For The Record: Ferry Corsten talks tours, gold records & guilty pleasures

The Dutch trance pioneer talks to Skiddle about some of his favourite records, his own record collection and his upcoming tour.

Last updated: 11th Feb 2020

Originally published: 7th Feb 2020

A trance legend that's been pushing the boundaries of the genre since his breakout years in the early '90s, Ferry Corsten, as well as his aliases Gouryella and System F, are names that any self-respecting dance music buff should be well familiar with.

Known worldwide for producing a wealth of club classics, including Ibiza trance staple 'Out of the Blue' and his signature, era-defining first release 'Spirit of Adventure', the 46-year-old Dutch trance pioneer is as prolific today as he's ever been.

He still makes regular appearances on some of the biggest global stages, performing at festivals such as Tomorrowland and Electronic Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, and continues to produce universally-adored tracks encompassing a variety of genres, from house and techno to trance, of course.

We recently got chance to speak with the multi-award-winning DJ ahead of his headline show at the Leeds O2 Academy and his upcoming 'What The F' tour which kicks off in April, taking in dates from London to LA.

Ferry said: "I’ve been exploring a lot with different sounds recently, so keep an eye out for lots of new music for 2020.

"I’ve also just announced my What The F concept, where I’ll be bringing together my Gouryella, System F and Ferry Corsten aliases for a series of intimate open-to-close sets."

Is there a record you can't stop playing right now?

"There’s a track by Laura van Dam and it’s called 'Sky Fly'. It’s a great track." 

How many records do you personally own?

"If you’re talking about vinyl then not so much anymore. I used to own around five thousand but I just moved studios and decided to have a clean out. I’d say I probably have around three thousand now."

What’s the weirdest, rarest or most expensive record you own?

"I guess my gold records? I have about nine of them and they’re definitely more expensive than what it cost when I bought my vinyl."

If you could play only one record for the rest of your life, what would it be?

"I know this will probably sound cheesy, but I would play my System F's Out of the Blue. It means a lot to me, as it was the track that opened doors for me and allowed me to create a career from a hobby."

Give us your top 3 recent releases:

"My top 3 recent own releases would be Kristian Nairn & Ferry Corsten Galaxia, I Am You with Gabriel & Dresden and 1997 with BT."

Which new artist/band/DJ should we be listening to right now?

"I’m quite fond of the style that Kristian Nairn is playing right now."

Do you have a musical guilty pleasure?

"I'm always travelling and I always feel the need to put my feet up and chill out from time to time. I therefore put a Ferry Corsten playlist out on Spotify called Stillpoint. It’s the perfect music to get away from it all."

Best live performance you’ve ever seen?

"I saw Nils Frahm just recently. Amazing."

If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be?

"Jon Hopkins."

You can purchase tickets for Ferry Corsten's return to Leeds O2 Academy on Friday 7th February below, including special performances from very special guest's Sander Van Doorn and PURPLE HAZE, John O'Callaghan, Menno De Jong, Marco V, Ben Gold, Sam Mitcham and fellow innovators of the trance genre, British DJ collective Binary Finary.

Headline image credit: Ferry Corsten