Ferry Corsten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ferry Corsten
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Ferry Corsten performing in Toronto 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 (born December 4, 1973) is a famous DJ, music producer, and remixer from the Netherlands. He is known for creating many early trance music songs in the 1990s and 2000s. He used different names like System F and Gouryella.
Today, he plays a wider range of electronic music, from progressive house to uplifting trance. He also hosts his own weekly radio show called Resonation Radio. Ferry Corsten performs at big events and festivals worldwide. These include Electric Daisy Carnival and Tomorrowland. He has often been listed among the top DJs in DJ Mag magazine.
Career Highlights
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Ferry Corsten was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. As a child, he loved listening to a Dutch radio show called "The Soulshow." This show played different electronic music styles like disco and soul. When he liked a song, he would buy the record.
He started DJing at school parties when he was 15 years old. As a teenager, he saved money to buy his first keyboard. He did this by washing cars and selling mixtapes to kids in his neighborhood. He was inspired by other DJs like Ferry Maat.
At just 16, he released a record with friends. He then started making his own music in Rotterdam in the 1990s. He first made underground hardcore music, then moved into club-house and trance music. During these years, he 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.
First Big Successes
In 1996, Ferry Corsten made his first appearance on the United Kingdom Singles Chart. His song "Don't be Afraid," released under the name Moonman, reached number 46. This was his first major success in Europe as a solo dance artist.
In 1997, he released "Interspace" with Peter Nijborn. He also put out his first songs as Pulp Victim, like "I'm Losing Control." A year later, "The World" came out, featuring vocals by Maire Brennan.
Also in 1997, Corsten and Robert Smit started a dance music label called Tsunami. This led to another label called Polar State.
Breakthrough Years (1998–2002)
In 1998, Corsten made a song called "Air" under the name Albion. It became very popular and was played by famous DJs like John Digweed. The same year, he finished "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.
Another hit, "Cry," also reached the UK Top 20. "Out of The Blue" helped define Corsten's trance sound. He also worked with other artists on hits like Gouryella's "Gouryella" (with Tiësto) and Veracocha's "Carte Blanche." "Gouryella" was a huge success, reaching the top 15 in the UK.
Corsten became a popular remixer for many artists. He remixed songs for Art of Trance, William Orbit, Faithless, and Moby. His remix of Barber's "Adagio For Strings" won "Best Remix of the Year" at the 2000 Dancestar Awards.
In 1999, Muzik Magazine named him "Producer of the Year." He also received the "Zilveren Harp" award in the Netherlands for his work in Dutch dance music. That same year, he first appeared on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs Poll at number 77.
He also started mixing the Trance Nation series for Ministry of Sound. His first album in this series sold over 400,000 copies and reached number one in the UK.
In 2001, he worked with Marc Almond on "Soul On Soul." He also created the theme song for the Dutch festival Dance Valley. He collaborated with Armin van Buuren on "Exhale." Both songs became very successful. In 2002, he worked with Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. He composed her trance song "Connected," which 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. The first song from the album, "Rock Your Body, Rock," was nominated for "Best Video" at the 2004 TMF Dutch MTV Awards. This song was a big hit in the Netherlands and reached the top 10 in the UK.
In 2005, Corsten started his own new music label called Flashover Recordings. He had been with Tsunami for eight years. In 2005, 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." He was voted number 6 in DJ Mag's Top 100 this year.
On July 4, 2007, Corsten started his weekly radio show called "Corsten's Countdown." This show played the most popular trance songs voted by listeners. He also released the songs "Beautiful" and "The Race."
In 2007, he held his first "Full On Ferry" concert in Rotterdam. Corsten also created the official song for Bavaria City Racing, a Formula One racing event in Rotterdam. He was called the "King of Crossover" for his new "L.E.F." style, which mixed electro house, trance, and techno.
His 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 worldwide. 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. Corsten toured with his show "Twice in a Blue Moon: The Experience" in countries like Australia and the United States. He also released a DVD called Ferry Corsten – Backstage.
New Projects and Collaborations (2010–2014)
In 2010, Corsten mixed an episode of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix. His radio show, Corsten's Countdown, became available in over 40 countries. To celebrate its 150th episode, he launched the Cue Play App, a mobile DJ app.
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 "Once Upon a Night: The Experience" tour. He released Once Upon a Night Vol. 2 later that year.
In February 2012, Corsten released his album WKND. It included popular songs like "Not Coming Down" and "Live Forever." He also starred in a video series called WKNDR, showing his life backstage and in the studio.
The 250th episode of Corsten's Countdown was an eight-hour live broadcast from New York City. It became a trending topic on Twitter. In May 2012, Corsten launched a new monthly mix show called Ferry's Fix.
In July 2012, Corsten wrote "One Thousand Suns" with Chicane. In August 2012, he started his "Full On (Hosted by Ferry Corsten)" live show in North America. This show featured back-to-back sets with other famous trance artists.
In 2013, Corsten and German producer Markus Schulz formed a new duo called New World Punx. Their first show was at Madison Square Garden. In November 2013, Corsten released Once Upon a Night 4.
In 2014, he released Full On Ibiza 2014, a mix album with tracks by many artists.
Return of Gouryella and Concept Albums (2015–2017)
On February 23, 2015, Corsten released the first part of his "Hello World EP" series. It included songs like "Hyper Love" and "Back To Paradise."
In May 2015, Corsten announced the return of Gouryella with his song "Anahera." This song was named "Tune of the Year" on Armin van Buuren's radio show, A State of Trance. Corsten then performed as Gouryella at festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival: New York.
He released "Hello World EP 2" in July 2015, with songs like "Homeward." After releasing the third part, he combined all parts into a Hello World album.
In early 2016, Corsten was nominated for two International Dance Music Awards. On June 13, 2016, he released his new Gouryella song, "Neba." He performed his Gouryella live project at Ultra Europe and Tomorrowland.
He then released "From The Heavens," an album featuring new versions of Gouryella classics. On May 26, 2017, Corsten released his sixth album, Blueprint. This was a concept album with a sci-fi story narrated by Campbell Scott.
Unity Project and Recent Work (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 "Unity" project. In this project, he plans to work with other trance artists. He also decided 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.
He released other "Unity" songs with artists like Dim3nsion and Jordan Suckley. The last "Unity" song of 2018 was "We're Not Going Home" with Ilan Bluestone.
In July 2020, it was announced that Corsten would become a monthly resident DJ on Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance radio 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. He teaches aspiring music producers how he creates his music.
In March 2021, Corsten launched his "What the F" concept. With this, he plays his entire music collection, remixed and reinvented. This concept will tour in different countries worldwide.
On April 24, 2022, Ferry Corsten received the Order of Orange-Nassau. This is a special honor from the Netherlands.
Music Albums
- Studio albums
- 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 (for his remix of William Orbit – Barber's Adagio for Strings)
- 2003 BG Magazine Dance Awards: Biggest Hit (for "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 (for Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella - Anahera)
- 2022 Order of Orange-Nassau
See also
In Spanish: Ferry Corsten para niños
- Gouryella
- Veracocha
- Flashover Recordings
