This is going to be fairly technical, but there are going to be some different types of questions.

Let's start off with one you've probably heard dozens of times, but it's leading: What made you want to be a DJ in the first place?

Um, I don't know. I never wanted to be a DJ, to be honest. I always wanted to be a producer, and that's what I became first.

That's going to make for an interesting question later on.

When I was very young I was listening the radio, I was listening to a particular show on the radio that played the latest import music from the clubs America and it was so different from the stuff that was played before. So, at some point in the show they had this 15-minute section where people could send in their homemade mixes, like their turntable mixes, a bit with their edits and stuff, tape recordings and stuff. I felt like, yeah, I want to do that too. I found out you needed two turntables and a tape deck and a mixer. And I really taught myself how to do it. And that's how I started DJing, mixing records. Very quickly after that I really wanted to know how they make a record. It was in the early days of house music.

How long ago was that?

When I was around 19, 20. and I met a few guys who had a very small music studio. We decided to sit down together and make some stuff, from scratch, really. I had to learn everything there and then.

What was your first production?

My first production was called “Spirit of Adventure, Total Distortion.” It was on Hithouse Records.

Sort of a side question, can you remember how many mix names you've had, production names you've had? I know you've had a lot, like Gouryella and System F.

Those are the big ones. I've had tons of smaller, more obscure names. Maybe if I were to add them all up I'd say I've had about 30 or something.

I know you've done a lot of collaborations. Who would you say your favorite producers to work with are?

I've just done a collaboration for my album “Right of Way,” and I worked with Steve Helstrip from the Thrillseekers. Musically he's very knowledgeable. He knows his music, he's classically trained. He's also a great dance music producer. Working with him, and in terms of music, that was the best. As far as having fun and being in the studio I'd say Tiesto.

How would you describe your style, of mixing and producing?

I don't know. I think uplifting and energetic... Yeah

Cool. Very cool. Speaking of cool, what cool toys do you have?

I'm in love with Cubase. My mixing desk is a Sony DMX-100. That's great. And I'm heavily in love with my Nord Rack 3. I make the most dirty sounds with that thing. Yeah I love it.

Cars, computers, boats?

I'm a bit of a car freak, I guess. I have a Grand Cherokee Jeep. I'm flirting already with the Range Rover actually. But that remains a dream for now.

How do you feel about music downloads, file-sharing, things like that?

I'm not OK with file-sharing. There are plenty of excuses like 'we can't get your tune anywhere'. That's bullshit.

There are plenty of sites now where, for 99 cents you can download everything you want.

There are sites where you can get it for free.

Yeah. I'm a bit mixed. On the one hand, I would not be known as a DJ or whatever without the Internet. If there's a kid in a little village here in South Africa that would never be exposed to dance music will go online and learn everything about their Djs. On the other hand, yeah, it's very annoying when people who will buy records and just put them online straight away, or record labels are trying to outsmart each other and put each others' content online. That's not cool. It's damaged the music industry so much that if people continue like that then there will be nothing to share.

You won't be willing to produce anymore. And then music won't be sharable.

Yeah, if they continue like this then in a couple years' time there will not be music anymore. Mostly because people won't put effort into it.

A friend of mine is staying in Holland at the moment and she wants to know when you're going to play in Holland again. It kind of comes to the question of: how much touring do you do and how much time do you get to spend playing in your home clubs and home residencies?

I'm not in Holland so often. I'm really abroad all the time. When I'm back in Holland again? in two weeks' time. I'm playing in a club called the Matrixx, it's a really nice club.

Where is that?

It's in Nijmegen; the closest city is Arnheim. But, summer is coming up now and I've got a lot of the big festivals in Holland.

You kind of mentioned that you wanted to be a producer at first. When it comes to the end of your career, would you prefer to be known as a DJ and have 10,000 people dancing in the in the palms of his hands, or as a producer who wrote songs that will live on?

I would choose to be known as a producer, who played his own songs, to have all those people dancing in the palms of his hands while he was djing .

Ha Ha, Good call.

Because actually if I play a two-hour set about 90 percent of the tracks that I play are my own anyway.

Ha Ha, Ya and then you keep all the secret remixes for that...

Exactly...

Who inspires you, in terms of not necessarily just dance music, but ...?

Yeah, yeah. So inspires... maybe it's not even a person but the music. Probably the electronic music from the 80s. I'm a really big electro fan. In the 80's we have a big influence from Italy, certainly very melodic, electronic disco music, we called that Italo. If you look at that, that's really the ancestor, I would say, of modern day trance music because they had these synthesizer riffs already. Also, I've been influenced by guys like Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre.

Those are awesome names to use. That brings to mind another question: What non-electronic music do you listen to?

I'm a big Sade fan. I love Sade. Now, at this point, I'm listening to Norah Jones. That kind of chill out stuff.

I know them quite well. I started at a music store, so it exposes you to everything. You can't just stay focused on dance music. As a producer, this is just my opinion, but you lose so many avenues of creativity, if you don't pick sounds out of other music.

Yeah, you use the chord changes or drum rolls or whatever. I listen to a 4-4 beat 24/7 during the week. So, when I'm in my car I listen to hardcore drum and bass, just to give me something else.

Oh really? Which artists, on the drum and bass side?

I'm not really aware of many artists. Probably a bit of Aphrodite. DJ Crush for some of the harder stuff.

Yeah, I mean I've got a couple drum and bass compilations in the car and I love to put them on. I love listening to that. And yeah, on the chill side Cafe del Mar and those kinds of things.

What would you say is the best party you've ever played?

I've played so many. One is very standout. It means a lot to me myself, but it was also the highlight of my career really. It was last year, in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. I had an album presentation party. It's called Right of Way. I played a 9 1/2-hour set with people who participated in my album, doing live things. It was a 9 1/2-hour party for 4,000 people who were there especially for me and my music. I mean, there are a lot of parties where you're playing with other Djs and people also come for the other Djs. And there, it was just based around me and they were all for there me, and that was just this awesome feeling.

That's very cool. Following on from your biggest party ever... What could you say was a time when you personified the DJ's life of hedonism most? Basically your wildest party moment, what would you say it's been?

It's probably Ibiza. Sometimes things have happened there … Probably a few years ago now, there were two bar girls working in a club where I was playing in Ibiza and they were twins. They were Spanish girls. I was hanging out with them and we had a good chemistry going on. During my DJing I had roughly one and a half bottles of champagne already. I was really jolly. And I saw the girls when I came off the decks and I went straight up to the bar. They took the piss out of me. They probably saw that I was getting drunk already and they started giving me shots of Jagermeister. But I was so happy and jolly already that I didn't notice that they were giving themselves just a little bit and they were giving me full shots. I downed about five or six, and I was really getting hammered. Then I remember they took this bottle from underneath the bar, it was this liquid green stuff... it was absinthe. They finished me off with that totally! I had three or four absinthe shots and I was dragged out of the club. The streets and the walls were a different color. That was a nasty moment.

Let's see, can you tell us a joke?

Tell you a joke? I doubt it.

The thing for me is I'm so bad at remembering jokes. I remember them for like a week and I tell them to everyone I know and after that I forget.

Maybe you'll remember later on.

Yeah, maybe later on after a few bottles of champagne I'll tell you a good one.

I guess we're reaching the end. I've got a couple of quick questions … Where do you see yourself in 10 years' time?

I see myself producing a full band or a big act, or other producing artist. Maybe somebody I created myself. Or I am part of a bigger configuration around me. Or like a real rock band, you know?

Yeah, imagine having four or five Djs together, maybe yourself on drums, Tiesto on the guitar and someone else on vocals, doing covers and your own songs.

Ha ha, exactly, yeah yeah. I don't know. I see myself probably producing a band. Maybe movie scores.

That's a good idea as well. So, let's wrap this up. Who's your favorite cartoon character?

I think Bugs Bunny because he's just a real smart ass.

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