Congratulations to Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike for scooping top prize in DJ Mag's 2019 Top 100 DJs poll at ADE. Leapfrogging fellow Ushuaïa resident Martin Garrix into first place, this marks the second time the brothers have received the accolade.
We had the privilege of chatting to them about their Tomorrowland residency on Ibiza earlier this summer...
Since 2005, Tomorrowland has helped put Belgium on the global map as a party destination. The annual event in Boom now stretches to two-bumper weekends of action, visited by an incredible 400,000 partygoers - affectionately dubbed People From Tomorrow.
Vast investment is made on stage-design and production, making Tomorrowland much more than merely a music festival. To attendees, it's an experience of a different world as they're transported from humdrum reality to fantasy. Quite frankly, a world from tomorrow.
The success has spawned several spin-offs, including a short-lived venture in the United States hailed TomorrowWorld. There's even a commercial aircraft called AMARE, that forms part of Brussels Airlines' fleet and was the inspiration for this year's lavish stage design.
Additionally, the heightened profile of Tomorrowland and Belgium's scene has accelerated the rise of Belgian-based artists.
Tomorrowland's hosts take centre stage
Most recently, you may be familiar with Charlotte de Witte's story. Well long before her and at the commercial end of the scale, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike were the original Tomorrowland success story. The brother's career trajectory has mirrored that of the festival's.
Today, they are global stars, selling out stadiums and headlining the biggest EDM festivals around the world. For the past six years, DVLM have finished in the top two spots of DJ Mag's yearly Top 100 DJs - winning the accolade in 2015 and most recently in this year's 2019 poll.
A call from Ibiza was inevitable.
It speaks volumes about the strength of the brand, that Ibiza - an island steeped in party history - would look to import the concept all the way from the heart of mainland Europe.
Lasers cut through the darkness
After a year at Amnesia in 2016 with House of Madness, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike swapped nights for days and crossed the island to Ushuaïa. Enter Garden of Madness - a joint production between The Night League and Tomorrowland. They haven't looked back since.
Marking three years of vibrant parties, 2019 promised to be the longest season yet - with no less than fifteen events from start to end. We caught up with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike themselves to discuss the phenomenon known as Tomorrowland.
Hanging with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike
Central to the success of Tomorrowland's export to Ibiza, has been the party's lead protagonists: brothers Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. Make no mistake, their larger than life routine is an integral element of the show. It wouldn't be Tomorrowland without them.
Animated, climbing on top of the decks and working the crowd on the mic, you could be forgiven for getting exhausted just watching Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. But the fruits of their labour are plain to see, as the crowd reacts to each war-cry and every drop.
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike whipping the crowd into a frenzy
Amid all the attention-grabbing onstage antics, are two siblings who spill every effort of their being into making the show a success. They live and breath Tomorrowland. They believe in its values - and the importance of hard work. This hasn't been an overnight success story, but a case of sweat, determination and an all or nothing attitude.
Regularly first to turn up and last to leave, it's evident they take their responsbility as stars of the show as seriously as its possible to take in this entertainment business. A hard act to juggle, when the fun cannot be sacrificed.
Tomorrowland is famed for being a party that places as much emphasis on production as it does music. It really is a multisensory show. And, clearly, needs many people working in tandem to make the magic happen.
How does the collaboration work between you guys, the technicians and the venue to pull all the event's aspects together into a single experience?
Dimitri Vegas: “Every aspect of the party is a vital piece to the overall picture. Everyone knows their role within the set-up. It's a well oiled machine, but each individual understands what they need to do to, so that we can deliver a show as a team.
It's a team effort - and hopefully one that leaves attendees awed, having had the best night of their life.”
Sparks fly at Tomorrowland
What's your involvement as party hosts in making the magic happen every Tuesday at Ushuaïa and your creative input behind the scenes?
DV: “Whatever we're involved in, we're all or nothing. We don't believe in half measures. This residency is no different. We know how hard Ibiza is to crack. We know the level of commitment required to make a project work on the island summer-in, summer-out.
This is why we've been involved from the absolute beginning. We've built an incredible team that helps turn our ideas into reality. We spend a lot of time in advance developing the concept with our management team and then putting all the pieces of the jigsaw together.
There's an army of crew that work to put these shows together.”
Otherworldly production
Like Mike: “The set-up of the show itself is handled by the production crew. Those guys are magicians. We have a vision and they mould it into something that's out of this world.”
DV: ‘Yeah, it's crazy. The talent and passion that these guys pour into it is incredible. Our arrival times vary show-to-show, but we often get down early. We've usually got some pre-show preparations to run through at these events, plus we want to hang with the hotel's guests and soak up the early party's atmosphere. It's important to get in the mood.”
Feel the heat
We are seeing a new wave of Belgian artists making noise across dance music right now, especially here on Ibiza. Clearly the Belgian scene is booming right now.
LM: “The Belgian scene is exploding right now! We've always had strong electronic artists, but it's inspiring to see so much fresh talent coming through.”
DV: “What's especially encouraging, is that it's not just guys we're seeing coming through, but strong female role-models like Amelie Lens and Charlotte De Witte. They're completely dominating their space in the scene, which is great to see.”
LM: “Yeah, we've got a pretty talented selection of Belgian artists taking on the world with their music right now.”
THe music of Tomorrow
Pyrotechnics, confetti-drops, CO2 and animatronic set-pieces are all part-and-parcel of the Tomorrowland experience. Yet it's clear that the music is equally important in the minds of the thousands who attend.
Calling on an array of acclaimed peers, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike guarantee dance floor eruptions with their selections - including many of their own productions and remixes.
2019 will forever be remembered as the year that they dabbled with reggaeton in collaboration with David Guetta, Daddy Yankee, Afro Bros and Natti Natasha.
Naturally, Instagram - the resulting track - would go on to become a party anthem for this summer's campaign. No doubt helped by the accompanying video, shot on Ibiza - where else?
What tracks are you finding have gotten the biggest reactions on the Tomorrowland dance floor this summer?
DV: “If we had to pick just one, of course we would have to say our summer anthem Instagram with David Guetta, Daddy Yankee, Afro Bros and Natti Natasha has been a huge track for us.”
Tell us a little bit about how that collaboration came about. It seems like it was born within the Night League, what with several of you holding residencies across both venues.
DV: "David and ourselves had been discussing doing another track again. We both loved what the Afro Bros had been doing recently, and we felt we wanted to do something that was an all-star line-up, you know? Really go huge with it.
Natti is one of the biggest and most exciting female singers in the world right now. And as for Daddy Yankee, he needs no introduction. The combination of everyone together on one record meant something it would be nothing less than spectacular.”
LM: “We've been waiting very impatiently to announce this record for a while, but we all had to wait until the moment was right.”
David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Daddy Yankee & Afro Bros | Instagram | 2019
Reggaeton is becoming increasingly popular, especially here in Spain. We see it gain more presence on the island with each passing year. Is it a style of music you've found becoming a bigger part of your sets?
DV: “The energy of reggaeton is contagious and we like that kind of spirit on the dance floor. Our shows have always been about creating the ultimate party energy, so for us this genre works very well at the Tomorrowland shows.”
David Guetta has held residency on the island for many years and not many artists can command two sold out parties a week - does he ever give you advice?
DV: “David's a good friend and has always been one to share his advice with us. What he has achieved, not just in Ibiza, but with his whole career, is amazing. His impact on the island and the world speaks for itself.”
DVLM waving the flag for Tomorrowland at Ushuaïa
Time has flown by and we are somehow find ourselves at the tailend of the 2019 season. Have there been any particular Tomorrowland dates that have stood out as being highlights?
DV: “It might sound corny, but for us, it's been every show. We spend months working and preparing the concept, line-ups, designs, marketing and everything else that goes into it. That hard work makes every single party special for us.”
LM: “The hard work pays off at the event. To be on stage and see the faces of the crowd and all of them just going wild - that's why I get out of bed. That's why I do my job. It makes it all worth it.”
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike slayed Tuesdays at Ushuaïa during a staggering 15 week run. Following their success in DJ Mag's Top 10 DJs poll, we expect to see them back on Ibiza in 2020. Bravo, guys.
