DJ Tiësto

Tiësto Biography

 

Whether it be the 250,000 revelers coming together at Ipanema Beach in Rio De Janeiro, the adoring clubbers who descend upon Privilege in Ibiza on a Monday night every summer, or the 25,000 fans en masse at Victoria Park in London, all are in attendance for the same reason: they have come to see Tiësto, the world’s biggest DJ/Producer!

Tiësto, a.k.a. Tijs Verwest, is a performer who has transcended musical genres to create a global ‘Tiësto’ brand. His achievements include a Grammy nomination, numerous MTV awards, performing at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and even a wax statue at Madame Tussauds. With over 7 million followers on Facebook and over 130 million hits on YouTube, Tiësto has truly become a universal phenomenon.

Recently voted ‘The Greatest DJ Of All Time’ in a Mixmag poll, Tiësto has worked with artists as diverse as Nelly Furtado, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Goldfrapp, Jónsi from Sigur Rós, Diplo, and Busta Ryhmes. When he is not collaborating with some of the world’s most respected artists he is jet setting his way around the globe playing sold out shows to his adoring fans. His recently completed Kaleidoscope World Tour spanned more than 15 months and 175 dates across 6 continents playing to over 1,000,000 people. The hugely successful tour was recognized as such when Tiësto was nominated for two 2010 Billboard Touring Awards and listed in Billboard’s Top 25 biggest grossing touring acts of 2010.

Tiësto invested heavily in the visual aspect of his DJ sets including a mesmerizing exhibition of lasers, light shows and massive LED screens. “Throughout 2010 I concentrated all my energy on the Kaleidoscope World Tour. Along with the music, I created some of the best production to date, and it really felt like something special.”

Never one to rest on his laurels, Tiësto is more enthusiastic than ever for the new and improved 2011 live experience. The 2011 ‘CLUB LIFE TOUR’ and ‘TIËSTO LIVE IN CONCERT’ shows in Vegas will continue to evolve and expand what a live DJ show can be. “For me the possibilities are limitless and I have once again been working with a really talented team on state of the art production elements. I am really pleased with the results and I can’t wait for the fans to experience these incredible new shows!”

Tiësto has also been hard at work in the studio fine-tuning ‘CLUB LIFE - Volume One Las Vegas’ his new mix album released in April 2011. This is the first in a brand new ‘CLUB LIFE’ series that replaces ‘In Search of Sunrise’, one of the most successful DJ mix compilation series of all time.

Released through Tiësto’s own Musical Freedom record label, the album features 15 of the hottest new tracks and remixes from the best in dance music all mixed seamlessly by Tiësto. Artists such as Kaskade, Diplo, Hardwell, Henrik B, Moguai, Dúné, and Marcel Woods all make an appearance along with remixes from Sultan and Ned Shepard, Angger Dimas, Alesso, Thomas Gold, and Tiësto himself. “I wanted a fresh new series to reflect my new style which has been evolving in the clubs for the past few years. It fees great to launch my own series on my new label” says Tiësto.

Musically Tiësto has been experimenting more than ever before. “You would be surprised to hear what is on my personal playlist. I like all kinds of music and as I continue to develop as an artist I do not feel I should be confined to any one sound or expected genre. I draw influences from various sources whether it be movies, the people I meet, and of course all the amazing places I have been lucky enough to visit. This is definitely one of the best things about being a DJ.”

This was one of the reasons he set up the appropriately named Musical Freedom record label. Tiësto explains, “I want to be able to sign artists and release music that as a fan I would listen to. Musical Freedom allows me to do this and hopefully help out some new and exciting developing artists.”

Musical Freedom had immediate success with ‘C’Mon’, the massive Tiësto vs. Diplo collaboration that churned up dance floors worldwide in 2010. The track has now been reworked as ‘C’Mon (Catch ‘Em By Surprise)’ with none other than Busta Rhymes who adds his raw and energetic vocals, taking it in an entirely new direction. This new version is a worldwide top 10 hit and the music video has surpassed over 4 million views on YouTube.

Additional releases on Musical Freedom include Dada Life’s ‘Unleash The F**king Dada’, Tiësto vs Hardwell ‘Zero 76’, as well as other collaborations. Other artists with releases scheduled for 2011 include Henrik B, Angger Dimas, and more…

If you are the world’s #1 DJ/Producer at some point you have to conquer Las Vegas, therefore January 2011 saw the launch of ‘Tiësto In Concert‘ at The Joint in The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The monthly residency will play to over 4,000 people a night and promises to be a remarkable live music experience at one of the most dynamic venues in Las Vegas, “I’m so excited to play in Vegas, it’s a magical place and I’m looking forward to partying in this amazing city!” The feeling is obviously mutual as the city of Las Vegas has named a street ‘TiëstoWay’ and January 1st is now officially known as ‘Tiësto Day’.

Always on the cutting edge, Tiësto is also leading the way when it comes to working with some of the world’s most successful and recognizable global brands. He has been involved in hugely successful campaigns with Armani Exchange, SanDisk, Heineken, Smirnoff, Škoda, and he was recently named as the official European Ambassador for Activision’s DJ Hero 2. Tiësto is featured within the game as he takes to the virtual ones and twos delivering a pair of pulse-pounding exclusive mixes and joining the ever-growing roster of playable characters. Tiësto even used the footage of his character from within the game to create a music video for his recent hit track ‘Speed Rail’.

So with the launch of his Musical Freedom record label, the release of ‘CLUB LIFE – Volume One Las Vegas’, plus his monthly residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and the CLUB LIFE WORLD TOUR in full swing, 2011 is shaping up to be yet another huge year for Tiësto.

We can only imagine what he has in store for 2012 and beyond. Watch this space!