Ferry Corsten, also known under the alias System F, (born December 4, 1973 in Rotterdam, Netherlands) is a producer of trance music, in addition to being a DJ and remixer. He is currently ranked number 6 in a poll by British publication DJ Magazine. He also hosts his own weekly radio show, Corsten's Countdown. He routinely plays at events all over the world with crowds in excess of tens of thousands.Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 1989–1999: Early years 1.2 1999–2002: Rise to fame 1.3 2005–2007: L.E.F. 1.4 2008–present: Twice In A Blue Moon 2 Pseudonyms 2.1 Aliases 2.2 Colaborations 3 Discography 3.1 Studio albums 4 Selected Remixes 5 Recognitions 5.1 Awards 5.2 Nominations 6 See also 7 References 8 External links
[edit] History
[edit] 1989–1999: Early years
Ferry Corsten produced and remixed under many aliases since the release of his first record at the age of sixteen,[1] but he officially started to work as a musician when he was 27 years old. As a teenager he would listen to his father's record player and he would save money to buy his first keyboard by washing cars, and selling mixed tapes to kids in his neighborhood. He later began to perform live performances with a friend and won his first award "De Grote Prijs van Nederland" at Holland in 1989.[2] He eventually released a record with a couple of friends when he was just sixteen years old and later began releasing self-made productions while he grew up in Rotterdam in the 1990s, producing underground hardcore Gabber tracks, later expanding into club-house and trance music. His first single to reach a chart position was "Don't Be Afraid" under his alias Moonman which was only the start for becoming a composer as well. In 1997 Corsten and his partner Robert Smit established a dance label named Tsunami with the Dutch based dance company Purple Eye Entertainment b.v., this junction made the creation of another label possible; Polar State.[3] Ferry Corsten was studying to become an Electrical Engineer, so he went to the Technical Training School and after that Higher Technical Education.[4]
[edit] 1999–2002: Rise to fame Main article: Gouryella
In February 1999 Corsten's second solo project, System F, was released on the Tsunami imprint along an album named "Out of the Blue", a melodic tune that became a hit on dance floors all over the world which achieved a top twenty position in the United Kingdom single chart. The follow up single was "Cry", produced together with Robert Smit which reached the UK Top 20.[5]
His growing popularity in the late 1990s led to cooperation with many famous trance DJs and musicians like DJ Tiësto (Gouryella, Vimana), Vincent de Moor (Veracocha), and Robert Smit (Starparty). The track "Gouryella" by the act Gouryella was released in May, the single entered the UK Singles Top 75 at number fifteen and achieved various hit positions throughout the world. The next single was entitled "Walhalla" which entered the UK single chart at number twenty-seven. In 1999 Ferry was elected as producer of the year at the Ericsson Muzik Award in London.[6] In September 2000 the third Gouryella single entitled "Tenshi" was released. In 2000, Corsten also remixed William Orbit's "Adagio for Strings" as well as "New Year's Day" for U2. His remix of Barber's Adagio For Strings was awarded at the Dancestar 2000 awards. The Ministry of Sound dance compilation series entitled Trance Nation became one of the best selling dance compilations in the UK and was awarded the platinum status.[7] In 2000 in his home country Corsten got awarded the Silver Harp award for his numerous outstanding contributions made to Dutch dance music.[citation needed]
In 2001 Ferry contributed to remix projects of tracks by Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki. He went on to compose and arrange her heavily trance-based song "Connected," which was released in 2003, along with remixes, as a single in Germany which has sold 4 million copies to date.[8]
Ferry Corsten is the electronic dance music artist with the highest amount of dance singles in the UK charts[citation needed]. He currently[when?] has 10 gold singles, between those his 1999 remix of "Madagascar", "Out of the Blue" as his alias System F, both "Gouryella" and "Walhalla" in 2000, "Cry" and the "Dance Valley Theme" in 2001 with "Exhale" which is his latest as System F with Armin van Buuren; and his 2003 - 2004 singles "Punk" and "Rock Your Body Rock".[citation needed]
In 2004 he launched his first album as Ferry Corsten in Heineken Musical Hall with 4,500 clubbers at his eight-hour set, which came along with a single known as "Rock Your Body Rock".[9] The music video of the song was nominated in the TMF Dutch MTV Awards in Netherlands.
Right of Way is a Trance / Electronic album by Ferry Corsten. It was released in 2003 and was the first album to be released under his own name. The album spawned three singles, Punk (UK #29) and Rock Your Body, Rock (UK #11), and It's Time (UK #51). Further tracks were released from the album including Whatever, Star Traveler & Right Of Way.
[edit] 2005–2007: L.E.F.
Ferry Corsten performing at a concert in El Salvador in September 2006
In 2005, Corsten founded his own record label, titled Flashover Recordings and released his album L.E.F. in 2006. His track Fire was nominated in the best trance video category for the[10]
On April 18, 2007 Corsten was featured in a global satellite radio first when he was live in over 130 countries on WorldSpace Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, AOL and Direct TV. The dance music channel "The System" broadcasts live from Houston’s premiere dance club "Rich’s" to broadcast DJ Zoltar’s Subterranean with an exclusive performance/dance set(s) by Ferry. On July 4, 2007, Corsten debuted his new weekly radio show titled "Corsten's Countdown" which counts down a list of the highest voted trance tracks.
He was dubbed the King of Crossover in an August 2007 interview on UK clubbing website HarderFaster.net, reflecting his recent L.E.F. (Loud Electronic Ferocious) style, which some[who?] hail as a new direction in dance music. Corsten describes it as "everything from electro house, trance and techno".
[edit] 2008–present: Twice In A Blue Moon
Ferry Corsten's third and newest album, Twice In A Blue Moon, which made its debut at the 2nd edition of the 'Full On Ferry' event at Ahoy in Rotterdam, was released on November 1, 2008. The first single from the album, “Radio Crash”, has been played by Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Above & Beyond and many other DJ's globally. The track has been a huge hit across the world in clubs and got Ferry off to a good start with promoting his new album.[citation needed]
[edit] Pseudonyms
[edit] Aliases
A Jolly Good Fellow, Albion, Bypass, Cyber F, Eon, Exiter, Ferr, Firmly Underground, Free Inside, Kinky Toys, Lunalife, Moonman, Pulp Victim, Raya Shaku, Riptide, Sidewalk, Sidewinder, Skywalker, System F, Tellurians, The Nutter
[edit] Colaborations
Gouryella (with Tiësto), Veracocha (with Vincent de Moor), Vimana (with Tiësto),
[edit] Discography Main article: Ferry Corsten discography
[edit] Studio albums 1996 Looking Forward (as Ferr) 2001 Out of the Blue (as System F) 2003 Right of Way 2004 Together (as System F) 2006 L.E.F. 2008 Twice In A Blue Moon
[edit] Selected Remixes Bobina - Invisible Touch (Ferry Corsten's Touch) Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy's Song Art of Trance - Madagascar Ayumi Hamasaki - A Song for XX Ayumi Hamasaki - kanariya Ayumi Hamasaki - WHATEVER Elles de Graaf - Show You My World Embrace - Embrace Every Little Thing - For the Moment The Killers - Human Moby - In My Heart Moby - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad Oceanlab - Clear Blue Water Public Enemy - Bring the Noise Rafaël Frost - Red Ramin Djawadi - Prison Break Theme (Ferry Corsten Breakout Remix) Tony Walker - Field of Joy U2 - New Year's Day William Orbit - Adagio for Strings X DeeJay - Lost Language
[edit] Recognitions[edit] Awards 1989 De Grote Prijs van Nederland 1999 Producer of the Year (Ericsson Muzik Awards) London 1999 Trance Nation 1 - Platinum Sales Award 1999 Trance Nation 2 - Gold Sales Award 1999 Gold Sales Award (Art of Trance - Madagascar (Ferry Corsten Remix)) 1999 Trance Nation 3 - Gold Sales Award 1999 Gold Sales Award (System F - Out the of Blue) 1999 Trance Nation 4 - Gold Sales Award 1999 Gold Sales Award (Gouryella - Gouryella) 2000 Gold Sales Award (Gouryella - Walhalla) 2000 Gold Sales Award (Ferry Corsten - Cry) 2000 Gold Sales Award (Veracocha - Carte Blanche) 2000 Dancestar Award: Best Producer of the Year 2000 Silver Harp Award for Outstanding Contributions To Dutch Music 2001 Trance Nation 2001 - Silver Sales Award 2001 Gold Sales Award (System F Feat. Armin van Buuren - Exhale) 2002 Gold Sales Award (Ferry Corsten - Punk) 2003 BG Magazine Dance Awards: Award Biggest Hit (Rock Your Body Rock) 2005 Best Trance DJ Ibiza 2007 Best Trance DJ Ibiza 2007 SLAM!FM DJ of the Year
