Belgian DJ and producer Lost Frequencies – also known as Félix De Laet – is responsible for some of the biggest bangers of the 21st-century.
Simply reading song titles such as Are You With Me and Where Are You Now will instantly get the tunes in your head. "I wanna dance by water beneath the Mexican sky..."
Sorry.
We caught up with the man behind the music to discuss touring, fame and creative inspiration.
Tell us about your UK tour…
I’ve just headlined shows at both The Albert Hall in Manchester and Brixton Academy in London, which were both amazing! My UK fans have always been so supportive and so to return to the country that has played such a big part in my career is something I always appreciate.
Fans in the capital really know how to party and I also like to explore the capital when I can on my trips. This visit I had some amazing sushi at Namaiki in Soho and coffee at Wolfox, London has such a multi-cultural and diverse energy that I really enjoy.
You’ve spoken before about starting out making tracks in your bedroom in Belgium. Does any part of you miss that time, when it was just you and the music? Or do you much prefer the global success?
It is always still very much about the music, that is my driving force and being able to produce as my career is something I never take for granted but I think the progression and being able to share my music on a global scale, is another amazing level to this world!
I love to travel and to be able to play my music across both DJ sets and live sets, which me and my team have done in recent years, that then just felt like a natural progression and extension of the Lost Frequencies sound. To see and perform for fans in Europe, Asia, The US and beyond and to bring that joy and unity of music to audiences in person, is a feeling that is unlike any other, and one I’m very grateful for.
Arno Partissimo
Dance music can be relentless – tours, releases, expectations. How have your relationship with success and pressure changed since your breakout?
You mentioned above about the music and for me, that’s what it always comes down to – being able to create and make music that I’m proud of is always the baseline of what I do, everything else follows but as long as I’m proud of what I’m putting out into the world, I like to trust that the rest follows.
There are positives and negatives to any profession but I am so appreciative for every audience that sings along, every late night and early airport morning I experience, and every release that fans understand and relate to.
Life is all about balance and I always aim to stay as rooted and as grounded as possible, which is always progressing as I also grow as an individual.
Many of your biggest tracks feel very nostalgic: Are You With Me, Where Are You Now to name two obvious ones. Presumably that’s a deliberate choice? And how do you create that sense of nostalgia?
Nostalgia was always a big part of my earlier tracks, which is actually where my name Lost Frequencies came from!
When I started out, I was experimenting with remixes of “lost” tracks, so artists like Bob Marley who I know and love, I would try to make my own spins and bootlegs on his tracks to practice my skills.
With Easton Corbin’s ‘Are You With Me’, my version of that totally skyrocketed and kick-started my career, but starting in that space was something I enjoyed, before progressing to then write lyrics and take my production to new and original places.
I think because of that, nostalgic elements I guess will and do creep into some of my releases unconsciously but even with that slight element, I always want to create music that looks to the now and the future with a wide range of elements and processes to keep me pushing myself forward.
Pre-pandemic, you were the most-booked festival artist of any genre. Why do you think your music resonants so much for a festival audience?
I think because its feel-good! Music has the power to bring people from all walks of life together and festivals are a perfect example of that, so I’m super happy that people relate to my music and have let it into their lives to soundtrack so many memorable moments.
Arno Partissimo
Collaborations play a huge role in your catalogue. What do you look for in a vocalist or collaborator that goes beyond just a great voice?
Of course a great voice is super important, but a strong work ethic and great attitude is also important! Being able to work in cohesion and I’m a very positive person, so I really connect when a collaborator understands what we are trying to create together and has that similar passion and connection.
When you’re DJing versus producing, you’re communicating in very different ways. Which version of yourself feels more honest: the one behind the decks or the one alone in the studio?
That is a tough question! I give my all in both but if I had to choose, I would say the studio as that is where all my thoughts and creative processes come pouring out in their early stages, but performing live brings out a whole different side that is a lot of fun to enjoy and interact with the audiences.
You’ve had songs that feel almost omnipresent for a period of time. What’s it like hearing your own music in the wild – cafés, taxis, supermarkets – once the initial thrill wears off?
The initial thrill never wears off! Because I have been lucky enough to do this for so long and work on so many amazing projects, from my artist albums and also single collaborations, sometimes I hear a track of mine when I’m in an airport or in a store and its almost a little out-of-body, and I will think like “Oh, this is me!”
Arno Partissimo
Electronic music trends move fast. How do you stay curious without chasing what’s current or losing your own identity?
Definitely by not following trends. I love all types of music, from pop to rock to drum n bass, but just because hard techno, for example, has had a huge 2025, it doesn’t mean that I’m automatically going to jump into that genre just because it is currently on peoples radars.
I like to create pop-dance music and electronic music that I sometimes say falls into a genre I like to call “indie dance”, and that can splinter off into lots of different sub-genres, but I always want to create my own signature sound, no matter how that has and will evolve over time. Staying true to the sounds I want to make is super important to me.
Looking ahead, what excites you most for the future?
Lots of amazing shows and touring for my fans is always exciting and 2026 has me super ready to get back onto the road! I’ll also be starting to work on my new artist album this year with lots of studio time and collaboration conversations happening already.
Although we are still in the planning and idea stages right now, its something I’m super excited to work on again and I hope the fans are looking forward to that, too!
View on Instagram
