Trance had become a dirty word. Thanks to Ian Van Dahl, Lasgo, Flip 'N' Fill and DJ Sammy, a generation of kids has grown up thinking trance is the shittiest music since country and western.

I have my own charity organization in Berlin called Ruckenwind, which supports kids from - ya - not ideal backgrounds.

DJs should not be just pressing play with a USB stick, or getting wasted and throwing cake. I don't think [stunts like throwing cake] have anything to do with connecting with your audience. To me, it has no substantial creative value - it's just a waste of food.

I don't need to play Beatport Top 10 to get the crowd going

I always say, "If you see something is wrong in your neighborhood, go ahead and change it. Don't wait for somebody else to do it." This is pretty much what I do.

The good thing, really, is that electronic music started as a fringe subculture, and now it's the biggest youth culture in the world. People pretty much everywhere go crazy for electronic music.

I wouldn't call myself a leader. I don't want to lead people, I want to tempt them, I want to create a new world for them, just for that very small moment, when they are losing themselves in my music. I want to inspire them