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SW4 preview: getting full on with Ferry Corsten
Reported by HarderFaster Editorial
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Submitted 15-08-07 21:38
In the third of our series profiling some of the world’s top dance producers and DJs - who just happen to be playing in the HarderFaster arena at SW4 on Clapham Common next Saturday 25 August - we pop the questions to the king of crossover, Mr Ferry Corsten.
Having courted commercial success from the start, Corsten has had more tracks in the top 40 than any other trance producer. His 1996 tune ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ was heralded as giving birth to trance as we know it today, while with tracks like ‘Punk’ he dabbled in electro way before the current pack jumped on the bandwagon. Always the innovator, his last album, appropriately called ‘Loud Electronic Ferocious’ (L.E.F. for short), went straight to No.1 on iTunes when it was released in 2006 and launched a new direction in dance music.
To hear this new L.E.F. sound you’re going to have to come and hear him headline our tent at next week’s SW4 festival. In the meantime, keep reading as we get the lowdown on this eclectic artist...
You manage to comfortably traverse the worlds of DJing and production. If you could do only one, which would it be? Do you think it’s important for a DJ to also be a good producer?
That is a difficult question to answer, as since I’ve tasted both worlds and both are as equally good and rewarding. Hearing the crowds roar to one of your tracks being played during your sets gives me the same high I feel as a crowd chanting my name once I’m done playing a two, six or even a nine hour set.
I do definitely think that if a DJ is also a producer, he should definitely know what he is doing and owns his work. Your productions are an extension of who you are as a DJ and vice versa. If your work as a producer is not of good quality, what does that say for you being able to know what your crowd wants to hear when you play as a DJ?
Your 1996 track ‘Don’t Be Afraid’, released under the guise of Moonman, shaped the sound of today’s trance, with some saying you actually gave birth to trance as we know it with this track. Did you intentionally go out to make something new and innovative? What’s the background to the track and what music and other influences contributed to it?
Thanks! It’s always a pleasure to be rewarded or acclaimed for the work you do! As a producer, I am always motivated to create something unique yet something that is catchy enough that listeners will remember that one tune after hearing so many the whole night.
At the time of Moonman, I was already experimenting with different styles of music, the result of ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ was a mix of 80s and Italo disco.
For the few philistines reading this who don’t know you, how did you first get into making music? Did you always want to be a producer and DJ or was that something you evolved into over the years?
I guess my first experience in really making music was when I was about 12 years old. I would literally cut up various songs on a tape reel to make mixes on reel to reel and send them to various companies and radio stations to have my mix heard. So I guess my first taste of making music was actually as a DJ than a producer. I did always want to be a music producer as I had always been interested as to how a song was made. I only got the opportunity a couple of years later as I had been saving for equipment and also got to meet a couple of friends who also had the same interest and each one had something unique to contribute to the table, such as studio, more equipment, and more ideas.
Under your various aliases — which include Moonman, Gouryella, System F and Veracocha — you’re responsible for some of the biggest trance anthems of the last decade, including ‘Gouryella’ and ‘Carte Blanche’. Why so many different guises? If you had to chose your top trance anthem of the last 90s, what would it be?
I had many different guises then as I was producing too many records to keep up with the releases from one record label. So it made sense to just release under various liaises to have all my productions released. I guess you could say I was impatient and I wanted them all out and played!
As for the top trance anthem of the late 90s… System F — ‘Out of the Blue’ or my remix of William Orbit’s ‘Adagio for Strings’.
You were one if the first trance producers to experiment with electro, creating the then groundbreaking and, incidentally, one of my favourite crossover tracks ‘Punk’, released in 2002, which reached number 29 in the UK charts. How do you feel about so many other producers now jumping on the electro bandwagon? Do you feel electro is a big part of the Ferry Corsten sound?
I think for dance music to thrive in this business, is it always good to have a fresh wave of music from time to time. So having said that, I’m glad that other producers are also jumping on the bandwagon.
You’ve also experimented with sounds as diverse as gabba, d&b and ambient. Would you be interested in making more tracks that incorporate other non-trance sounds? What do you say to trance purists who prefer to keep things pure and fluffy?
When I started as a producer, I was just interested purely in the process of creating dance music, whatever genre. I just wanted to know what it was that attracted people to a certain type of music. That is also why my ‘trance’ sound has always been diverse. It seems that a lot of trance ‘purists’ want to keep trance as it was… light and fluffy… but if only trance purists really knew where trance music as a genre came from they would talk a very tone.
You’re one of the few successful trance producers to have courted serious commercial success, having had more tracks in the top 40 than any other trance producer. ‘Punk’, ‘Rock Your Body, Rock’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Cry’ as System F have all done very well. What do you think is the secret to making a good crossover track, a track that does as well on the dancefloors as it does in the charts?
I think the secret to a good crossover track is the melody line and the hook.
Your first solo LP was in 2003 with ‘Right of Way’. What advice would you give producers reading this struggling to put together their first artist album?
Never forget that an artist album is your chance to show the world what you are capable of. Imagine being at a party in someone’s house and your album is being played purely as background music, even then it has to feel comforting when you listen to it as well as to when it is played in a club. It’s good to be diverse.
Last year’s ‘Loud Electronic Ferocious’ (L.E.F.) album went straight to No. 1 on iTunes and has been called “One of finest dance albums of 2006.” What’s the concept behind this album? How would you describe the L.E.F. sound to someone who’s never heard it before?
I guess it just summed up everything we’ve discussed so far in this interview with regard to styles of music and the way I produce. L.E.F basically covers everything from electro house, trance and techno.
You have a weekly radio show, ‘Corsten’s Countdown’, at 8pm each Wednesday on www.di.fm and www.xmradio.com where listeners can vote for the top records of each show, then you compile a top ten at the end of each month. What trends have you observed in the last few months? Does this help you decide what records you’ll play out as a DJ at all?
The show definitely helps me to have an idea of what tracks the crowds like, but to be honest the show is too young for me to spot any new trends. I hope it will do in the future.
Your agency is called Dance Therapy. Are you involved in its daily operations or do you have a crew to help you? If a budding producer has a track they think would be great for Flashover Recordings, what process would they have to go through before you hear the track yourself?
We’re a wonderful tight crew at Dance Therapy. Dance Therapy has a lot of facets, for example there is the DJ/artist booking agency, the website, radio show and of course the label. I’m not really involved in the daily operations as I do travel a lot and also produce my own records, but I am involved in the big picture.
I am however very much involved when it comes to our products on the label and our artists. Whenever a track is sent over, we have bi-monthly meetings where all potential signings will be screened and I’m very much included in that process. Whenever we hear a track that has potential and still needs some work, I am part of the development and polishing process. It’s great to see young producers become visible and successful because of this: Breakfast is the perfect example.
You’ve won a number of awards in your time, including various gold and platinum sales. What’s been you most important and poignant award?
The Silver Harp award in the Netherlands as it is not dance based. It is an award for artists in any genre.
You’re hosting a truck at the FFWD For Free Dance Parade in Rotterdam on Saturday 11 August. What does this involve? Are you going to have to decorate your truck and dress up?
The FFWD truck for this year is to promote my show Full on Ferry at the Ahoy, Rotterdam on October 27. The truck has been designed to give a look and feel of what the show will be about.
On 27 October you’ve got your own event in Rotterdam, Full On Ferry. It must be very exciting to be organising your own night and on such a massive scale. What can your fans expect from Full On Ferry? Why should they travel from the UK for it? Will there ever be a Full On Ferry in the UK?
Hopefully, there will be one in the UK but let’s start at the beginning, Ahoy Rotterdam. I can basically say that it is worth it for all those punters to come over from the UK since it will be a unique nine hour back to back set with a number of fabulous guest DJs.
There are also a few surprises in store for them. Check out the websites www.ferrycorsten.com or www.fullonferry.nl for more information.
It’s festival time again and you’ve just appeared at the very muddy Global Gathering and of course SW4 is coming up. What do you think makes for a good festival?
A great line-up and a massive number of enthusiastic people up for a party. When people are partying the whole day and night it creates an amazing atmosphere.
Finally and of most importance to your fans in the UK, with the awesome SW4 festival on Clapham Common on Saturday 25 August in just a couple of weeks, what do you have up you sleeve for your set? You’re headlining the Gallery, HeatUK and Mixmag arena, can we expect a full-on L.E.F. set?
I’m really excited about the SW4 festival. I’ve definitely got a lot of tracks up my sleeve so get ready for a roaring party!!!!
For more information about Ferry Corsten visit: www.ferrycorsten.com
For information about his upcoming Full on Ferry event check: www.fullonferry.nl
Photos courtesy of Ferry Corsten, SW4 and Tom at Cypher Press. Not to be reproduced without permission.
SW4 - South West Four
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On:
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Saturday 25th August 2007
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At:
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Clapham Common [map]
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From:
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12pm to 9pm
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Cost:
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SOLD OUT
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Website:
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www.southwestfour.com/
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Ticket Info:
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CASH SALES £35 at:
LondonHelp4u - 72 Wells St - W1T 3QF - Oxford Circus Tube
For more info call Maria (Never Enough)
078 13684399/02076199997
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More:
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As one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, South West Four 2007 will blow away everything that it’s ever done before on Bank Holiday Saturday 25th August, as this year’s line-up is by far and wide the greatest collection of globe-trotting DJs we’ve every assembled. Snap up your tickets now, whilst stocks last!!
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Flyer:
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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