tyle: “Hardstyle.” Best known for: “‘The Challenge’ (album), euphoric hardstyle.” Tune of 2012: “Coone ‘Dedication’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Hard Driver.”
YOUNG DJ and producer Coone is singlehandedly changing the face of hardstyle. First he rose to fame in his native Belgium, but 2012 has seen him spread his wings and take his sound to the masses all over the world. “This year I focused on gigs and bookings abroad. I closed many big festivals and gigs including Privilege, which is the largest club in the world. It was the first time hardstyle has been in Ibiza. It worked really well, it was a cool party,” Coone gushes.
As well as playing on almost every continent, so too has Coone kept up a steady release schedule this year, incorporating a wider array of influences with each new track.
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Teleportation, so I don’t have to wait at those boring airports all the time.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “Playing for the crowd is the most important job as a DJ.” What does EDM mean to you? “I grew up with electronic dance, so let’s call it my education.” Should celebrities be DJs? “If he/she can set the place on fire and plays the right tracks... No problem. They have to feel and breathe the music.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Luckily that never happened! But one time, someone threw a beer on my mixer... not cool.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “With the coming of new CD players, beat-matching has become overrated. The essence now is to create a show and an exciting tracklist.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “The world of hardstyle, with a capital H.”
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IN just a few short years, party-starting house duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have been propelled well-and-truly into the big league. “It’s been an amazing year,” they confirm. “We’ve been playing clubs and festivals we could only dream of before, performed for some of the best crowds in the world and worked on music with some of our all-time heroes. We still expect to wake up any time.”
As well as releasing a string of huge tracks — including ‘Momentum’, with Regi, and ‘Loops & Tings’ on Sander Van Doorn’s label — and touring the globe, the duo
also became the face of Tomorrowland, held in their home country, Belgium. “Without a doubt, Tomorrowland is still our highlight of the year,” they say. The duo began Tomorrowland 2012 by playing an airborne set on the plane journey to the festival, before smashing several sets over the weekend.
And they assure us that further, even bigger, things (including collaborations with some huge names) are still to come. We don’t doubt it. TRISTAN PARKER
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DIMITRI VEGAS & LIKE MIKE Style: “Smashin’ the house!” Best known for: “Being ambassadors of Tomorrowland.” Tune of 2012: “Swedish House Mafia ‘Greyhound’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Yves V & Wolfpack.”
“I like dubstep, hip-hop and love to combine many different styles. I’ve just done a collaboration with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike which I’m interested in getting out there, because it has more house influences. “I want to make more remixes and do more collabs with non-hardstyle DJs like Ferry Corsten,” he adds. “I always hear tracks, then hear a hardstyle version in my head, so it would be cool to get those big names to work with. ” KRISTAN J CARYL
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Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “100% for the crowd. I think that would fit our job description — it’s up to us to educate and be innovative, though.” What does EDM mean to you? “It’s just a new marketing word for something that’s been around for ages.” Should celebrities be DJs? “Sure, why not? As long as they’re good! If they’re not, then get them off.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Luckily not, but if they ask us to play Carly Rae Jepsen… We’ll pack our bags ourselves.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “There is a lot more to DJing than beat matching or a sync but- ton. It’s about track selection and reading your crowd.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “A little town in Belgium called Boom. Google it!”