When you hear the name Darude (also known as Ville Virtanen from Finland) you probably think of one of the most successful and popular dance music songs in the modern era. His name has become a name synonymous with driving beats coupled with
passionate and energetic DJ sets which can be summed up in one word, PARTY!

We’ve been fortunate enough to have Ville on several Groove Cruise’s in the past, and Miami 2013 will be no exception. His uplifting and euphoric sounds are contagious, and he is a true pioneer within the ‘EDM’ community of which will all reside.

This week, we caught up with Darude for Walk the Plank Wednesday. Check out the full excerpt of the interview below.

Have you ever been on a cruise before?

Yes, several between Finland and Sweden and Finland and Estonia, and I’ve been to the mother of all cruises,  the Groove Cruise!

Besides the Groove Cruise, what’s the most memorable party you’ve ever attended?

Uuuuh, a simple question… Sooo many great ones that I couldn’t possibly pick just one! But this one WAS amazing: MTV Ibiza 2000 event. It was my first time in Ibiza and I got to both attend that 12000 people party, listen to Underworld, Armand van Helden and Paul van Dyk for instance and then perform on that huge stage to that crazy crowd!

What comes to mind when you think of a ‘Groove Cruise’?

Beautiful people, amazing music, relaxed vibe, fun fun fun!

What’s your ‘Go-To’ track that we’ll find in all of your sets?

I’ve been playing different versions of ‘Sandstorm’ mashing it up for instance with a great Prodigy track ‘Thunder’. One track that I’ve spun a lot this year is ‘Tom Fall – iRok’.

What’s on your rider?

Some beers, booze, mixers, water, towels, but those things really are secondary, first comes the gear and when that side is in order, everything’s good!

What are you packing for The Groove Cruise? Any special packing tricks we should be aware of? Anything you NEVER leave home without?

A pair of undies a day, no need for socks, just flipflops, shorts, a couple of t-shirts. And a silly costume for the last party on Sunday! I never leave home without my phone, but on the cruise you won’t need a phone, other than snapping sexy pictures

What’s been your worst travel nightmare so far? Worst airline?

My worst travel nightmare was during a US tour back in the day being on the road for over two weeks before my luggage finally caught me after being left behind at JFK upon entry. Based on the amount of mold it was also dunked in a dirty pool of water at some point, to which 3 days in 100+ Fahrenheit storage room at Las Vegas airport didn’t really do any good. Got $125 for a dozen t-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, undies etc + some cables, chargers etc. A joke.

Window or Aisle?

Aisle.

Where’s your favorite place to travel in the world? Favorite hotel you’ve stayed in? 

I love going back to Finland. I’ve lived in USA for almost 5 years now, so the trip back home is always exciting! One of my fave hotels is the Clift in San Francisco.

What do you do when stuck on a plane all day? Any go-to movies?

If I’m not passed-out and drooling, I catch up with emails and go thru my to do list, plan my next moves and often I make music, too. And sure, sometimes I do watch movies, but I usually end up irritated because of horrible sound quality, the small screen or not seeing the whole movie for whatever reason.

What artist would you LOVE to collaborate with in the near future? Why?

Standard answer: Madonna. Enough said!

If you weren’t a DJ, what would you be doing RIGHT NOW?

I’d probably be happily fixing Apple computers or installing networks like I used to before my music career took off.

What’s something weird that most of your fans probably don’t know about you? Any pet peeves or superstitions? 

”Are you going to be playing “this house music” all night?” “Give a shout-out to our group, NOW, we paid 2k for our table!” People who feel entitled, especially because they have money for whatever reason, are ridiculous.

If you produced a track with a nautical theme, what would you call it and why?

‘Loveboat’, for obvious reasons Loved the original theme song, so whether taking influences from it, or just borrowing the name, that’d make the most sense.

Thank you so much for your time this week, Ville. As you know we are big fans of yours and can’t wait to see you in Miami soon! You can tweet Ville about this interview using #WTPW @Darudevil and let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @GrooveCruise!

We’ll see you all back here next week for another installment of WTPW.

- Groove Cruise Fam