People love to write about DJ Tiesto that he's a god, and in Britain the savvy sellers of mobile-phone ringtones have already made fortunes off that phrase. For the third year running now, the Dutch native has held the top spot in the world DJ rankings and puts on huge concerts that draw tens of thousands of people.
Last year Tiesto became the first DJ to perform at the opening of the Olympic Games, and his set was watched by more than a billion devotees of the healthy lifestyle. The DJ's detractors, however, claim that Tiesto made it to the Olympics purely thanks to the stupidity of the officials on the Olympic committee, who, knowing absolutely nothing about music, found the world's best DJ with the help of the Internet.
Although this is of course not the case. Tiesto adores sweet little melodies liberally slathered in treacle, and to the ear of the layman who has had little contact with dance music they sound more pleasant than many a club hit. Tiesto's first major success came with exactly such a melody, a remix of the song «Silence» by the group Delerium. Since then he has never once let the bluebird of “melodic trance” slip from his hands. Some critics called his latest album, bearing the modest title «Just Be», “the main sensation of 2004”.
What do the Dutchman's Russian colleagues think about his great successes?
Александр Поляков (ех РРК)
: «Tiesto has very good management. Behind him stands a large company of people who handle his promotion, his musical material and push him in every possible way. Everything will depend entirely on them. I think that if they've made a long-term bet on him, then he'll continue to hold a leading position among world-class DJs. To be honest, I don't much like his music».
Фонарь
: «For the most part all the decisions are made by the managers of the company that backs Tiesto. I think there are many worthy people who have every right to bear the title of best DJ. But there are two points here — on the one hand, it's a brand name that the Dutch company ID&T, which Tiesto is part of, promotes powerfully; on the other hand, his musical direction is aimed at a very young audience, which, as a rule, takes to such a musical concept with great pleasure. That is precisely why at the moment Tiesto is the most hyped-up character on the dance scene. And one has to give the young generation its due for voting so fiercely for him. Truly, the worst thing that has come into dance music is a certain element of pop culture, and in that case it's no longer the artist who is the significant figure, but rather the production work of the people who hype up that performer. I think there are far fewer talented artists — even if you take our own pop scene — than there are stars who represent them. I hope this is bound to pass, otherwise people will get tired of the monotony and start looking for new heroes. What Tiesto plays is probably closer to me in terms of musical format, so I'm in a position to criticise his work. The albums he puts out are actually far removed from dance culture in its original state, and of course he positions himself more as a pop artist. That's what today's realities of the dance scene look like.»
Сергей Пименов
: «It's all very simple — DJ Tiesto is a good and successful pop project, with a lot of people and big budgets working for him. I'm not particularly interested in his work. Maybe for another year or two his name will feature in the top lists, and then no more. You know, it's like on Star Factory — as long as they show you on TV, you're loved and known, and then no one even remembers you. The next successful project will come along».
Грув
: «I don't see him as a DJ or as a musician, and I don't understand what's going on at all.… They probably pay a whole lot of money for him to be number one. What he plays is complete crap. I'm not remotely interested in his work. I'd rather think about genuinely talented musicians, like Laurent Garnier».
Паша Кирилоff
: «The exclusive credit for such a successful project as DJ Tiesto belongs to the PR managers. The music he plays is fairly narrow in format, but despite this Tiesto is very popular back home in Holland, and across all of Europe too.
Speaking of first place in the British DJ top list, I think all the voting is about as objective as it is here in our country, so there's nothing to be surprised about. Tiesto's success is not long-lived — a year at most and it will all be over. For now he draws enormous crowds at his shows — it's an absolute sell-out and a crush on the dance floor. The people who come to hear Tiesto, just like the rest of the world, fall for a clever PR move. To go to a party of the world's number-one DJ is respectable enough for any clubber. Personally, Tiesto stirs no emotions in me; I don't like this music, I don't listen to it and I don't take to it in any way. For me the name Tiesto sets off no vibrations in the body whatsoever…»
Tiesto, Sensorica Live, Incognito, Addison, 16 September, Gaudi Arena
