Jerusalem Tomorrowland broadcast to feature top Dutch DJ Fedde Le Grand

Today, dance music fans around the world know Le Grand, later this month he’ll be making his Israeli performing debut at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem as part of UNITE – The Mirror to Tomorrowland.

By SYDNEY DENMARK
Dutch DJ and producer Fedde Le Grand (photo credit: Courtesy)
Dutch DJ and producer Fedde Le Grand
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Dutch DJ and producer Fedde Le Grand visited Israel nearly 15 years ago, “but that was before anyone actually knew me.”
Today, dance music fans around the world know Le Grand, and later this month he’ll be making his Israeli performing debut at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem as part of UNITE – The Mirror to Tomorrowland, the renowned international electronic music festival main-staged this year in Belgium.
Grand is the only performer that will be physically coming to Israel, but performances by other featured artists such as Axwell & Ingrosso, AFROJACK, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Nicky Romero will be broadcast live to Israel, which is joining Mexico, India, Japan and other countries for the first time in a simultaneous broadcast of the festival on July 23 via a huge, state-ofthe art screen and sound system. Local DJs Tomer Meiser and Dor Dekel will also appear live onstage at the arena.
Le Grand, who first established himself in 2006 with the hit “Put Your Hand Up 4 Detroit,” told The Jerusalem Post that he recalls Israeli nightlife fondly.
“What I remember is that it used to be very vibrant and that people in Israel are very knowledgeable. I’m hoping that’s still the case,” he said.
In high school, Grand says he was“very shy the first few years until I kind of found my group of friends and got a little bit more confidence and then I was probably fun to half of the people and annoying to the other half.”
Though music always had a key presence in his life, his taste evolved over the years.
In recent years, Le Grande has gained greater recognition for his remixes of popular artists’ songs.
“I used to be really into hip-hop before dance music,” he said. “I’ve never been huge into the EDM [electronic dance music] thing. The word ‘dance music’ in general already says that you have to be able to dance to it, if it had a bit more of a drive or a bit more swing to it that’s what I always preferred.”
Despite the innovations in dance music, Le Grande admitted that ultimately, what’s being offered today is a case of trying to reinvent the wheel.
“I don’t think music changed that much to be honest, it’s just maybe people making up different names for something that’s been around for 30 years,” he said. “For me it’s always about the music and I don’t care how someone calls it.”