Grammy-winning DJ Tiesto, one of the most influential artists in the trance genre, has filled stadiums in Europe with fans grooving to his spectacular light shows and upbeat tempos, and now he is bringing his pulsing electronic dance music to the Waimanalo Polo Fields for a concert under the stars.
Tiesto has been at the forefront of the pulsating, bass-heavy dance music over the last 20 years, being named the world’s best DJ from 2002 to 2004 by the U.K.’s DJ Magazine. Revered in his native Netherlands, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch equivalent to knighthood.
Born Tijs Michiel Verwest, he began DJ’ing professionally as a teenager, producing music for school parties in the 1980s and eventually getting hired at nightclubs.
“My big breakthrough as a DJ was, I think, in 1995,” he told The Scotsman newspaper. “I was playing trance, and I started putting out mixed compilations. Nobody else did that at the time. I began to become known because my CDs were selling in record stores.”
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TIESTO
Where: Waimanalo Polo Fields, 41-1062 Kalanianaole Highway
When: 5 p.m. Saturda
Cost: $65
Bus transportation: Available from the University of Hawaii-Manoa bus stop at Dole Street and Lower Campus Road starting at 3:45 p.m.; last bus leaves Waimanalo at 11:15 p.m. $25.
Info: flavorus.com or 855-235-2867, for the concert or the bus
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By 1997 he had founded his own label, Black Hole Recordings, creating two notable releases: the seven-installment “Magik” series and the “In Search of Sunrise” series, which featured a remix of the Canadian electronic group Delerium’s “Silence,” an ethereal song reminiscent of Gregorian chant which featured Sarah McLachlan on lead vocal.
Tiesto’s version of “Silence” reached No. 3 on the Billboard dance chart and brought him international recognition.
His ability to perform marathon concerts fueled his popularity. Tiesto provided a 12-hour set at an Amsterdam club in 1999, did nine straight hours at a Dutch festival in 2002 and regularly plays sixhour sets, performing without other DJs or opening acts. (His concert here is scheduled for five hours, from 5 to 10 p.m., but local DJs are scheduled to perform until about 8:30 p.m.)
Tiesto’s remixes reflect an eclectic interest in music. His version of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” from his “Just Be” CD, resulted in an invitation to perform at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the first time a DJ had performed a live set at the opening ceremony of the Games. Just the rehearsals for his appearance drew crowds of up to 60,000. His track was later recorded in the studio and released as “The Parade of Athletes.”
He’s toured the United States with Moby and appeared with such diverse artists as David Bowie and Busta Rhymes. His remix of the John Legend hit “All of Me” won the Grammy this year for best remixed recording in the nonclassical category.
Other notable collaborations include a 2011 remix of Britney Spears’ “Piece of Me,” the title work of the singer’s current show in Las Vegas. There may be more brewing from the pairing: In September, Spears reported on her Instagram page that she asked him to teach her how to DJ and said “maybe we’ll get a song out of it.”
