"When it comes to dance music, we need people to push back the barriers a bit"
David Guetta: Another pivotal year in music [Interview]
Since we announced him as our Artist of the Year magazine around the same time last year, David Guetta got stronger and stronger. Working on as many creative projects as he was in 2020, he flourished again, wielding a number of Rave of the future productions and groove Jack back songs with his pop hits this year.
While he has enjoyed immense success with a handful of releases this year, he has also made a comeback on tour, performing at renowned festivals such as Fields of Cream, Untold and Release party in the past 12 months. One of his last destinations was Saudi Arabia, where he traveled to Sound storm MDLBEAST stage with some of his latest productions. We were lucky enough to catch up with him after his mind-blowing set, which also saw him bring Future Rave companion DEAD IN, on the scene.
You've been in the area for quite a while and have done so many gigs here, just getting off the stage here at MDL. Can you tell us a bit about your experience here in the Saudi region so far?
It is a very unique experience because the country is changing at the moment. I played my first show here in 2018 and it was the first time that they allowed mixed gigs, which meant women and men could attend gigs together. From what I understand the younger generation are so happy with these changes and when I play for them and see them so happy and enjoying it, it's really special.
It's no secret you always tour the world, how do you adapt a David Guetta set to the region you're playing in?
Today was not the kind of set I originally planned to play, I was going to play a lot deeper but, I was judging the crowd and their reaction and felt I had to balance my set. So I went for more classics that people know me about, I added a bit of the new Future Rave that MORTEN and I made that is even more underground, and even added in another classic EDM as well. While playing for audiences, I always try to promote my sound as well. As you know, I'm very passionate about Future Rave, but I also want to make people have a good time. I didn't want to force it on them completely – I think the best way for people to appreciate it is to give it to them bit by bit. There are so many opportunities for them to listen to new music at this festival anyway. Here you have headliners like me and so many other underground DJs to discover in the underground tents. People might buy a ticket to the headliner first but they're going to be curious and they're going to go discover new music and educate
Image Credit: Warner Music Press
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