Markus Schulz has never been one to keep his fans waiting. The producer’s slate is always full – when he’s not helming a mix-CD, he’s at work on a new album. 2011 heralded a new long-player under the Dakota alias, and the next will be under his own name. In the moments between, he’s usually spreading the word on the next big record from his Coldharbour Recordings stable.

The last time we saw Schulz in these parts was winter 2010, and he’ll be back this New Year’s period. We tracked down the trance gun to hear about his fierce work rate and why he’ll be avoiding the obvious anthems this summer.

Where in the world have we found you?
I’m in Miami, I’ve had a few days off from the road which has allowed me some time to get in the studio and replenish my DJ box with some new productions. I’ll tell you what, at the end of the summer I think pretty much every DJ is so tired of their playlist that you just want to throw the whole thing out the window and start fresh.

In the summer, it’s just brutal. Sometimes you’re doing two or three gigs in 24 hours. It’s difficult with that kind of pace to keep adding new music because life is too fast. At the moment I’m ready to throw the whole CD case out and start over.

Did you predict this fervour for dance music in the US at the moment?
To be honest with you, no. The way the culture has been dominated here in the United States by rock ‘n roll and hip hop, never in my wildest dreams did I expect dance music to blow up like it has. I’m so proud. It took a new generation of kids to come up and make this happen.

When I look out at the audience, you just see it. It’s these young, new people in the scene with so much passion and energy. With David Guetta all over MTV, it brings people in, and once people get sucked in, they start getting into the different layers.

So is there any noticeable difference going from European festivals to the US?
For the most part, it’s very similar. When you get a big build-up then “boom”, everyone will jump out of their skin. I’m quite impressed with that, because the scene is international. I can play a track on my radio show tomorrow then go to Australia next week and people are singing the lyrics or humming the melodies or requesting the track.