Mike Williams & NOME. Bring Back To Life to the Festival Stage

Crafting the Sound

Mike Williams has long been synonymous with future bounce, but he says his sound has evolved significantly since early hits like Feel Good. “I think my sound got a bit more mature, also a bit more solid and of course you still learn as a producer. When I listen to some of my old songs I can hear the difference in mixing, for example. Also I’ve been trying to push boundaries more and more.” That evolution is evident in Back To Life, a track that fuses melodic finesse with festival-ready energy. His classical piano training subtly influenced the chords in the break, though he admits, “sometimes you just have to release a phat club record without a lot of melody.” Collaborating with artists like Tiësto has shaped not just his musicality but his approach to work: “I keep working on a song until I’m 100% satisfied.”

Balancing experimentation with his signature sound is a delicate process. “I think the most important thing is not to let you be influenced by other people who think something sounds weird or not like other songs; mostly then you’re on the right path. I try to release both experiments and signature type of records.” In the studio, he often imagines the festival crowd, diving deep into raw, distorted sounds to create tracks that hit both emotionally and physically: “I’m mostly alone in the studio, trying to imagine the energy of the crowd and being an absolute nerd in the studio, finding a lot of raw distorted sounds.”

Building the Festival Energy

NOME.’s driving style perfectly complements Mike’s melodic touch, creating a track that connects instantly with listeners. “My snappy drums and punchy synths drive the energy, while Mike’s melodic background and that wobbly bassline add a deeper, emotional layer. Together it creates a balance that feels powerful on the dancefloor, but also musical and memorable.” Lessons from collaborations with Tujamo and Fedde Le Grand shaped this approach: “They both have a way of keeping things simple but super effective, making every element count. With Back To Life, I really focused on that mindset — stripping away anything unnecessary, but making sure what’s there hits hard and feels alive on the dancefloor.”

Testing tracks live is an essential part of both artists’ workflows. Mike explains, “It gives me inspiration for after the show / next day to make a new record / remix to play for the next show!” NOME. adds, “I’ll slip an unreleased track into my set without announcing it and just watch the crowd’s reaction — are they moving more, do their hands go up, do they connect with the drop right away? Those real-time reactions tell me more than anything else.” Basslines, hooks, and tension are meticulously layered: “Bassline is 3 or 4 layers which all have a different purpose,” Mike notes, while NOME. highlights production details like, “the way the organ comes in during the break is a cool way to introduce some chords, and I really like that. The complete silence right before the chords makes them roll in perfectly, note by note, makes you caught in there.”

Collaboration That Clicked

The chemistry between Mike and NOME. was immediate. “Mike and I had been bouncing music ideas back and forth for a while, just vibing and searching for the right spark. Eventually, he really connected with this rough idea I had started, and that’s when everything just clicked. We ended up locking ourselves in the studio the day before our Tomorrowland sets and finished the track together.” There were no creative clashes. “Actually, there weren’t really any creative differences — everything just clicked. We had been sending ideas back and forth, and by the time we got together in the studio, the track basically fell into place. We ended up finishing it in just one day.”

The track was designed with festival energy front and center. “We definitely had the festival audience in mind from the start… That vision guided the energy, the drums, and the synths right from the beginning,” they explain. The title emerged naturally from a vocal sample that perfectly captured the track’s emotional and energetic core: “Once we heard how well it fit, the song title was a total no-brainer — it just felt right and captured the energy and emotion of the track instantly.”

When the drop hits, the goal is euphoric connection. “When Back To Life drops, we wanted the crowd to feel that instant rush of energy — that moment where everything clicks and you just lose yourself in the music. The snappy drums and punchy synths are there to hit hard, while the melody and wobbly bassline give it a euphoric, almost uplifting vibe. It’s that perfect mix of power and emotion that makes people move, cheer, and feel completely alive in the moment.”

Looking ahead, both artists are eager for more collaboration. “Absolutely! Working together on this track was so smooth and inspiring that we can definitely see more collaborations in the future. We both bring different strengths to the table — so it’s exciting to think about exploring new ideas, experimenting with different sounds, and creating even bigger moments together.”