You be trippin’ out with trance

Fans of electronic music will be going wild tonight when the globally renowned trance-music festival brand Transmission touches down in Bangkok at Bitec in Bang Na.
Based in Prague, Transmission first came to life in 2006 and was soon one of Europe’s biggest indoor trance festivals. Known for pooling DJs who represent the full spectrum of the genre, Transmission brings to Bangkok an impressive line-up. Aly & Fila, Markus Schulz, John O’Callaghan, Bryan Kearney, Driftmoon and Omnia will be supported by a slew of aspiring locals.
The troupe also includes Ferry Corsten from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The man’s got a burning passion for music and his skills lie in his ability to coax the maximum emotional impact from electronic dance music of all kinds – not just trance, but also progressive-house and electro.
Corsten has released numerous compilations, including the Trance Nation series for Ministry of Sound, one of the more successful series to date, having sold more than a million copies.
Corsten’s own “Once Upon a Night” series has been a platform for new talent and late-breaking tunes, with Volume 3 released in late 2012.
We had a chat with the DJ about this return to Bangkok.

How has 2017 treated you so far?
It’s been a fantastic year so far. I greeted the New Year with an amazing series of shows in Australia and that was fantastic. I normally take January pretty easy, but seeing that I took a bit of time off in 2016 to spend more time producing, I did a number of shows in the last couple of months that were great.
I just came back from a week of snowboarding, another passion of mine, so I’m still living off my high from the snow.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on my artist album, which I’m looking to release this year. It’s been a labour of love and I can’t wait to release it. I think the fans are going to really enjoy it.

You’re performing as Gouryella tonight. Tell us about him.
Gouryella is a way more pure sound of trance with a nostalgic touch. Ferry Corsten, however, has a wider variety of genres in his set, but trance remains the main tone.

Is there any chance Tiesto would work with you again for Gouryella?
I’ve worked with other people aside from Tiesto with the Gouryella alias, but I would like to work on this project alone. The Gouryella project allows me as an artist to creatively focus on the sound that Gouryella stands for.

How do you see yourself in the trance scene now?
I definitely see myself still as a pioneer and hope my fans see the creative fresh input I put into my music and my contribution to the growth of the scene.

And what do you think of trance in Bangkok?
The trance scene has definitely grown over the years. It’s wonderful to see that Bangkok has embraced the sound and understands it. I see it in the faces of clubbers and fans when I play. This one’s going to be a really great show.
I love Bangkok. It’s an amazing city with passionate people. I always feel welcome and at home when I go there. I’m very excited to be returning and looking forward to partying with you tonight.
Transmission Thailand 2017 takes place tomorrow starting at 5pm at Bitec in Bang Na. It costs Bt3,200 to get in.