"Top 100 DJs of 2001 (#6 Tiësto) " - DJ Magazine

"Next 100 Artists to Watch…Tiësto defends his reputation for amassing a cult following as
well as his plausible roost at the top of 2002." - URB Magazine

"… Ranked as one of the most successful DJs/producers on the planet… Tiësto occupies a venerable position in the stratosphere of global DJ superstardom." - Mixer Magazine

With a massive following in the UK and surrounding influential, world-known resorts, club culture has propelled itself into the mainstream and therefore bringing its players up to a higher profile. Tijs Verwest, aka Tiësto, has already become one of the worlds most sought after DJs. Purveyors of progressive dance music should take note of this native from Breda, Netherlands as he arrives on the heels of a massive resurgence of club culture. Having playing the Love Festivals in Germany and Israel, and countless venues worldwide, Tiësto has invaded the states and has amassed a cult following of chanting fans; in three-short years he has become a world renown DJ and producer. DJ Magazine ranked Tiësto #6 in their "Top 100 DJs of 2001," respectively between Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox. Most recently, Tiësto had the pleasure of co-headlining with Oakenfold at the much taughted Coachella Music Festival in California. But Tiësto comes from humble beginnings, always managing to stay true to himself, his music and his fans.

A mainstay in his native Holland, Tiësto recounts his first brush with his passion for sharing music at the tender age of 8 years old. In the early days of his career, Tiësto played records at local drive-in disco shows; his sound focused on club and popular. Narrowing his scope to a hybrid of house beats laden over bass heavy grooves, Tiësto started playing out at The Spock, a well-known Breda club. In resisting the trends of the time, he created his own distinctive style and caught the attention of Rotterdam-based label, Basic Beat Recordings. And from this, Tiësto's first mixed series entitled Forbidden Paradise was conceptualized and released.

But the bounds and constraints of working under the record labels impeded Tiesto's artistic freedom. "They always wanted me to include tracks on the CD that I didn't want," he explains, "And the records I wanted to release were never discussed." So in 1997, Tiësto partnered up with Arny Bink and assembled their own record label, Black Hole Records, the birthplace of Tiesto's Space Age and Magik CD series. In addition to these acclaimed series, Black Hole also introduced the first mixed compilations from artists such as Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, The Scumfrog and Johan Gielen, while also forging the prized series In Trance We Trust. Teaming up with Ferry Corsten, Tiësto also produced epic anthems under the famed moniker of Gouryella.

In three short years, the world outside Holland took notice with Nettwerk America signing Tiësto to a stateside deal; a relationship that worked for both artist and label. In 2000, Tiësto's US debut was marked with the release of Summerbreeze; his most successful mixed CD featuring his infamous 11-minute remix of Delerium's epic hit "Silence" (with guest vocals by Sarah McLachlan). Breaking the R&B and vocal House barriers of the Billboard Dance chart, "Silence" peaked at #3, becoming a mega-club hit and remaining one of the most influential tracks of this dance era.

With this swell of immediate notoriety, Tiësto instantly became one of the most sought after producer/ remixer, catapulting a styled musical fashion that weaves threads of ethereal female vocals deep within the ebbs and flows of pulsating electronic rhythms. Churning out remixes that span the gamut, Tiësto has remixed tracks by Moby, Sarah McLachlan, BT, Kosheen, Hybrid, Chicane, Delerium and Faithless among others. In the land of yet unreleased remixes, one would uncover re-workings of SuReal "You Take My Breath Away," Daves Matthews Band "The Space Between," and the new upcoming Moby single "We Are All Stars" (which Tiësto sometimes surprisingly drops in during his sets).

During his performances, Tiësto wants the listeners to join him on a journey, to be swept away by a seamlessly mixed spectrum of songs that coalesce, while arousing the bass demons within us. While many DJs tend to follow the alluring trends of playing massive tunes with minimal appeal, Tiësto sets himself apart by hand picking those tunes that will linger in people's hearts and minds, hours after the show is over.

Even though some critics are not partial to dance music, much less Progressive House and Trance, they should take note of this growing and under-represented genre. Breathing life into his audience, Tiësto's stage presents teases the crowd, always egging them on; even dancing on stage and throwing his headphones to them. Perhaps that's why so many devout Tiësto fans have found a personal connection to their favorite DJ/producer.

The Artist Album

With his recent artist album debut, In My Memory, Tiësto has made a formal introduction to the American dance scene. With each originally produced and unmixed track, Tiësto tells a story, recounts an event or relives a memory from his journeys.

"Magik Journey" begins the voyage, an epic progressive house track accompanied by classical strings. In this artist album, Tiësto experiments with beautiful down-tempo ballads. The use of ethereal female vocals continues to be a mainstay of Tiësto's magical touch as he enlists Jan Johnston (BT, Hybrid, Paul Oakenfold), Kirsty Hawkshaw (BT, Opus 3) and Nicola Hitchcock (Mandalay) for vocal duties.

The melancholy vocals of Kirsty Hawkshaw match the mood of "Battleship Grey" as she lends her lyrics to deep trip-hop beats. In "Close To You," Jan Johnston also pulls at the listeners heart strings with her bittersweet vocals.

Staying true to his roots, "Obsession" (a Junkie XL collaboration), "Lethal Industry" and "Dallas 4pm" all highlight Tiësto's undying tribute to his techno influences with a progressive house flair. "Flight 643" has graced play lists from high profile DJs all over the globe, from Dave Seamen to Paul Oakenfold, having climbed prominent dance charts all over North America and the UK.

"Suburban Train," the second club single, is the closing track that gives listeners one more energetic explosion (also favored as the last track in his DJ sets). Using his signature progressive anthem recipe of a driving four/four beat with hypnotic and uplifting synth patterns, Tiësto creates his most emotional beat heavy track to date.

In My Memory is a testimonial to all the sounds that have influenced Tiësto to first start spinning records. The culmination of all those influences and his very own personal touches make this a very special and personal album with plentiful surprises, and many exciting ones to come.

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