.”
Both of you and Tomorrowland always find a way to out-do yourselves when it comes to live sets and festivals respectively and this online festival looks no different. How do you guys find ideas and inspiration to keep on top of your game?
Dimitri: “Thank you for saying that. We work extremely hard to push the boundaries every year. We are our biggest critics so for us it needs to go to the next level. From our manager Nick Royaards to our Smash The House and Tomorrowland family, we are constantly focused on new creative ways to out do ourselves.”
Over the years, you both have grown in popularity as artists side by side along with Tomorrowland. Does your best side come out in July when the festival rolls around?
Mike: “Tomorrowland is that special moment for us to go absolutely insane with the creativity but it doesn’t just stop there for us. From our music to our Garden of Madness events to our projects through our Smash The House organisation/label/universe, we are driven by ideas and exciting new ways to be creative.”
Tomorrowland has grown so big in the past couple of years, even expanding onto multiple continents with TomorrowWorld, Tomorrowland Brasil, and Tomorrowland Winter. How proud of your home country does it make you to see the global success of Tomorrowland?
Dimitri: “Very proud! Seeing Tomorrowland, our fellow country artists and Belgium as a whole flying the flag for dance music around the world and being a part of the journey is an exceptional honour for us.”
With the Tomorrowland “Around The World” online virtual festival, they have officially become the first EDM festival to venture into the virtual world. How does it feel to be a part of this historic event?
Dimitri: “Absolutely amazing!”
Mike: “Yeah, truly incredible!”
With the rise in live streams and online sets, do you feel this kind of format can keep up after normality comes back?
Mike: “100%. Over a million people tuned in for Tomorrowland Around The World proving that the passion for digital festivals is there.”
Dimitri: “We are living in a new age of the way music is being consumed so let’s embrace it and enjoy more events like this in the future.”
Speaking on productions, you guys just released a massive tune “Say My Name” alongside Regard. How happy are you guys with the finished product and it’s home on the ever-growing Smash The House label?
Mike: “Very pleased with the single and especially how it is performing. We’ve had a lot of love from the fans on this release.”
Dimitri: “The buzz around this has been so good already. Working with our brother Regard was a lot of fun and it’s a pleasure to welcome him to the Smash The House family. Excited to see this one grow and grow.”
Sampling the iconic vocals of Destiny’s Child for the single, how exciting is it for you guys to be working with the vocals from one of the biggest artists/groups of the past few decades?
Mike: “The original is an absolute classic and the three of us wanted to pull something together that was catchy and had this pop-deep house vibe. It felt like the perfect track and once we started bouncing ideas around, we knew we were onto something special.”
You guys have worked with tons of up and coming producers over the years, and have recently launched Generation Smash to showcase those emerging talents. How important is it for you both to work with tomorrow’s talent?
Dimitri: “Very important. We’re all about pushing new music and artists. We also have Smash Deep, my own label Green Room and Vini Vici’s Alteza Records under our Smash The House umbrella. We’re invested into the music and wanting to grow new talent through all of these labels, as well as release songs from established acts.”
When it comes to productions, very few artists can match the diversity that you guys inject into your singles. How important is it for you guys as artists to experiment with new sounds and keep things fresh for the listeners?
Mike: “it is what our music and performance have always been about. We like to mix up the genres, keep our fans guessing and pushing new sounds, as well as old styles we love. So for us it’s hugely important to have this big combination of different genres in our sound.”
Although you experiment with new sounds, your signature sound would be best described as peak mainstage anthems. What do you love most about your high intensity, pulsating, and energetic sounds?
Dimitri: “when we’re performing, we want the crowd to party. We want our fans to go wild, enjoy themselves and have the night of their lives. Which is why our shows are filled with intensity and energetic grooves.”
You can check out their latest single below and vote for them in the DJ Mag Top 100 here.
You can also relive every Tomorrowland Around The World set here.
