Tiësto'scareer is punctuated by landmark achievements – the first DJ in theworld to sell out a solo stadium event for over 25,000 people 2 nightsin a row, he scored a number one hit with his single Traffic, the firstinstrumental track to reach the top spot in his homeland of Holland in23 years. His remix of Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan's Silence wasthe first house track ever broadcast on daytime radio in North America,(it became an international dancefloor anthem and also spent eightweeks in the UK top 10 chart). He played live in front of billions ofpeople during the Parade of the Athletes at the official openingceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens. But despite his meteoricsuccess, Tiësto remains grounded about his achievements and clearlyloves making and playing music above the accolades it brings.

Bornin Holland, Tiësto became a DJ because he 'liked to share music withother people. When I was younger, I'd listen to a radio show called theSoul Show, and to Ben Liebrand's mix radio program, where he wouldremix and cut up different tracks, and I just thought - I want to dothis!' The productions came later, in 1995. 'I really wanted to producemusic that I could play in my sets, because it brings much morefulfilment to the process. I bought some samplers, some computerprograms, and just started working on it.' He makes it sound easy –indeed; he makes it look easy as 10 years down the line his productionsconsistently bother the charts and frequently reach number one aroundEurope.

In 1997 Tiësto, along with Arny Bink, formed BlackHole Recordings, the label that launched the hugely acclaimed Magik, InSearch Of Sunrise, and Nyana mix compilations. The label grew to suchproportions that in 2001 Tiësto started a sub-label, Magik Muzik. 'It'sthe home of records of mine, or of people whose work I really believein,' he enthuses. 'Everything on Magik Muzik is what you'll find in mysets, which makes it more of my own little project.' Some of the gemsfrom Magik Muzik include 2001 anthem Flight 643 and his artist albumsIn My Memory, Just Be and Elements of Life.

Though knownprimarily for his pioneering contributions to the trance scene,Tiësto's style is now a mix of everything: 'trance, house, techno -it's the best of all that the dance world has to offer. In 1998, I wasreally a trance DJ, but now I've travelled round the world so much,different influences have seeped in and I play a bit of everything. Ithink the only way forward for DJs now is to play a diverse mix ofsounds.' Indeed, his brand of trance was always pushing at theconstraints of the genre anyway, featuring soaring vocals from thelikes of Sarah McLachlan and Jes, spine-tingling breakdowns, andeuphoric melodies at every end of the spectrum.

The many highprofile gigs and shows have now taken Tiësto away from exclusivelyplaying clubs, and propelled him to become a mainstream artist. 'Oftenat my shows now, half of the people are die-hard clubbers, but theother half are people who know me from the radio, or from moremainstream gigs,' he says. 'It's more like they're going to a concert,so now I get a great mix of both worlds.'

Describing the lastfew years as 'a journey of defining moments,' (as well as the usualclub successes, his shelves are groaning under the weight of numerousawards – TMF-Awards, MTV, Dutch DJ - and gold discs...) his favouritesinclude the second night of the Tiësto In Concert show in Holland in2004: 'I was really aware of what was going on, the music was justright – a mix of all my big tunes and new track, everything just feltperfect that night. I played for nine hours straight, and it was myfavourite gig ever.' And, of course, he was chosen by the readers asthe number one DJ in the world. 'The first time it happened it was soamazing, I was overjoyed. The second and the third time were alsofantastic, but the first time you're on the cover of that magazine thatis so respected by other DJs – it's like winning an Oscar!'

InMay 2006 Tiësto decided to become the worldwide ambassador forDance4Life, and to invest considerate amounts of his time and effortsto the one charity in which he could really find himself. Immediatelythe production of a Dance4Life anthem was discussed, which resulted inan a song with Faithless' Maxi Jazz.

Continuing to explore freshavenues, knowing that the year 2008 is now in full swing, Tiësto iscurrently experimenting with new sounds in the studio, and writing morevocals himself. The most recent result of this new approach of courseis his latest album 'Elements of Life', which sky rocketed to thehighest positions in today's charts. The album features the vocals ofBT, who's been working with Tiësto on previous occasions and hit thecharts with 'Break my Fall'; and Julie Thompson. 'I'm not looking forany big collaboration right now, I'm more interested in a burgeoningtalent – someone whose voice is good, and that really touches you. Avoice should sound like an instrument to me. A good example isChristian Burns who is the singer on the hit single 'In the Dark'; alsoa track from 'Elements of Life'. I met him through MySpace; the actualproof that the internet is the medium of choice when it comes tomusical developments and careers.'

The concept behind hislatest artist album also formed the basis for his 'Elements of LifeWorld Tour' which took the DJ all over the globe. At the same time, thetour was of a size not before known in the dance scene. Since the fourelements earth, water, air and fire are the unmistakeable necessitiesto build and maintain life on Earth, they had to be presented in alltheir greatness, which resulted in a stunning production that featuredstate of the art special effects, moving water systems in sync with themusic and high definition video screens. It required three semi trucksto transport the equipment. The mere knowledge that Tiësto, as one DJwith two turntables, is entertaining audiences up to 25,000 people ormore has silenced even the worst critic. But that his performances cancompete with even the largest stadium concerts of the known worldartists is something that the industry never held possible.

Theamounts of energy the DJ invested for the world tour have not kept himaway from the one thing everybody was waiting for: the new 'In Searchof Sunrise 7'. In between the mayhem of touring and insane flightschedules, Tiësto still found the time to deliver a double CDcompilation for the highly successful series also known as 'ISOS'. Thelive mix, made without electronic or computerized gadgets, is titled'Asia' and for a reason: 'Asia is that part of the world where theambience and overwhelming beauty can be very overpowering in a positiveway. At the same time, one experiences the incredible energy of theAsian people, which could almost be felt physically during my live setsthroughout the Asian tour.' He grins: 'We recorded the whole ISOS 7 inThailand, in a beautiful location with a view: the Asian coast line.The correct atmosphere to do the mix. Now I know ISOS 7 earned it to betitled 'Asia'.'

Knowing that Tiësto's opportunities go beyondhis own music, and the world tour, one might ask what will come upnext. His answer is clear: 'As I said, the internet is the medium ofchoice for modern day music. I now host my own radio show called'Tiesto's Club Life', which is available as PodCast directly after itaired on radio. Through those blessings of the internet, fans canlisten to me and the music I love whenever they feel like, whereverthey feel like. And at the same time, radio stations all over the worldbroadcast the weekly shows within their own national programming. It'sjust a fantastic idea knowing that my fans are now listening to theradio as I used to do when I was just a kid!'

One of the lastthings we haven't mentioned is Tiësto's work on the music of otherartists. 'I'm more open to doing remixes again. I like to hear a trackand right away know what I want to do with it, what I can makedifferent, and whether it'll work for me in my sets – all my remixeshave to be tried and tested.' His most recent remixes, 'Piece of Me' byBritney Spears and 'The Right Life' by Seal, already featured in of his'Club Life' radio shows, just like the one he did for Justin Timberlakewhich was one of particular interest, he says. 'The best producer inthe world of the moment, Timbaland, approached me to do a remix of'Love Stoned' by Justin Timberlake. That means a lot to me, you know?It actually shows that I've grown not only as a DJ, but also as aproducer.'

The future for Tiësto promises yet further success,both as the solo artist he has become and the DJ we know him to be.'The long anticipated 'In Search of Sunrise 7' and the 'Elements ofLife World Tour' DVD have been released and there will be more remixes,definitely,' he agrees.

And then there was the Grammynomination for his album 'Elements Of Life'. The news came as abeautiful surprise. 'I am incredibly happy about this. And that's anunderstatement. The nomination itself already is a fantastic honour.'Little did he know when a few weeks later on, he won the IDMA Award forboth 'Best Global DJ' and 'Best Electronic Dance Album' at the annualWinter Music Conference in Miami.

He genuinely enjoys hisachievements, but Tiësto keeps both feet on the ground: 'It's hard tolook too far into the future. Every couple of months it seems thatsomething new, unexpected and exciting is happening!'

Awards Overview
Awards 2008

* IDMA Award Best Global DJ / Best Electronic Dance Album - Elements Of Life

Awards 2007

* Grammy Nomination Best Electronic Dance Album - Elements Of Life

Awards 2005

* 3 FM Award Best Dance Artist
* Release Dance Award Best Trance/Progressive artist
* Release Dance Award Best International DJ
* TMF Belgium Best International DJ
* Dance Music Award Germany Best Trance Artist
* WMC Awards Miami Best Producer
* WMC Awards Miami Best Hi-NRG / Euro track
* WMC Awards Miami The Ortofon Best European DJ 2004
* WMC Awards Miami Best Producer 2004
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance National
* TMF Award Holland Radio 538 single of the year
* TMF Award Holland Lifetime Achievement
* Edison Music Award Best dance album – Just Be

Awards 2004

* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience
* Buma/Stemra Sound of Silence Award
* TMF Award Belgium Best International DJ
* World Music Award World's best selling Dutch artist
* Ibiza DJ Award Best International DJ Trance
* TMF Award Holland Best National DJ
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National
* DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position
* WMC Awards Miami Best International DJ

Awards 2003

* World Dancestar Award U.S.A. Best International DJ
* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by professional jury
* ID&T Dutch DJ Award Best Dutch DJ by audience
* Radio 538 Dance Award Radio 538 Dutch Audience Edison
* TMF Award Holland Best Dance Act National
* TMF Award Holland Best National DJ
* TMF Award Belgium Best Dance International
* MTV Europe Music Award Best Dutch Act
* BG Magazine Award Best Club/Trance/Hardhouse DJ
* DJ Mag Top 100 Number 1 Position
* Mixmag Award Best Resident Ibiza