Al de Leon

You can't ask for a much bigger DJ than Tiesto and 2004 was probably the biggest year ever for the Dutch trance-master. More than 4.5 billion people around the world watched Tiesto spin during the opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics, easily the grandest stage graced by any DJ at any time. Tiesto was also voted to #1 on DJ magazine's venerable Top 100 DJs list for a record third consecutive year. Although he finally relinquished his title this year to Paul Van Dyk (slipping all the way to # 2), that hasn't stopped him from doing what he does best--absolutely destroying massive crowds with hard-as-nails beats and synths big enough to fill stadiums (which he does on the regular), making the grand, aging Riviera Theatre a cakewalk for the trance giant. Of course, a night of Tiesto just begs for a proper afterparty, and the official one is at Sound-Bar, where South American techno king Pier Bucci and Damian Lazarus will hold court. Lazarus heads Crosstown Rebels, a record label that's fast becoming one of the hottest in dance music. Next month the label will release Bucci's first artist album, "Familia," which reveals where the next generation of techno is headed. The beauty of the album is due as much to what it is as to what it isn't--minimal, but not repetitive; percussive, but not tribal. Some of the standouts include the lush vocals of opening track "Tita" and the thick bass line of "L Nuit." But the hands-down highlight is "Hay Consuelo," where Bucci shows his Latin influence and blends bass and spacey bleeps into a dark, but danceable frenzy.

With James Lauer at the Riviera, 4746 North Racine, (773) 275-6800 on November 23 at 8pm. $44 presale tickets. Afterparty also features Shaka 23 and John Grammatis at Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario, (312)787-4480. Ticket stubs from Tiesto's show at the Rivera gain complimentary admission to the afterparty, otherwise $20 cover or rsvp to purefuture.com for free admission before 11pm. (2005-11-15)

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