[Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike](https://www.instagram.com/dimitrivegasandlikemike/) need no introduction. If you’re at all tapped into the electronic music scene, you’re probably a fan of this musical duo. Composed of two Belgium brothers, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike have established themselves as one of the leaders paving the way for dance music, even carrying the torch of being one of the top DJs to ever do it.
Beyond the incredible music they make, it’s their live shows that captivate audiences from all around the globe. The brothers have been keeping fans busy with impressive livestreams, and recently got back on the road after a period of no touring. On top of that, they continue to fly the flag for their label Smash The House, which has seen standout releases from Carta, Timmy Trumpet, MATTN and Angemi in recent months.
On the acting tip, Dimitri is excited as ever to be diving into the film world, landing a role in the forthcoming _Jurassic Park_ film and doing voiceover for Peter Parker in the Dutch version of _Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse_. Mike has been staying just as busy, launching his own Green Room label and recently released his debut solo album ‘Pain’ Love & What Comes After’, as well as dropping [his first merch capsule collection.](https://shop.likemikegreenroom.com/)
Together, Dimitri & Mike launched their own agency called Smash Universe, covering the middle ground between lifestyle, music, and gaming. Flaunt had the pleasure of catching up with both creatives.
**Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! How has this year been for you and your careers?**
**Dimitri:** Thank you! This past year has almost been an opportunity for us to reset, both in terms of our lives and what we want to achieve in our careers. We’ve been lucky to have experienced some new opportunities for us as artists, brought about by the pandemic. For example, our headline slot on the amazing Pāpiliōnem for the Tomorrowland virtual festival was great, and really fun to get involved in the livestream buzz — which of course had amazing production because it was Tomorrowland.
**Mike:** That was super fun, and interesting to see it all pulled together. Of course, nothing can replace playing in front of a huge crowd of your fans.
**How was the first show after lockdown? Did it take you a while to find your rhythm or did you slip straight back into the groove?**
**Dimitri:** We just performed our first show in 18 months in France at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris for Fun Radio, which was incredible. It was surreal stepping on the stage again, but I felt the love from the crowd straight away. Just felt thankful that we were able to get back to doing what we love. The connection with the crowd is something that has always motivated us and is one of the main reasons we love doing what we do, so to have that feeling again was quite emotional.
**Have the last 18 months made you re-evaluate anything?**
**Mike:** The key thing for us has been re-establishing those connections with our families and friends. It’s very easy to get caught up in such a hectic lifestyle that can sometimes be lost. This time at home, and with loved ones, has certainly brought that back into perspective. While we have really missed shows, our fans and the excitement of being involved in the scene, we will now be more conscious of striking the right balance.
**Are there any habits or lifestyle changes you’ve made because of lockdowns and no touring, that you’d like to keep as touring picks up again?**
**Dimitri:** The key thing for both of us has been the ability to get more of a balance in our lives, and more time to decompress and pursue our own interests. We’ve both been able to see more of our family and put some focus on projects and hobbies that interest us, both inside music and away from it. I think that naturally feeds back to our music, provides us with new sources of inspiration and allows us to write songs with a fresh mindset.
**What have you been up to on the music front recently? I know you spent a lot of time on your own solo projects.**
**Mike:** It’s been a very inspiring period! I’ve spent the past year using as much of my free time in the studio, as well as getting outside and cooking (two things I’m passionate about). One of my main focuses has been evolving my label, Green Room. Pouring energy into building a network of new talent and focusing new music from myself. I’ve just released my new solo album, _Pain, Love & What Comes After,_ this is a really personal project and something I’m very proud of. It includes lots of new music such as one of my new singles, “Silence” featuring Lil Baby. There are also collabs with some artists fresh on the scene such as “Lipstick” with S3nsi Molly and Jodi Couture, and “W Hotel” feat Smokepurpp and Blueface. There’s so much talent out there and I loved working with these artists, so shout out to them all. We also dropped our first playable in-game characters within the Free Fire app game.
**Dimitri:** I’ve been spending a lot of time working on new film projects and scripts, as well as my new graphic novel called Alien Samurai Dino Warriors. I’ve always been a huge fan of comic books and superheroes, so this has been really rewarding for me putting together such a project with a team of talent. Going from Erik Burnham who wrote for IDW’s Ghostbusters and Back to The Future to David & his father Michael Uslan, who is the originator and executive producer of the Batman Movie Franchise, from ’89 Tim Burton Batman to Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy to the upcoming _The Batman_. I’m also passionate about acting and have been working on that side of my career and developing my craft. I have just finished filming the first block of scenes for my first lead movie role in Hazard, and I also have a small role in the _Jurassic World: Dominion_ movie, which is due out next year.
**What can fans look forward to hearing from Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike in the coming months?**
**Mike:** New music! We have a lot of new tunes that are either waiting to be released or we’re just finishing off. We have a load of new material, and this period has been really inspiring for us, so we can’t wait to share it with everyone.
**Dimitri:** I’m also mega excited for our annual Tomorrowland homecoming shows in December! These take place every year in Belgium, however due to COVID-19 we had to cancel last year. These shows are always amazing and I expect them to be extra special this year, so I can’t wait to party with all of our fans then.
**Any plans to come back to the US soon?**
**Mike:** No news to share with you just yet, but we will be back soon. It’s been too long so we’re very eager to get back and party with our fans there.
**Your label Smash The House continues to go from strength to strength. Are there any artists we should be looking for coming out of the label?**
**Dimitri:** Thank you! It’s been a very interesting time for Smash The House, as we have launched further sub-labels underneath the Smash The House banner. We get sent so much good music that it was difficult for us to release on the Smash The House label, so we launched a number of sub-labels to allow us to give these artists the opportunity to release on one of our labels. And so we wouldn’t miss out on working with these super talented guys. I also launched my own sub-label, House Of House, focusing on a mix of sounds leaning towards the more classic Ibiza House style.
**Mike:** We have Smash Deep for the deeper sounds, Generation Smash is still our sublabel for releasing up-and-coming artists, alongside other established acts. This has really opened things up for us and allowed us to welcome more artists into the family. Keep an eye on MATTN, Timmy Trumpet, Angemi, Wolfpack, Dino Warriors, Carta, Bassjackers, Azteck and Plastik Funk who all bring heat to the label soon.
**What do you have planned for 2022? Anything exciting you can share with us?**
**Dimitri:** We have so much new music, new production at our live shows and other interesting projects in the pipeline. Keep an eye on our social media to keep up to date. Can’t wait to share with you all.
**Any message you want to leave for our Flaunt readers?**
**Mike:** Keep well, stay safe and we hope to see you at a show soon. Thank you for all your support, as always!
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