If you’ve got love for what you can found in the deeper, darker corners of the trance scene, then you’ll have love for Markus Schulz. Along with clubbing comrades like Sander van Doorn he’s come to represent the furthest possibilities of just how far the sound can be pushed, and his popularity has been soaring in the past few years. When ITM last talked to Markus in the opening months of ‘08 about his tour with Future Music Festival, he’d come off the back of an exhilarating 12 months. Now it’s only a year later and he’s back as the trance headliner at the very same festival.

For anyone who tunes in regularly to his Global DJ Broadcast radio show, they’ll know that once a month he also gives them a chance to check out his DJs skills in a live setting, with a set recorded during his busy touring schedule. Shanghai, Buenes Aries, Paris, Toronto, Athens – these have all been locations where his sets have been recorded and subsequently broadcast. And during the Future Music Festival tour, Australia will be joining that list. “One of the things that we’re working on right now is to do one of those stops from this tour,” Schulz told ITM in February. “At the end of the year, when I look at the cities that have been represented on the world tour… I definitely think that Australia needs to have a city represented as far as that goes. So I look forward to doing one of the world tour sets from Australia next month.”

We’ve got now got full details of when the set will be recorded and broadcast to the world. Read on as ITM’s Angus Paterson talks to Markus Schulz about his Global DJ Broadcast from Australia, his tour with Future Music Festival as well as where he’ll be taking trance in 2009.

Hi Markus, this is Angus from inthemix in Australia. How’s it going?

Hey Angus, I’m not bad thanks. Just at home catching up on some well deserved rest, and preparing to head off again.

The last time that ITM chatted with you it was around this time last year, to promote last year’s Future Music Festival. Obviously there’s been a pleasant surprise as you’re back this year to headline the trance contingent on this year’s festival! How does it feel to be heading back to Australia so soon?

It’s great to be back here again, I love the people, the weather, the culture. Everything! Especially as a lot of the countries I’ve been in recently have been so cold and dark, it’s nice to be back in the thick of things… Or at least that’s how it appears to me! And of course you guys know your music out here so it gives me a chance to play a few new things to spice the set up!

Recently you revealed to ITM that you’ll be broadcasting one of your sets from your Australian tour on your Global DJ Broadcast radio show. Can you reveal any more details about what you’ve got locked in?

Yes, we will be doing a world tour show from Melbourne. It will be recorded at Queensbridge in Melbourne on March 8th. I am very happy to be able to have the city of Melbourne, and most importantly the country of Australia, represented in this year’s tour episodes.

When we spoke to you a year ago you’d just come off the back of a really successful period, but it’s safe to say that you’ve stepped it up a notch even further since then. Even if haven’t reached the popularity level of Tiesto or Armin, you’re nipping at their heels. What are your reflections on the last 12 months?

The past 12 months have been incredible for me and I’ve felt a real sense of progression in my career. Breaking into the DJ Mag Top 10 was a great personal achievement for me, and put me right up there with the best; I also got named best international resident at The Gallery which meant a lot to me as well. There are a lot of tricks left in the back from Camp Schulz, but I’m not out to duplicate the success of others – I’m out there to make a name for myself, and only me.

The trance scene itself has really been responsible for some amazing music over the past year, it’s really exploded and there’s been so many influences from techno, progressive and electro in there. Have you found it an inspiring time?

It’s been a really exciting time for new music – trance DJs playing techno, house DJs playing trance – it’s turned everything on it’s head. This means that stuff nobody was trying before is now acceptable and encouraged and it also means the popularity of productions has increased as they can now easily cross three genres of DJs.

Can you see trance sustaining this output throughout 2009? And what directions do you see trance heading in 2009?

For sure! I think a lot of influences will continue to come in and be popular among the trance fans out there and as long as everyone keeps a relatively open mind about what they are going to hear in the clubs then it’ll be another great year!

Recently you remixed a track Buttons by Australian vocalist Sia, and she’s proved to be incredibly popular with the progressive/tech-trance DJ/producers around the world. What do you think the appeal is here?

Sia’s voice just works so well within dance music, although it’s very slow in its original form and takes some work to make it fit, when it does that haunting and melodic voice that she has just shines.

In terms of you as a producer, the New World really made a big splash last year. I know you wrote that as the theme for a big party in Europe, tell us more.

That track was made for the Transmission 2008 party in Prague, which I was headlining. It was an amazing night, an enormous up for it crowd, it gave me such a rush and was one of those times when you remember how lucky you are.

I understand that you’ve been working on some more progressive material underneath a different pseudonym. Fill us in!

All I’ll say for now is that it’s a full artist album from a guy named Dakota and will be out on my label in the very near future. Until then… keep your ears peeled.

Finally, have you got any special messages for your Australian fans ahead of your tour kicking off this weekend?

Just that I cannot wait to play for them all again and to watch out as they are about to see me take things to a whole new level!

Markus Schulz is featured in the latest edition of the ITM Podcast, and you can catch on the Future Music Festival tour over the next two weeks…

Sat 28th Feb – Future Music Festival Sydney
Sun 1st Mar – Future Music Festival, Perth
Sat 7th Mar – Future Music Festival, Brisbane
Sun 8th Mar – Future Music Festival, Melbourne
Sun 8th Mar – QBH, Melbourne
Mon 9th Mar – Future Music Festival, Adelaide

Keep your eyes on our Festival Page for absolutely everything Future Music Festival, and stay tuned for plenty of post-event coverage.