Ferry Corsten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ferry Corsten
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Corsten performing in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ferry Corsten |
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| Born | 4 December 1973 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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Ferry Corsten is a famous Dutch DJ, music producer, and remixer. He was born on December 4, 1973. He is well-known for creating many important trance music songs in the 1990s and early 2000s. He used different names for his music, like System F, Moonman, and Gouryella.
Recently, he has explored a wider range of electronic music styles. He plays everything from progressive house to uplifting trance. Ferry Corsten also has his own weekly radio show called Resonation Radio. He often performs at big events and festivals around the world. These include Electric Daisy Carnival and Tomorrowland. He has also been ranked among the top DJs in DJ Mag magazine many times.
Contents
Ferry Corsten's Music Journey
Starting Out as a DJ
Ferry Corsten grew up in Rotterdam, Netherlands. When he was a child, he loved listening to a Dutch radio show called "The Soulshow." This show played different kinds of electronic music, like disco and soul. If he liked a song, he would go buy the record.
His first time DJing was at school parties when he was 15. As a teenager, he saved money to buy his first keyboard. He did this by washing cars and selling mixed tapes to kids in his neighborhood. He was inspired by other DJs like Ferry Maat and Ben Liebrand.
When he was just 16, he released a record with some friends. In the 1990s, he started making his own music in Rotterdam. He began with underground hardcore gabber tracks. Later, he moved into club-house and trance music. During these years, Corsten also studied to become an electrical engineer. In 1995, at age 21, he won the "De Grote Prijs van Nederland" award. This award recognized his important work in Dutch electronic dance music.
In 1996, Corsten's song "Don't be Afraid" became popular in the United Kingdom Singles Chart. He released this song under the name Moonman. It reached number 46. This was his first big success in Europe as a solo artist. In 1997, he released "Interspace" with Peter Nijborn. He also put out his first songs as Pulp Victim, "I'm Losing Control" and "Dreams Last For Long." A year later, "The World" came out, featuring vocals by Maire Brennan.
Also in 1997, Corsten and his partner Robert Smit started a music label called Tsunami. They worked with a Dutch dance company called Purple Eye Entertainment. This partnership also led to another label called Polar State.
Big Hits and Remixes (1998–2002)
In 1998, Corsten made a song called "Air" under the name Albion. It was released by Platipus Records and became very popular. Famous DJs like John Digweed and Paul Oakenfold played it. The same year, Corsten finished his song "Out of the Blue." This song was released in 1999 under the name System F. It became a worldwide hit and reached the top 20 in the UK. His next song, "Cry," also reached the UK Top 20.
"Out of The Blue" helped define Corsten's trance sound. He also worked with other artists on big hits. These included Gouryella's "Gouryella" (with Tiësto) and Veracocha's "Carte Blanche." "Gouryella" was released in 1999 and became a huge hit around the world. It reached the top 15 in the UK. The next Gouryella song, "Walhalla," also charted worldwide. Both songs sold very well and were certified Gold.
Because of his success, many artists asked Corsten to remix their songs. He remixed "The Orange Theme" by Cygnus X and "Liberation" by Matt Darey. He also remixed "Madagascar" by Art of Trance. Other famous songs he remixed included "Adagio for Strings" by William Orbit, "Universal Nation" by Push, and songs by Faithless and Moby. His remix of "Adagio For Strings" won an award in 2000 for best remix of 1999.
In 1999, Muzik Magazine named Corsten "Producer of the Year." In the Netherlands, he received the Zilveren Harp music award. This was for his many contributions to Dutch dance music. He also appeared on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs Poll for the first time, at number 77.
Besides producing, he started mixing the Trance Nation series for Ministry of Sound. His first album in this series sold over 400,000 copies. It was number one in the UK for three weeks. In September 2000, the third Gouryella song, "Tenshi," was released.
In 2001, Tsunami released "Soul On Soul." This was a song by System F and Marc Almond, the singer from Soft Cell. "Soul On Soul" was from the System F album Out Of The Blue. That same year, Corsten made the official theme song for the Dutch dance festival Dance Valley. He also worked with Armin van Buuren on "Exhale." Both songs became very popular. In 2002, Corsten remixed songs for Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki. He also wrote and arranged her trance song "Connected." This song sold 4 million copies in Germany.
New Albums and Radio Shows (2003–2009)
In 2003, Ferry Corsten released his first album under his own name, Right of Way. He launched it at a big event with 4,500 fans. The first song from the album, "Rock Your Body, Rock," was nominated for Best Video in 2004. The album had three popular songs: "Punk," "Rock Your Body, Rock," and "It's Time." "Rock Your Body, Rock" was voted the biggest hit in the Netherlands.
In 2004, he released compilations like Dance Valley's 10th anniversary album. He also remixed songs for artists like StoneBridge and Duran Duran.
In 2005, after 8 years, Corsten left Tsunami to start his own new label, Flashover Recordings. That year, he was ranked number 5 in the DJ Mag Top 100.
In 2006, he released his second album, L.E.F.. His song "Fire" was nominated for best trance video. Corsten was voted the number 6 DJ in DJ Mag's Top 100. His song "Junk" also reached the top 20 in the Netherlands.
On July 4, 2007, Corsten started his new weekly radio show, "Corsten's Countdown." This show counts down the most popular trance songs voted by listeners. He released the songs "Beautiful" and "The Race," which made the top 40 in the Netherlands. 2007 also saw the first "Full On Ferry" concert in Rotterdam. Corsten also created the official song for Bavaria City Racing, a Formula One racing event in Rotterdam.
In an interview in 2007, he was called the "King of Crossover." This was because of his new L.E.F. (Loud Electronic Ferocious) style. Corsten described it as "everything from electro house, trance and techno."
Corsten's third album, Twice in a Blue Moon, was released on November 1, 2008. The first song from the album, Radio Crash, was played by many top DJs. He also released the song "Into the Dark" in March 2008.
In 2008, Corsten was the first DJ to be named Ambassador of Freedom by the Dutch Liberation Day Committee.
In 2009, a remixed version of Twice in a Blue Moon was released. It included remixes by many artists. Corsten toured with his show Twice in a Blue Moon: The Experience in countries like Australia, the United States, and Brazil. The third "Full on Ferry" event took place in October 2009. Corsten released two more songs from Twice in a Blue Moon: "We Belong" and "Made of Love." He also released his DVD, Ferry Corsten – Backstage.
New Projects and Collaborations (2010–2014)
In 2010, Corsten mixed an episode of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix. A remixed album of System F songs called Champions also came out. Corsten's interactive radio show, Corsten's Countdown, became available in over 40 countries. To celebrate the 150th episode, Corsten launched the Cue Play App. This was a mobile DJ app with songs from his Flashover label.
Corsten released his compilation album, Once Upon a Night, in 2010. It reached number one on iTunes in the U.S. He then started his tour, Once Upon a Night: The Experience. After Vol.1, he released Once Upon a Night Vol. 2 in October. In 2011, Corsten hosted a New Year's Eve event in London. He performed with other successful Trance DJs.
In February 2012, Corsten released his album, WKND. It included popular songs like "Not Coming Down" and "Live Forever." The album also featured "Brute" with Armin van Buuren. Corsten also starred in a video series called WKNDR. In these videos, he talked to viewers from different places around the world. The series showed him backstage, on stage, and in his private studio.
The 250th episode of Corsten's Countdown was broadcast live for eight hours in April 2012. It was heard worldwide and became a trending topic on Twitter. In May 2012, Corsten launched a new monthly mix show called Ferry's Fix. This show was a straightforward DJ mix.
In July 2012, Corsten wrote a song called "One Thousand Suns" with Chicane and Christian Burns. This emotional trance song was played by many DJs. On August 31, 2012, Corsten debuted his "Full On (Hosted by Ferry Corsten)" live show in New York City. His "Full On" concept involved back-to-back DJ sets with other trance artists. These shows took place at festivals and clubs worldwide. In November 2012, Corsten released the third album in his Once Upon A Night series.
In early 2013, Corsten and German producer Markus Schulz formed a new duo called New World Punx. Their first big show was at Madison Square Garden. They also debuted their first song, "Romper," during this set. In November 2013, Corsten released Once Upon a Night 4.
In 2014, he released Full On Ibiza 2014. This mix album included songs and remixes by many artists.
New EPs and Gouryella Comeback (2015–2017)
On February 23, 2015, Corsten released the first part of his "Hello World EP" series. The first song was "Hyper Love." It was followed by "Back To Paradise" and "Beat As One." Other songs included "Tonka" and "Make It Ours."
In May 2015, Corsten announced that Gouryella was back with a new song called "Anahera." This song was named "Tune of the Year" on Armin van Buuren's radio show, A State of Trance. Since then, Corsten has performed as Gouryella at festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival: New York and Tomorrowland. The second "Hello World EP" came out in July 2015. It featured upbeat dance songs like "Homeward" and "Reborn." After releasing the third part in late 2015, Corsten combined all parts into a Hello World album.
In early 2016, Corsten was nominated for two International Dance Music Awards. These were for 'Best Trance DJ' and 'Best Trance Track' for "Anahera." On June 13, 2016, Corsten released his newest Gouryella song, "Neba." He performed his Gouryella live project at Ultra Europe and Tomorrowland. After more Gouryella live shows, Corsten released "From The Heavens." This album included "Anahera" and "Neba," plus new versions of classic Gouryella songs. On May 26, 2017, Corsten released his sixth album, Blueprint. This was a concept album with a sci-fi story narrated by Campbell Scott.
Recent Work and Honors (2018–Present)
On March 2, 2018, Corsten worked with trance producer Paul Oakenfold to release "A Slice of Heaven." This was the first song in his 2018 "Unity" project. In this project, he plans to work with other trance artists. He also promised to donate part of the money from this project to "VH1's Save The Music Foundation." This foundation helps bring music programs back to schools. The second "Unity" song, "Safe With Me," was released in May 2018. The third, "Rosetta," came out in July 2018. Corsten said the song's title came from the "strong feeling of discovery" it creates. The fourth song, "Synchronicity," was released in September 2018. "We're Not Going Home" was the last "Unity" song of 2018.
In July 2020, it was announced that Corsten would join Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance show. He became a monthly resident DJ for the second hour of the show.
"Corsten's Countdown" ended with its 700th episode on November 25, 2020. The next week, Corsten started a new show called Resonation.
In January 2021, Corsten released an educational music production masterclass. In it, he teaches new music producers how he creates his music.
In March 2021, Corsten launched his concept What the F. With this, Corsten plays all his music, past and present, in new ways. This concept will tour in different countries.
On April 24, 2022, Corsten received the Order of Orange-Nassau. This is a special honor in the Netherlands.
Albums by Ferry Corsten
- 2003: Right of Way
- 2006: L.E.F.
- 2008: Twice in a Blue Moon
- 2012: WKND
- 2017: Blueprint
- 2024: Connect
Awards and Honors
- 1995 De Grote Prijs van Nederland
- 1999 Muzik Magazine: Producer of the Year
- 1999 Zilveren Harp
- 2000 Dancestar Awards: Best Remix of the Year 1999 (William Orbit – Barber's Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix))
- 2003 BG Magazine Dance Awards: Award Biggest Hit (Ferry Corsten - Rock Your Body Rock)
- 2005 DJ Awards: Best Trance DJ
- 2007 SLAM!FM: DJ of the Year
- 2007 DJ Awards: Best Trance DJ
- 2015 A State of Trance: Tune of the Year (Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella - Anahera)
- 2022 Order of Orange-Nassau
More to Explore
- Gouryella
- Veracocha
- Flashover Recordings
See also
In Spanish: Ferry Corsten para niños
