Tiesto permeates genres and is synonymous with electronic music. You may know he plays house music; you may know that he’s headlined massive events as Sensation and Ultra. But do you really know Tiesto? Here’s 17 facts we’re betting you didn’t know about Tijs Michiel Verwest.
1. He’s been knighted by the Queen of Holland.
It appears we should actually be referring to the house/trance pioneer as “Sir DJ Tiesto”. After Tiesto’s 2004 release of ‘Just Be’, he was appointed as Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau (the formal name for the Netherland’s order of chivalry) by Queen Beatrix of Holland.
2. Aside from being DJ Tiesto, he has also gone under the aliases Da Joker, DJ Limited, Allure, Paradise in Dubs, and more.
Back in his earlier years, Tiesto produced very different music under many different monikers. During this time, he produced in genres such as new beat, hardcore techno, and “gabber”, a dutch term coined for early electronic hardcore music.
3. He has his own Reebok sneaker.
Yes, believe it or not, for a limited time you could buy Tiesto-laced Reebok sneakers. They featured his name, an orange color scheme, and some artwork of headphones and tendril-like designs.
4. There’s a wax figure of him at Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam.
The Dutch are so proud of their internationally-acclaimed musician that they decided to immortalize him in the form of a wax figure. Interesting side note: the turntable attached to his figure actually is real and full-working, giving visitors the ability to mix right next to the master himself.
5. He once played a 12-hour set in Amsterdam.
In an interview by AskMen.com, Tiesto was asked about the longest show he’s ever played, He talked about a 1999 show called “Dutch Dimension” in Amsterdam. One can only imagine the stamina, queue, and creativity to pull of a set of that length, coupled with the fact that fans needed the stamina to stay and dance the entire time.
6. He is the first DJ in history to play for an Olympic event.
The Athens Organizing Committee for Olympic Games (ATHOC) first approached Tiesto after his ‘Tiesto in Concert’ DVD caught their attention. They believed he would be able to combine the classical age with the modern age, and he did just that. He played trance for 90 minutes in front of an estimated 4 billion viewers while the opening ‘Parade of Athletes’ took place.
In 2003, Tiesto played to over 50,000 fans over two nights at Arnhem’s (a city in eastern Holland) Gelredome. Selling out to 50,000 fans is no easy task nowadays, but back in 2003? A decade ago. Now that’s an impressive feat, no doubt.
8. He has a fashion collection with Guess clothing.
Branching off from his Tiesto shoe, he has now elevated his status and has his own collection with the clothing brand Guess. It included a limited edition Tiesto watch for $165 and apparel inspired by Tiesto for men and women.
9. He is the worldwide ambassador for dance4life, a HIV awareness foundation.
In 2006 Tiesto released a track aptly named ‘dance4life’ which became an anthem for HIV awareness around the globe. Since then, he has become the worldwide ambassador for the foundation of the same name, stating that, “the whole concept behind it is to let the whole world dance, which is a very positive concept,” while talking to reporter Sterling McGarvey. He has performed much other philanthropy work during his career, such as recently working with the (RED) campaign.
10. Before he was going to be a DJ, he was going to be a chef.
Tiesto starting out DJing house parties, but didn’t realize he could make a living off of it until he began taking residences at Holland clubs between 1985 and 1993. He said he would have probably become a chef because he loves cooking, and “it must be because of the mixing element,” he told Scotsman.com.
11. He is known for popularizing mix compilations.
From essential mixes to troll mixes, all DJ’s that practice the art of releasing content as a continuous mix are paying homage to Tiesto’s innovation. Starting with his mix compilations for Magik records in 1995, the art of the mix has now become a staple in electronic music, thanks to Tiesto’s influence.
12. His 2003 single ‘Traffic’ was the first instrumental to reach #1 on the Dutch Top 40 charts in 23 years.
Yes, you read that right. For 23 years, an instrumental had never reached #1 on the Top 40 charts in Holland. On top of that, the single reached #3 in Belgium, #11 in Hungary and even made it to #48 in the UK.
13. From 2002-2004, he was #1 on DJ Mag Top 100 each year.
If you and unfamiliar with DJ Magazine, it is an international DJ magazine which compiles a list of the top 100 DJ’s in the world every year. To even break the top 100 is a huge accomplishment. To be #1, three years in a row? Very few can say they’ve done it.
14. His music video for the single ‘Speed Rail’ was the first music video ever created using only video-game content.
Tiesto was a featured playable character in DJ Hero 2, as well as having songs in both DJ Hero 2 and the original DJ Hero. Content from DJ Hero 2 was used entirely in his music video for ‘Speed Rail’, making him not only an innovator in music but also in video production.
These are three names you probably would never expect to see next to Tiesto’s. However, in November 2009 ‘Feel Lit’ was released as a single for Three6Mafia’s album ‘Laws of Power’, which also featuring Sean Kingston and Flo Rida. The song was of average success, making it to #21 on the Billboard Dance and Club charts.
16. He doesn’t listen to older music.
Tiesto believes that while the older generations love their oldies, the dance music community is “so young and consumerist” that listeners will constantly be seeking new music, no matter their age. He has even stated that, “I always like to listen to new music and I don’t really like to listen to old tracks,” during an interview with DigitalSpy.
17. He prefers working with new talent as opposed to established stars
With all of his massive success, Tiesto has been able to stay humble. In an interview with Guitar Center, he explains how he prefers to work with new artists that don’t have a history so that the credit is given to all those involved, instead of the big names. He explains how Australian singer Luciana approached him: “She came up to me on the street and told me she’d like to work with me. I gave her my email address, and she sent me some vocals that I loved. I love it when things come together spontaneously like that.”
Share On
