Even if you don’t know Finnish producer Darude’s name, you know “Sandstorm”—the driving techno hit was a huge hit as soon as it was released in 1999, and has spawned meme after meme on the internet since. In an interview with UKF, he said he didn’t mind the ubiquity: “I’m still happy that people are talking about the track. Any publicity is good publicity,” he says. He still plays special remixes of “Sandstorm” at every single gig. “It got me going so I’ll always represent it. People still go nuts to it after all these years, so I’ll never get fed up [with] it!”

And even after 15 years of deejaying, Darude, who describes his music as “energetic, catchy, emotional dance floor-aimed electronic dance music,” is still on the go. Just this year, he’s already played Miami’s Groove Cruise, Australia’s Future Music Festival, and is prepping the release of his upcoming studio album with the single “Beautiful Alien.” The trance anthem features vocals of AI AM and went directly to No. 1 in the iTunes chart in his native Finland.

Hometown: Hinnerjoki, Finland

Current residence: Turku, Finland

When did you realize you wanted to DJ?

I started DJing officially in 2004, after touring as a live electronic act from late 1999 up until then. DJing came naturally at that point, out of necessity basically. Several of the biggest and best clubs in the US and some other countries simply didn't book live acts anymore. They didn't have stages and didn't want to be bothered with arranging equipment and paying for the extra people, so I decided to give Djing a go. I fell in love with it very quickly and haven't looked back since. I'm happy to do special live performances here and there too, but being able to pick and play any and all the tracks in the world as opposed to only your own productions makes the actual sets and the approach as a performer somewhat different. Both are great, just different.

What do you like better, DJing or producing?

I like them both 100 percent. I started as a producer, so that's my first love, but as a DJ I get the best of both worlds as I get to test out my stuff on the best critics—the dancing crowds!

Did you ever play other instruments before producing dance music?

I listened to radio a lot and recorded everything that was remotely like dance music, but I also listened to rock, heavy metal and punk. I played keyboards a bit, but (unfortunately) never studied any instruments for real.

You've been DJing for a long time. How has the scene and the music changed for you?

Nothing's changed, and at the same time, everything has. People still like music and go crazy, they let loose, I guess that'll never change. The one thing that I'm not too fond of is that there seems to be so much more negative tones around now, like “my genre is better than yours”, “drug this, drug that”, artists waging wars on social media and so on.

I'm not saying it was so much better back in the day”, but when I started listening to “that techno stuff”, it was all good under one big umbrella.  There were parties with several different types of music and people were all just happy, even if they didn't like the sound that was going on at the other stage. I think the internet has had a huge effect on the dance music world, as well as the whole world of course, in both a good and bad way.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

My standard reply here is: Madonna. I'd be happy to write a track with her as well as officially remix anything she releases.

Who are you listening to right now for inspiration?

I listen to loads of tracks every month when I’m going through promos, so that makes up the majority of music listening I do. Outside of that I'm a very good passive radio listener. A lot of the time I relax with the wife, we watch TV or movies, as there's so much music in our professional lives already.

What do you do for fun?

I've got a wife and a 6 year old son, so my free time is mostly spent with the family. I play ice hockey as often as I can and of course I like to see my friends, too.

Why is your single called "Beautiful Alien”? What inspired it?

The lyrics are written by the vocalist AI AM and Jacob Ubizz, both Danish, who came up with the concept of everyone not needing to be the same.

We're all individuals with our own likes and dislikes and wants and needs, we're not all from the same mold, and we don't have to be.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I'm looking forward to a rare weekend off, staying home, firing up the grill, smoking some meat and sausages, and enjoying some chill time with my family and friends.