Ferry Corsten: I'll Quit DJing By The Time I'm 40

With his 30th birthday approaching this November (29), Ferry Corsten is over a decade younger than almost all of his (still working) fellow superstar DJs though chatting to Skrufff this week, the Rotterdam born DJ insists he knows his limits.

"I have this age in my head of 35 or 39 as being the ideal age to stop DJing," he reveals.

"I also know that if things keep going well then of course I'll continue, or perhaps in a couple of years I'll get sick and tired so much that I'll quit DJing altogether and go back in the studio to devote myself solely to producing."

Producing, whether as System F, Gouryella or under his own name remains Ferry's first love, (I've always been more a producer than a DJ, there's where I started from') though he's surprisingly sensitive to suggestions his trance might cheesy.

"Firstly, we have to establish what 'cheesy' is- Define it!" he snorts.

"I just make music for myself first and if it reaches other people, that's great. I really couldn't care less about sneering comments like that. To me, the results speak for themselves."

The results (obtained from putting his name into google with cheesy) reveal 734 links while stripping away the sarcasm yields an impressive 78,000 finds. His widespread popularity was also confirmed again earlier this year when he climbed 3 places in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 DJs poll to 6, sandwiched between prog trance king John Digweed at 5 (google: 57,500) and techno uberlord Carl Cox at 7 (Google 109,000). And as long as you avoid lobbing him sneering comments he's sweet as pie.


Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Where do you see yourself fitting in the scene right now; do you still feel part of the new wave of DJs coming through-

Ferry Corsten: "I see myself as being part of the new establishment, not really the new wave of DJs coming up, because I've been there for the last two or three years, event though I still feel I'm relatively new to the scene in some ways. I also feel that I still have a lot to achieve; to reach that pinnacle that the old guard has already achieved."

Skrufff: You said in a recent interview with Mixmag that you think trance has almost run its course since everything has been done already, do you still feel like that-

Ferry Corsten: "Yes, pretty much. When trance started it was fresh and had a lot to offer, then it went away and came back again with more ideas. Now we're facing the same problem again, because nothing new has come along musically; it has the same structure, it's not innovative and it lacks spontaneity. Of course, I still love trance and so do many fans around the world, but I feel the music needs a fresh injection of new ideas."

Skrufff: Do you ever find having to play tracks that the crowd loves, but you don't quite like yourself-

Ferry Corsten: "I'm really tough on my selection and the tracks I play I genuinely do like, I might occasionally play the odd crowd pleaser track, but those instances are very rare. I'd rather introduce a techno or electro element to my set to keep it fresh, rather than compromise."

Skrufff: Have you ever been tempted to play a full length electro set-

Ferry Corsten: "No, I wouldn't like to do that. I do like electro, I also grew up with it, but I think for a club it's just too cold whereas trance music is emotional, uplifting and puts a smile on people's faces. What I'm doing right now is finding a balance between the raw, dirty sound of electro and incorporating it into trance, this also extends to my live sets. I try to mix the two styles in such a way that trance fans will understand it and enjoy it."

Skrufff: Do you identify yourself at all with the underground-

Ferry Corsten: "Not really; what is underground these days anyway- Of course you can play the weirdest and deepest tracks and decide to play in clubs with only 150 people only, then they'll call you an underground DJ. As soon as you pla Tags

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