Selling out stadiums across the globe is the infamous duo of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. With a roster of chart-topping hits, the dutch duo have become synoymous with big room electronic music. One half of the brothers duo, Dimitri Thivaios has recently teamed up with industry heavyweight DIPLO to release the tropical, summer inspired track Hey Baby. We caught up with Dimitri to talk about everything from Tomorrowland, to Vegemite!
Dimitri, thanks for taking the time to have a chat to us from the other side of the globe, what’s the weather like over there?
My pleasure. It’s starting to get cold now as we head into the festive period.
You’ve been a busy man this past year, both with your brother Michael as the iconic Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike duo; but also as a solo artist. What’s been the highlight of your year so far?
This year has been truly special. We’ve had so many amazing shows and the fan support has been incredible. Selling out our upcoming Bringing the Madness arena show at the Antwerp’s sportpaleis is definitely one of the big highlights. The show sold out all 4 dates across two weekends with all 84,000 tickets being snapped up. This kind of thing has only ever happened to the likes of U2, Madonna, Coldplay etc, so it’s really means a lot to us that this has happened and in our home country too.
Also having 45,000 fans join us in what turned out to be a record breaking show in Germany this month was another big highlight. We played the Veltins Arena for our Bringing Germany The Madness party, in conjunction with Tomorrowland and BigCityBeats World Club Dome Winter Edition and the show saw us smash the record for the biggest solo show by a DJ in Germany. It was absolutely wild!
Now your back with a brand new hit titled ‘Hey Baby’ and this time you’ve teamed up with none other than the man himself; Diplo. Tell us how did this all start?
We’ve always been known for changing our tempo and the variety of our sound. It’s important to us to not be bound to any one genre or style. Diplo’s a great guy and an artist we really respect. Working with him was a good match for the kind of vibe we were into making on this particular record which was a tropical dance vibe. So far the response has been incredible with over 8 million stream on Spotify alone.
The track itself is a pleasant listen and it’s perfect for summer. The BPM has dropped significantly compared to the normal big room bangers you’re renowned for releasing. When teaming up with Diplo, was that something you intended to do, break away from the norm so to speak?
Yeah, as just mentioned, we were looking for something a little different and which had that radio appeal as well as club feel. ‘Hey baby’ is a dance jam that’s got a lot of flavors in it that really sticks in your head!
For all our readers that like to dabble in music production, can you give us a run through of what it was like working with Diplo? Did you guys share a server or collab in a studio – how did it work considering you guys are both so very busy.
For this one we worked remotely purely down to our schedules. We had a few catches up whilst on the road and spoke on calls but for the most part we were sending ideas and edits back and forth to each other.
Following on from ‘Stay a While’, ‘Hey Baby’ is guaranteed to get a ton of plays over the Australian summer. Do you have any further tracks to release in the next couple of months?
Yes, you can definitely expect more music to come from us in the next few months. We’ve been working on some really cool stuff, a lot of solo tracks and also some collaborations. Expect a busy schedule of releases next year.
You’re renowned for your highly energetic performances with your brother as Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. What sort of preparation goes into a headline set at a festival such as Tomorrowland?
We put a lot of time and energy into ensuring we’ve got all the music we need for one of our shows. We don’t preplan our sets but we like to work out an idea in our heads of where we might go, give us numerous options etc. We spend a lot of hours making new edits and exclusive tracks for our shows which you’ll not find anywhere else but in one of our sets.
You’ve reached the stage in your career where you literally sell out stadiums and arenas across the globe. Did you ever imagine your career would take you to where it is today?
We always dreamt of it but even now it still surprises us. We feel very blessed to have such strong support by the most amazing fans in the world.
Ok so time for a few quick questions from out readers are you ready?
1. Which came first, producing, or DJing?
Dimitri: DJing.
Mike: Producing
2. How do you try and stay healthy with your extensive touring schedule?
You have to know when to rest. It’s important to eat well and take a break from all the touring and studio work to give the body a chance to rest and recharge.
3. Can Australia expect to see a Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike tour in the future?
Sure! We hope to party with you guys very soon!
4. What’s been the biggest highlight of your entire career so far?
We’ve been blessed to have many highlights from becoming #1 DJ’s in the world, holding down a residency at Amnesia with our House of Madness party, selling out two weekends at the enormous 20,000 capacity Antwerp’s sportpaleis with our Bringing the Madness arena show, having a billboard #1 with ‘Higher Place’, being residents of Tomorrowland and having the chance to close the mainstage each year in the biggest show possible, and so many more. It’s really been an incredible journey so far and we’ve still so much more to share with the fans.
5. Favourite 3 tracks to drop in your sets?
They’re all favorites that why we play them
6. Name 3 rising producers that are killing it right now
In now specific order these 3 are making incredible waves right now:
– Lost Frequencies
– Angemi
– Wolfpack
7. What’s your craziest fan / show experience?
We played a show last year in Germany for World Club Dome and we dropped out track ‘Tremor’ which sent the crowd nuts. We had a 30,000 people mosh pit happening right in the arena! It was insane!!
8. Name 3 artists you would love to collaborate with.
In no order, Dr Dre, Eminem and Daft Punk
9. Have you tried vegemite, if so did you like it?
I’m keen to try some so have it ready for when we arrive!
10. Where do you see Electronic Dance Music in 5 years?
Bigger, stronger and more global than it currently is. The scene is so exciting right now and we’re blessed with so much good talent that it’s only going to get bigger.
Once again, thank you so much for taking 5 minutes with us and all the best mate.
Thank you!