Tiesto – Trance DJ of the 21st Century
Representing: Breda, the Netherlands
Style: Trance
Best Known For: Being a truly universal name, whether you’re a hardcore dance music fanatic or the average clubhead
Arguably the most controversial, but still the most famous electronic music DJ in the world bar none, is Tijs Verwest, or as you know him, Tiësto. Earlier aliases include “Da Joker” and “DJ Limited,” during the times that he experimented with acid house and various other genres. Tiësto hasn’t been around for quite as long as some other workhorse DJs like Sasha and Digweed, but he has still made his rounds. His career really started to pick up steam in the nineties; he created compilations, which was something new in the dance music scene, and in the late nineties, collaborated with fellow Dutch Trance DJ Ferry Corsten. They were known as Gouryella (which means “heaven”) and were responsible for such club classics as “Gouryella” and “Walhalla.”
Tiësto has released more compilations than some artists have released solo artist albums, which is amazing when you consider how much other material he has done. His compilations are among some of the most celebrated: Magik, In Search of Sunrise, In Trance We Trust, and of course, Elements of Life – each of which is like a huge mini-series of compilations. Tiësto’s first solo album, In My Memory, spawned hits like “Flight 643” and “Lethal Industry,” which really launched the Tiësto name into DJ superstardom. His sophomore album, Just Be, is probably most famous for the “Adagio for Strings” cover (which eventually) made it into a movie.
Speaking of movies, Tiësto also has had more ventures into areas outside of music than even some packaged and commercialized pop artists. He’s remixed (“He’s a Pirate” from the Pirates of the Caribbean series) and launched a ride for Disney, played at a Formula 1 pit party, designed shoes for Reebok, helped promote Microsoft Vista in his home country, released a line with Armani Exchange, and was the first DJ to ever play live at the Olympics when he spun in Athens in 2004. It’s safe to say that Tiësto doesn’t just play at clubs anymore; he’s a bona fide artist that transcends media and cultural spheres.
Best Trance, Best Dance, you name it, Tiësto’s won it. Besides winning awards and setting records though (he was the first DJ to play completely solo to a large crowd – in this case 20,000+), Tiësto has courted his fair share of controversy. Whether it’s because of his stretches of vocal material, his commercialization or “selling out,” critics (and former fans) have found many reasons to doubt his position – and at times even his talent – as a global ambassador for dance. He may no longer have the sway he did when he was number one on DJMag’s Top 100 in 2002-2004, but 2008 has shown that he’s not going anywhere. Tiësto is just finishing up his residency at the largest club in the world, Privilege Ibiza, and was a featured artist in the We8 campaign by Coca Cola and the Beijing Olympics which celebrated art and music. With the results for the Top 100 Poll being announced in about a month’s time, the question is will the haters ever be silenced? We’ll see.
