We may be back from our little trip to Miami, but that doesn’t mean we’ve used up all of our WMC coverage! Gavin Leversuch took some time out to get together with trance superstar Ferry Corsten to find out what he’s been up to on his visit to the States, what he thinks of the Miami Winter Music Conference and of course to get the lowdown on his new Gatecrasher Sheffield mix album…

How’s Miami treating you? What have you been up to so far?

“I always have mixed feelings when I go to Miami. It’s a great city and I always love playing there, but it can be an absolute nightmare during conference. Loads of parties, people, meetings, interviews, and sometimes the madness of the streets as well. It can be pretty crazy sometimes. I’m here to play a couple of parties; A party in Space on Thursday, The Ultra Festival, and the official Ultrafest after-party as well.”

Is it purely a ‘work’ trip, or do you also plan to hang around and enjoy it after the conference?

 

“It’s pretty much a work trip. I’ve already been in the U.S. for a week promoting my radio show ‘Corsten’s Countdown’ on XM radio and have been to a number of cities. I think I’ve got one day off from all the meetings and work I have to do during the conference and after that I’ll be flying out for other gigs.”

You’ve just released the Gatecrasher Sheffield mix album, have you been getting lots of promotion done since you’ve been there?

“I tried to get most of the album promotion done before I left for the U.S. but every once in a while, some interviews come along, so the promotion continues.”

How have you tailored your sets to suit the Miami crowd? Is it very different?

“Not really, the Miami crowd is very up to date with the latest tracks. During the conference season, the Miami crowd is also a lot more diverse. You get a huge melting pot of cultures and scenes; people from South America, Asia, Europe, and of course the Americans come over to party for a week.”

You remixed Public Enemy’s ‘Bring the Noise’ last year to great acclaim. What was it like to work with, and get the seal of approval from, a legend like Chuck D? Do you have plans to work with anyone else of a similar stature soon?

“Chuck D and Public Enemy have always been icons for me. I have been into hip hop since back in the day and they were always on the top of my list. It was a great and honour to work with Chuck D, for a guy that has had so much success it’s great to see how down to earth he is and just a really good guy. I’m currently working on my new artist album, so you will find out what artists I’m working with soon enough!”

(Interview: Gavin Leversuch)

Ferry’s Current Top 5:

1. Embrace – Embrace (Ferry Fix) - Flashover Recordings
2. Activa – Remember – Vandit
3. Georgia - Ode To ‘99 - Levare Recordings
4. Seth Hutton Ft Judie Tzuke - Don’t Look Behind You (Mike Shiver Remix) - Captured Music
5. Shadowrider - Blue Horizon (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix) - Red Force Recordings