Tiesto: Leaving the clubbers thirsting for more

When you’ve been voted the number 1 DJ in the world two years in a row, it’s not surprising that everyone wants a piece of you. Tijs Verwest, or as he’s known to his legions of dedicated fans – Tiesto – understands this better than anyone, having called airports, hotel rooms, and of course nightclubs, home for the past 3 months. After his successful tour over New Years the Dutchman spent a well earned month seeing the sights of Australia, “I was in South America in February, in March I was in Europe and then the Winter Music Conference in Miami. For the last few weeks I’ve been in South East Asia. Very busy! I stayed in Australia for a month after New Years for a holiday in the Great Barrier Reef.”

Having had a few months now to process his thoughts, when asked what he thought about his New Years tour in hindsight Tiesto revealed that it was his brief taste of Australian parties and audiences that has him coming back so soon, “It was a great tour, especially the show in Sydney, although I played a bit early. It is actually the main reason why I’m coming back so soon, because I was very disappointed that I played on New Years Eve from 9pm until midnight in Sydney instead of primetime. I wanted to come back very soon so I could play at a decent time.” It seems that Sydney holds a special place in Tiesto’s heart, going on to add, “I stayed in Sydney for 1 and half weeks, I think Sydney is one of my favourite places in the world. Everything is close, and the beaches and harbour are so nice!”

With things kicking into gear for the 2004 DJ Mag poll, one has to wonder whether Tiesto will pull of another clean sweep to take out the title for a third year in a row. When asked about holding the title of ‘World’s Number 1’ for the past two years, it’s not surprisingly that Tiesto is able to see it from both perspectives, talking on the demands that go along with holding such a prestigious award, “There is a lot of pressure that goes with it. After winning it for the last two years, I don’t think I need to be number 1 anymore. It’s a dream that came true, and I would still be very happy if I won again, but it has already opened a lot of doors for me.” When asked for his thoughts on who should win the crown of number 1 in 2004, Tiesto detailed, “I am a big fan of a lot of DJs, but they’re often not very well known. I like James Lavelle, his breakbeat stuff. But I think Paul van Dyk definitely deserves to win the DJ Mag poll because he’s been in the scene such a long time and he hasn’t made it to the number 1 position. He’s been a great DJ and producer over the last 10 years.”

So far in 2004 Tiesto has toured through South and Central America and South East Asia for Heineken Thirst, “I really like the concept of the tour, that the winning DJ from Thirst can tour and play with me. I’ve been able to go to countries like Vietnam and China, and for so many of them it’s the first time they’ve been able to experience something on such a large scale.” Needless to say, his trip to South East Asia has proved to be a unique experience, leaving him with some rather amusing anecdotes, “They don’t know exactly what’s going on, it’s all pretty new for them, so that’s kind of cool. In Vietnam I had to play in front of the Minister for Culture so they could screen the music. I had to play a set for him in a room with 6 other old guys, which was quite funny. They said, ‘It’s melodic, and there’s no offending words in there, so it’s alright’!”

You can catch Tiesto judging and appearing at the following venues for Heineken Thirst:

Fri Apr 30, Room680 – Melbourne – National Found @ Thirst Final
Sat May 1, Home – Sydney – Heineken Thirst Main Event
Sun May 2, Family – Brisbane – Heineken Thirst Main Event (BUY TICKETS)