Don Diablo: a name that echoes through the world’s most epic arenas and music festivals, yet belongs to a man who finds the most comfort in the hushed spaces between.
Silence breeds thunder in the hyper-creative world of Diablo, a buccaneering DJ with the soul of a poet. Fans know him as the headlining, pioneering progenitor of the future house genre, but underneath the veil lies a fascinating dichotomy between the larger-than-life persona and introverted recluse.
We caught up with the Dutch electronic music superstar ahead of a can’t-miss performance on August 9th at the Brooklyn Mirage, where he’s debuting an ambitious and deeply personal live show concept. Like a hermit in a hurricane, he’s laying bare his humanity more than ever at the monumental concert.
“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 in the machine will take form at the Mirage with help from Ethan Tobman, the renowned Creative Director of Taylor Swift’s historic “Eras Tour,” which in late-2023 became 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 sci-fi adventure comic series, HEXAGON, three times back-to-back.
“I actually never ever met anyone who did that,” Diablo recalls. “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 production designer’s influence has been paramount not only to Diablo’s creative breakthroughs, but also 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, wherein he appeared shirtless for the first time after years of grappling with body confidence issues.
“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, however, Diablo says he feels younger and healthier than he ever has, which also 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 end, it’s clear that someone like Diablo, 44, can’t truly succeed and find inner peace unless he’s constantly pushing the limits of his own barriers. 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 lockstep.
“Sometimes it feels like you can’t make everyone happy… It feels like there’s so much pressure,” he laments. It’s hard sometimes. I like to focus as hard and as best possible to create as many beautiful things for the world out there before I pass away. And that’s all I got.”
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 “Young Again,” 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 think right now we have to live our best life. Because we will never be young again,” he explains. “We are stuck in so many things that pull us down that we forget to enjoy. That’s really something I 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 the faces of these people and remember that I will never be doing this again. I always think this might be my last show—that’s the way I go into it. Every Don Diablo might be the last show I’ll ever do.”
Tickets to Don Diablo’s show at the Brooklyn Mirage on August 9th are available here.
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