While 2014 was a big year for Don Diablo, he experienced an epiphany a few years ago that has helped fuel his meteoric rise.

“Two years ago I had a big realisation, right before my father passed away,” the affable Dutch DJ explains. “I realised that our time on this planet is limited and I promised my dad I would live my life as if every day could be the last. Shortly after that I scored my first big international club hit, 'Starlight (Could You Be Mine)', and from there on I felt like my vision and direction for the future was clear, for the first time it felt like everything connected,” he adds.

After a lot of hard work and dedication “with many disappointments and struggles along the way”, Don Diablo realised his dreams this year. “I have been touring like crazy, visiting a lot of countries I have never been to before, and I spent all of my spare time in the studio making new tracks and remixes.”

While he has brought his electro and progressive house to well-known festivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra Miami, one gig in particular in 2014 stands out.

“My show on the Great Wall of China was probably the most memorable experience this year. Playing in a magical place with so much history and cultural relevance was simply extraordinary and hard to describe in words. I was also extra lucky because the sun was shining during my whole set and straight after me, when Afrojack and Armin went on, the clouds broke open and it started pouring!”