Mumbaikars had a much-needed chance to let their hair down at the 13th edition of Sunburn Arena music festival on Sunday, with Belgian DJ duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. In the city on their last leg of India tour, the duo came prepared with some new sets for their India fans. The brothers besides playing their hit EDM trap gave the crowd a surprise with a Punjabi remix. And raising the heat were performances by singer Shaan, Ritviz, Anish Sood, DJ Shiva Manvi, Siana Catherine, Basspatch and Basshunk, among others.
Always inspired by the fans and life itself, the DJ duo share that it is a real pleasure to be performing for the Indian crowd. “It is utterly wild. The fans in India have so much love to offer. We love it,” exclaims Mike.
At the concert, packed with over 30,000 people — as Dimitri claimed in his tweet — was Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia making a special backstage appearance. “This was my first ever concert appearance and it has been the most fascinating experience ever! I’d definitely like to attend more of these in the future, and Tomorrowland is definitely on my bucket list for next year,” says the actress.
A hardcore EDM fan, Pooja Trehan Dhamecha, who has not missed a single Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike show, was left mesmerised after the show.
“Dimitri played the best playlist I have ever heard. It is heartening to see a great musician play live for you. In fact, it is a delight for any EDM lover,” she says. According to her, the most engaging parts of the event were the fun activities that the brothers made the crowd do. “At one moment, he asked us to sit on the ground, then just jump, wave our hands, and so on. There was not a single dull moment, and he was so happy with the crowd,” she adds.
While Mike claims to have made a late entry to the music world, he found his path through hip-hop and eventually made dance music his life. Dimitri, on the other hand, immersed himself in rock music as a kid until he discovered funk, soul, and dance music. It’s this honing of skills and expanding of horizons that helped them create tantalising tracks this year like Garden of Madness, Repeat After Me, Boing, and Everybody Clap, among others. And these enchanting tracks earned the duo top spot on DJ Mag’s 2019 Top 100 DJs list for the second time, the first being in 2015. This year, the DJs have broken three-time winner Martin Garrix’s streak.
“It feels really good to be voted number one for the second time by the fans. We have to thank them for their ongoing love and support,” shares Dimitri. Quizzed if keeping the top spot brings with it challenges, Mike explains that there is pressure to keep pushing their dreams, “but that is what makes goals and targets so much more satisfying. Especially when you achieve them.”
Not just topping the list, the brothers have also served as the brand ambassadors of Tomorrowland for many years, which has been held annually in Belgium since 2005. “As music fans, we knew about the festival, but our relationship with Tomorrowland started in 2010 when they invited us to play the mainstage. It was a breakthrough moment for us,” recalls Dimitri.“The reception from the fans to that first mainstage set was crazy. From that moment on, we have been a part of the Tomorrow-land family,” Mike concludes.
