Creating music and memories

Sunburn kick-started the 10th anniversary celebrations with Sunburn Arena tour featuring World #1DJs Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike in Hyderabad on October 8. In an exclusive interview, the siblings speak about their performance and stint in the world of music and more…

How was it performing at Sunburn Arena in Hyderabad?
Sunburn has raised the bar for dance music as a concept in India and opened up the doors for many international DJs. I think that every DJ will agree with me that Sunburn is an institute that will go down in history. It’s always great playing on Indian soil because you guys really know how to party!

You are currently at the No.1 position on DJ mag, comments?
We know everybody thinks we are incredible DJs and producers, but we want to show the world that there is another side to the Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike brand. You know, to prove that we’re more than just super-talented producers but true musicians as well.

We’re totally blessed with our career so far, and I hope for many years to come. There’s not really a big secret to it, we just work hard and we love what we do... and try to be a bit different than the rest. Our focus is to deliver the best show, the best music and the best memories possible. That's where we put our energy to ensure we stay in a strong place with our fans.

How did it all begin for you guys?
Dimitri - We both worked in very different areas at first. Mike was into hip-hop and I’m from the early 90’s techno and the period where the hard style was growing. I was in between those genres. At a certain point when I went to Ibiza, Mike was there as well and Ibiza was a huge music revelation for us.

I quit using vinyl’s because I saw CDs doing some crazy things in Ibiza and I fell in love with it. I stored my vinyl’s at my parent’s house with my old set. Both Mike and I also fell in love with Ibiza’s house, techno, minimal and all of the music styles that were alive. One time I was performing in this small club and Mike got there as well. We started performing together and it worked out so well; we thought about it and knew we had something.

What do you bring to the table that perhaps some other DJs don't?
Mike - I think it's a spirit and a relationship with the crowd that’s hard to rival.
Dimitri - For us, we’re just doing what we love; we’re not trying to compete with anyone. What matters when we’re on stage is what the crowd is reacting to: are they enjoying it, and how can we improve the gig for their benefit?

Why did you guys choose to perform together rather than individually?
Dimitri - It wasn’t till Like’s banishment to Ibiza one summer for bad behaviour that we realised that we could work together and make stellar music. At the time I was working in Ibiza. We always have each other’s back.

Mike- I think it’s good to say that we really fill in each other gaps, in the DJ booth, as well as in the studio and with our careers in general. We both have our qualities and we give each other the space to work with it.

So who takes the lead while taking a crucial decision?
Mike is in the studio 24/7 like cooking up new ideas and then it’s up to Dimitri to be like I’m gonna finish this one or maybe that will be a cool collaboration with that artist so we send it over and the machine keeps working. It’s seamless.

While creating a track do guys argue over what is best for the track. If yes, then how do you solve it?
We do fight like most brothers do, but there’s a reason we have separate studios, lol! We have a good system for working together. We prefer to work separately and then come together in the final stage to put our ideas down. That way we both get our ideas across without any fights. It can be difficult when you’re touring and making music in the studio together, but we’ve managed to survive this long.

There are speculations that you guys are secretly collaborating with Salman Khan and Virat Kohli for a dance single?
It’s a secret. Salman Khan is a good friend. We will be inviting him to come join us at the festival. It’s always great to party with friends, the bigger the party, the better! We totally dig Bollywood.

You guys started very young so how did you manage studies along with this?
Dimitri - We didn’t really like a school that much. I left school when I was 17, Mike must have been 15 or so. We left Belgium to work abroad. We weren’t focused on school. I was still focused on music. We also didn’t grow up in the best neighbourhood, so at a certain point, my mum came with this advertisement about working abroad. It was a tour operator asking “Do you want to work in Majorca, Greece and Ibiza?” And I said, “Ibiza? Of course!” So I went for the job and I got it, mainly because I spoke a lot of languages.

What advice would you give to DJs & producers who are starting out?
Mike - Vision. Get an idea of what you want to be, how you are going to get there and then go for it. No one else can make that first step but yourself.

Dimitri - And add to that belief. There will always be negative people keen to knock other people’s dreams but that shouldn’t stop you. Believe in yourself and ignore them.

What is your most memorable show to date, and why?
Dimitri - Tomorrowland is always a special plus for us; it's our home, and the place we always give something truly magical at. It’s what Tomorrowland is all about. We love to play big shows, and festivals are the perfect setting for that. Amnesia in Ibiza is a place that we have a deep connection with. Ibiza is a second home to us and one place we love to visit and miss when we're away from it.

Mike - Selling our solo arena show at Antwerp's Sportpaleis for our Bringing The World The Madness is definitely up there. It's an incredible venue and a big homecoming show for us. We have another two events there this year in December at the arena which we sold out in less than 40 minutes - something you only saw with people like Michael Jackson and Beyoncé... Now that’s mad!

What's the most noticeable change you've seen in the industry since you started out?
It has to be the production around the shows, and the experience the fan gets from not just the DJ, but the entire set up and stage. It’s amazing, and great to see this finally happening.