We had a chance to chat with Ferry Crosten, a Dutch musician and electro legend. Ferry Corsten has been consistently at the top of his game since his sophomore album under the System F alias ‘Out of The Blue’ charted in the UK Top 20 singles chart in 1999, with remixes for U2, Moby, Faithless, Duran Duran and Public Enemy soon following.
Till today, he continues to push the boundaries of electronic music with each and every new release. In 2022, Ferry Corsten launched a project “What The F,” the culmination of his work “rehashed, remixed, reinvented with a futuristic approach.” A new live show concept, “What The F”, will journey through Ferry’s entire work, segueing across various genre iterations and infusing new ideas to known favourites alongside undiscovered material.
Hi Ferry, thanks for taking a moment to chat with us. So, we’ve seen the return of festivals and live shows in 2022, something we’ve all missed. How has this year started for you?
The year has started great! I spent the new year in the mountains boarding with the family. After that it was pretty much getting back to the studio and preparing for the upcoming What the F tour!
You are returning to the iconic Ministry of Sound on 6th May. What’s your relationship with MoS, why is this venue the “dream starting destination” for launching the tour?
Ministry of Sound has a special place in my heart as the brand helped launched my career as an international DJ. What the F is a culmination of the music I have produced: past, present, and future: reinvented, rehashed and remixed. To kick off this concept in a place like MoS is a marriage of both worlds. It is an ode to my beginnings and the show is a testament to my future.
Whilst your background is synonymous with trance music your latest project will demonstrate the full versatility of your musical range. How did you arrive at the decision to roll out the ‘What The F’ project?
Although trance may have started my career, I’ve always been very versatile ever since the beginning. From house to more techy sounds, if you take a listen to my entire catalogue and my latest work such as “Time Out”, “Let Me Take You,” “Wounded.” There is a different flavour that definitely has trance influences but is a unique sound. Throughout the years, I have performed many producer sets which always had the best response from my fans and the crowd. So, I thought why not do an open-to-close and take it to the next level by re-inventing some of my work, in ways they have never thought possible.
No doubt it was enjoyable going back through the archives but no doubt the process putting this show together was a difficult one, especially when deciding what to put in and what to cut out. How did you manage this? Did you have to come up with a special way to log everything so not to lose sight of your end goal?
It was and still remains to be a huge challenge for me. I’ve been producing for a long time now and when I gathered all the music that I have made, I was pretty much at about 20-hour worth of music, and that’s just with the music I had on file in various computers over the years. These are just the music that I have played over the years, let alone the trance I have never played out in my sets YET truly love. It’s a true matter of kill your darlings. Which tracks to play, and which ones to let go of for the show.
Your stage shows have always been a spectacle from Full On Ferry to Blueprint. Can you give us an idea of what to expect from this What The F show?
I believe the musical journey is the destination for this event. There will be various visual highlights during the evening that along with my music will create an atmosphere fans will not forget.
Back in March 2021 you were one of the early DJs to drop an NFT. Murmurings on your socials, fans can expect a new NFT project from you soon. Is there anything you can reveal about this yet? What’s your thoughts on the overall NFT and Metaverse marketplace and its connection with music and artists?
Definitely working on an exciting project that will be announced very soon. NFT’s are an exciting concept for any artist on the web3.0 and metaverse marketplace. It gives an opportunity for artists to earn a decent wage in comparable to current pay-outs on various music platforms. It also gives creators a new opportunity on how they can offer their craft to their fans and NFT lovers. It is an exciting space to be in.
This one is a bit of a silly question, but I’ve always been curious to know. You’ve played legendary boat parties such as Monday Bar and Groove Cruise, and you’re known for unique stage concepts, but did you ever think about / get approached to curate your own event onboard an actual Ferry?
Hahahaha, that has definitely has crossed my mind… and I always say never say never… maybe What the F, will eventually find itself…on a Ferry ;)
As a producer your list of remixes is impressive to say the least (U2, Duran Duran, Public Enemy, Justin Bieber etc). Was there ever a project you wanted to remix, but it never happened, or even one you wished you could have remixed earlier on in your career?
Honestly no! As a music producer, I really love being able to create my own music though I am truly blessed that the above-mentioned acts asked me to remix them, but honestly, my passion has always been making my own music.
‘Timeout’ is your new release and is a collaboration with Dustin Husain and is a pumping nostalgic House crossover track. What’s the story behind this one? How did you first meet Dustin?
Dustin has been a long-time artist on my label Flashover Recordings and is usually more active in the uplifting trance world. We were talking at some point about branching out music wise and he was very interested in giving the more housey sound a try which resulted in a team up that led to “Time Out.” You can watch the video here.
Your biography states you’re the longest servicing Dutch artist in the Top100DJs poll having graced the poll for nearly two decades. Considering the wildly successful collective of fellow Dutch artists you’re up against, that’s some achievement. What does longevity in a poll like that mean to you?
I think it’s stands for recognition and support from your fans, which I am eternally grateful for.
Past or present, are there any venues you’d love to perform at?
I’ve performed in pretty crazy and memorable places. I’ve played in the middle of a desert in Jordan, flew in a UFO DJ booth in a sports stadium in Singapore. I’ve even DJ’d once on top of a volcano in Iceland for friends during the longest day of the year. But, playing in an event, big or small, with my biggest fans always gets me.
For all of us there’s a lot to be grateful for, so it’s good to have events back in our lives again. Looking ahead for 2022 where can fans catch you both in person and online?
Absolutely! I’m super happy to be back on the road again. So, far the announced dates for my What The F tour are as follows
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – May 6, 2022, London @ Ministry of Sound
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – June 3, 2022, Dallas @ Stereo Live
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – June 4, 2022, Houston @ Stereo Live
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – June 17, 2022, Denver @ Summit
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – June 18, 2022, Brooklyn @ Quantum
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – August 12, 2022, SF @ Midway
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – August 13, 2022, LA @ Exchange
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – August 19, 2022, DC @ Soundcheck
Ferry Corsten Presents WTF – August 20, 2022, Chicago @ Prysm
Fans can keep up to date on the next phase of the tour via my website www.ferrycorsten.com
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