Don Diablo: a reputation that echoes via the world’s most epic arenas and music festivals, but belongs to a person who finds probably the most consolation within the hushed areas between.
Silence breeds thunder within the hyper-creative world of Diablo, a buccaneering DJ with the soul of a poet. Followers know him because the headlining, pioneering progenitor of the long run home style, however beneath the veil lies an interesting dichotomy between the larger-than-life persona and introverted recluse.
We caught up with the Dutch digital music celebrity forward of a can’t-miss efficiency on August ninth on the Brooklyn Mirage, the place he is debuting an formidable and deeply private reside present idea. Like a hermit in a hurricane, he is laying naked his humanity greater than ever on the monumental live performance.
“I’m a guy who’s always hiding behind three layers of clothing, always wearing sunglasses, and there’s barely a photo out there of me wearing a t-shirt,” Diablo tells EDM.com. “I generally don’t like to show any skin or anything of the real Don. I’m always living in the future, sort of hiding behind a wall of technology. So I think for [the Brooklyn Mirage show] it was important to show a little bit more Don.”
“There’s a custom DJ booth that’s see-through so you can actually see me,” he continues. “Usually when you see a DJ, you just see half a body… It’s really more about making it a little bit more personal as well as finding a way to push the technology and come up with clever things.”
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The ghost within the machine will take kind on the Mirage with assist from Ethan Tobman, the famend Artistic Director of Taylor Swift’s historic “Eras Tour,” which in late-2023 turned the highest-grossing tour of all-time after surpassing $1 billion in income.
The 2 have been launched by Diablo’s company, WME, and he was shocked to study that Tobman was a fan. Tobman, he mentioned, learn his sci-fi journey comedian collection, HEXAGON, thrice back-to-back.
“I actually never ever met anyone who did that,” Diablo remembers. “He was that well-versed into my world and into my psyche and into my brain. There really wasn’t another option then but to work with him. He has a very different approach and style than I have, which is what I need because I need somebody that goes against me—someone who has a different vision.”
The acclaimed manufacturing designer’s affect has been paramount not solely to Diablo’s inventive breakthroughs, but additionally his personal vanity. He factors to the Tobman-directed video for “SexyBack,” his remake of Justin Timberlake’s generational hit of the identical title, whereby he appeared shirtless for the primary time after years of grappling with physique confidence points.
“I’ve always felt very not confident about my body,” Diablo says. “I used to weigh roughly about 50 pounds more than I do now, when I was a teen. I never go to the beach. I never go to the swimming pool. I generally just don’t feel confident when I’m not wearing a shitload of clothes.”
Now, nonetheless, Diablo says he feels youthful and more healthy than he ever has, which additionally helps him mentally and creatively.
“I lost around 17 pounds to do the ‘SexyBack’ video, which was a really scary thing for me to do,” he continues. “You have to be comfortable with yourself, so I really worked my ass off.”
To that finish, it is clear that somebody like Diablo, 44, cannot actually succeed and discover inside peace except he is always pushing the boundaries of his personal boundaries. A laissez-faire perspective has by no means been an choice. However that pursuit of development comes with the danger of alienating diehard followers, with whom he needs to evolve in lockstep.
“Sometimes it feels like you can’t make everyone happy… It feels like there’s so much pressure,” he laments. It is onerous typically. I prefer to focus as onerous and as absolute best to create as many stunning issues for the world on the market earlier than I go away. And that is all I obtained.”
Diablo’s genius lies in his uncanny ability to bottle the euphoria of youth, as well as the longing of adolescence and the complexity of adulthood. At the intersection of nostalgia and futurism, his music has long-functioned more as a time capsule, imprinting on fans during specific life chapters and growing with them in lockstep.
Opening up about his approach to songwriting, Diablo paints a picture of his goal to soundtrack the highlight reels of his fans’ lives, from first kisses to devastating losses. He’s not interested in fleeting chart-toppers—he wants to create a sound with tendrils that tether to your most profound moments.
Diablo points to a song coming out soon called “Younger Once more,” which he says is an ode to lost youth, a precious gift easily overshadowed by life’s demands. After all, our most vibrant years won’t ever return, and regret is a bitter companion.
“I believe proper now we’ve to reside our greatest life. As a result of we are going to by no means be younger once more,” he explains. “We’re caught in so many issues that pull us down that we neglect to get pleasure from. That is actually one thing I wish to study and one thing I wish to attempt to do in New York as nicely: get pleasure from all of the music I’ve made, take a look at the faces of those folks and keep in mind that I’ll by no means be doing this once more. I at all times suppose this is perhaps my final present—that is the best way I’m going into it. Each Don Diablo is perhaps the final present I am going to ever do.”
Tickets to Don Diablo’s present on the Brooklyn Mirage on August ninth can be found right here.
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