Tiësto

Tiësto is the professional name of Tijs Michiel Verwest, a Dutch DJ and record producer from Breda, Netherlands. Born in 1969, he works in dance, dance-pop, EDM, electro house, electronic and house music.

Career

He founds Black Hole Recordings with Arny Bink in 1997 and uses the label for releases including the Magik and In Search of Sunrise CD series. In 1998 he meets producer Dennis Waakop Reijers, and the two work together extensively from then on. From 1998 to 2000 he collaborates with Ferry Corsten under the name Gouryella.

His 2000 remix of Delerium’s “Silence”, featuring Sarah McLachlan, brings him to a wider mainstream audience. He releases his first solo album, In My Memory, in 2001 and it contains several major hits that establish his career. He is voted World No. 1 DJ in DJ Magazine’s annual Top 100 DJs readers’ poll for three consecutive years from 2002 to 2004.

Albums, radio and live appearances

After releasing his second studio album Just Be, he performs live at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, becoming the first DJ to play live on stage at an Olympics. In April 2007 he launches the radio show Tiësto’s Club Life on Radio 538 in the Netherlands and releases the album Elements of Life, which reaches number one on the Belgian album chart and on Billboard’s Top Electronic Albums chart in the United States. The album also receives a Grammy nomination in 2008. He later releases Kaleidoscope in 2009 and A Town Called Paradise in 2014.

Awards and recognition

Mix magazine names him “the Greatest DJ of All Time” in a 2010/2011 poll of fans. In 2013, DJ Mag readers vote him the “best DJ of the last 20 years”. He is also widely described as the “Godfather of EDM”. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, he wins Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for his remix of John Legend’s “All of Me”.