Tiesto first created a storm in the UK with his Top 20 hit 'Urban Train', which catapulted him to star status as one of the world's most in-demand DJs.
His eagerly awaited debut album is based on solid, driving tech-trance, and is full of dark anticipation.
The effect here is not immediate. It's subtle, and Tiesto seems to take pleasure in the long run up to the big dancefloor kickoff. He plays the waiting game and plays it well. The album itself is a slow-burning build to a full technical assault.
It opens with 'Magik Journey', a dark, orchestral arrangement, which is loaded with strings and shrouded in minor keys. The intro is long, leading the listener into a barrage of beats before a dark resolution, which provides a firm foundation for what is to come.
The vocal tracks on the album are full of commercial appeal. The helium-voiced Kirsty Hawkshaw features on 'Battleship Grey', a sombre affair of melancholy synths. More uplifting is 'In My Memory', featuring Nicola Hitchcock. It's a lovely combination of dreamy vocals, and wispy electronics that seem to float over the beats.
Tiesto is at his best when firing off tracks that give the dancefloor a proper thumping. 'Obsession' is an aggressive track, with a mean bassline tempered by percussive overtones to really work the floor.
'Urban Train' and 'Flight 643' are included here, as well as the splendid forthcoming single 'Lethal Industry'. It's a formula that works so well. A restrained build-up gathers steam, then is followed by a pounding of sharply aimed beats. The track is stripped back to the bare elements for the breakdown, a thundering bassline joins in, and it all roars away. This is sure to repeat, if not surpass, the success of 'Urban Train'.
Although the music can be rather moody at times, it may be interpreted as a grittiness and raw energy that reflects the dancefloor.
Tiesto balances this well, sometimes with a vocal, at other times with strings, or another instrument. He has captured the essence of the underground, and refined it for the mainstream, with a result which should please both camps.
