If there's one DJ who's consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation, it has to be Ferry Corsten. Born in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1973, he has rightly been called 'architect, pioneer and instigator' of trance's worldwide dominance. For five years in a row, he has been voted one of the top ten DJs in the world. But that's his only claim to fame. The Dutchman is probably the world's most famous Trance producer. Ever. Since the beginning of his career, he has struck a rare and difficult-to-accomplish balance between roaring commercial success and credible acclaim, says DJ Mag.
Ferry Corsten released his first record at the age of 16. In his formative years, he used to wash cars to earn the money to buy his own keyboard, and then sell mixes of his music to neighbourhood kids. Since then, he has used several monikers. But he started work as a professional musician only at 27.
The world first heard him in 1999. That's when he created his now-legendary track 'Out of the blue', aptly names, or so it seems. Of course, given his fondness for 'pseudonyms', it's fitting that his first major hit was created under a moniker. 'System F', it was. After this succes, his popularity skyrocketed, evident from his collaboration with several DJs we now consider legends. Tiesto, Vincent de Moor and Robert Smit. 'Out of the blue' won a Dutch Gold award and hit the British Top 40. Since then, he has won 8 Dutch Gold awards and hit the British Top 40 ten times, of course, the most ever for a trance producer. In 2000, he remixed William Orbit's 'Adagio for Strings' and U2's 'New Year's Day'. His first love, he says, is trance. "Although I have experimented in the past with various music, I see myself firmly in the trance arena. Since I first broke into the scene with trance music it remains my first love."
In 2003, he released his first proper studio album, 'Right of Way'. It was his first release under his own name. It was well-received by fans and critics alike. In 2005, he launched his own record label, Flashover Recordings. His second studio album, L.E.F was released in 2006. His radio show, Corsten's countdown, pioneered the concept of fans creating hits. He debuts new tracks every week and let his ultra-loyal fans decide on the months top ones. It is the only radio show of its kind to have a worldwide audience.
In 2008, Corsten released his third studio album, 'Twice in a blue moon'. The name, he says, was inspired by the birth of his daughter, as well as having his wife' love. The third track, Gabriella Sky's, is named after his daughter, Gabriella Skye. The first single of the album, 'Radio Crash', has attained cult status. It has since been played by pioneers such as Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk and Above and Beyond.
A multi-faceted personality as he is, he is also involved in charity and boasts his own clothing line. He serves as an ambassador for the KidsRights Foundation, which is committed to spreading awareness of the condition of underpriveleged children worldwide. His clothing line, Signature F, is in association with iKY clothing. He is a family man. He says, "I've become a dad for the first time recently so I always take the first flight out from European gigs.It's hard but you do find yourself in your own bed in the morning and then you have the whole day with your kid."
Written by Nigel Britto
