My Music: Jurgen Vries

DJ Jurgen Vries - Darren to his mum

Dance music supremo Jurgen Vries is a well-known name in the world of DJing and has made an impact on the charts.

He soared to number three earlier this year with trance anthem The Opera Song - with vocals by teenage soprano Charlotte Church.

But Vries - real name Darren Tate - hails from London, and is making another bid for chart success with new tune Wilderness.

He told BBC News Online about his musical preferences - and why he decided to call himself Jurgen Vries.

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Which album did you most recently buy and why?

Ennio Morricone - Once Upon A Time In America. It consists of some of the most stunning film music written this century.

Which song from the past twelve months do you think is likely to gain classic status?

Coldplay's Clocks. In my opinion their finest to date - powerful, uplifting and catchy.

Which song by another artist do you wish you'd written or remixed?

Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, which is simply the most beautiful piece of music ever. I would certainly have liked to have written Massive Attack's Unfinished Symphony.

What was it like working with Charlotte Church?

Charlotte is, despite her youthful age, a professional performer, and she was perfectly pleasant to work with. It's quite bizarre when you're working with an artist who only a few days ago was hanging out with Robert DeNiro and the next second is in your studio.

Which other artists on the current dance scene do you have the most respect for?

Vries helped to launch Charlotte Church's pop career

Any that are still making their mark. Royksopp, Norman Cook, Underworld... there are so many I don't know where to begin!

What made you decide to use the name Jurgen Vries?

To be honest it wasn't my idea. The label (Sony) wanted to make the record appear it came into the country as a European import (it creates a bit more mysticism apparently). The name was assembled from two Sony employees, Jurgen Post and Michelle De Vries.

What do you think of the UK music scene? Is it one of the best in the world?

I think there's a huge amount of talent in the UK, but the industry doesn't do enough to bring it to the surface. Manufactured pop stars should not be the sole focus of the British music industry, but it so often is. There is far too much emphasis on singles sales and not enough on album artists, which the media loves to feed on and then spit out to the lowest common denominator.