A mere matter of hours before he was due to play to thousands at Trance Energy in Holland, ITM sat down for a face-to-face with Marcus Schossow to discover he’s as bullish and headstrong (and just a little bit weird) as his public profile would have you believe. “I kinda found that doing one thing the whole time makes me bored,” he told ITM. “I like to mix the styles. I like the basslines from electro house, the melodies from trance, and I take my beats from techno.”

If there was ever an offhand statement that could be transformed into a ‘modus operandi’ for the Swedish-born DJ/producer, this would probably be it. His rising profile over the past few years has mirrored the trance scene’s growing adventures into more exciting territory, but even then he’s still one of trance’s most unconventional figures. Marcus has established himself as a bit of a rogue, fearless when it comes to speaking his mind and expressing his unmistakably quirky sense of humour. His ‘06 sleeper hit Mr White was one of the working blueprints for all the trance/techno hybrids we’ve heard since, and he’s been playing with the rules ever since with delicious concoctions like his recent single From My Heart.

Admittedly though, it’s been one massive headache for the people trying to manage his career. “My managers have been scratching their heads for many years saying, ‘Marcus, you have to choose.’ My choice is not to choose. I choose what I feel like… I started making really weird techno around five years ago, and people were like, ‘what the fuck is this?’ When I go back to that music, I realise that music made the basis for what I’m doing now. My plan was to make really weird techno, and somehow that became trance.”

But that’s the clincher for Marcus Schossow: even if he’s mashing it up to his heart’s content, he’s still known for his work as a trance DJ/producer. “Trance is my main folder, of course,” he told ITM, confirming that it’s also the trance massive he relates to the strongest. “Trance fans can often be really cruel, always saying exactly what they think. I just love people who do that. I don’t like people to lick my ass.” Thanks Marcus, duly noted. “The techno scene is more like ‘you’re my friend, he’s my friend’,” he continues. “Trance is more like, ‘fuck you’.”

Keeping in character though, Marcus more than happy to sling the insults back. The first time ITM spoke with him last year, he told us his musical direction was inspired by him being so utterly bored from listening to so much shite, generic trance that didn’t move him in any way, shape or form. “Trance just bored the shit out of me for many years,” he says. “I was going to these trance parties the whole time, and it was just endless breakdowns. No cool beats, just the same kind of breakdowns the whole time, and the same kind of melodies the whole time. It bored the shit outta me and I said, ‘you know what, let’s change this shit’. And I did.”

Arguably the most interesting thing is that he stuck around and poured his energy into making the trance scene a better place to be, rather than running off to produce techno and minimal like so many others before him. “For me, the techno scene is taking themselves a bit too seriously. I mean come on; we’re all making the same kind of music. We’re making dance music. The techno guys tend to look down upon the trance scene and say, ‘you’re not worthy’. And I’m like, what’s the reason for it? There is no reason.” But his choice goes further than that. “With techno, you don’t have the same chance to move the crowd. A trance crowd is much more whistling, shouting. That is more me, you know? Rock n’ roll, having a good time.”

These cheeky comments were all solicited from Marcus a mere matter of hours before he was due to hit the stage to play at the massive Trance Energy in Holland. For him, it was something worth getting excited about. “Trance Energy is always something special as you’ve got so many different nationalities coming. You’ve got France, Sweden, Slovakia, Russia. It’s just a big party mixed with many different nationalities who like the same kind of music… Back in Sweden there’s about three buses going just for this party. For me it’s nice to see how such a big scene can become so compact and small, gathered in one hall.”

And of course, he’s part of the extremely impressive lineup that’ll be making its way to Australia for the debut of Trance Energy in Australia over Easter. What’s he expecting? “Loads of beer, of course,” he laughs. “Honestly, I expect it to be like Europe. Seriously, there’s no big difference wherever you’re go with the trance scene. People rave the same everywhere. But this time, the lineup they’ve chosen is full of really, really good talent. I’m just excited to see that such strong names are coming, and given the chance to show what they can do.”

Marcus Schossow tours Australia with Trance Energy in April:

Thu 9 Apr – Sydney, Hordern Pavilion & Surrounds
Fri 10 Apr – Melbourne, Calder Park Thunderdome
Sat 11 Apr – Brisbane, The Met
Sun 12 Apr – Perth, Belvoir Amphitheatre

Keep your eyes glued to ITM’s Festival Page latest Trance Energy coverage as the tour draws near! And check out Marcus’s special message to his Australian fans below…