Ferry crosses the Mersey

Dutch trancer Corsten swims for Liverpool's Cream.

To the delight of headline writers, Holland hitmaker and dj Ferry Corsten has been announced as the new resident for one of the UK's most successful intense leisure brands, Cream.

Cream @ Amnesia

The creator of monstrous club tunes like 'Gouryella' and 'Out Of The Blue' has jumped Judgement Sundays @ Eden's ship and will appear at Amnesia for seven dates in June, July and August.

Yesterday we asked Corsten (below) if his ex-boss Judge Jules threatened legal action when he quit.

"No he was ok," chuckled the 32-year-old holidaying in Cyprus before gig this Friday. "It's been a six year period, it was a good chance to try something else. I really had a great time. This is a different crowd, a fresh wind."

Though he's too polite to say it, it's also a step up. Cream at Amnesia is one of the biggest and most intense parties in Ibiza. Amnesia's sound system is hugely powerful, the crowd are having the holiday of their short lives so far and the djs are the best money can buy.

Last year's total dj bill was almost three hundred grand (euros). One August date alone was over €36,000. However one of the highest wage earners in modern dance music history, Tiësto (left), is no longer resident so that'll help cut costs. Corsten is not awed by the prospect of taking the lupine one's place however.

"The sound that Tiësto puts on is in certain ways close to what I do, so people who expect the trend of the night won't be disappointed."

Fufilling even the highest of expectations is what has brought acclaim to Cream. Get yourself juiced up before you arrive by listening to Corsten's new album, 'L.E.F.' (which stands for loud, electronic and ferocious, just in case you were wondering).

Sadly last Friday's album launch party had to be called off, but in its place Corsten has scheduled a daytime concert for July 22.

"There's a park in Rotterdam, on the river Maas. The terain can easily hold 5,000 people. I'm looking forward to doing a long dj set," said Corsten enthusiastically.

Spotlight: How has the reaction been to the new tracks?
Really good. I've been playing the new single, 'Watch Out' that goes down really well. The title track 'L.E.F.' is really really going off. There's a couple of trancier tracks like a remix of 'Out Of The Blue' that blow the roof off.

When do you get to Ibiza? Will you arriving a few days before hand like you're doing in Cyprus?
I hope I can manage that. All the time when I was in Ibiza before I was pretty much coming in on the Sunday and leaving on the Monday.

How would you describe the style of the music you will play at Cream?
Uplifting and its energetic with a raw touch. Loud, electronic ferocious really.

What is "trance-electro" a term I read on your site www.FerryCorsten.com?
It's definitely a trance soud, but I make a lot of use of electro souds, raw bass, dirty sound, instead of the all the polished and fluffy stuff.

Did you listen to Duran Duran back in the 80s?
Oh yeah, I was a little boy growing up watchting 'The Reflex' and 'Wild Boys' on tv. Everyone in this scene was.

How did you get into contact with Simon Le Bon, who sings on the single 'Fire'?
From the greatest hits I sampled his voice, for a remix of '(Reach Up For the) Sunrise'. I contacted Duran Duran and they loved it. He couldn't re-sing it but they helped me clear the sample. For the new single it went from there.

I read you produced a few gabba tracks back in the 90s. What's the likelihood of you whipping them out at Cream?
I don't want to do that to the people. I tried everything from ambient to drum'n'bass to work out what people like. I also tried making some gabba. I left the studio with a headache.

When was the first time you went to a club and thought 'This is for me'?
I was probably 18 when I first went to a club in Rotterdam. But I didn't want to be a dj. I didn't want to sacrifice my Saturday, this was back in the time when I was still clubbing a lot. My ambition was more producton. When 'Out of the Blue' broke thru, then I got opportinities to dj. When I tried it I got hooked straight away.

Can you recommend any restaurants and/or beaches in Ibiza?
L'Elephant, Los Dos Lunas for restaurants. Beaches I can't really say, I've only spent a few days at a time in Ibiza. Even after these years I'm still an Ibiza virgin.

Try these pages Ferry!