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• TIESTO

It�s two o� clock in the morning in Melbourne on January 1, 2004, and the biggest dance music party/event of the festive season, �Together 2004�, has been raging successfully for 4.5 hours. Organised by Australia�s leading dance promoter, Future Entertainment, seven thousand delirious hedonists are dancing their asses off in the Vodafone Arena - a space usually reserved for the likes of Lleyton Hewitt and Serena Williams to grunt at one another across long scallop nets come Australian Open tennis time. TIESTO, the world�s �official� Number One DJ, should be commencing his pinnacle NYE set any moment, however, there has been a wafer thin delay to his Lear Jet hop (ahem) from Sydney where he has just seen in the New Year. The crowd is primed, and with happy New Year hugs and sentiments out of everyone�s system, it�s time to dance, and go ga-ga over the massive Oracle lasers that have just sprung to life in an expensive green flash. As Australian local hero Jason Midro gradually raises the BPM�s of his driving trance set, a handful of the Nation�s leading structural engineers are called to assess the strength of the bolts in the Arena roof, which appears to be in danger of being blown off at any moment � TIESTO may be the proverbial straw to the back of the also proverbial camel. Taking the piss off course, but it was looking possible at this moment I assure you.

Aussie dance promotion legend, and Future Entertainment Head Honcho, Mark James, grabs the mic and gives fair warning to the swelling ocean of hands and smiles �Look out Melbourne � in about 15 minutes time, the world�s best will be giving it to you � Tiiiieeeeessssssto!� The dancefloor roars with delight, and banners and signs proclaiming the divinity of the Dutch maestro immediately surface around the Arena like a clubber�s rash. Indeed, TIESTO is �all over this crowd like a rash� and his expensive designer trainers haven�t even graced the tarmac in Melbourne, yet. He is, however, according to the DIY (1,000,000,000 pt font!) literature scattered around the sweaty throng, responsible for all matters on Earth on a daily basis; he is the exclusive wielder of Regal Executive power (in a blue chip Kingdom called �Trance�); and, the primary object of dedicated romantic desire for more people than one has had hot breakfasts in a lifetime. In a highly unusual twist (!), the true die-hard �Tiestians� are immediately packed together like sheep for export at the front of the stage, many sporting DIY t-shirts and caps with varying degrees of success (shares in textile markers on the Australian Stock Exchange are certain to rise sharply upon resumption of trading), and all wearing smiles larger than Big Carl Cox�s pyjamas. TIESTO has only ventured to our convict-settled shores on a single occasion, some 18 months ago for Future Entertainment�s annual �Two Tribes� party. So, with the enormous popularity of Crasher� and its residents in the Antipodes, there are thousands of glow-in-the-dark kids who haven�t slept a wink since the T-Bird RSVP�ed Mark James� invitation several months ago - clearly giving them ample time to refine banner slogans, of which �TIESTO � You�re The Besto!� is an early standout, and eventual victor in the �Up there for thinkin�, mate!� category.

Mark James calls out to DJ Jason Midro, �Three more Jase, he�s arriving now ��, who bobs his spikey blonde head in recognition as he unleashes another trance stormer � �Gamemaster� � goose bumps! Extra security guys appear at the barricade between the stage and the crowd, and the final push to the front to get as close to TIESTO�s clogs as possible gets underway with haste. The odd desperado jumps the barricade, however, too mashed to avoid detection they�re escorted back to the masses and reunited with their water bottle, humility, and group of �We can�t fucking believe you just did that, you Nutter!� friends.

It�s become a signature of Future Entertainment parties that the DJ�s name is spelt out in 18 foot letters above the dancefloor by the nifty laser operators, and tonight is certainly not the night to go pissing a perfectly good tradition into the wind. Well, it isn�t, is it? Suddenly, as Mark James again grabs the mic and cheerfully announces the arrival of the world�s number one DJ, �TIESTO� covers the back of the arena in brilliant green laser font. Taking to the stage with a single, but hooj bag of choons, Melbourne loses the plot when the clean cut Dutchman in immaculate linen slacks lets his first beat drop at 0320am - alongside a hypnotic, albeit tongue in cheek acapella of �TIESTO! Tiiesto! TIESTO!�. Finally, Australia and TIESTO are �Together� for New Year�s Eve (cue violins, please!), and both DJ and crowd are smiling intently at one another, and looking awfully chuffed about it. TIESTO is clearly thrilled-to-the-back-teeth to be here, and a sweaty kid down the front hits the nail on the head when he wrenches the lollypop from his steely mouth, high-end hand in the air, and screams �Blow my mind T � we are all here for you! Blow� my � farrrrkin� � mind!� � no one will debate this point with him, he�s spot on, and I�ve got a shiteload more than a tenner� that says TIESTO will. Deaf Freddy could hear it, for Sasha�s sake.

With every single beat TIESTO bobs his head, and his broad European grin beams genuinely, and naturally from behind the decks. His enthusiasm and passion for �the job�, �the craft�, is unadulterated. He�s comfier than Harry Kewell on the run up front for Liverpool, playing host to the Papua New Guinea Under 19�s. He�s just played a 3 hour gig in Sydney, with a meagre travel exclusive 20 minutes between sets, but you would swear this was the only gig he�s playing anywhere for the next ten years, such is his joyful demeanor and commitment to the immediate job at hand. He loves his craft, and his relaxed and calm nature behind the pure bedlam of the �off-ya-tits� crowd is a pleasingly interesting dichotomy. A touch of the record here, a nudge of the pitch control there, his smile grows larger as the next mix rolls into the zone, he is still blatantly stoked about nailing mixes � one feels as though he still can�t quite comprehend his own tremendous success. The 7,000-strong Aussie dancefloor is clearly feeding off TIESTO�s personal energy, and his unbridled involvement and connection with the floor is a delight to witness (particularly in these dark-swept times of Superstar DJ�s wanting to �educate� and not �entertain�!). A few more �this is wicked!� tracks in, a speck of dust hits the needle but Tijs Verwest is onto it like a hawk. Crouching to watch the vinyl culprit at eye level, he holds the offending piece of wax aloft at its conclusion and theatrically �walks� it off stage � TIESTO is a consummate showman, and the crowd have gone absolutely, completely, totally, utterly, entirely, unquestionably, undoubtedly, conclusively, collectively � Springer!

�How farkin� good is he?!�, exclaims Jason Midro who is relaxing after his warm up set for the world�s Number One. �What I like about him is that he just loves what he�s doing so bloody much � so bloody much, mate � he just has so much fun!�. Jason got the tap on the shoulder to do the �duck�s nuts� of warm up sets several months ago, and is clearly thrilled with the good nature and humility of a DJ who, in his own words, is �more famous than Justin Timberlake in Holland�. The spikey-headed Aussie Trance stalwart is spot-on. TIESTO does appear to be having an absolute cracker of a time in the breeze behind the decks. As he caresses the Pioneer 600 (toying with the incumbent record like a cat with a wounded pigeon of excitable size) above his head, his every deft move is being broadcast from 30x30, 10-000 pixel SONY video walls � complete with fuck-off visual effects software that superimposes bubbles bursting to the touch. God Bless the plush modern party scene, bells and whistles go a long way in a clubber�s experience. With now typical good humour, TIESTO watches the screens and attempts to burst as many bubbles on the screen as possible, laughing with his gorgeous female companion behind the decks, and ourselves in the wings of the stage.

The audio techies� backstage are all breathing a sigh of relief. Ten or so records into the most important set of the year, and there is no sign of staging trouble or artist queries � the Technics Mark 5 has been �� flown in from Germany and it�s working a treat ��, boasts Future Entertainment�s Production Manager, John Barker (or �JB� as he is known to all). JB is about as Australian as they come. Kind of like a bald Paul Hogan, really, utterly, cue ball, bald. He�s also one of the secrets to Future Entertainment�s grip as Australia�s premier dance promotion and event production organizations, and you�ll never hear a cross word about him. John�s seen them all over the years � Van Dyk, Oakenfold, Digweed, Sasha, De Vit � but he�s blown away with TIESTO � �Mate, he�s just so technically correct � and he just works it (the crowd) so well � best vibe on a floor in years ��

It�s 0430am, and we are the only media allowed in front of the stage, onstage, and backstage, at TIESTO�s direction. He has been a real sport with working with the camera for photos, and has made us feel not only welcome, but a real part of what he is doing on stage � which, of course, we are not, or my name would be oscillating in 18 foot laser writing just next to the video screen which would be showing me holding a notepad and a camera, not spinning choons! His female companion invites me onto the stage, and we sit next to her �boyfriend�s� record bag and discuss his obvious talent. She is stunning, and together they make a ridiculously good looking couple, you know � the ones who look so healthy, fit, and relaxed, that it makes you want to go home and rethink your whole life, but never actually do. She is a delightful young woman who responds �Yes, he is � but I don�t like it when he plays to hard!�, when I tell her that he�s extremely competent at his profession. She sends text messages from her phone, as her man keeps cranking the choons, keeps cranking, keeps cranking. The decks, suspended from 20 foot chains, are swaying gently, and the smell of talcum powder from the dancefloor (traditional Australian dancefloor lubricant) wafts softly on TIESTO�s every stabbing prog beat, lasers cutting perfect shards of colour throughout. He turns to take a casual sip from his Carlton Cold beer, and smiles at me and shakes my hand. �Come up and take some close ones if you like, I don�t mind ��, he says, smiling and bopping his head to the immaculate beat resounding from the crystal clear booth monitors.

As �Happy New Year, Together� blazes from the giant video screens, TIESTO is slowly turning the crowd into a hopeless mess of joy and divinity with millisecond-perfect spin out mixes, and structural perfection. Keeping the same 141 BPM tempo, he has complete control over the Pioneer 600, adjusting the EQ�s with a playful tenacity � he clearly still enjoys the �challenge� of a mix, and the resonant feeling of enjoying the �fruits of his labor�. Who is this guy? He�s the �Sensitive New Age DJ� � or SNADJ! He not only cares about the dancefloor, he�s practically on it himself. In a scene unlikely to be repeated, as I talk with a Future Entertainment Crew member, a punter thirty rows of hands-in-the-air back holds aloft a scrappy looking record sleeve. He passes it to the hand in front, which passes it to the hand in front, which passes it to the hand � and so on and so forth, until the sleeve eventually reaches a photographer who passes it up to TIESTO on stage. Discovering the sleeve is not empty, he extracts a piece of vinyl and places it on deck three. A few seconds, a few more bobs of the head, and it�s in � some Geezer is having his favourite piece of wax played by the world�s number one DJ in front of 8,000 close friends on New Year�s Eve! This is, indeed, a happy, farking new year! Innit�!!!??

It�s 0542am, and it�s time. It�s time for Melbourne to officially go bananas. In it creeps, like a club kid home from da� club at 7am to mum and dad�s house. Serious creeping. The faces of the �sheep for export� in the front row say it all. TIESTO�s own 2000� mix of Delerium�s �Silence�. The moment Melbourne has been waiting for. As the vocal breakdowns glide in and out, TIESTO reaches for the arena roof at each rise, and from behind him, the crowd is swelling like a mighty ocean of human hands � each trying to obtain greater heights than the next. Without notice, a sea of 20 sparklers all flare up in an area at the front row of the dancefloor, immediately capturing TIESTO�s attention. It�s a group of girls holding the sparklers, and each one could be on Neighbours without issue. They smile and yelp his name, while he generously acknowledges their efforts and affects appreciation through his million dollar smile. All the while, the music is relentlessly good. Striking progressive trance at it�s best, laiden with creamy vocals and rolling snyth lines. Tonight/this morning�s choons could almost be branded cheesy in the wrong hands, but the refined lad from Holland with the lovely wrist watch keeps one�s faith unwittingly, with rolling bass lines that hit you in your rib cage and just behind the knees. TIESTO is rocking everyone�s bodies. He knows it. And, he loves it. He doesn�t play a genre. This set isn�t just Trance. This set isn�t just Progressive. This set is simply � very, very good music. It�s Trance, it�s Progressive House, it�s Techno, it�s Turntablism � eh � it�s TIESTO! Not since Dave Seaman has a DJ been so consistently musically versatile in their sets than TIESTO, if his current performance is any demonstration.

As Australia�s Set Of The Year draws to a close, it�s 0645am and there is no sign of the arena emptying. The floor is peaking, and TIESTO looks relaxed and satisfied as Mark James works out departure details in his ear. As he signs a handful of records, Mark James grabs the mic for the penultimate time and asks Melbourne to show it�s appreciation for the mild mannered Mr Tijs Verwest, �Tiiiiieeeeeeeeesssssttttttoooooooo!�, exclaims Mark with sheer delight! The dancefloor roars, and TIESTO throws his hands to the sky and claps proudly above his head. And well he might, he certainly enjoyed every second of his own performance too.

Mark signals JB to carry TIESTO�s record bag for him, which JB is only too happy to oblige. As we stroll to the green room and dressing rooms, TIESTO says, in a loud voice, what all of us are thinking � �That was a lot of fun! Yeah??!!!�. Yes Tijs, it was � it was an absolute hoot.

[ January 01, 2004 ]

Written by Harley Augustine

Courtesy of Tiesto.com

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