Alfredo Flores, award-winning D.C.-based freelance event photographer

IN SEARCH of TIESTO

DJ Tiesto is set to spin at Ibiza in June

written by Alfredo Flores

On Tap Magazine June 2008

Tiësto has been at the top of the trance music scene for several years: He was the first DJ to do a full-scale concert tour of arenas; the world's number one ranked DJ from 2002 through 2004; and commands the world's largest per show audience. Tiësto (real name is Tijs Verwest) is always trying to expand on the electronica sub-genre he helped bring to prominence, as well as experiment with new sounds he's picked up from his travels around the globe. In search for inspiration for his latest project, he set off to a secluded resort in Thailand, where he mixed and recorded the aptly titled "In Search of Sunrise 7-Asia," which hits store on June 10, just before his return to DC at Club Ibiza on June 28 and 29. At the X2 Resort in Kui Buri — where he stayed in an open door, sea front, stone-walled room with his recording engineer Ben Huijbregts and a small crew — Tiësto spent his days and nights in absolutely tranquil surroundings "I stayed in Thailand, sorting out records and mixing it while the sun came up," said Tiësto, who's no stranger to late hours: He once set a record with a 12-hour show in 1999. "This was the first time I worked like this, and it was very inspiring." On his last global tour, Tiësto found the peaceful and tranquil way of life in Southeast Asia a nice reprieve from the usually vigorous activity that he encounters in tours of Europe and the Americas. While the fans aren't as fervent as those in the more electronic music-crazed Western countries — where he regularly draws crowds anywhere from the tens of thousands to 200,000 as he did in Brazil in 2007 — his visit to Asia has invigorated Tiësto. Prior to his first solo show at the Gelredome stadium in the Netherlands in 2003, DJs mainly performed atop large DJ booths perched above the audience. But Tiësto's trendsetting solo arena shows are changing the mindset for those in the industry. He is largely responsible for the trend of building mixed compilations in the mid-1990s, something no one else did at the time, and is known primarily for pioneering contributions to the trance scene. Through his global travels he's experimented with trance and expanded to other types of electronic dance music. With the double-disc "Sunrise 7," he describes the first disc as featuring "high quality, vocal driven, warm and melodic" beats, and the second disc as "going back to my roots, real trancy and a little faster." His shows are a treat to electronica fans and non-fans alike, with elaborate sets, impressive light shows, and stimulating video content. Video DJing is a new trend in the industry and "a great way to tell something extra about the music you play," said Tiësto. What: DJ TiëstoWhere: IBIZA Nightclub (1222 First St. NE, D.C.)When: June 28-29Tickets: $40Info: www.clubglow.com