Tiësto's rule for staying relevant

[00:04] DJ and record producer Tiesto ahead of his performance at Yahoo's party at >> It's good to meet you in person. Like I told you off camera, I I'm a fan. I listen to you every day in my car. So, it's good to know it's good to know you

[00:18] Um look, you're about to play go on in hundreds if not thousands of people here at the Yahoo Beach House. >> Uh close our party for us. What goes through your head as you get ready to do

[00:30] >> Well, you know, I've been DJing for a long time. So, I always adjust to uh where I am. And I feel tonight there's people from all over the world here. We're in France. So, uh the set is going to be all over the place. Like

[00:43] I'm just got try to figure it out on the spot. So, I don't really have a a plan >> You know, you nail the energy. Uh I think it reflects the Yahoo energy. We are very fun. We're very welcoming. How do you know if an event is going to be

[00:55] the energy is good? >> Well, you know, I always hang around before the event for like a couple of hours. I meet the people who organize crowd do we expect tonight. And they told me it's going to be very

[01:08] fun crowd. So, lots of people are really going to party hard tonight. >> So, that makes my job easy. >> I'm not going to party hard. >> What at this point in your career how do you plan for an event?

[01:22] >> How do you plan for an event? Like what goes into that last-minute preparation? >> Um you know, I I have like a an arsenal of uh different records with me. So, I can really feel the vibe of the crowd. I think we start off with some more known

[01:36] And then see how it goes. And then I can go a little deeper or a little faster or It's really um it's hard to prepare because you never know what kind of crowd you're going to get. So, it's it's it's hard to

[01:49] I've been listening to you for for so long. But I now see so many of your clips appear on Instagram and TikTok. And the crowd is hanging on every note sound. How do you get the crowd that engaged?

[02:04] >> Um, I I don't know. I think I I think they just they just like what I play so I I always play from the heart. I love what I do. I love what I play and uh

[02:16] connection is there and then I get more pumped and the crowd gets more pumped. in you bring them in. >> Yeah, the interaction with the crowd and >> the songs you know it's it's a delivery of the songs. I think uh

[02:30] the power of a good DJ is when know what to play when to play it and I think >> We've seen so many different variations of your music. I remember when you listen to you in the late 90s and now

[02:43] what is the state of your music today and what are you trying to focus on? interesting for me because I feel like I'm back to the roots of how I used to play. So it's a lot more yeah, rave trance inspired music.

[02:58] >> There's a lot of trance out there but uh it's also new trance. It's not just like the old records bring them back. It's also new new tracks inspired by the back in the days. And that's what makes it really special for me.

[03:14] >> Is trance going back into the clubs? Are they Is it back yet? Back Is it cool it's very cool and and it's not just in the clubs. It's on big festivals. Like I'm from you see a a lot of young upcoming trance

[03:30] DJs now who have their own little spin on it. And um yeah, the the dance scene is is bigger than ever so it's >> We've seen we've seen such a boom in festivals around the world. Like how is First of all is that sustainable and how

[03:43] is that changed what you do as a business person and even a musician? >> Yeah, yeah you know I always try to evolve myself because I get bored myself of what I do. And then so I have to evolve, get new music, and do new

[03:57] I think it's very important because that that is also for the people who come to They um they they never know what to get. They never It's always a surprise. It's almost like the Grateful Dead or like or

[04:12] >> You're a legend. You're a legend now. >> Yeah, the super legend. And what I what that they never know what songs they're going to play. know, I I can be all over the place. It could be EDM, could be trance, could be

[04:25] house, could be fast, slow. So, you just never know. And that's that's kind of the nice surprise, I think. >> Yeah. I recently uh talked to Wyclef, said, "Brian, I'm about to drop seven new albums, and AI is helping me." I

[04:39] couldn't believe it. How are you using this technology because I that stat >> Yeah, I mean, it's hard to consume, I think. >> But I mean, good for him. >> Yeah, I He's going to be doing a country

[04:52] album, too. >> Okay, wow. It's um Yeah, I feel like for me that would be more like a dinner. Like they have so many courses. That's >> Yeah, right. >> So, I prefer to uh

[05:05] >> Are you Are you still Are you using this new technology in your music creation or the way you've always done it. >> Yeah, I'm I'm like mostly old school, but there are things I can use from AI. Like, for example, I want to know how

[05:20] Rihanna sounds on this song. And I can I can do that just to get the feeling of it. But I don't use AI literally put it on the song and put it out there. But I on the song and put it out there. But I use AI for seeing how things can sound,

[05:35] come up with lyric ideas, and go back and forth, but I don't really use it in the final product. >> Is the long show coming back? Like those good old-fashioned 6-hour shows? >> I think so. I think also the the the

[05:48] People are getting the attention span back of of listening to longer songs. Like a year ago would be skipped on. >> Nobody has attention span anymore, so.

[06:01] >> No. TikTok 15 seconds. So, I feel like that's definitely going And people I feel like they're very into live So, even if they don't listen to the track as much online

[06:16] people love going to festivals and parties and shows. music party is bigger than ever. you played? One that will forever stay in your head?

[06:30] today. >> Yeah, but besides this one um I so many, different shows in my life, so much variety. a beach party in Rio de Janeiro for 200,000 people

[06:44] days. >> Yeah, the Olympics that was huge. Yeah. >> I mean, I played a lot of really amazing places. Also, like a small yacht party in in in in Saint-Tropez. So, it's you know, for me it's always

[06:57] the vibe and the people and the environment that makes it special. And I >> When you're in front of 200,000 people, what is that like? >> It's wild. Yeah, it's and especially there because

[07:10] never thought I would play a big giant show in Brazil. So, yeah, it was very >> Um lastly, cuz you're getting ready to go on for us. I mean, the crowd is it's access folks. Um what do you think your legacy will be in

[07:24] music? >> Um I I think what I what I hope for and what I've seen so far is that I inspire a lot of young talented DJs over the I don't from from Avicii to Martin Garrix

[07:38] uh to to many other DJs now even now still a lot of young upcoming talent, or they always say like, you know, Tiesto, all my inspiration. And I think that's the best compliment I I ever had, that

[07:53] you see other successful DJs that became big and successful because they were uh >> It's good to give back. I can't wait to hear you uh at our beach house. I thank to get ready to go on, so I appreciate it. Really, congrats.