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How Lost Frequencies, who's scheduled to play a New Year's Eve set in Dubai, plans the midnight moment, reads the crowd, and keeps NYE sets unpredictable
New Year’s Eve in Dubai is rarely just another gig. Between fireworks, waterfront venues, and a crowd that spans local and global party-hoppers all counting down in different headspaces, the city demands more than a standard DJ set.
For Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies, returning to Dubai to close out the year feels both familiar and elevated; it's his chance to reflect, experiment, and push his sound forward at one of the most visually charged moments on the global party calendar.
Ahead of his New Year’s Eve performance at Kokobay, a beachside venue in Dubai, the Belgian hitmaker opens up in a chat with City Times about building a set for a city that thrives on spectacle, why Dubai’s crowd feels unlike anywhere else, how much planning goes into the midnight countdown, and what keeps drawing him back to the city.
From testing new music to balancing fireworks with feeling, Lost Frequencies talks about ending the year on a high, and starting the next one with intent. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Performing on New Year’s Eve in Dubai means playing for locals, tourists, and people already mentally in the next year. How does that change the way you build a set?
I always enjoy coming back to Dubai so to perform on New Year Eve is going to be super special. I want to bring a set that is not just a reflection on the year, but one to look forward to and I want to get people on the dancefloor! I always like to test out some new music, and incorporate some local influences as well, and I hope the crowd will enjoy that.
Is there pressure to go 'bigger' in Dubai, or do you find restraint more powerful in a city that already has all the big spectacles covered?
I for sure like to go bigger to match that vibe, but it always still follows the music I like to play and produce. My sets are always a reflection of my signature sound, but Dubai allows me to, in a way, push things a little more forward, and what better time to do that than New Year's Eve! I’m actually also about to release a new single as a gift to my fans for all their support in 2025, so Dubai will be one of the first to hear this on the dancefloor this New Year's Eve.
Belgian DJ breaks down the art of a New Year’s Eve set in Dubai
Does outdoor Dubai energy feel closer to Ibiza, or is it its own thing entirely?
Oh, it is its own thing entirely. I actually like how the crowds range from all walks of life in Dubai, from tourists that come from all over the world, to locals who support the scene not just in music but in entertainment and hospitality as a whole in Dubai.
The countdown time is usually the best part of NYE. Do you plan that moment months in advance, or leave room to read the crowd energy in real time?
A little bit of both. I like to go in with a slight idea, some songs that I’m eager to play or if I want the set to be more focused along a certain genre, but it is always important to leave room to read the set and direct with the vibe of the crowd and read how the set is being received.
Has there ever been a countdown moment that genuinely surprised you emotionally while on stage?
Many! I think that the first time – or maybe anytime - I play Tomorrowland is such an emotional experience for me, especially as a Belgian, but also recently headlining my own Brooklyn warehouse for 7,000 people really felt like an amazing rave.
What are some of your tracks you'd lean into when the sea, skyline, and fireworks are part of the experience?
Great question. It would be something classic, something fresh and a wildcard to bring surprise. This way it really bridges a spectrum of the music I not only but perform too, I like to make sure that no two sets are ever the same. That’s not the way I play, so to an original soundtrack and that leans into the environment, with tracks that have a local influence, is a super cool way to play and perform.
Dubai has become a recurring stop for you at the start of the season — do you see it as a testing ground or a reset button?
I like to visit Dubai a few times a year usually; everything, from the food to the activities, is unlike anywhere else. I always like to take some time off there as I love it as a visitor, and not just a performer. So, even if it is somewhat of a reset for me, it is still a vibrant party city and one that I love to play and perform in.
What makes you come back to Dubai for such sets?
The variety and welcoming nature of the people. I also really enjoy the top restaurant scene and all the sporting activities – I recently went surfing on the Abu Dhabi fake waves (Surf Abu Dhabi), which was amazing.
Does coming back to the same city in the same year make you more confident, or more self-critical?
More confident, for sure. I like to push forward with all of my sets, and when I have new music to share with audiences, it brings an excitement and confidence that really helps when performing.
Has your relationship with live performance changed over the course of this year?
100 per cent! In recent years, I really expanded my Lost Frequencies Live sets, which was always something I wanted to do. Translating my music over into that with live instrumentation, vocalists, and more was a dream and something I hope to do more of next year. But in terms of DJ’ing and performing my sets, I think that has also been at the core of what I do and why I make music, so to always push myself, but still have fun is always my goal.
NYE crowds can be there for the moment, not necessarily the artist, does that change how you do your sets?
Not at all. As long as everyone is having fun and enjoying the music, that’s what it is all about.
How do you win over a crowd that’s half celebrating and filming, and half waiting for fireworks?
I think if people wanted to just watch fireworks, they could do that anywhere that isn’t a show, so I never feel like people are just waiting for one or the other. It is all part of the New Year experience, and there is an atmosphere everyone can enjoy.
Lastly, what's your New Year's Resolution?
To keep making music I’m super proud of, and try to live as authentically and as happily as I can.
How Lost Frequencies, who's scheduled to play a New Year's Eve set in Dubai, plans the midnight moment, reads the crowd, and keeps NYE sets unpredictable
New Year’s Eve in Dubai is rarely just another gig. Between fireworks, waterfront venues, and a crowd that spans local and global party-hoppers all counting down in different headspaces, the city demands more than a standard DJ set.
For Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies, returning to Dubai to close out the year feels both familiar and elevated; it's his chance to reflect, experiment, and push his sound forward at one of the most visually charged moments on the global party calendar.
Ahead of his New Year’s Eve performance at Kokobay, a beachside venue in Dubai, the Belgian hitmaker opens up in a chat with City Times about building a set for a city that thrives on spectacle, why Dubai’s crowd feels unlike anywhere else, how much planning goes into the midnight countdown, and what keeps drawing him back to the city.
From testing new music to balancing fireworks with feeling, Lost Frequencies talks about ending the year on a high, and starting the next one with intent. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Performing on New Year’s Eve in Dubai means playing for locals, tourists, and people already mentally in the next year. How does that change the way you build a set?
I always enjoy coming back to Dubai so to perform on New Year Eve is going to be super special. I want to bring a set that is not just a reflection on the year, but one to look forward to and I want to get people on the dancefloor! I always like to test out some new music, and incorporate some local influences as well, and I hope the crowd will enjoy that.
Is there pressure to go 'bigger' in Dubai, or do you find restraint more powerful in a city that already has all the big spectacles covered?
I for sure like to go bigger to match that vibe, but it always still follows the music I like to play and produce. My sets are always a reflection of my signature sound, but Dubai allows me to, in a way, push things a little more forward, and what better time to do that than New Year's Eve! I’m actually also about to release a new single as a gift to my fans for all their support in 2025, so Dubai will be one of the first to hear this on the dancefloor this New Year's Eve.
Belgian DJ breaks down the art of a New Year’s Eve set in Dubai
Does outdoor Dubai energy feel closer to Ibiza, or is it its own thing entirely?
Oh, it is its own thing entirely. I actually like how the crowds range from all walks of life in Dubai, from tourists that come from all over the world, to locals who support the scene not just in music but in entertainment and hospitality as a whole in Dubai.
The countdown time is usually the best part of NYE. Do you plan that moment months in advance, or leave room to read the crowd energy in real time?
A little bit of both. I like to go in with a slight idea, some songs that I’m eager to play or if I want the set to be more focused along a certain genre, but it is always important to leave room to read the set and direct with the vibe of the crowd and read how the set is being received.
Has there ever been a countdown moment that genuinely surprised you emotionally while on stage?
Many! I think that the first time – or maybe anytime - I play Tomorrowland is such an emotional experience for me, especially as a Belgian, but also recently headlining my own Brooklyn warehouse for 7,000 people really felt like an amazing rave.
What are some of your tracks you'd lean into when the sea, skyline, and fireworks are part of the experience?
Great question. It would be something classic, something fresh and a wildcard to bring surprise. This way it really bridges a spectrum of the music I not only but perform too, I like to make sure that no two sets are ever the same. That’s not the way I play, so to an original soundtrack and that leans into the environment, with tracks that have a local influence, is a super cool way to play and perform.
Dubai has become a recurring stop for you at the start of the season — do you see it as a testing ground or a reset button?
I like to visit Dubai a few times a year usually; everything, from the food to the activities, is unlike anywhere else. I always like to take some time off there as I love it as a visitor, and not just a performer. So, even if it is somewhat of a reset for me, it is still a vibrant party city and one that I love to play and perform in.
What makes you come back to Dubai for such sets?
The variety and welcoming nature of the people. I also really enjoy the top restaurant scene and all the sporting activities – I recently went surfing on the Abu Dhabi fake waves (Surf Abu Dhabi), which was amazing.
Does coming back to the same city in the same year make you more confident, or more self-critical?
More confident, for sure. I like to push forward with all of my sets, and when I have new music to share with audiences, it brings an excitement and confidence that really helps when performing.
Has your relationship with live performance changed over the course of this year?
100 per cent! In recent years, I really expanded my Lost Frequencies Live sets, which was always something I wanted to do. Translating my music over into that with live instrumentation, vocalists, and more was a dream and something I hope to do more of next year. But in terms of DJ’ing and performing my sets, I think that has also been at the core of what I do and why I make music, so to always push myself, but still have fun is always my goal.
NYE crowds can be there for the moment, not necessarily the artist, does that change how you do your sets?
Not at all. As long as everyone is having fun and enjoying the music, that’s what it is all about.
How do you win over a crowd that’s half celebrating and filming, and half waiting for fireworks?
I think if people wanted to just watch fireworks, they could do that anywhere that isn’t a show, so I never feel like people are just waiting for one or the other. It is all part of the New Year experience, and there is an atmosphere everyone can enjoy.
Lastly, what's your New Year's Resolution?
To keep making music I’m super proud of, and try to live as authentically and as happily as I can.