DJ Martin Garrix on Creamfields, his musical evolution, and more

Ahead of his set at Creamfields 2024, DJ Martin Garrix tells David Ho about his musical evolution and plans

Creamfields dance music festival returns to Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront on April 13 and 14. With a who’s who lineup in electronic music, the setlist boasts DJs like Martin Garrix, Armin van buuren, Illenium, Zhu and many more.  

Garrix may be one of the younger headliners at just 27-years-old, but his star also happens to be one of the brightest. The Dutch DJ was discovered by the legendary DJ Tiësto and quickly made his mark with the release of his song “Animals” in 2013, which topped the US Billboard Dance Charts. Since then, Garrix has released more music and become quite a fixture on the electronic music scene.

For those that might be new to you, what can they expect from a Martin Garrix set? 

High energy, lots of SFX and visuals, and of course, a lot of new Garrix music. 

You’ve performed at Creamfields before. What is it about this music festival that you love and draws you back? 

It’s a great setup with an amazing production and stage design. 

You made it big with “Animals” over a decade ago! How do you feel your musical stylings have evolved since then? 

Of course, my music has evolved a lot over the years. I’ve experimented a lot with different styles and trends also changed. I’d say my whole approach to my career has changed over the years. In the beginning, I was mainly focused on the music during my sets, but nowadays we take months of programming with the team for the shows, and I’m also highly involved in all of that. The team around me has grown a lot and I’ve also grown with that and learned a lot along the way. 

You founded the electronic dance music record label Stmpd Rcrds in 2016 and have built up quite a roster of artists. What do you look for in a music artist? 

It all starts with the music for us, that has to grab your attention. We’re looking for artists who have been able to find their own fresh, unique sound.  

As a music producer, you’ve worked with so many big names. What have been some of your favourite collaborations?  

Every single collaboration is special to me because I’m honoured to be working with all these talented artists in the first place. One of the craziest recent collaborations would have to be with Bono and The Edge for our EURO2020 official song ‘’We Are The People’’. I never would have expected to be in the studio with such legendary artists. What I loved the most about collaborating with them was how open they were to learning and experimenting. I definitely learned a lot from working with them. 

What’s on your personal playlist these days? Who/what is inspiring you right now? 

I listen to all kinds of music from rock to classical. I love listening to Coldplay, but also Michael Kiwanuka and Jungle. 

What’s next for you? Any new projects to share with us? 

I just released my new EP IDEM with 4 tracks that I have been playing a lot in my sets over the past year. Despite that, I still have a lot of new music that I’m working on, and will be released very soon. I’m very excited to share that with everyone!

Tap here to get tickets for Creamfields 2024 in Hong Kong.

Images courtesy of Creamfields

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