Ferry Corsten

The Dutch Harbour City Rotterdam was Ferry Corsten?s (28) playground when growing up and today, the city still is his current base of operations. Being a full-time producer since 1991 Ferry has developed into a true prodigy of the international dance scene.

After initially producing some underground club tracks Ferry became more interested in clubhouse and trance. In 1996 Ferry achieved a position in the U.K. single chart at #46 with "Don't be Afraid"by Moonman, his first major and European breakthrough as a solo dance Artist, producer & composer.

In 1997 Ferry and his partner Robert Smit established the Tsunami label together with the Dutch based dance company Purple Eye Entertainment b.v.
This collaboration would prove to be an almost instant success and eventually resulted in the creation of one of the most influential dance labels around today.

In February 1999 Ferry?s solo project, system F, was released on the Tsunami imprint. The title "Out Of The Blue" is a melodic and powerful twister and turned out to be one of the biggest trance track of 1999, achieved a top twenty position in the U.K. single chart and put Ferry on the world-wide dance map permanently.

Other projects of Ferry Corsten are: "Carte Blanche" by Veracocha (produced together with Vincent de Moor) and in May 1999 the title "Gouryella" by the act Gouryella was released, an Artist-project Ferry produces together with DJ Ti?sto. The first single ?Gouryella? entered the U.K. Singles Top 75 at #15 and achieved various hit positions throughout the world. The succes of the follow-up singles of Gouryella, entitled ?Walhalla? and ?Tenshi?, demonstrated the world-wide appeal of trance music and Ferry?s vision of this genre. Another highlight of this international trance campaign was Ferry?s interpretation of William Orbit?s ?Adagio for Strings?, which turned out to be a major international hit, firmly establishing Ferry?s presence in the charts.

In October of 1999 Ferry Corsten has been elected as ?Producer of the Year? during the Ericsson Muzik Awards in London, leaving fellow-nominees like Puff Daddy and Rodney Jerkins behind him. In 2000 in his home country Ferry got awarded the prestigious Silver Harp award for his outstanding contributions made to dutch dance music.

The follow-up single of system F, entitled ?Cry? -and co-produced with Robert Smit- took trance to a different level combining soulful vocals by Saskia Lie Atjam with Ferry?s typical trance sound which characterise his productions and made him so famous.

The debut album entitled ?Out Of The Blue? by system F featured artists like Armin van Buuren with the single ?Exhale? and Marc Almond with the single ?Soul On Soul? The fourth single hit single from this album was ?Dance Valley theme 2001?, and this theme was especially produced by Ferry for the Dance Valley 2001 festival. This festival turned out to be the biggest outdoor dance festival in the world, with over 80.000 paying visitors and Ferry DJing mainstage at the event. The Dance Valley Theme was an instant hit in the Dutch single charts and also proved Ferry?s producer versatility.
On the remix side of things Ferry did not sit back either, responsible for big remixes such as ?Clear Blue Water? by Oceanlab, ?Catch You? by Kosheen and ?Arms Of Loren 2002? by Evoke to name a few Ferry demanded respect in the scene. His remix of the Tsunami release ?In The Beginning Again? by Roger Goode was soon picked up by Pete Tong and will now be released trough the Double F Double R label throughout Europe.

The first single under his own name -?Punk? by Ferry Corsten - will be released in the UK through Positiva and in Germany through Universal/Zeitgeist and what a record to establish himself in his own right. This release moves him outside the scene he was boxed into by the people who seemed to know him musically. A simple yet addictive melody line and a production studded with a fat and nasty bass line indicates a musical direction which keeps everybody guessing. His first Ferry Corsten album will seem to tell it all no doubt.

And to make the 2002 complete, the Ferry Corsten Trance Nation 2002 mix compilation -the 6th edition between Ministry of Sound and Ferry Corsten- was also released in March trough Ministry of Sound, and entered the UK compilation chart at number 2.

2002 will also bring you the launch of Ferry?s first volume of a new compilation CD/DVD series, mixed and compiled by Ferry Corsten. Volume 1 will be entitled: Ferry Corsten World Tour ? Live at Tokyo

Enjoy and remember, music is in the eye of the beholder