There’s not a lot of names in dance music who retain their credibility throughout their whole careers. Kerri Chandler is a rare exception to the rule, DJ Spen is perhaps another. But this could certainly never be said of Tijs Michiel Verwest, otherwise known simply as Tïesto.
Many years ago now, he became known as a highly adept and credible DJ and remixer. Whilst his 2000 remix of “Silence” by Delirium and Sarah McLachlan is one of his better known moments of that era, there are a few others. But some years ago, Tïesto realised there was more money to be made from playing EDM, so he jumped ship.
Whenever I watch Tïesto these days – and this does not happen often, mercifully – I just feel like I’m watching someone who’s long past his peak and is just making any old rubbish to try and stay relevant to a new generation who don’t care about his history. And now he’s taken his next step to keep the attention of the kids – literally.
Because he’s created what’s being advertised as an ideal first DJ controller. You can have a look here – I’m not exactly impressed. Once you’ve paid £299 for the damn thing, you need to fork out a subscription to Beatsource in order to use it. The option to play locally stored songs is there – but how many of the kids in this age bracket will have an extensive collection of downloads of the latest music to play?
Strange thing, this music business. There’s money from selling DJ equipment, subscriptions to streaming sites and hardware and such – yet no money in actually making any music…