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.

In 1997 Tiësto, along with Arny Bink, formed Black Hole Recordings, the label that launched the hugely acclaimed Magik, In Search Of Sunrise, and Nyana mix compilations. The label grew to such proportions that in 2001 Tiësto started a sub-label, Magik Muzik. 'It's the home of records of mine, or of people whose work I really believe in,' he enthuses. 'Everything on Magik Muzik is what you'll find in my sets, which makes it more of my own little project.' Some of the gems from Magik Muzik include 2001 anthem Flight 643 and his artist albums In My Memory, Just Be and Elements of Life.

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 many high profile gigs and shows have now taken Tiësto away from exclusively playing clubs, and propelled him to become a mainstream artist. 'Often at my shows now, half of the people are die-hard clubbers, but the other half are people who know me from the radio, or from more mainstream gigs,' he says. 'It's more like they're going to a concert, so now I get a great mix of both worlds.'

Describing the last few years as 'a journey of defining moments,' (as well as the usual club successes, his shelves are groaning under the weight of numerous awards – TMF-Awards, MTV, Dutch DJ - and gold discs...) his favourites include the second night of the Tiësto In Concert show in Holland in 2004: 'I was really aware of what was going on, the music was just right – a mix of all my big tunes and new track, everything just felt perfect that night. I played for nine hours straight, and it was my favourite gig ever.' And, of course, he was chosen by the readers as the number one DJ in the world. 'The first time it happened it was so amazing, I was overjoyed. The second and the third time were also fantastic, but the first time you're on the cover of that magazine that is so respected by other DJs – it's like winning an Oscar!'

In May 2006 Tiësto decided to become the worldwide ambassador for Dance4Life, and to invest considerate amounts of his time and efforts to the one charity in which he could really find himself. Immediately the production of a Dance4Life anthem was discussed, which resulted in an a song with Faithless' Maxi Jazz.

Continuing to explore fresh avenues, knowing that the year 2008 is now in full swing, Tiësto is currently experimenting with new sounds in the studio, and writing more vocals himself. The most recent result of this new approach of course is his latest album 'Elements of Life', which sky rocketed to the highest positions in today's charts. The album features the vocals of BT, who's been working with Tiësto on previous occasions and hit the charts with 'Break my Fall'; and Julie Thompson. 'I'm not looking for any big collaboration right now, I'm more interested in a burgeoning talent – someone whose voice is good, and that really touches you. A voice should sound like an instrument to me. A good example is Christian Burns who is the singer on the hit single 'In the Dark'; also a track from 'Elements of Life'. I met him through MySpace; the actual proof that the internet is the medium of choice when it comes to musical developments and careers.'

The concept behind his latest artist album also formed the basis for his 'Elements of Life World Tour' which took the DJ all over the globe. At the same time, the tour was of a size not before known in the dance scene. Since the four elements earth, water, air and fire are the unmistakeable necessities to build and maintain life on Earth, they had to be presented in all their greatness, which resulted in a stunning production that featured state of the art special effects, moving water systems in sync with the music and high definition video screens. It required three semi trucks to transport the equipment. The mere knowledge that Tiësto, as one DJ with two turntables, is entertaining audiences up to 25,000 people or more has silenced even the worst critic. But that his performances can compete with even the largest stadium concerts of the known world artists is something that the industry never held possible.

The amounts of energy the DJ invested for the world tour have not kept him away from the one thing everybody was waiting for: the new 'In Search of Sunrise 7'. 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 'Asia' and for a reason: 'Asia is that part of the world where the ambience and overwhelming beauty can be very overpowering in a positive way. At the same time, one experiences the incredible energy of the Asian people, which could almost be felt physically during my live sets throughout the Asian tour.' He grins: 'We recorded the whole ISOS 7 in Thailand, in a beautiful location with a view: the Asian coast line. The correct atmosphere to do the mix. Now I know ISOS 7 earned it to be titled 'Asia'.'



Knowing that Tiësto's opportunities go beyond his own music, and the world tour, one might ask what will come up next. His answer is clear: 'As I said, the internet is the medium of choice for modern day music. I now host my own radio show called 'Tiesto's Club Life', which is available as PodCast directly after it aired on radio. Through those blessings of the internet, fans can listen to me and the music I love whenever they feel like, wherever they feel like. And at the same time, radio stations all over the world broadcast the weekly shows within their own national programming. It's just a fantastic idea knowing that my fans are now listening to the radio as I used to do when I was just a kid!'

One of the last things we haven't mentioned is Tiësto's work on the music of other artists. 'I'm more open to doing remixes again. I like to hear a track and right away know what I want to do with it, what I can make different, and whether it'll work for me in my sets – all my remixes have to be tried and tested.' His most recent remixes, 'Piece of Me' by Britney Spears and 'The Right Life' by Seal, already featured in of his 'Club Life' radio shows, just like the one he did for Justin Timberlake which was one of particular interest, he says. 'The best producer in the world of the moment, Timbaland, approached me to do a remix of 'Love Stoned' by Justin Timberlake. That means a lot to me, you know? It actually shows that I've grown not only as a DJ, but also as a producer.'

The future for Tiësto promises yet further success, both as the solo artist he has become and the DJ we know him to be. 'The long anticipated 'In Search of Sunrise 7' and the 'Elements of Life World Tour' DVD have been released and there will be more remixes, definitely,' he agrees.

And then there was the Grammy nomination for his album 'Elements Of Life'. The news came as a beautiful surprise. 'I am incredibly happy about this. And that's an understatement. The nomination itself already is a fantastic honour.' Little did he know when a few weeks later on, he won the IDMA Award for both 'Best Global DJ' and 'Best Electronic Dance Album' at the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami.

He genuinely enjoys his achievements, but Tiësto keeps both feet on the ground: 'It's hard to look too far into the future. Every couple of months it seems that something new, unexpected and exciting is happening!'
Awards Overview
Awards 2008

* IDMA Award Best Global DJ / Best Electronic Dance Album - Elements Of Life

Awards 2007

* Grammy Nomination Best Electronic Dance Album - Elements Of Life

Awards 2005

* 3 FM Award Best Dance Artist
* Release Dance Award Best Trance/Progressive artist
* Release Dance Award Best International DJ
* TMF Belgium Best International DJ
* Dance Music Award Germany Best Trance Artist
* WMC Awards Miami Best Producer
* WMC Awards Miami Best Hi-NRG / Euro track
* WMC Awards Miami The Ortofon Best European DJ 2004
* WMC Awards Miami Best Producer 2004
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance National
* TMF Award Holland Radio 538 single of the year
* TMF Award Holland Lifetime Achievement
* Edison Music Award Best dance album – Just Be

Awards 2004

* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience
* Buma/Stemra Sound of Silence Award
* TMF Award Belgium Best International DJ
* World Music Award World's best selling Dutch artist
* Ibiza DJ Award Best International DJ Trance
* TMF Award Holland Best National DJ
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National
* DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position
* WMC Awards Miami Best International DJ

Awards 2003

* World Dancestar Award U.S.A. Best International DJ
* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by professional jury
* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience
* Radio 538 Dance Award Radio 538 Dutch Audience Edison
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National
* TMF Award Holland Best National DJ
* TMF Award Belgium Best Dance International
* MTV Europe Music Award Best Dutch Act
* BG Magazine Award Best Club/Trance/Hardhouse DJ
* DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position
* Mixmag Award Best Resident Ibiza