When Tiesto was chosen (rather surprisingly) by the 2004 Olympic committee to spin at the Athens games it raised the DJ's visibility and resulted in Parade of the Athletes, a painfully upbeat, Olympic-themed collection of breakneck dance tracks boasting titles like ''Euphoria'' and ''Victorious.'' With no lyrics, no skits, no pauses between them, and a near-constant four-on-the-floor tempo, the cuts glide harmlessly into one another. Strong segments, rather than individual songs, stand out: the quiet, lullaby moment in ''Heroes,'' the sawtooth melancholy of ''Athena.''
But with trance, a variation of techno that — especially in the absence of illicit drugs — hinges on a delicate balance between monotony and tension, even a master like Tiesto drops the torch occasionally (''Olympic Flame,'' ''Forever Today''). Ultimately, Parade flags about midway through, limping toward what should be its climax: an audacious, monumentally melodramatic remake of Samuel Barber's ''Adagio for Strings.'' Sappy? Hell, yes. But people will dance to anything.
