Don Diablo: a name that resonates across the world's most epic stages and music festivals, but belongs to a man who finds the greatest solace in the quiet spaces between them.
Silence breeds thunder in the hyper-creative world of Diablo, a buccaneer DJ with the soul of a poet. Fans know him as the pioneering leader and progenitor of the future house genre, but beneath the veil lies a fascinating dichotomy between larger-than-life personality and introverted recluse.
We caught up with the Dutch electronic music superstar ahead of a Performance you can't miss On August 9th at the Brooklyn Mirage, where he will debut an ambitious and personal concept for a live show. Like a hermit in the middle of a hurricane, he will reveal his humanity more than ever in this monumental concert.
“I'm a guy who always hides behind three layers of clothing, I always wear sunglasses and there's barely a photo of me in a T-shirt,” Diablo says. EDM.com“In general, I don't like to show any skin or anything of the real Don. I always live in the future, like hiding behind a wall of technology. So I think that for [the Brooklyn Mirage show] “It was important to show a little more of Don.”
“There’s a custom DJ booth that’s transparent, so you can actually see me,” he continues. “Normally when you see a DJ, you only see half of their body… It’s really more about making it a bit more personal, as well as finding a way to push the technology and create clever stuff.”
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The Ghost in the Machine will take shape at the Mirage with the help of Ethan Tobman, the renowned creative director of Taylor Swift's historic “Eras Tour,” which in late 2023 became the The highest grossing tour of all time after surpassing $1 billion in revenue.
The two were introduced by Diablo's agency, WME, and he was surprised to learn that Tobman was a fan. Tobman, he said, read his series of sci-fi adventure comics, HEXAGONthree times in a row.
“I'd never really met anyone who did that,” Diablo recalls. “He was… that “He knows my world, my psyche and my brain very well. There was really no other option than to work with him. He has a very different approach and style than me, which is what I need because I need someone who will go against me, someone who has a different vision.”
The acclaimed production designer’s influence has been instrumental not only to Diablo’s creative breakthroughs, but also to his own self-esteem. He points to the Tobman-directed video for “SexyBack,” his remake of Justin Timberlake’s generational hit of the same name, in which he appears shirtless for the first time after years of dealing with body confidence issues.
“I've always felt very insecure about my body,” Diablo says. “When I was a teenager I was about 50 pounds heavier than I am now. I never go to the beach or the pool. In general, I don't feel confident when I'm not wearing a ton of clothes.”
Now, however, Diablo says he feels younger and healthier than ever, which also helps him mentally and creatively.
“I lost about 7 kilos to make the 'SexyBack' video, which was very scary,” she continues. “You have to be comfortable in your own skin, so I worked really hard.”
In that sense, it's clear that someone like Diablo, 44, can't truly succeed and find inner peace unless he's constantly pushing the boundaries of his own boundaries. A laissez-faire attitude has never been an option. But that pursuit of growth comes with the risk of alienating diehard fans, with whom he wishes to evolve in unison.
“Sometimes it seems like you can't make everyone happy… It seems like there's a lot of pressure,” she laments. “It's hard sometimes. I like to concentrate as much as possible to create as many beautiful things for the world before I die. And that's all I have.”
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 like a time capsule, imprinting on his fans during specific chapters of their lives and growing with them at the same pace.
Speaking openly about his songwriting, Diablo describes his goal of putting music to the highlights of his fans’ lives, from first kisses to devastating losses. He’s not interested in fleeting chart-topping hits, but instead wants to create a sound with threads that cling to your deepest moments.
Diablo points to a soon-to-be-released song titled “Young Again,” which he says is an ode to lost youth, a precious gift that is easily overshadowed by the demands of life. After all, our most vibrant years will never return and regret is a bitter companion.
“I think we have to live our lives to the fullest now, because we'll never be young again,” he explains. “We get caught up in so many things that bring us down that we forget to enjoy ourselves. That's something I really want to learn and something I want to try to do in New York as well: enjoy all the music I've made, look at these people's faces and remember that I'll never do this again. I always think that this could be my last show, that's how I deal with it. Every Don Diablo could be the last show I ever do.”
Tickets for Don Diablo's show at the Brooklyn Mirage on August 9 are now available here.
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