Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s path from celebrated DJs to dominating the global electronic music scene has been on a constant, upward trajectory leading them to once again become the world topping DJ’s No.1 DJs. Having won the 2019 edition DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll the pioneering duo return to the top spot following their debut back in 2015, which saw them become the first-ever duo to win the No.1 DJ’s crown.
Tell us about your single ‘The Chase’, how was the work on it, who were the people who contributed to the single, and what is the story behind it?
Dimi: We worked with our brother Quintino on ‘The Chase’ which is always great fun. We’ve worked on a lot of music together now, so we get how each other works and the flow is really smooth and natural now. Our production styles complement each other, so we know what comes is an extra dimension to any track we collaborate on
Mike: ‘The Chase’ started like most other collaborations we work on, with an initial idea. We sent the project back and forth and played around with a few different musical elements until we landed on the final track, which we’re really happy with!
You’ve also just dropped ‘Happy Together’ with Bassjackers, how did that track come together?
Dimi: Again, we love working with Bassjackers, they’ve been two artists we’ve worked closely with on a number of big singles, so the chemistry is really organic. We had the idea for the track as the vocal and melody is such an iconic piece of music, and we felt that it works really well with a modern spin. Bassjackers always bring something fresh when we work with them, so we thought they’d be the perfect partners to team up and bring the vision to life. We love the outcome and can’t wait to see the response from our fans.
During your amazing career, you have won many awards such as DJ MAG TOP 100 in the first place, three times the Best Belgian Act award, and many other awards. What is the Award that excites you most during your career? Tell us about it
Dimi: That’s a difficult question. We appreciate all the recognition that we get from any source as it’s makes all the hard work and dedication worthwhile. Being top of the DJ Mag poll has always been an amazing achievement for us and had such a massive impact on our careers when we first topped the poll, so we’ll be forever grateful for those awards as they are voted for by the fans. Winning Best Belgian Act is also such a huge achievement for us, we love our fans in Belgium and always receive amazing support
The music industry has suffered tremendous damage by postponing festivals, closing clubs, and of course the loss of livelihood to musicians. Do you think this will change the face of the music industry as we know it?
Mike: Definitely. A huge proportion of artists’ money comes from touring, so it has affected everybody. The music industry has always been resilient though and has adapted through the years with the evolution in things like technology and the rise of streaming for example, so it will survive and hopefully prosper with this.
Dimi: We’re already seeing people turning to new ways of entertaining their fans and giving them exciting content.
Things like live streaming are a great way for musicians to engage with their fans and provide people with something to lift their spirits while they’re not able to perform for them in person. It’s been great to see the creativity coming out of this, as people find new and exciting ways to do the thing they love ☺
The music industry is in a huge crisis due to the Coronavirus, artists, and music producers who were recently touring around the world find themselves out of action, and with plenty of free time, do you think this is the ideal time to produce new music?
Mike: For sure! For touring musicians, this gives an almost unprecedented opportunity to write new music with so much free time, and I expect to hear a ton of amazing new music coming out of this. For us, this amount of free time is unheard of. We’re usually either on the road traveling, performing, or working, so this time already has been a super creative period for us. As we aren’t working to deadlines so heavily, we’ve really been able to relax and experiment with different sounds in the studio, and that freedom of expression has brought some really interesting results so far. We can’t wait to share new music with you guys!
Dimitri, Beyond your amazing music career, you continue to flourish as an actor and a voice actor, having appeared alongside cinematic legends such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester Stallone and reached the role of dubbing in blockbuster films such as Spider-Man and Big Hero 6. Do you have any thoughts on entering this field of acting in a more professional way or even directing and producing a film in the future?
I’ve always been fascinated by film, conveying stories, and emotions on screen the same as you would when working on music. Being involved in different sets and working with hugely skilled actors/actresses in the film industry has taught me a lot about showcasing different themes, and I think that has had a knock-on effect on our music as a result. Getting to work alongside big-screen heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme in The Bouncer and Sylvester Stallone in the latest Rambo movie are highlights of my side career in the film industry and push me on to achieve more. I had a lot of projects planned which are obviously on hold at the minute, but it’s definitely an area I plan on pursuing further. I have also been writing a lot of scripts recently during this downtime, as that is also an area that really interests me.
Mike, You recently launched your own label Green Room for your solo music. Firstly, what is the thinking behind your solo stuff, and what is the reasoning behind launching the label?Myself and Dimi are always listening to new music across a wide variety of genres but as well as electronic music, I have a huge passion for urban music. So, it felt a natural progression for me to experiment with these sounds on my own as a solo creative project. The idea of the label was to streamline my own releases and also push other artists, all in one space.
Dimitri, Frank Walker, who is considered one of the greatest voice actors, said that every time he entered the studio, he felt like he was entering another magical world and he felt he was the lead actor on the set. Was that also the feeling in movies like Spider-Man and Big Hero 6?
Yes! It is an unbelievable experience being involved in voice acting. Getting to see the animation on screen and helping it to come to life by taking the role of the character is a great feeling. Seeing the film in the studio really sucks you into that world and helps you to perform the role to the best of your ability
You are an inspiration for lots of people around the world, including DJs, music producers, and music fans from around the world. What message would you like to send them during this time?
Stay at home, stay safe, take care of one another and we’ll see you all again soon x
