New World Punx (Markus Schulz & Ferry Corsten) interview from ASOT 600

Published: April 3, 2013

Interview by: Charlotte Roxanne Horton

About New World Punx

An excited hush washes over the darkened arena, intense anticipation filling the air as thousands of world-weary club-goers await the spectacle about to ensue. After a hair-raising intro conjuring an edgy, dystopian future...boom! White-hot lights illuminate the two electronic dance music (EDM) heavyweights onstage together and ready to do battle. Each one is a superstar DJ and producer in his own right, but the Netherlands’ Ferry Corsten and the U.S.’s Markus Schulz put on a show so electrifying that the impact is greater than the sum of its parts. What began as a few spontaneous DJ sets between good friends and collaborators has grown into a hybrid stage persona after which discerning EDM fans lust. The result is the New World Punx (NWP), the high-energy DJ duo consisting of Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten. The name derives from Ferry Corsten’s massive anthem, “Punk,” and Markus Schulz’s hit, “The New World.”

Each with his own distinct style of DJing and music production, Corsten and Schulz create an utterly different world when they team up as New World Punx. The NWP sound is harder, more driving and more aggressive than the melodic, euphoric style of soaring trance. Be they side-by-side onstage or in the studio releasing music under the NWP moniker, Schulz and Corsten’s combined persona is much tighter and more dynamic than the longer, more progressive sets they’re known to play solo. The NWP show is something their fans have come to demand, and the act’s evolution came about entirely organically. The initial seeds of inspiration for NWP were born during Schulz and Corsten’s back-to-back set at Godskitchen in Birmingham in March 2012, evolving into tag-teaming sets at Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) at Tao Beach in Las Vegas, and Echostage in Washington D.C., the latter a mind- blowing seven-hour gig that was broadcast live in the U.S. on SiriusXM Radio. The NWP sets are vigorous and perfectly marry Corsten’s and Schulz’s individual sounds. The result is a perfect sonic storm that caters to the short attention spans of today’s tech-savvy music consumers.

Hailing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Ferry Corsten has been one of the world’s leading EDM DJs/producers for the last 21 years. Voted consistently as one of the best DJs in the world by all the leading polls, Corsten has seven full-length studio albums to his name, the most recent being WKND. His albums have yielded their share of Gold records, including, “Punk,” “Out Of The Blue” and “Rock Your Body Rock.” Corsten’s world-class hits also include “Beautiful” and collaborations with Betsie Larkin, including, “Made Of Love,” “Not Coming Down” and “Stars.” Corsten is the label chief of his own Flashover Recordings and has helped launch the careers of new producers and artists. Ferry Corsten is the host and programmer of the internationally syndicated weekly radio show, “Corsten’s Countdown,” the only EDM interactive weekly music chart show currently broadcast on commercial and satellite radio in more than 40 countries via 210 radio stations and heard by millions each week. His monthly “Ferry’s Fix” DJ mixshow and compilations – the latest being Once Upon A Night-Vol. 3 – exemplify what masterful mixing is all about.

Originally from Germany and based now out of Miami, Markus Schulz holds the 2012-2013 title of “America’s Best DJ” as voted by the readers of DJ Times magazine. Over the last 10 years, he’s crafted the individual musical identities of progressive, trance and house into his own unique sound. His “Global DJ Broadcast” radio show is heard by millions each week and is aired on SiriusXM in the U.S., DI.fm and 50 other radio stations around the world. Schulz is label chief of his own Coldharbour Recordings (under the Armada Music umbrella) and has helped launch the careers of aspiring talent from around the world. Schulz has four full-length studio albums under his belt – including Do You Dream? and Scream – and those works have brought forth the dancefloor crowd-rockers, “The New World,” “Nothing Without Me” featuring Ana Diaz, “Love Rain Down” featuring Seri, “Perception” and “Do You Dream?”
Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz create magic together in the studio, and they’ve unleashed the dancefloor annihilators, “Loops & Tings” and “Stella,” the former reaching #1 on Beatport’s “Top 100 Trance” chart and voted “best track” by listeners during the eight-hour live radio broadcast commemorating the 250th episode of “Corsten’s Countdown.” Forthcoming releases under the NWP alias are in the works.

Photo credit: Carl Scheffel