He is a true master when it comes to
working the crowd, his mixing skills are amongst those of
the best and he plays the right records at the right time.
According to these qualifications one could say Johan Gielen
is a good DJ. But it takes more than filling in the basic
requirements to get to the absolute top of the world. You
need a strong character for instance. You have to be able
to resist the pressure of continuously performing on a high
level. You have to take for granted all the long trips, waiting
hours at airports and lonely stays in hotels. You need to
find enough moments for yourself in your life and most important,
you have to be there for your fans. It does not come easy
and being at the top implies hard work, since nothing comes
for free. Dutch Johan Gielen knows how to work hard. He
has been a professional DJ for over ten years now. “I
have so many airmiles, I could fly over the world 36 times
for free!”
Everybody in Holland who is fond of dancemusic knows Johan
Gielen. And if you live in a foreign country and you like
trance the odds are very small you have never heard of the
Belgium born Dutchman. Gielen is ranked high in the international
DJ charts and he has played all over the world. In Japan he
lived his golden years as resident of the prestigious Tokyo
based Club Velfarre. has been a professional DJ for over ten
years now. “I have so many airmiles, I could fly over
the world 36 times for free!”
The big breakthrough for Johan Gielen came in Holland with
the rise in popularity of the famous Dutch trance sound that
would conquer the entire world. Being resident of the world
largest trance event Trance Energy he played the enormous
Jaarbeurs in Utrecht with a 20 thousand people capacity and
on top of that came his appearance on Sensation White in the
Amsterdam ArenA. There he played for a 35 thousand dressed
in white audience on a massive party that could easily be
labelled as the worlds leading dance event. Due to Gielens
capability to get large crowds of people dancing he became
a well received guest at big festivals like Dance Valley and
Mystery Land as well. But enough about the past, what lies
ahead for Gielen has been a professional DJ for over ten
years now. “I have so many airmiles, I could fly over
the world 36 times for free!”
2006 was great for Johan the launch his debut album Revelations
on his own ‘Tunes for You’ label licensed to Black
Hole Recordings was huge. The first single “ Revelations,
Right from my Heart” was in all charts and the video
for it was on all the big music stations worldwide. The seconde
single “Magnitude” is once again a huge hit and
is played by all the big names already. It’s safe to
say Johan Gielen delivered a hit album with the release of
Revelations. It is time to take a look at the person behind
the DJ. What do we know about the character of Gielen “I
am pretty spiritual in my thoughts. This reveals itself in
my habit to get some moments of quietness before going on
stage. These are not nerves but I need some time for myself
to focus. The spiritual side of me is also the reason why
I am so fond of my Koi carps. I can’t explain this in
a right way, you have to see them for yourself in order to
understand that they make you feel at ease.” has been
a professional DJ for over ten years now. “I have so
many airmiles, I could fly over the world 36 times for free!”
Gielen is not an easy fellow to work with, the people that
worked with him shall agree with that. He is a perfectionist
who expects the best from others as well as from himself.
Gielen: “Everything has to be fine. Like I never show
up late when I have to play. But even though I have this aim
for perfection I find it important to enjoy every minute of
my life. Every day can be your last so I live my life as fully
as possible. Sometimes, this collides with my ambitions. You
have to find the right balance in looking out for your own
health and entertaining people. To me, giving other people
a good time is the most important aspect of being a DJ. I
love to communicate with the crowd without the use of words.
Music is the ideal tool for this, it enables you to share
the same emotions without speaking them out loud. has been
a professional DJ for over ten years now. “I have so
many airmiles, I could fly over the world 36 times for free!”
