Mike Bello kicked off his dance music career just over a year ago and has seriously impressed both fans and industry people alike. Mike Bello has gone on to enlist for official remix duties of the major 2020 release “Sick Lullaby” by Oliva Addams.
Additionally, he has collaborated with the trailblazing Japanese DJ Takahiro Yoshihira, not to mention his latest release “Plug” which saw critical acclaim for its wild percussion and grittiness that made you want to move. We caught up with Mike to find out more about the man behind the music.
Hi Mike, for those who don’t know you give us a brief overview about you and what you do?
Hi, thanks for having me. Well, I’m a producer and DJ writing various styles of dance music but focussing more within the Electro House genre at the moment. I try to write the music that I wish I could hear at a festival, or at a party, or something that could be a high-energy soundtrack to a video game or that gives me that feeling of adrenaline while watching an epic movie. I think music plays a huge part in our emotional experience of life, so in a way, I think of it like I’m writing soundtracks which will come together with different emotions and experiences to create a unique moment for each listener.
How did you first get into music?
I first got into music when I was in high school. I was listening to a lot of Nirvana and Deftones at the time which really inspired me to start writing my own lyrics. When I was writing lyrics, it felt to me like I was writing my own stories and creating these imaginary worlds that I could get totally lost in for hours. It was around that time that I really started to fall in love with music, and then I started learning to play drums and guitar and started writing songs with a group of friends from school. I’ve just become more and more immersed in music ever since.
Who are the biggest influences in your music?
Over the years I’ve had so many influences from a huge variety of genres. But right now, I think my biggest influences would be Metrik, Tokyo Machine, and FWLR. I’ve constantly had those three on repeat lately.
What has been your greatest achievement in your career so far?
My latest release “Plug” has been my greatest achievement so far. I think Plug really sums up my sound and the direction I want to go in with my music. The reception from my fans so far has been amazing and it was supported by Jewelz & Sparks on their radio show ‘Rush Hour Radio’ on the week of release so I’m really happy with that.
What made you fall in love with Electronic Dance Music?
When I was studying music at Uni, I moved in with two other guys that I was studying with. One of them loved Drum & Bass and introduced me to Fred V & Grafix. I didn’t listen to them much at first, but about a year later I was playing one of the Forza Horizon games and was listening to the Hospital Records Radio station in the game. Every time a track by Fred V & Grafix came on it just created this vibe that I would totally get lost in. After that I started listening to them outside of the game, and then I heard Metrik, and then I started listening to Big Room, and then Electro House, and I’ve been addicted to Electronic Dance Music ever since!
Do you have any hobbies aside from music?
Gaming! Haha, I love to get on with my friends and play some Rocket League when I can. And games like Final Fantasy and Silent Hill were huge influences on me musically when I was younger, the Composers of those games; Nobuo Uematsu and Akira Yamaoka, are two of my favourite Musical Composers of all time.
If you could produce any other genre of music, what would it be and why?
It would definitely be Drum & Bass. I love the energy of DnB and a lot of my biggest musical influences are from that genre. I think it’s very likely that you’ll hear me release some DnB tracks in the near future.
I’d also love to write some music for film or video games, something really cinematic. I love how emotionally moving orchestral music can be and when it’s used in films and video games I think it can create an incredible experience, so I’d love to incorporate that into my music in some way in the future.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I want to be touring around the world and playing at as many festivals as I possibly can. I’m really excited to start travelling again and I want to be able to find inspiration from as many different countries as possible. I’d also love to be able to meet my fans from other countries in person and be there with them creating amazing experiences with music.
I have a pretty long list of countries I’d like to play in, basically anywhere that people listen to my music, I’d love to play there. So, my goal is to get to as many of those countries as possible in the next 5 years.
If you could recommend one of your songs that best sums up you as an artist, what one would it be?
I’d recommend ‘Plug’, it’s my latest release and I think it really captures the energy and emotion that I wanted to re-create. It’s the benchmark for me going forward and the culmination of my entire musical journey so far.
Do you have any exclusives we can get excited for?
Yes! I’m just finishing up a new track called “Operator”, so I’ll have more to say about that pretty soon. I’m really excited for this one, it has a really cool vibe and I love how it’s coming along so far so I can’t wait to let you all hear it!
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