RS: The first issue of Passport was Netherlands, the second one
was USA, where do you think the next Passport is going to be?
Ferry Corsten: I'm not sure but I might actually pick a country in
Europe. Try to go back and forth a bit, so it's hard to tell.
Probably one of the countries that I've played a lot, maybe the
United Kingdom or something like that. I'm not sure yet.
RS: Do you think America has a certain sound for dance music?
Ferry Corsten: It had a certain sound. When I just came over to
play in the US about five years ago there was definitely this US
sound, but I think it was a lot more based on the whole New York
sound. Nowadays, there's a lot of good stuff coming from the US that
doesn't really sound like a US style because it's all been proper
European trends and it's all mixed up now and it's really good.
There's some amazing stuff coming from here.
RS: When you're playing out on tour are you playing on CD or
record or laptop?
Ferry Corsten: I'm actually on CD. I still like the hands-on kind
of feel that with a laptop you don't really have. It's too distant
from what the whole thing was with the vinyl at the time. With CDs,
it's a lot more like playing with the records only I have the luxury
that I can just burn whatever I want and I will always have my music
with me. Bringing vinyl nowadays in the airports is just a nightmare
because they won't allow you to take that on the plane or they give
you a hard time. The record companies nowadays, they send you either
a CD as a promo or an internet link for you to download it. Playing
with vinyl is sort of like a dying kind of thing.
RS: When you work in the studio are you on Logic, Protools...
Ferry Corsten: I've always been on Cubase ever since the Atari days
and it's just what I'm used to. I've always been with that and it
works fine with me. I tried Logic once but it didn't really seem
logical to me, so I went back to Cubase. <laughing>
RS: Where do you find the music that you DJ with?
Ferry Corsten: Record companies send a lot of stuff as do a lot of
producers and artists. I play a lot of my own stuff and edits, but
when I buy music, it's mainly on Beatport.
RS: Why do you think there are so many amazing DJs that come
from Amsterdam and the Netherlands?
Ferry Corsten: People ask me that and I'm just guessing. Its
probably geography. With styles of music, we are surrounded by a
couple of really interesting music scenes. We have the German scene
right next to us which is a really powerful music scene in electronic
music and then there's the UK scene, the Scandinavians, and then
there's the French house-y scene. We are surrounded by all these
great music scenes and I think we just take the best of all these
worlds and put it in a big pot and stir it up and voila, there's our
sounds. Most of the Dutch DJs are very open towards the crowd and
that's the way Dutch society works. In Amsterdam, everything comes
together.
RS: Are you involved with the Amsterdam Dance Event? What
effect do you think that's had on the Dutch music scene?
Ferry Corsten: I'm not really involved as in with the organization
but I'm always part of it. It's our little business card to the world
saying, 'hey, this is us.' It has grown over the last years into one
of the major platforms where record labels, DJ and party promoters
promoter their new stuff or the next thing, It's sort of like, in a
very different way, our Miami Winter Music Conference.
RS: Anything you want to say to all your fans out there?
Ferry Corsten: If they want to check up on me they can go to
ferrycorsten.com or to my MySpace/ferrycorsten and check out
everything about me, about up and coming releases, tour dates and
clothing line.
RS: You have a clothing line?
Ferry Corsten: I just set up a clothing like with IKY. They're a
DC-based clothing company that has their own regular line. We teamed
up and they designed my shirts.
RS: Very cool, so now you are a superstar DJ AND a style icon.
Ferry Corsten: Yes, sounds good, eh?
Interview posted June 18, 2007
