2013 he’s swapped his presence in Europe for one in North America. “Ibiza has always been a great place for me,” Tiësto reassures, in the same breath confirming he’s hugely excited about the change. “I feel in general, Europe is a little bit behind in dance music. We’ve have seen it all and it’s all been done. When you grow up in this dance culture for 15 years and it’s what your older brother used to listen to... It just feels like people are less excited. In America though, everything is fresh and exciting. Las Vegas has changed a lot even in just the past couple of years. It’s really become like the new Ibiza. People were telling me that three years ago, and I never thought we’d see it. But now with all the new super clubs opening, and with all the superstar DJs playing there every week, it really's made the difference.”
He paints his shift to Las Vegas as an attempt to stay ahead of the EDM curve. “I talked to a lot of DJs over the Electric Daisy Carnival weekend and they said to
me, 'You’re always ahead of the pack. You always make the right decision at the right moment.'” Thriving off the fresh-faced enthusiasm for his music in the US, Tiësto's new drive isn't just inspired by those in front of the stage, but also the club owners and promoters behind the scenes. “When you come to Las Vegas, they welcome you with open arms. Whatever you need, they’ll make it happen. When I go to Ibiza, I don’t even meet the owners of the club. You don’t meet anybody. The attitude is, ‘whatever’. They don’t really care that much. It feels there are a lot of festivals in Europe, they always bring the same line-ups every year, and that’s it. I’d rather work with people enthusiastic about me and what I do, that’s the main reason why I came here.”
“It’s not just about the money. Maybe for some people it is, but I didn’t move to Las Vegas for the money, that would have been crazy. I don’t even need that money. For me, it’s more like a challenge. It’s a new generation out there, dance music is blowing up big and it’s a new
culture.”
His new residency has been in full effect since the first weekend of May, and sees him playing Hakkasan at the end of the week, followed by a show at the Wet Republic the next day.
“I think the opening gig for me was probably the toughest one because I had a month off and I was a bit rusty. It was a good night, but it wasn’t my best I must say. But ever since, every week has been getting better and better. People are getting used to the club, the space has more character now and the crowds are great to play for.”
To some degree, the early success of Hakkasan is also a relief. “I’d signed with them for another two years. So if it wasn’t going well at the start, you’d be like, ‘oh shit what have I done!’” Instead, just like in Ibiza, Tiësto is the hottest ticket in town again.
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