Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike: ‘No Big Difference Between Being No.1 or No.2’

Dimitri Vegas: “The recipe in general is to work hard, do your best, try to make good music and appreciate the love your fans give you.” Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

When we last spoke with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike aka DVLM, the duo couldn’t care less about their number one ranking on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs. It was just a number to them. “People sometimes talk to us like topping DJ Mag Top 100 is an Olympic achievement or something,” says Dimitri Thivaios of the Belgian DJ duo. “I don’t think there’s a big difference between being number one, number two, or number three.”

Although the EDM act, comprising Dimitri and his brother Michael, have lost the top spot to Dutch house producer Martin Garrix in the just-announced list for 2016, it’s not something they’re too upset about. Says Dimitri, “All the people in that list are artists that I respect so much. I mean the recipe in general is to work hard, do your best, try to make good music and appreciate the love your fans give you.”

Proof of that hard work lies in the swift upward trajectory of DVLM’s career; they initially shot to fame with hits like 2013’s “The Way We See the World” [with Dutch producer Afrojack and Australian DJ duo Nervo] and 2014’s “Tremor,” before finally achieving global super stardom with 2015’s deep house track “Higher Place,” [a collaboration with American R&B artist Ne-Yo.] Their most recent feats include headlining EDM mecca Tomorrowland and witnessing Bringing the Madness, the annual concert they’ve been hosting back home since 2012, turn into an event of mammoth scale. “We have a [Bringing the Madness] show in Antwerp in December and there are 80,000 people coming; 60,000 tickets were sold in one hour!” says Dimitri. Earlier this year, the duo’s track “Melody,” a collaboration with American producer Steve Aoki and Dutch-Turkish DJ Ummet Ozcan, was also made the official anthem of the Belgian national football team.

India’s growing obsession with EDM has also assured the brothers an additional legion of fans. Their recent Sunburn tour across Mumbai and Hyderabad, which also featured DJ Marshmello, saw support from thousands of fans who Dimitri says are “super passionate and have so much enthusiasm.”

In a bid to give back to their fans, DVLM are now handing out free music on their newly launched website www.soundofmadness.com. The songs available are an entire album’s worth, including their latest prog-house single “Leaves.” Says Dimitri, “We came up with a bunch of tracks that I know people really wanted but eventually weren’t going to make it on the album. So instead of holding it to ourselves we decided to give it out to the fans. And we still have many more tracks; I think at this point its eleven tracks you can download.”

As far as future projects are concerned, Dimitri says they have several more free releases lined up and an additional single titled “Hey Baby” with American producer Diplo. But he is a little less forthcoming about the details of their highly anticipated debut album. “I’m not going to fall into the trap of giving a date!” he says, laughing. “It’ll be ready when it’s ready.”

Hear Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s new track “Leaves” below: