FERRY CORSTEN is a name etched into the trance hall of fame.
The Dutch DJ and producer has been taking fans on journeys through sound, producing a mind-boggling array of pioneering trance tracks since the Nineties.
It’s not just been under his own name but also well-known aliases such as System F and Gouryella.
Ferry will be touched down in London, bringing his exciting What The F concept to London’s Ministry Of Sound on Friday, March 31.
As well as other picks from Ferry’s catalogue his set incorporated sounds and influences from outside trance, ultimately taking fans on an intimate expedition through Ferry’s past, present and future sound, showcasing his full musical diversity as an artist.
When we caught up with Ferry ahead of that party and he put together a cross section of music to create a What The F theme in a playlist.
The selection perfectly demonstrates his mastery of production and different styles.
Ferry Corsten – Our Moon
Our moon is a collaboration with American singer/songwriter Lovelee who I was first introduced to by my manager, and she shared the topline that you hear in the track. It was more on the mellow side which was the right mood at the time since the COVID pandemic had just started and we were all in lockdown. I felt that it reflected my mood and her voice spoke volumes.
Ferry Corsten and Morgan Page featuring Cara Melín – Wounded
I’ve worked with Cara before on a previous track (Safe with Me) and ‘ve always admired Morgan’s productions. I received the Wounded demo from Morgan with the suggestion to collaborate. The track was more in the piano house realm which I was a sound I was inspired to work on at the time. The final release turned out to be a big club record.
Ferry Corsten – Lemme Take You
This one was a lot of fun to work on. It’s an 80s disco style infused banger. I did a little cheeky borrow of Inner City and Kevin Saunderson’s huge hit Good Life. Luckily, Kevin Saunderson said yes!
Ferry Corsten and Ruben de Ronde – Bloodstream
I work regularly with A State of Trance with Armin van Buren and Ruben de Ronde, whether it’s one their radio shows or playing at their events. This is what led to a collaboration with Ruben. “Bloodstream” is a much darker, trance infused track and features the talented David Westmeijer.
Ferry Corsten – Punk
After producing many aliases, this was the very first track that I released under my own name and created waves around the world. Ironically, being a Dutchman, it was the UK that this track blew up first, similar to all my other alias releases. For me, I love the dirtiness and the rawness of the melody. It remains until this day a big hum-along track.
Ferry Corsten – Rock Your Body Rock
Rock Your Body Rock heralded my movement towards a more electro direction infused with my signature sound. This is also the first track, and only track, where I "sang" the vocals with the big help of Mr. Vocoder by my side!
Ferry Corsten – Fire
Back in the day I was a big fan of Duran Duran, so naturally I jumped at the opportunity to use Simon Le Bon’s vocals from their track Serious and channeled them into a house track. When Duran Duran heard the demo, they supported me all the way in getting hold of the original vocals from the studio where it was produced at the time. As a producer, it was a gold to hear this feedback and quite literally, music to my ears.
Ferry Corsten – Beautiful
Still to this date, Beautiful is one of the biggest sing-along tracks and crowd favourites in my entire repertoire. The lyrics of this track have meant so much to many people and when I play this track on my What the F shows tears are rolling down cheeks.
Gouryella – Anahera
My Gouryella alias is based on the deeper meanings of the unknown in the universe. All the titles of Gouryella releases refer to something other-wordly like heaven, angels, and beyond. After having paused the alias Gouryella for about 13 years, “Anahera” was the first release to bring the project back to life. This track brought back the sentimental sound of the big trance anthems from the turn of the century days which was lacking during that time coming out of the EDM /Big room bubble.
System F – Out Of The Blue
This track opened many doors for me as a music producer and a DJ back in the day. Thanks to Out Of The Blue, I worked on the Trance Nation compilation series with Ministry of Sound, which kicked off my DJ career around the world. Now, two and half decades later I’m coming full circle with my What the F shows which are open to close sets of music of my entire repertoire which simply would not have been
possible without this song. I’m forever grateful for this release, the fans who have partied to it, and the journey that it kickstarted.
