This past Tuesday marked the release of renowned DJ and Producer Tiësto’s new album,Club Life: Stockholm, coming as the third installment to the Club Life compilation series. Bottom line, the album is a skillfully constructed compilation that takes fans on a journey through an assortment of Tiësto’s favorite music of the moment.
Regarding the album, Tiësto stated,
“Club Life: Volume Three Stockholm was created to feature 90% of my own original productions, remixes and collaborations. I sprinkled them in with a few of my favorite tracks at the moment and I believe there’s something really special here.”
In the days leading up to the release of his album, Elite Daily was fortunate enough to grab a moment with the most recognizable DJ in electronic music.
In this interview, Tiësto speaks about maintaining authenticity while marketing himself as a brand, his friendship with up-and-comer Hardwell, his experience at the 2002 Olympics and even his interest in Kanye West’s latest album, Yeezus.
What were your ambitions when you first started DJing, and how have your goals changed since you first started in the music industry?
I was a big fan of dance music and loved how Djs could play the tracks they loved to the fans and make them dance. Fans put their evening into the hands of the DJ and it’s something that immediately appealed to me. So to just have the opportunity to do this was a goal from the start. Then of course things got bigger. Larger shows, the original music, remixes, etc. Still, my goal is to provide dance music fans with the best music and experience possible when they come to my shows. That’s never changed.
You’ve expanded from a young DJ to the most recognizable global brand in electronic music—with deals that have resulted in your own branded headphones and clothing. How do you evaluate which brands are worthy of attaching your name to?
It’s important that with whatever I do, first and foremost, I must be a fan first. So when it comes to brands, I need to be a fan of what the product is about and be in line with their mission. Then it’s important that I don’t just have my name on something. Rather, I need to be involved in the creation of the project. I worked with the teams at Guess and AKG to design my clothing line and headphones, respectively.
One of the biggest highlights in your career must have been your groundbreaking performance at the Olympics. Run us through that moment. How memorable has that moment been, and how would you say it has personally affected your career and electronic dance music as a whole? It could be argued that you’ve opened a lot of doors for newcomers in the genre.
Performing at the Olympics is something that transcends music. I mean, even though I travel the world and meet a lot of people, playing there really showed me how huge the world is. So many countries sending their athletes, who all had a tremendous sense of national pride, to be a part of a historic event like this. The Olympics are real history, so to perform in such a situation is mind blowing. In terms of opening up dance music as a whole, I think that it did bring dance music to a big stage, but still it was a small part of such a huge global event.
Speaking of newcomers, you’ve done a great deal of work with one of our favorite artists in the Elite Daily office, Hardwell. How did the two of you come into contact, and are there any more collaborations between you two that we can anticipate in the future?
We’re both Dutch and we’re all a close-knit community over there. It’s not a huge country, so we were united through a common passion for the music and everything sort of evolved from there. As for the future, you’ll just have to wait and see!
You’ve also been affiliated with Quintino—most notably on your college tour this past winter. What drew you to working with him, and where do you see Quintino’s career going over the next few years? It’s undeniable that he has talent and is amassing quite the sizable audience.
He’s a great young producer and I was happy to have him as part of the college tour. His productions are consistently top-notch and I see a bright future for him.
You recently dropped your new album. What were you trying to create sonically with this new album, and what are your expectations for the release when it drops in the coming weeks?
Well, I’m aware that between radio shows and free promo mixes there’s a lot of material out there when it comes to DJ Mixes. Most of these contain the same tracks, so I wanted to do something that had true value and appeal for the fans. As such,Club Life: Volume Three Stockholm was created to feature 90% of my own original productions, remixes and collaborations. I sprinkled them in with a few of my favorite tracks at the moment and I believe there’s something really special here. It’s a mix album, but has that true Tiësto stamp on it.
Your sound has changed since you started DJing. What made you make the decision to transition from trance to electro? Was it simply a natural progression and experimentation with a new sound?
I don’t really label my sound – others do. I love dance music and my sound is a constant evolution. I love to experiment with sounds and see where the music takes me.
It is natural for an artist’s sound to evolve and change over time, but the fans don’t always seem to be accepting of this fact. How do you handle fans who clamor for the “old” Tiësto?
It’s to be expected in any form of music, not just me or dance music. I’m aware that fans are drawn to some “classic” tracks like “Adagio For Strings” and sounds from that period, but it’s also so important to move forward without forgetting about who you are. So for that reason, I try and appeal to all my fans in my sets with tracks from the past, present and future.
What are your major plans over the coming months with the Tiësto brand? How about as a musician? Can fans anticipate any new tracks after the album?
I have a lot of plans for Musical Freedom and there’s a steady schedule of great releases coming. After this album, I’m going to start putting the finishing touches on my next artist album due in 2014.
Who do you see rising to the top of the electronic music scene over the next few years? What newcomers are you most intrigued by?
Well the one thing dance music keeps pumping out is great young talent. I see that trend continuing, but to single any one out is difficult. Though, you can find some of the names on Club Life: Volume Three Stockholm.
How about outside of electronic music? Which artists have you been drawn to the most, and what music have you been listening to? Any interest in Kanye West’sYeezus?
I’m a big fan of Sigur Ros. As for Kanye, he’s very talented and I’m sure I’ll be listening soon.