Lost Frequencies' Felix De Laet On Restaurants, Belgian Food, And Touring With The Chainsmokers
Felix De Laet — better known by the stage name Lost Frequencies — first turned heads in 2014 when his hit remix of Easton Corbin's "Are You With Me" topped Belgium's Ultratop chart. In 2015, the remix charted in the Top 10 in Australia and most of Europe, going on to win honors at the 2016 Echo Awards. Less Is More, the debut album from Lost Frequencies, came out last year and has not only yielded multiple hit singles, but it was been shortlisted for Album Of The Year by the Independent Music Companies Association. Meanwhile, Lost Frequencies is currently up for Best New Talent at the WDM Radio Awards.
The Ultra Music artist — who has racked up more than one billion streams between Spotify and YouTube — is currently on the road with The Chainsmokers. The Daily Meal had the pleasure of speaking to the Belgian artist in advance of his June 10 stop at Forest Hills Stadium in New York City. More info on Lost Frequencies, including upcoming tour dates, can be found online.
The Daily Meal: You recently performed alongside The Chainsmokers at Forest Hills Stadium. When did you first come to New York?
Felix De Laet: My first time in New York as an artist was last year in January. I played then for the first time at Webster Hall, which was really cool. I got a little bit scared and didn't really know what to do, but at the end it was really cool.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?
I don't really have my favorite restaurant in New York. Every place I've been there is full of energy in people, so I think I should spend more time there to be really able to answer this question. Some places I have been though and enjoyed are Catch New York (great rock shrimp), Shake Shack (super-cool burgers with cool location in Madison Square Park) and Greek restaurant Milos.
Food and drink-wise, what are some of the items on your rider?
The most important thing for me on my rider is my bottle of Hendricks and the Fever Tree tonic water. If I want to party, it's definitely with a nice gin and tonic that I will start my evening.
What is an ideal breakfast for you like? Or do you usually sleep in and miss breakfast?
A Belgian-style breakfast for me is some bread or pastry with butter and shrimp, eggs sunny side up, some sliced red meat called "filet d'Anvers," Callebaut chocolate bits and some milk.
I like breakfast, but it's not that important for me. I mean it's not going to ruin my day if I don't eat something for breakfast! When I do eat my breakfast, I often eat too much. [laughs]
What's the best Belgian restaurant you've encountered outside of Belgium?
Hmm, that's a hard one. I don't think I have been in a Belgian restaurant elsewhere. Maybe some places offer some dishes, but I think typical Belgian food is really only found in Belgium. There must be Belgian restaurants somewhere else, but I've never seen them.
Is there a Belgian food that you wish were more readily available in the States?
I would love some nice mussels and fries cooked the Belgian way. I had some mussels in the U.S., but the sauce is different, you know!
Chainsmokers' tour aside, what's coming up for you?
I'm playing lot of other gigs including EDC Las Vegas this month. It's really exciting! Usually I don't stay that long as I have jetlag and am often tired in the evening, but since I'm staying a whole month now, I will surely go walk around with a lot of energy to meet a lot of people and try to get the best out of this tour. The next two months of summer will also be good. I will be in Ibiza a lot. I'll also play a lot of festivals across Europe including Tomorrowland where I will be on the main stage the first weekend and hosting my own stage the second weekend. Music-wise, I will release a deluxe album of Less Is More. I remixed every single track in a more "deeper/clubby" way. It was a challenge for me, but I had a lot of fun doing it.
Is there something you wish more people knew about you or Lost Frequencies?
That I listen to a lot of different kind of music, but I think with the collaborations and deluxe album coming up, they will notice it themselves.