Duke Dumont

Speaking of his recent singles released earlier this summer 2023 “’The Chant’ for example is a record purely made to play in my live show,” says Duke Dumont, which is a pure surge of endorphin-spiking, euphoric trance that has been picked as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the World. “I'm not bothered about streaming or the charts - the only thing I'm concerned about is building my live show into the best possible. There are a handful of acts in electronic music who take live performance to the next level and that’s a tier I want to belong in.”

While Dumont’s focus is purely on artistry and building a world-beating live show, he’s still in the habit of making outrageously successful music commercially in the process. His worldwide streaming numbers literally stretch into the billions. Over 4 billion to be precise, making him one of the most successful producers of electronic music on the planet.

Monster tracks such as ‘Ocean Drive’, ‘The Power’, ‘Red Light Green Light’, ‘I Got U’ and ‘Need U (100%)’ have been detonating clubs and parties, and continue to do so, for the last decade. Upon release, ‘I Got U’ and ‘Need U (100%)’ went to #1 in the UK single charts. Shortly after, ‘Won't Look Back’ charted at #2, a feat almost unheard of for dance producers at the time.

Fast forward to present day, Dumont is indignantly multi-faceted. His For Club Play Only singles series, which he’s been releasing for over a decade. “It's like an anti-brand brand,” he says of the series constructed of tracks purely to be played live. Despite not being pushed or promoted as typical singles, tracks such as 2019’s ‘Red Light Green Light’ have become not only hugely successful in terms of popularity but have become vital artistic additions to Dumont’s ever-expanding sonic world.

You only have to look at his jaw dropping 2022 Coachella live set to get a sense of how some of Dumont’s most recent tracks are proving to be some of his biggest. In fact, despite having a solid decade of chart-topping hits behind him and being one of dance music’s most consistent forces, Dumont is only just beginning to peak. “2022 was my year zero,” he says of creating and performing his live show. “It was like: this is it, this is legit, this is the real deal. I'm not about cash-grab DJs who just turn up with USBs. To me hard work is charismatic. My logic is: people pay a lot to buy a concert ticket, so show some respect and put on a show.”

The appetite for Dumont and his sensory overload of a live show - one that is as eye-popping and visually immersive as it is sonically rich and explosive - is seeing him play a series of staggering spaces and venues throughout 2023. These include Brooklyn’s megaclub Mirage and the infamous Red Rocks in Denver, which boasts a capacity of nearly 10,000, plus huge dates everywhere from Brazil to Canada.

It’s reflective of what has been an incredibly busy, creative and prolific few years for Dumont. Aside from starting his own touring company to build this live show extravaganza, and put out further releases from his For Club Play Only series, in 2020 also Dumont released his acclaimed debut album Duality. “My passion for making electronic music, across the entire spectrum, has never gone,” he says of his tireless and eclectic output.

Despite the multiple chart-topping releases and the kind of success that comfortably places Dumont as one of the biggest artists of his generation, he is looking to redefine what constitutes conventional success. “Having chart success doesn't define you, your music defines you,” he says. “I'm not anti-records going in the charts - I wouldn't be here today and be able to do what I love If I didn't have records in the charts - but sometimes big success can freak artists out. It’s like, 'oh I'm known for this now, so I can't do this'. The irony of it is: you really can. It actually makes it easier to do the other stuff. So just do things your way. Success is a very powerful thing to happen to an artist but it's what you do after that counts - do what makes you happy.”

Happiness and success seemingly go hand-in-hand for Dumont as he moves forward into a significant new chapter in his already illustrious career. While based in LA, his Las Vegas Zouk residency has allowed him to shape, hone and perfect his hugely impressive live show, while creating unique and bespoke music for inclusion in it. “I'm ambitious to keep on making music,” he says. “Making a great catalogue is what it’s all about.”

Such is the creative momentum behind Dumont right now that another album (or maybe 2) is already well under way. “The embryo of the album is in place,” he says. “One half is an out and out rave record but with a real emotive quality to it. A lot of dance music is boring and generic so it's trying to inject as much emotive quality as possible, whereas the other half is very focused on the sound design with a few tracks around 100 BPM.”

However, be it crafting an album, a dizzying live show, killer club tracks or anything else Dumont puts his hand to, it’s all about creating a body of work that has longevity and integrity. “I want to look back on my career and see there's been no shortcuts or cheat moves,” he says. “It sounds corny but dance music has given me a lot so I feel really indebted to that and want to give back.”