Eminent DJs Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike are brothers sharing a common love for music. As they live, party and tour together, it’s natural that their understanding is deeper than of many other siblings.
In Hyderabad ahead of their performance for Sunburn arena’s tenth anniversary along with DJ Marshmello, they discuss music and beyond.
Does your sibling bond ever go beyond music?
Dimitri: We’ve grown up together, gone clubbing together and explored the island of Ibiza together. We bring something different to our stage show because we have different ideas and a different approach to it. You can see that in the way we are on stage. I suppose this is what makes us stand out from other artists.
Mike: We’re brothers so naturally have a good connection which helps a lot. There’s no time to be doing anything else. You see, music is a passion more than profession for both us.
Why has the priority among musicians shifted from albums to singles?
Dimitri: With singles there is a more concentrated amplification. You shouldn’t overload your audience with too much content at the same time because the marketplace is already so saturated and the memory is short lived. There are new sounds coming up all the time and competition is steep so you need to be at the top of your game.
Mike: Singles allow you to test fan reactions rather than albums. You can experiment with sounds and evaluate the direction you want to take in the future.
Do you think Youtube hits are a right way to assess a musician's popularity?
Dimitri: A musician’s popularity should be based on how many fans turn up at the public concert to support the music or by album sales maybe.
Mike: Today it’s all about promotional tools when you make music. In the good old days good music was consumed in physical forms beyond the internet. It’s time those days come back!
Do musicians need to be good listeners as well?
Dimitri: You need to be a good listener to succeed. You need to be open to new sounds, new methods of producing music. You can’t close down and not want to be receptive to others.
Mike: If you can’t appreciate good music you can never produce good music and to appreciate good music you need to be a good listener.
Beyond professional commitments, what about India attracts you?
Dimitri: India is one of our favourite countries to perform in. It’s always good to come back, the warmth of the fans is very addictive! We owe a part of our success to Indian fans because they supported us when we weren’t big and we will always be loyal to them.
Mike: We have some great memories attached to the country. India is culturally diverse and welcomes every artiste with such hospitality. We are back here every year for this very same reason.
Are you collaborating with any Indian musicians?
Dimitri: We love Bollywood and are open to exploring synergies. Given a chance, we may even love to do a cameo in a film. We are relying on Salman Khan for that who’s a good friend.
Mike: We have heard of AR Rahman, Arijit Singh. Indian sounds are so layered, especially the classical tunes. It would be quite interesting to add those beats in, at some point, to our album
What are your plans on this trip and performing in Hyderabad?
Dimitri: I plan to do some sightseeing for sure. Maybe the royal places and temples!
Mike: At the gig and beyond that, we have a lot of new material – loads of new singles and new remixes like the Lost Frequencies, the release of our new collaboration with Diplo “Hey Baby”. (The 10th year celebrations of the Sunburn Arena tour features a concert by Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike in Hyderabad on October 8 at Gachibowli Stadium)
