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 It was his stellar, supple 2005 mix for the highly respected Fuse presents… series that brought Dutch techno producer Joris Voorn to my attention. The quicksilver mixing, witty edits and sharp tune selection lifted it well above the ordinary. Fuse was merely the latest in a long string of accomplishments that stretches back to the beginning of his DJ career in 1997. A trained designer, Voorn turned his creativity to music, beginning his production career with the highly praised Muted Pts. 1&2 in 2002/3. Since then he's released a string of classic releases exploring his love for melodic techno, culminating in two LPs: 2004's Future History and the brand new album (on his Green imprint) From A Deep Place.

To mark the release of From A Deep Place – a 19-track excursion through deep, luscious electronic sounds – we tracked Joris down for a bit of to-ing and fro-ing about his new album, DJing for Disney characters, and the meal he uses to impress the ladies…  

Hello, and where in the world right now?
"I'm at home in my studio in Rotterdam, taking things easy after a tiring weekend."

Who or what got you into music? Were you a clubber or a vinyl geek?
"I've been a music lover all my life and played some instruments when I was young. Later on got into electronic music, and wanted to take part in it myself. I've never been that much of a vinyl geek though. My most expensive record was Carl Craig's Drum Sick remix of Dave Angel's Airborne, which I had to buy second hand for 30 euros."

Your productions have been successful from the beginning – do you feel lucky? How did you manage to tap a nerve right away?
"When I started releasing music there was a niche for my melodic tracks in between the hard, faceless techno that was dominating the underground. I also had support from some important DJs. Back then there weren't as many people making music, so it was easier to get noticed. Nowadays it's not as easy to make a name for yourself, so I was lucky to be there at the right time."   

What were you trying to accomplish on From A Deep Place?
"I wanted to build a colourful album with a strong melodic appeal. I was inspired by electronic albums from the 90s by people like Luke Slater, Black Dog, Carl Craig and Leftfield. I hear a lot of new electronic albums where all the tracks start with a 4/4 beat and six minutes later finish the same way. I wanted to avoid this. "

What's your favourite track and why?
"I would say [airy, nuanced electronica cut] Lucid Dreams. I would like to make an album with only kind of track…"

What does the title mean? What's your "deep place"?
"It's from David Lynch quote: "making it real from a deep place ". In an interview he explains true art comes from deep within. It sounds somewhat fluffy, but it's an interesting thought. I haven't made this album with a commercial intention but solely from an artistic point of view."

You have an extensive tour coming up – where are you most looking forward to?
"I'll be playing many new places, including Ibiza. Unfortunately I had to cancel last year because of health reasons, but this year I'll be there for sure! Not new, but just as great, is playing WIRE in Japan. Are they my favourite crowd? Yes!!"

Love the cover art on the album – did you do it?
"I  always work with my favourite graphic designer, Paul Swagerman. We're friends and have done most of my record designs together. I'm very happy to have someone like Paul, since the physical and visual presentation of my work is very important to me." 

On your MySpace someone said the album is "the best I've ever listened to". How does that make you feel?
"I'm very happy. There're some funny reviews, but it's important to get messages from the people who listen to the music for their own pleasure and not as part of their work." 

What's the best album you've ever listened to?
"I really love Haunted Dancehall from the Sabres of Paradise which is absolutely stunning! There's also Spanners by Black Dog, or Lifeforms by Future Sound Of London."

Are there any albums in your collection that would surprise people?
"They're all in closed boxes on the top shelf of my storage room. Guitar stuff from the early 90s like Weezer, Supergrass, Jeff Buckley and Frank Black."

"I believe in myself, when I'm on stage and even when the audience is funny I can accept the fact that it's not necessarily because of me."

Your Fuse compilation was a favourite of mine – how is a compilation different from an artist album for you? Do you work quickly, or deliberately?
"I'm deliberate when it's big releases like a mix CD or artist album. I'm a perfectionist – which works as much for as against me – so projects tend to be very time consuming. For a compilation you want to bring something special to the people, so it's a search for the combination of special tracks plus more familiar tracks. I don't mind spending time to get a great result." 

Who's your all time favourite techno DJ?
"Derrick May on one hand, Richie Hawtin on the other. They're somewhat opposite these days, but both have been spinning truly amazing sets."

You've said when you play live and the audience is "funny" you get insecure – how do you cope with stage fright?
"I'm pretty much stage fright free at the moment. Last weekend I did my first laptop live set in front of a few thousand people and no stage fright at all. I've come to a point where I believe in myself when I'm on stage and even when an audience is funny I can accept the fact that it's not necessarily because of me."

What's on your rider?
"Not much, I keep things quite easy for promoters. However, I've planned to put a bottle of champagne on there for a while now. Problem is not every gig is a 'champagne' gig…"

How much money would someone have to offer you to play Disneyland?
"There's not many legitimate things I won't do for a big bag of money, so playing for a bunch of kids, parents and students dressed up as Disney characters wouldn't be a problem for me." 

You've mentioned you like cooking – what's your speciality?
"Now we're talking! Last Christmas I impressed my girlfriend with an exotic goat cheese salad, but that was made without a recipe, so I'm not sure I can still call it my speciality..."

What's your favourite guilty pleasure?
"They say one glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away. I like to drink two sometimes…"