Tiësto Is Ready To Jump The Brakes On Performing

The explosion of electronic dance music’s popularity in the United States has made plenty of people rich and famous in just a few short years. But when it comes to proper rave music, there are few giants as relevant around the globe as Tiesto, the Dutch producer and DJ who came up decades before Deadmau5 put a mouse head on and Avicii turned an Etta James sample into “Levels.”

Tiesto’s sound has evolved dramatically through the years, falling in tempo from the rapid clip party soundtrack of the late ’90s and early ’00s (when he still went by DJ Tiesto) to today’s more melodic, often vocal-driven progressive house. Along the way, he has added philanthropy and design to his resume, lending his name to multiple charities, releasing self-branded headphones and even designing a Guess clothing deal.

The one constant in his career, however, has been his relentless touring schedule. His devotion to touring is somewhat extreme — it’s said that Tiesto’s one-time fiancee called off a 2008 engagement after postponed his wedding date in favor of working. He did over 200 gigs last year, though he recently told HuffPost Entertainment that he’s just about ready to pump the brakes on performing.