Exclusive Interview with Ferry Corsten
Ferry Corsten entered DJ Magazine's Top 100 poll in the first year of voting and, as of 2011 has enjoyed an incredible unbroken 12-year run in the chart. He won Best Trance DJ at both the 2005 and 2007 Ibiza Awards and in the same year was named DJ of the Year by Dutch national radio station Slam!FM.
Full On Ferry: Embarking on a new show concept In October of 2007, Full On Ferry saw him lynchpin the arena-sized events, handpicking other DJs for unique back-to-back sets. Various Full on Ferry events have already been scheduled for 2012.
Siam2nite had the opportunity to get an exclusive interview with Ferry Corsten, shortly before his live performance at Full on Ferry Bangkok at LED Club RCA.
Congratulations to your great new album "WKND". Which is your favorite song on it?
Thanks! I'm happy with the result. To mention a favorite song however, is very hard for me. It's like a mother having to choose her favorite child, really! All tracks involved hard work and participation of other great artists, so there's no preference from my side.
Which songs (out of all your songs) would you suggest to people that are not yet familiar with your music?
I think my WKND track with Ben hague: Ain't No Stoppin' is very accessible and radio-friendly. It would be the best track to have a new fan introduced by my music. But of course there are many other tracks that would do.
Ferry Corsten with Ben Hague - Ain't No Stoppin' on YouTube:
You are in DJ Mag's Top100 since 12 years in a row now. Is there a secret recipe?
Not really. The only thing all DJs from the list have in common, is that they love what they do! And their motivation seems to pay off really well. Apparently, every DJ has his/her own strategy that brought them to the top.
Ferry Corsten on DJ Mag's Top100 of 2011:
http://www.djmag.com/top100/detail/2704/2
Please tell us something about your year 2012, your highlights so far and an outlook on things you are planning or looking forward to.
The end of the world is coming, so we'll have to enjoy this year as much as we can! No just kidding, it's going to be a great year. I will play at some fantastic festivals and do some mind blowing shows this summer. Really looking forward to my Full on Ferry world tour! Looking back to the start of this year, I can say the recent release of my new artist album WKND has proven successful. The fans seem to like it!
You travel a lot. Besides Holland, where you come from, what places do you enjoy visiting the most? Do you have places that you would call your second home?
There are a lot of great places. But Las Vegas is to my opinion the greatest place to do a gig. Besides, there is a lot to do there when I'm not performing! Ibiza is also great. I love sunny places. My second home is in Rotterdam, Holland. It's my studio. ☺
You have been in Bangkok the last time about 2 years ago. Did you ever had the opportunity to enjoy Bangkok's nightlife?
Unfortunately there is not so much time for things like that. Besides, I have passed the age of 18 quite some time ago! What I do like however, is a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant in advance of a gig. I believe Bangkok has many great restaurants! I don't remember any names though.
In which way is the Thai crowd (or Asian crowd in general) different from western crowds?
Hard to say. There is a difference in popularity of EDM between European and U.S. countries, of course. So it could be that certain tracks appeal more to Asian people as to people from other cultures. Not sure!
Did you ever find time to travel in Thailand?
Not Thailand in particular. I travelled through the Philippines a lot. And I've seen some big Asian cities. They each have different things to offer. All sorts of entertainment can be found in Asia, a lot of weird and crazy stuff as well! That's what I like about Asia.
Are you familiar with Thai food? Do you enjoy it? Can you eat spicy food?
Oh yes! It's delicious! Sometimes I do not even know what I'm eating, haha ☺ And yes, I like it spicy...
You turned to charitable activities such as the World Wildlife Fund, please tell us something about it.
Since the last years I started to realize more and more how important it is to care for our world. Right now, there are some serious nature-killing events going on. And people barely think about the faith of the earth these days. So I decided to be part of the World Wildlife Fund, so I could contribute to a better world. Besides, I want my daughter to grow up in a safe and aware environment. Not some polluted, messy stink hole.
Thanks for the interview!
Ferry Corsten WKNDR Episode 5: Ferry at work for World Wildlife Fund Earth Hour 2011 on YouTube: