Yves V is from Antwerp in Belgium. He started DJ’ing when he was 15. In 2006 he started mixing at some events for ID&T, the Dutch-based event production outfit, which has since risen to operate many of the world’s largest electronic music festivals today. This is how Yves began his residency at Tomorrowland, and his career has grown with the festival.
Musically, Yves’ sets defy classification. “I like a nice melodic break and a massive, hard drop,” he explains. “But it’s really important for me, as a producer, that you can make any kind of music you like without being bound by the restrictions of a genre.” He takes a lot of inspiration from traveling and from the crowds he plays to. His musical influences are diverse, ranging from Coldplay, Guns n’ Roses, Green Day and Motown, to techno pioneers like Jeff Mills, and right up to current DJ’s like Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.
One of the signs he is a talented DJ, to my mind, is the fact that Yves knows how to turn almost any space with almost any crowd into a great dance party. “All it takes is a few basic ingredients,” he reports. “A good sound system, decent lights, a cool vibe, and of course, some girls.” One of his favorite countries to play in is Brazil.
But it also seems that Yves’ bond and collaboration with the Tomorrowland project has been quite successful. He has played the main stage there several times, and he’s also had his own stage, called “V Sessions”, there for the past three years. “No other festival puts so much effort into such amazing production,” he explains. “It’s really incredible.”
And Yves is just at the beginning of his career. He plans to keep pushing himself artistically and working hard. 2014 was a good year for him because he played some very big shows and released some music that was very well-received by fans. He made it into the DJ Mag Top 100 poll, which is a great achievement. “I’m really looking for more of the same this year,” he reports. “I want to see just how big I can take it.”
He is in a really good position to make this happen, as the electronic dance festival scene has been growing exponentially in recent years. “Festivals like Tomorrowland have given me a platform to achieve everything I have, so it’s great to see events like that having an influence across the world,” Yves says. “People keep moving towards dance music, and events keep popping up all over the place. The sky is the limit really, so it is very exciting to see where it will go next.”
Why has the culture been growing so much recently? Yves speculates that it is due to the hard work of creative event producers, both in Europe and around the world. Opening up spaces where artists are able to show themselves is such an important thing. The image that Yves hopes to convey with his music is a positive one: he enjoys life, and he wants his fans to do the same.
He recently finished recording a new solo track, and is currently working on a for collaborations that will be released this summer. Check out his Soundcloud here.
FDRMX Eyes: Rock band Shotty’s music video “I’m Glad It’s Over” gives off an old school vibe. It’s extremely explosive and in your face. Check the video out here:
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