Tiesto

Tiësto’s career is punctuated by landmark achievements – the first DJ in the world to sell out a solo stadium event for over 25,000 people 2 nights in a row, he scored a number one hit with his single Traffic, the first instrumental track to reach the top spot in his homeland of Holland in 23 years. His remix of Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan’s Silence was the first house track ever broadcast on daytime radio in North America, (it became an international dancefloor anthem and also spent eight weeks in the UK top 10 chart). He played live in front of billions of people during the Parade of the Athletes at the official opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens. But despite his meteoric success, Tiësto remains grounded about his achievements and clearly loves making and playing music above the accolades it brings.

Born in Holland, Tiësto became a DJ because he “liked to share music with other people. When I was younger, I’d listen to a radio show called the Soul Show, and to Ben Liebrand’s mix radio program, where he would remix and cut up different tracks, and I just thought - I want to do this!” The productions came later, in 1995. “I really wanted to produce music that I could play in my sets, because it brings much more fulfilment to the process. I bought some samplers, some computer programs, and just started working on it.” He makes it sound easy – indeed; he makes it look easy as 10 years down the line his productions consistently bother the charts and frequently reach number one around Europe.

Though known primarily for his pioneering contributions to the trance scene, Tiësto’s style is now a mix of everything: “trance, house, techno - it’s the best of all that the dance world has to offer. In 1998, I was really a trance DJ, but now I’ve travelled round the world so much, different influences have seeped in and I play a bit of everything. I think the only way forward for DJs now is to play a diverse mix of sounds.” Indeed, his brand of trance was always pushing at the constraints of the genre anyway, featuring soaring vocals from the likes of Sarah McLachlan and Jes, spine-tingling breakdowns, and euphoric melodies at every end of the spectrum.

The amounts of energy the DJ invests for the world tour have not kept him away from the one thing everybody was waiting for: the new ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’. In between the mayhem of touring and insane flight schedules, Tiësto still found the time to deliver a double CD compilation for the highly successful series also known as ‘ISOS’. The live mix, made without electronic or computerized gadgets, is titled ‘Ibiza’ and for a reason: “I haven’t been in Ibiza for two years. The island is known for its large discotheques, the crazy parties, the best DJs and of course the party people”, he says. “Ibiza still is a magical place for me, with beautiful secret spots to discover and an atmosphere that can only be found there. So to make sure that I would capture the love and dedication I feel for the island, I actually returned to Ibiza for the proper inspiration.” He grins: “Now I know for sure that ‘ISOS 6’ earned it to be called ‘Ibiza’.”

The future for Tiësto promises yet further success, both as the solo artist he’s become and the DJ we know him to be. “My new ‘Elements of Life’ album is doing well, ‘In Search of Sunrise 6’ has just been released and there will be more remixes, definitely,” he agrees, “but it’s hard to look too far into the future. Every couple of months it seems that something new, unexpected and exciting is happening!”