ves V

Should someone ever get the idea to build a big Tomorrowland pantheon featuring all the legends throughout the years, there would surely be a place of honour for Yves V. He is one of the main characters in our shared history and has grown together with the festival. Yves was the very first Belgian DJ to play the Tomorrowland Mainstage and has performed there pretty much every year since. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that this year his schedule is fully booked once again, with a classics set at the Rose Garden today, and a b2b set with Regi plus his very own V Sessions Stage next weekend. If you’re looking for that classic, archetypical Tomorrowland madness: Yves V is your man.

What’s it like to be DJ’ing to so many people, basically in your backyard here at Tomorrowland?

“Tomorrowland is one of my favourite places in the world. Being a part of the event since its inception and seeing it attain the huge, world-famous status it has now is something that I’m super proud of. The whole production changes and grows so much every year that fans never know what they’re gonna get, but are sure to be blown away. There is no festival like it!”

What’s your favourite remix you’ve done so far?

“I couldn’t choose a favourite from throughout my career, that wouldn’t be fair! But I have many that stand out as important to me. One particular favourite is P!nk and Cash Cash’s ‘Can We Pretend’.

I’m a big fan of pop music and enjoyed putting my own spin on that track so much. P!nk is an absolute icon and the Cash Cash guys always bring the goods! Another highlight would be being asked to remix VIVIZ’s ‘BOP BOP!’ They’re a super talented K-Pop girl group, and I enjoyed giving the original track a more moody and darker electronic sound for sure. I always like to do the unexpected, and working in different circles that aren’t just dance music allows me to do that.”

If there is one song by an artist other than yourself that is the perfect Tomorrowland song, which one would it be and why?

“It would have to be Alesso vs. OneRepublic – ‘If I Lose Myself’. It’s a classic track that gets so much love whenever I play it or hear it at a festival. It really embodies that time when big-room and chart music intertwined to create an enormous anthem that everyone loved. I have special memories of it at Tomorrowland too!”

Who are three artists you definitely want to see yourself and why?

“Where do I start? This year I really want to try and check out Anyma during the first weekend. Afterlife’s artists are everywhere at the moment and Anyma just released a huge track, ‘Welcome to the Opera’ with Grimes, so I think that will be cool to catch. Vintage Culture is also a name that’s been dominating for as long as I can remember now. He is sure to bring some fun straight out of Brazil to the Mainstage. It would also be cool to watch Steve Angello on the second weekend with his all-new SIZE XX show that celebrates twenty years of his label. Epic!”

Which subgenre of electronic music did you listen to the most as a teenager?

“Probably techno. I was always into classic artists like Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, and so on. The European and US originators always interested me.”

What’s going to be the next big thing in electronic music, genre-wise? Can you see it coming?

“I think we are seeing a return to a lot of harder and faster sounds. Yes, techno has always been there, but I’m noticing a lot of music influenced by things like donk and speed garage getting play through sets and radio shows.”

Can you name a song you’re definitely going to play? And what do you like so much about it?

“It would have to be my latest track ‘Sound of a Beating Heart’ with Sem Thomasson, that we recently released on Alok’s Controversia Records! I’m so proud of everything I’ve released this year and I have been experimenting with a deeper sound that I can’t wait to bring to Tomorrowland. I hope you guys enjoy it!”

What makes the Tomorrowland crowd stand out from any other crowd?

“The sheer diversity. At Tomorrowland, wherever you look, you will be sure to see amazing music lovers from every corner of the world, of every nationality, sexuality, gender, everything! That is the beauty of Tomorrowland, it is the perfect example of how music brings people together and a reminder that music is something to be enjoyed by everyone.”

Nina Kraviz

MAINSTAGE | 18:35 - 19:35

Whoever said DJs don’t dance? It may be true that many selectors reign over their audiences without moving much, but things are definitely different with Nina Kraviz, who always brings her dancing shoes wherever she plays. It’s called dance music for a reason, so she’s damn right! And as far as Nina’s concerned, dance music can mean a lot of things. She’ll typically blend techno with experimental, glitchy sounds, adding some heavy-duty electro with a touch of trance and oldschool hardcore. And not only is she a whirlwind of creative energy, she also puts people onto new music again and again. This is particularly true for music from Chicago and Detroit, the respective birthplaces of house and techno. Not very often do you hear a headline DJ play a freaky acid track by an American underground producer like Mike Dearborn, but Nina pulls it off with ease. “I love playing unreleased music,” she says, “and having my own label helps with that a lot. I love creating a unique soundscape related to a certain moment in time and the idea that few people have heard it before makes this process very exciting. The context in which you put certain music, the atmosphere you create with it and the intention you put behind it are essential. In that sense it doesn’t matter what year the music was released or if it was released at all. Sometimes I’ll sneak something completely unrelated into my sets to see how different genres work in a new context. It doesn’t always work, but when it does - wow!” With this brave Russian DJ, who grew up as far away from the hotbeds of electronic music as possible, you never know what you’re going to get, and that’s precisely what makes her so good.

Lost Frequencies

MAINSTAGE | 21:50 - 22:50

The life of Felix de Laet, more widely known under his Lost Frequencies moniker, is like a rollercoaster, in a good way. Nicely dividing his gigs between live performances and DJ sets, Felix gets to enjoy the best of both worlds so it never gets boring. With a decent number of hits and collabs to his name, he loves writing catchy, airplay-friendly stuff, but also more creative and edgy cuts which are likely to come out as album tracks. As if making music isn’t a big enough job, Felix also runs his very own label Found Frequencies, with releases by more than thirty artists to date. DJ sets by Lost Frequencies never fail to be euphoric and full of energy and are not to be missed!

Chuckie

THE ROSE GARDEN | 18:00 - 19:00

A party DJ to the bone, Surinam-born deck wizard Chuckie will play anything he loves and it will make you move. Having grown up in an era when scenes were strictly divided, Chuckie was stubborn enough to defy these unwritten rules and play a mix of hiphop, hardstyle, house and bubbling. The latter genre originates in the early 1990s and mixes hiphop and R&B with fast and hectic beats, and is now regaining popularity in countries like the Netherlands and England. Make sure to check out some bubbling videos online, so you know how to dance to Chuckie’s grooves when he blasts them into the idyllic Rose Garden.

Da Tweekaz

MAINSTAGE | 19:40 - 20:40

Norwegian hard dance duo Da Tweekaz are a worldwide leading act within the genre, bringing the ultimate uplifting dancefloor energy to the grounds of Tomorrowland. The two have an infectious way of collaborating: while one of them is mixing in the next tune, the other will have time to interact with one of the crazy dancers near the stage. Da Tweekaz fans love their heroes for their energetic sounds, but also for the fact that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Silliness is part of their everyday life and there’s no way of hiding it! Keep an eye out for new collabs with R3HAB and W&W. You might be among the first to hear them in their sets. Are you ready to take the challenge?