The Amsterdam Dance Event is the worlds biggest club festival with over 600 DJs and acts in 40 of Amsterdam’s finest venues, DJ cafés, record stores, lounges and art galleries. Now in its twelfth year, the ADE has grown into a business conference that attracts 1900 key professionals and a club festival audience of 65,000, we catch up with legend Ferry Corsten who will be in attendance.

Q: You will be hosting your own panel at this years ADE. Tell us a bit about it and why you decided to get more involved.
I will be doing a Q&A with Buma Stemra. Buma Stemra is the Dutch copyright organization which is the main sponsor of the ADE. I am a fan of theis organization as it protects the copyright of Dutch music very well internationally.

I’ve always participated regularly with ADE in the last couple of years in either the day or night program or both. The ADE is a great place to network with fellow producers, record labels and offers a lot of potential business opportunities. Although the organization, Buma Cultuur supports Dutch copyright, over the years, the convention have seen an increase of international companies and producers joining every year.

Q: Where can we see you DJing during ADE and what can we expect from your set?
I’m actually taking it easy this year and not doing the evening program. I’m busy preparing for an event I’m doing with UDC (Dance Valley) called www.fullonferry.com which is the week after ADE.

Q: Why do you think ADE is such an important event on the music industry calendar?
Because it allows you to have a chance to meet many of your contacts that you have been talking to over the phone or through the internet for months and may have never met face to face. It is also a great way to play catch up with your various partners in a relaxed setting.

Q: What impact do you think ADE has made on the music industry as a whole?
Whereas other conferences over the years have concentrated more on the entertainment aspect, at ADE, entertainment AND business are equally important.

Q: Have you attended or played at any other music conferences and if so, why are they important for you to attend?
I am also a regular at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, my label Flashover Recordings also participates at Popkomm in Germany. I think it’s important as a label to be present in these conferences as it does allows you to network with other labels or sign artists/tracks. As an artist it is a good way to network with other artists, through those meetings come up with new collaborations and create extra awareness in those various countries.

Q: What would your tips be to anyone going to a music conference for the first time so they can get the most out it?
If you are going as a producer, I would definitely check out the Dutch D3 day. I would also scan the day program to see what panels would interest you. I would also tell them to check out the online delegates list on the ADE website and contact companies you think you would be able to work with. Don’t forget to bring your repertoire to hand out to labels.

Q: Some of the biggest DJ’s in the world are from the Netherlands. What do you think makes Dutch DJ’s so successful?
Because we’re Dutch?

Q: You are also a well respected producer, are you releasing any of your own productions this year or are mixing any compilations?
Yes, I’ve released two singles this year, first was one called Beautiful which is from my artist album L.E.F, and a new track called Brain Box (it’s known in the NL as the Race). I’ve also released two compilations this year. Passport United States of America which is the sequel from the first Passport compilation: Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dance Valley 2007 compilation.

Q: The scene has changed a lot since you started out. How have you been able to stay at the top of your profession?
I go my own path and believe in what I do. I try not to follow

Q: In your opinion who are the next big DJ’s coming up from Holland?
Through his hit, Fedde Le Grand has been definitely playing all over the world. I do see him definitely coming up.

Q: What tips would you give aspiring DJ’s to get started?
Learn how to mix with any type of mixer in any situation. In this line, there are so many things that you come across that you have to figure out how to do it and do it right…regardless of everything being arranged.

Q: What else can we expect from Ferry Corsten in 2007.
Well, 2007 is almost over, but aside from doing the Full on Ferry event in Rotterdam on the 27th of October, I am taking it easy for a couple of months to be in the studio to work on my next album.