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TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
DJ Tiësto Tiësto is a globally successful DJ and producer from Holland who has been active since the early days of trance yet remains once of the genre’s biggest names.  Grammy nominated and with multiple awards and sell out arena concerts to his name, Tiësto has effortlessly crossed over to the mainstream.  Though Tiësto began to make a name for himself in the late 90’s it was his remix of Delerium’s ‘Silence’ in 2000 that rocketed him to global fame.  He remains first and foremost a trance DJ and producer and is responsible for many of the genre’s biggest tracks though his output has become more commercial in recent years.
DJ Tiesto
Tiesto timeline
Tiesto early years

Early Years: 1995 to 2000

Tiësto started DJing at an early age and was resident in various local clubs in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  As with fellow Dutch trance supreme Ferry Corsten, Tiësto started his dance music career in the gabber scene but by 1995 he was releasing trance compilations for the Rotterdam based label Basic Beat.  These early trance compilations started when the genre was only just beginning to take a recognizable shape and include many of the early landmark tracks. 

Tiësto went on to release 7 compilations for Basic Beat sub-label Guardian Angel, including 5 of the ‘Forbidden Paradise’ series and 3 of the ‘Lost Treasure’ series.  In 1997 he left Basic Beat and set up Black Hole Recordings with Arny Bink where he was to release all subsequent singles and albums until 2009.

By the mid nineties Tiësto was releasing trance productions of his own, starting with ‘The Tube’ in 1996 (which he also included on ‘Lost Treasures: Creatures of the Deep’).  These early tracks though showed little of Tiësto’s later promise.  It wasn’t until he teamed up with Ferry Corsten and started releasing joint productions as Gouryella that Tiësto’s true potential was realised.  Gouryella’s eponymous first release in 1998 rode high on the crest of the Dutch trance wave that was at that time sweeping the whole trance genre beneath it.  ‘Gouryella’ is one of the high points of late nineties trance, combining a bubbling bass line, big pads and an even bigger lead line that threatens to teeter over the edge into cheesy but never does, instead lifting the hairs on the back of the listener’s neck. Tiësto and Corsten released three tracks together but by the fourth Gouryella release - Ligaya in 2002 - Tiësto had left to pursue his thriving solo career. 

Gouryella had been Tiësto’s springboard to success and by 1999 he was releasing trance tracks such as ‘We Came’ and ‘Sparkles’ which stood out from the pack in a way his earlier releases had not.  By now his DJ profile was benefiting from his production successes, soon securing him a residency at seminal UK superclub Gatecrasher. In 2000 he teamed up another Dutch trance doyenne Armin van Buuren for two releases ‘Eternity’ and ‘Wonder Where You Are’. 

But it was his remix of Delerium’s ‘Silence’ that was to catapult Tiësto to global success.  His remix stripped down the original song to the haunting vocals of Sarah McLachlan and thrust a driving bass line and spine-tingling pads underneath.  Where many vocal trance tracks sound shallow and soulless, Tiësto’s ‘Silence’ has an emotional edge that the original song even lacks.  Played on national US daytime radio, on MTV and licensed to endless compilations, ‘Silence’ propelled Tiësto to the big time

Tiesto peak yearsLater Years: 2001 to Present

In 2001 Tiësto released his first studio album ‘In My Memory’ in which a distinct style was beginning to emerge.  Tracks like ‘Flight 643’, ‘Suburban Train’ and ‘Lethal Industry’ gave an edgier spin on trance with driving bass and dark lead lines.  In 2002 he gained the Silver Harp award in his native Holland and went on tour in the US with Moby, for whom he would remix two tracks (‘We Are All Made of Stars’ and ‘Extreme Ways’).

By May 2003 Tiësto’s popularity was such that he became the first DJ to sell out a solo stadium concert to 25,000 people.  The performance took place in Arnhem and was later released on the ‘Tiësto in Concert’ DVD.  In 2004 Tiësto followed up with performances with three further sell out stadium performances.   In the same year he opened the Athens Olympic games, becoming the first DJ to do so.  His 2004 album ‘Parade Of The Athletes’ was a re-imagining of his Olympic set.  In 2007 he launched his own hosted radio show ‘Tiësto’s Club Life’ which like those of fellow Dutch trance DJs Armin van Buuren and ferry Corsten, is globally syndicated and available via iTunes as a podcast.

There was no doubt that Tiësto had successfully crossed over from the club scene to the mainstream. As his popularity has risen Tiësto has increasingly looked more rock star than DJ leading him to comment "It's not like when I first started and I could walk into a club and nobody would know who I was. Now I need six security guards when I go through the big crowds!" 

Yet despite his mainstream success Tiësto still had credibility in the club music scene, to such an extent that DJ Magazine readers voted him global #1 DJ for three consecutive years between 2002 and 2004, the only time that this has happened.  In 2009 he was still at #2. Part of the reason Tiësto has been able to retain his appeal among dance music fans is that up until the late 2000’s, alongside his more commercial work, he continued to pursue an edgier, harder sound that contrasted with the lighter direction in which much of trance was heading.  He became a champion of the new harder edged tech trance sound and interspersed commercial releases with productions such as ‘Dallas 4pm’ (2004) and ‘Goldrush’ and ‘The Loves Lost’ (both 2006).  Even his 2005 ‘Adagio for Strings’ (arguably his best production) is driving, even aggressive compared to Ferry Corsten’s 2000 mix. 

But towards the end of the decade the delicate balancing act Tiësto had performed began to fade.  His 2007 studio album ‘Elements of Life’ is that of a globally famous star rather than a club DJ, featuring radio friendly, vocal heavy collaborations such as ‘Can You Feel Me’ (with Julie Thompson), ‘Break My Fall’ (with BT) and ‘In the Dark’ (with BBMak’s Chris Burns).  The approach gained him success though and resulted in a Grammy nomination for ‘Elements of Life’.  His 2009 album ‘Kaleidoscope’ took his commercial direction even further with pop acts such as the Cary Brothers and Nelly Furtado.  The power of the Tiësto brand continues to grow, seeing him perform and produce for the likes of Coca Cola and Disneyland Paris. 

In 2009 Tiësto sold his share of Black Hole Recordings and set up his own label Musical Freedom.

Tiësto is currently one of, if not, the biggest names in trance and has been a key figure in the genre right from its earliest beginnings. For many years Tiësto successfully balanced growing global fame with retaining genuine club land credibility.  Tiësto is arguably more rock star than DJ and his popularity continues to go from strength to strength. Towards the end of the 2000’s though his music has become ever more commercial leaving behind much of his roots.  In the final assessment Tiësto’s legacy may have more to do with global success than creative influence.

In 2004 Tiësto was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Since 2006 he has been an ambassador for the Dance4Life foundation promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS. Until 2006 he was in a relationship with Dutch model Monique Spronk but after splitting up with her was engaged to Stacey Blokzijl until they too split in 2008.

Tiësto is currently one of, if not, the biggest names in trance and has been a key figure in the genre right from its earliest beginnings. For many years Tiësto successfully balanced growing global fame with retaining genuine club land credibility.  Tiësto is arguably more rock star than DJ and his popularity continues to go from strength to strength. Towards the end of the 2000’s though his music has become ever more commercial leaving behind much of his roots.  In the final assessment Tiësto’s legacy may have more to do with global success than creative influence.
In 2004 Tiësto was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Since 2006 he has been an ambassador for the Dance4Life foundation promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS. Until 2006 he was in a relationship with Dutch model Monique Spronk but after splitting up with her was engaged to Stacey Blokzijl until they too split in 2008.