DJ Tiesto gets intimate

Tiesto is getting intimate. After rockin’ it in front of a record-breaking crowd (for a solo DJ) of over 15,000 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena last August as part of the mega-production “Elements of Life” tour, the Grammy-nominated Dutch DJ is toning it down a bit. Tiesto's going back to basics for his three-night residency at Hollywood club Vanguard, which is part of a 35-date club tour to promote his new mix CD, “In Search of Sunrise 7.”

Though the show will be pared-down by Tiesto’s blockbuster standards, with promoters Giant and Insomniac augmenting the venue’s already solid sound and lighting systems, Tiesto’s uplifting trance-Europe aesthetic will likely keep spirits higher than an old-school raver's hands long after the last 12-inch has been spun.

How does “In Search of Sunrise 7” differ from its predecessors?
It's not that much different. The main difference is on the second CD. The first CD is a little bit harder than No. 6, but the second CD is very trancey, like an old-school trance CD—very melodic, uplifting sounds, so it's actually a bit of back to the roots.

And this one has a little Asian influence?
I noticed that in Asia the trance sound is still really popular. When I play there, they react the most to the trance records off the second disc.

You’re coming to America to support the release of the album. This is going to be a very different tour from your previous full-production extravaganza. Why is that?
The Sports Arena is really nice to do, and it's great for film. If I want to do it again, I want to come up with something even more spectacular, even more over-the-top.

How do you top that last mega-tour?
That's what I'm working on at the moment. In the meanwhile, to get some inspiration and to play for fun, I'm going to play smaller club gigs. That's the reason why I chose to play the smaller venues like Vanguard, and that's why I'm going to play no hits at all, just very nice experimental Tiesto tracks. Not the big hits, but more a real DJ-mix, club-vibe show.

So this is going to be the equivalent of a David Bowie show post-“Sound + Vision”—a no-hits tour for the true faithful.
You could say that.

Do you miss playing in more intimate environments?
I do. There's no pressure, you just do your thing.

So how does Tiesto get intimate?
It will always be intimate. It doesn't matter if I play hard or soft. Intimate will be close to the crowd, very music-driven. I think L.A. will be a little bit more trancey, and other places will be more housey, like New York. It all depends on where I am and how the crowd reacts on the first couple of records; that's always how I decide where I go.

So how do you judge a crowd?
It's more of a feeling. You feel the room. I don't know how I feel it, but I just feel it. When the room is ready, and they wanna have a good time, I just know.