Belgium brothers Dimitri Thivaios & Michael Thivaios, better known as Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have taken the EDM world by storm thanks to their smashing, fist-pumping live performances and Beatport chart-toppers. We caught up the main stage players for an interview at TomorrowWorld in Chattahoochee Hills – check it out!
I’m here with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. You guys played TomorrowWorld last night, your set was epic. How did you plan your TomorrowWorld set?
Mike: Thank you. We did a brand new intro. That was my thing all week to work on that. While I was doing that Dimi was doing the rest of the set.
Dimitri: Yeah it was pretty much what didn’t we play at Tomorrowland. Both are kind of close to each other so the challenge is always to come up with enough original stuff.
Mission accomplished. You also played a new remix for Steve Aoki.
Dimitri: Yes it’s a remix we did together with Boostedkids.
Mike: That was the first time we played it.
more madness at #tomorrowworld! epic closing @dimitrivegas @likemike @steveaoki @martingarrix
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What are your upcoming tracks?
Mike: A lot of different stuff. I think we should start releasing more stuff instead of working on making more tracks.
Dimitri: We just teased a lot of new stuff in the Tomorrowland aftermovie but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The thing is that towards next year now for sure we are gonna do an album. Of course we don’t want an album with all the stuff people have already been waiting for two years – also that’s not really original. It’s kind of looking what direction we are going in. It’s always a challenge to fill the Tomorrowland aftermovie but the problem is all of sudden there are eight new tracks out there that people are waiting for but you can’t release a track every two weeks. That’s a bit of a problem.
There were a lot of big tracks from the 2013 aftermovie that we are still waiting on.
Dimitri: Yes and maybe some of them may never get released.
Mike: I think that’s probably what’s gonna happen.
Mike your roots are in hip-hop and now you’re going back to that a little bit.
Mike: The thing is I produced some trap records and was like it would be cool to add some vocals on top of that. We got in touch with some rappers and did some collaborations with some old-school heroes that we grew up with. In the meanwhile we’ve also been doing some more experimental stuff, some deeper stuff, more techie stuff that we also grew up with after the hip hop when we moved to Ibiza so it’s basically going back to the roots a little bit right now.
It all comes full circle.
Dimitri: Now the question is like we have so many different types of tracks ready and if we do an album how is that going to translate to an album. That’s now the big question because of course we don’t want to do like an EDM big-room album because on one side… Mike: There’s gonna be some big-room on there for sure. Dimitri: Yeah of course that’s the other thing I wanted to say of course we can’t not do a big-room album so maybe we’re thinking maybe we have to split it up or do a double album. But I think for EDM it works better track by track because if you have all of sudden 12 big room tracks on one CD I don’t think that’s gonna translate too well. On the other-hand if tomorrow we’re gonna come out with a hip-hop album people are gonna be like hmmmm. Mike: I think the album will be a nice story.
Dimitri: And that’s what we’re working on at this point I think we have material for easily two albums or three and the point is now how is it gonna become how much of this style or that style. How are we gonna throw it all together. So we’re still working on a lot of stuff. We’re doing a collaboration with Major Lazer.
.@DimitriVegas & @LikeMike playing @WandWmusic & @djHeadhunterz #WeControlTheSound main stage @TomorrowWorld!
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You did the remix for “Bumaye.”
Dimitri: Yes, we have a really cool track together with them, we’re looking out for the right vocals now, which is also something – it’s not a genre, it’s something totally different all together like a mix of all different styles. We have to see where it goes, vocals is always the biggest challenge.
Well you guys are kind of like machines. You’re making a lot of amazing tracks.
Dimitri: He’s in the studio 24/7 like cooking up new ideas and then it’s up to me to be like I’m gonna finish this one or maybe that will be a cool collaboration for that artist so we send it over and the machine keeps working.
You guys kind of blew up with Tomorrowland so a lot of people think you guys kind of came out at that time but really you’ve been making music for a really long time.
Mike: I think the first time we played Tomorrowland we were already working together for five years. Dimitri: Yeah that was the year we did a remix together with Swedish House Mafia of “Leave The World Behind.” Mike: We grew to that before Tomorrowland. We were already touring the world on a lower scale. Dimitri: It was also a different time. At that time it was still a big thing to be touring the world. Now all the clubs are begging for house DJs to come by. Back in the day when we first started out… Mike: We were begging. I remember the first time we went to Miami we actually payed for our own flights, were there less than 24 hours, played there for free for an empty club…and it was raining.
Dimitri: I remember the first time we played in Vegas it was still that there was hip-hop DJ on before and after us. That’s how much the whole scene has changed in five years, everything has gotten turned upside down.
For sure it also shows that you guys have been there for a while, not just an overnight success.
Dimitri: The story with Tomorrowland came at the right time. The guys they noticed what we were doing. Mike: They were looking for a Belgian act that was kinda on the same level as their festival towards the rest of the world…
Dimitri: With the potential to expand to the rest of the world so that’s why we started working together.
You also did something special you were in a Tomorrowland comic from the writer of Spiderman.
Dimitri: Yes Paul Jenkins he also did Wolverine and a bunch of great comics.
So if you could be any superhero who would you be?
Mike: Who is that guy or girl from The X-Men who can absorb anyone’s power? Dimitri: Rogue Mike: Yeah that’s a good power. Dimitri: I would say Wolverine. Mike: Or Highlander but you still have to chop off a lot of heads, not really my thing. Dimitri: I like the series Heroes – remember the cheerleader, the girl who is like untouchable – that’s pretty cool.
Mike: But that guy who absorbs everyone’s powers can also absorb her powers – that’s the power you want.
What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?
Mike: Good question there’s so many possibilities that would of happened – can’t really say. We have a lot of hobbies and interests that we used to do when we were younger so it’s very hard to say.
Dimitri: I’ve been doing the whole DJ thing since I was like 13 and I’m 32 now. There have been points in my life where I’ve been like I should go in that direction or that direction but I think I’d always be doing something sort of in the music business probably more on the management/label side. That’s the realistic thing to say – what probably would of happened.
Who are some upcoming artists to watch out for?
Mike: There are so many.
On Smash The House there’s a lot of talent there.
Dimitri: Wolfpack have been doing really great, also Yves V. Mike: The Belgians.
Dimitri: Ibranovski. I want to say Deorro but it’s almost ridiculous to mention cause he’s doing amazing, such a great talent.
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