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From a Dutch news site DAG
Interview: The "myriapod" named Ferry Corsten
(Myriapod in Dutch is used to depict a Jack-of-all-trades)
By: Olaf van Dijk
The Rotterdam-based DJ/producer will be on the Main Stage of the 15th edition of Trance Energy.
The 34-year-old DJ and producer Ferry Corsten has recently released his latest singleInto The Dark, is currently busy with the preparation for the second edition of Full on Ferry and he is one of the big names on the poster of Trance Energy, which will be held next Saturday in Utrecht.
Internationally, the Rotterdam-based star is still very much favoured, which is the conclusion as DAG speaks with him in his hometown. "He's phoning the UK right now. How long do you need? The Mexican radio will call any minute as well!", his PR-manager says. The Rotterdam DJ has taken some days off in his studio to work on his new single.
A new single? The fans already know this track?
The track is called Into The Dark and it is featured on my latest artist album L.E.F. The vocals are written and sung by the popular '80s artist Howard Jones. I have received so many positive responses, that I decided to release it as a single.
How do you release a track nowadays?
In the past, you had record stores and the radio. But thanks to the internet, the ways of merchandising expanded. I play the track as much as possible in my own DJ sets and radio show, and I have uploaded the track onto the big download portals. Now let's hope others will pick it up.
The technological advancement is huge. How do you cope with that?
I don't spin vinyl anymore, only CDs. That is a big relief for my back, haha. Spinning vinyl has its charms, but it doesn't matter for the audience, anyway. They want to be entertained, and a vinyl case is very heavy to drag around. Technically, you can do more with CDs and MP3s. Trance records are produced for specific pitch rates. If the disc spins faster, the tone scale changes. With the digital advancements of nowadays, you can adjust it while playing. Very useful!
You are playing at Trance Energy this Saturday. Does this party mean anything to you?
Trance Energy still is THE signature trance party of The Netherlands. You just add a little more of yourself, and you look up for old tracks to remix them a bit. This party is one with a special audience. People who come here, come here for the trance music, and they have high demands. That gives it the healthy stress (as a DJ).
You will also meet up with your old friend, Tiesto. You two formed Gouryella in the '90s. Do you guys still see each other, and is there something happening in the future?
We still see each other, awkwardly, especially when we have gigs in the US. Collaborations will not happen like in the early days. Back then, most DJs worked with various nicknames on various styles, but we've quit doing that. I don't exempt any new collaboration, because I feel that the present audience will look forward to such. Who knows?
Don't you think it is annoying that it is Ferry Corsten, the brand, and not the person himself?
Sometimes, they don't even know how the person looks like. I can chill out in a bar in Vietnam and no one will recognize me. But when I'm standing behind the decks, the roof simply disappears, and everyone wants my signature. I like the anonymity, actually. Though they know exactly how I look like back in The Netherlands.
In which countries is trance music 'hot' at the moment?
In parts of Asia, they simply just cannot get enough of it. In December, I was playing in a tennis stadium in Vietnam, in front of a thousand people, and the roof simply flew away. In The Netherlands, we have hundreds of parties weekly, and people have already seen it. In addition to Asia, gig requests from South America are increasing. Lots of bookings have come from Mexico.
Are parties organised as good as they are organised here?
You can say it's less well-organised, but I am amazed how local promoters and agents have prepared everything. Of course something goes wrong. I remember arriving in Ibiza, with my vinyl case still at Schiphol Airport. Fortunately, I managed to borrow records from colleagues. But **** happens!
Don't you get enough of travelling?
That is something you get used to. Of course it's not always fun to be in an airplane for hours, but I've learnt to spend my time properly. I get bombarded by lots of demos of starting producers, and in the airplane I have enough time to listen to it all. I don't have jetlags anymore, because my internal clock is, I think, totally fucked up.
Do you spin at multiple gigs in one night?
I now only play one gig every night. My cowboy-age is over. It has become pure business. The rock 'n roll is gone, but I don't mind. You have a better rhythm this way, and it has become more professional. Though it has become more and more difficult to reach the top, and even more to stay there.
Spinning records and producing tracks. Everybody does it nowadays. Good progress?
People can buy a PC with software for a dime, to make their own tracks. There is a lot of rubbish on the internet. Unfortunately, not many people are critical listeners. That doesn't do any good to dance music. Guys with talent have more difficulty of making a good start. I have signed a few talents to my own record label, and they are doing just great.
What are you doing in the next couple of months?
I will certainly play at the free party Dance Tour. I will also play at Dance Valley. And near the end of the year, I will host the second edition of Full On Ferry. I might be hitch-hiking in the Fast Forward Dance Parade, but that's still to be confirmed. I will make my decision on that in April. It all depends on the offers I get. And of course Ibiza in the summer.
How does the future look in your eyes? You are married. How long will you be able to travel around the world?
My wife is in the organization nearby, so she always goes along with me. We don't have to miss each other. And about the DJing: It's still my hobby, and it will have to be that way. If I don't like to spin records anymore, I will totally focus on producing tracks. Maybe for other artists. But that will be years ahead of me before that moment comes.
Anything else you would like to say?
Ehm, yeah. I still am bothered by all the media reports. Whenever it's about a party, it's always about the amount of arrests or people with drugs, while 30,000 other people ARE really making a big, fun party of it.
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and will also check him out @ On Broadway. Let the tour de Ferry '08 begin.
The venue held about 1,000 people and was a only about half full. There was three opening DJ's the first dude spun the ministry of sound 2007 CD and turned knobs. I know I have the CD, he started off with the starts are blind from Paris Hilton and went to "play" most of the CD. Ferry played a 2 hour set from 1-3 A.M. Ferry was awesome, but I can't wait till he spins at On Broadway. That way I wont fell like im at a high school prom. 
