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Gatecrasher catch up with Ferry Corsten, ahead of his 3 hour set at the Gatecrasher's 15th Birthday event, at their spiritual home in Sheffield. GC: Described as the "architect, pioneer and instigator" of trance, what are your thoughts on the scene as a whole? Ferry: Trance has come a long way since it’s heyday in the late nineties. It has gone through a phase of progressive, harder , electro and it looks like it’s slowly going back to it roots. In my opinion, if done right, trance is the most innovative music genre out there. GC: With numerous Dutch Gold awards and UK Top 40 hits for your productions, which are you more, a DJ or a Producer? Ferry: -In the beginning, I used to say that I was more of a producer than a DJ. I was lucky to break into the scene through the success of my own music productions in the late nineties. However, due to that success, I was able to release a number of compilations called Trance Nation with Ministry of Sound which kicked off my career as a DJ. After all these years, I would say that I am definitely both… a producer and a DJ. I spend just as much time (sometimes even more due to travelling ) DJing as I have sitting in the studio late at night to finish a track. The difference nowadays, is that I work on my productions a lot on the road as I do not have the luxury to wait to get home to start on a track. GC: With such a hectic schedule, how does Ferry Corsten unwind and relax? Ferry: When you´re really busy, you really get to enjoy the simple things in life. I am so happy when I get to come home, hang in my own couch, sleep in my own bed, and eat a great home cooked meal. GC: What is your current top 5? Ferry: 1. Masters & Nickson ft. Justine Suissa - 5Th Dimension (Daniel Kandi Bangin' Mix) 2. Off Key - Showdown (Ali Wilson & Scott Attrill Remix) 3. Re:Locate & Menno de Jong – Spirit (Paul Miller 2008 Rework) 4. Embrace – Embrace (Ferry Fix) 5. Solarstone - 4Ever GC: What piece of advice would you give to any DJ aspiring to be the next Ferry Corsten? Ferry: I always tell people to trust themselves and to follow their own path. You can be successful in copying other people but you can have success and earn a lot more respect if you do things in your own unique way. GC: Which DJs do you predict to be hot for 2008/09? Ferry: I’ve been pretty impressed with the last productions and DJ sets of Bart Claessen. He’s been putting out some real powerful productions and remixes. Casey Keyworth "Breakfast" has been travelling with me on a couple of tours now and I’m very impressed with his DJ skills and of course his productions. GC: You have played for Gatecrasher on numerous occasions, most recently at the Gatecrasher Resurrection at Magna in March. You will be back to headline their 15th Birthday Event back in their spiritual home of Sheffield. Why do you think Gatecrasher have continued to be successful after so many years? Ferry: Gatecrasher has continued to be successful after so many years because they have managed to work with the times. Whereas a lot of brands have fallen off the map or are struggling to keep up with the way big shows are produced nowadays, Gatecrasher has persevered. GC: You have always had a special relationship with the crowd at Gatecrasher. What makes it so special? Ferry: I guess because Gatecrasher was one of those clubs that helped make trance music the success . it is today. I was looking at a Gatecrasher Classic CD a few months back and saw how many of my production contributed to that classic CD. GC: What can the Gatecrasher crowd expect from you at the 15th Birthday event? Ferry: 3 hours of massive energy. GC: What is Ferry Corsten up to for the rest of 2008 and moving into the New Year? Ferry: I am working very hard to finish my latest artist album taking a bit of time off after that to enjoy some important things in life

HeatUK is back at Koko, London for its 5th Birthday party this weekend - with 2 original Camden kings at the helm. They are Phil Reynolds and Andy Farley! Take us back to the first time you ever set foot in Camden Palace. What was the event and what mischief did you get up to inside the labyrinth-like venue? Its seems like such a long time ago now, but it must have been 2000, after Id taken on my Frantic residency. I think I stayed by the DJ box most of the night cause I was worried I might get lost and not be able to find my way back! Do you miss the days when you used to rock the main room at the Palace on a regular basis? Or do you prefer that its a special occasion when hard dance events do take place there? I used to love playing my residency, monthly, last set, but sadly this ended when the venue closed, so its always a great treat to come back and play here again. Its funny even though its called Koko now, everyone still calls it Camden Palace! This will be my second gig there this year, the first being Spencers slogathon of course, so am really looking forward to it Do you ever get lost in the venue these days or do you know it like the back of your hands? I know my way around now, usually know where to find my various drivers in a state in the back room ha ha! Is there one defining moment for you that you will always look back on in years to come when Camden Palace is mentioned? Theres so many for different reasons, was kind of like a home for a few years, but I guess Farleytime and Return Of The King stand out for me as they gave me opportunity to play for longer and mix it up a lot more. Whats the most inspiring set youve ever seen another DJ play at Camden Palace / Koko? Unfortunately I didnt get a lot of opportunity to catch many other peoples sets as I was nearly always arriving shortly before my set starts due to other gig commitments. However, I nearly always played after Phil and he always had the place rocking You will be returning to the venue for Heats 5th Birthday on October 14th sure to be an emotional experience for all concerned! What are your fondest memories from playing at their parties over the years? Ive always enjoyed the Heat parties, both the ones at Camden Palace & Brixton Academy, so its great to be coming back again. Theres always so many people to catch up with that I havent seen for ages, and I know theres going to be loads there for this one to. I cant believe its your 5th birthday already as well! Do you still feel you have a strong a passion for hard dance as you used to? Absolutely. Introducing different sounds into my sets has really livened things up and theres a lot of varied great music out there so yep, still loving it! Meanwhile, what are you both up to at the moment? What are you working on and whats exciting you? Ive had a busy year. Got loads of new production done, with tracks out on Tidy, Tekelec, Traffic and remixes on Elasticman Platinum and Vicious Circle. I did 5 dates over at Tidy vs Extreme at Es Paradis in Ibiza which was absolutely rocking, played at WEMF in Canada in July and also San Diego. Things looking great for the rest of the year too. Ive also been doing radio, covering for Anne Savage on her Ministry Of Sound Thursday night show which Im enjoying immensely, and gives me a chance to play a variety of music from house & Electro through techno to hard dance. Tickets See http://www.viewtickets.co.uk/club-tickets-5302.html for tickets to HeatUK's 5th Birthday at Koko in London, featuring Nick Sentience LIVE, Andy Farley, Phil Reynolds, Marc French b2b Technikal b2b Spencer Freeland, Summit vs Puzzle Project arena + much more...