Martin Garrix promises a night to remember at Meydan tomorrow

Music purists may have been crying themselves hoarse over the increasingly commercial flavour of house and electronic dance music for a while now, but 19-year-old Dutch EDM prodigy Martin Garrix isn't too bothered to involve himself in the debate.
In a chat with City Times ahead of performing a live three-hour set on New Year's Eve at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, Garrix pointed out, in a manner which even the most hard-hearted purist might find endearing, that he's just "doing what he loves."
"I get to share that (my music) with a large group of people all over the world, which feels awesome! I don't care what's underground or commercial, I'm just a guy that makes music that I love."
Garrix made his Middle East debut at Sensation Dubai 2014 and is "super excited" about returning to the city.
"It's great to be back during New Year's Eve, can't wait to party with all of you. I assure you we're going out with a bang! I've been in Dubai several times before and made some pretty good memories over here. You guys know how to rock a party!"
On the verge of releasing a collaboration called Bouncy Bob with rising stars Justin Mylo (one of the supporting acts at his Dubai gig) and 16-year-old Mesto as a free download tomorrow, Garrix seems keen on maintaining a deep connect with his fans.
"I have so much music I want to release, and a lot of fans have asked me about Bouncy Bob since I played it at Ultra Music Festival Miami. So I just decided to give it away as a free download," he said.
FROM TIESTO FAN TO EDM SUPERSTAR
His journey as a DJ was inspired by watching Tiesto perform at the 2004 Olympics. "I thought his performance was so awesome, so not long after seeing him perform I bought some sh**ty DJ gear, downloaded a producer programme and began making music. It all kind of started from there."
Garrix, who won the MTV EMA Award in Milan, Italy, for the Best Electronic Music Act of 2015 surpassing David Guetta, Avicii, Calvin Harris and Major Lazer, has some 'sound' advice for aspiring musicians. "Always keep working on your music/sound. Don't waste too much time sending demo's etc. The right people will find you eventually, when your music is good enough."
EDM over the course of its existence has attracted a worldwide following comprising people from all walks of life, cutting across barriers of race, culture and religion. Though still in his teens, Garrix understands and appreciates its power as a unifying factor in the world.
"Music for me is everything in life. It's a universal language. We all understand music and that's the beauty of it."
enid@khaleejtimes.com