Ferry Corsten has never been the type to expect good fortune to come his way. All his achievements – from albums to tours to radio shows – have come as the result of steady work. You’d be hard-pressed to find a vein of cynicism or weariness in the Dutchman, either. When inthemix bailed him up for an impromptu chat directly after his set at Creamfields last year, his response was a composed “No problem”. It’s a quality he shares with his compatriot and occasional studio partner Armin Van Buuren – enthusiasm at all times.

Of all the things Corsten has to be enthused about, at the top of his mind is new music. After delivering the Once Upon A Night mix compilation last March, he followed it up just six months later with Volume Two. He clearly feels trance is firing at the moment. “After releasing volume one in March we got a lot of good music in at the label,” he told inthemix in the early days of 2011. “Then in February we’ll be releasing Once Upon A Night: The Lost Tapes . This bundle will have a lot of new and unreleased mixes of tracks that featured on the first two volumes.”

Corsten’s only inclusion on Once Upon A Night: Volume Two is under his Pulse alias, ensuring this is very much a DJ mix, not a studio showcase. Given his reputation as perhaps the most consistent producer in trance, you might wonder why he hasn’t played more of his own cards. It turns out he’s saving them for his next artist album. “I have some demos ready now which we are currently looking at,” he says of the follow-up to Twice In A Blue Moon. “We’ll be sending some around to people I would like work with. Not one track is completely ready actually. They’re all in demo phase, but playable to test on dancefloors.”

Corsten certainly set the bar high for himself on Twice In A Blue Moon. Trance albums are an erratic breed, but here was one that cohered. “While 2006’s L.E.F. was a rebel yell against the worrying ‘preset’ trend, this album is a return to pure trance from Corsten,” our reviewer wrote. “Reaching the heights of his seminal debut, Twice In A Blue Moon heralds the return of the king.” On the topic of whether the next album project will stay true to trance or deviate in a new direction, the man is giving nothing away – possibly because he’s not entirely sure yet.

While the influence of electro was clear on L.E.F., in 2011 the reverse is happening, with big-room house DJs like Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke not afraid of a trancey breakdown. “They are making the sound more mainstream and that’s good for all of us electronic dance music DJs,” says Corsten with signature diplomacy. “And there must come a day when people will wonder where all those great synths breaks come from!”