The man that brings us the best in trance and progressive music week after week on his Global DJ Broadcast radio show has had quite an exciting year and it has only just begun. He has been playing here, there, and everywhere and now he it chatting it up with us at 365Mag to let us know what he has been getting into.

The release of his latest compilation Las Vegas '10 has fans wondering which cities the series will focus on next but it seems Markus Schulz isn't budging on that info as of yet but let's see what other interesting info we managed to spill out of him hehe…

How has this year kicked off for you so far?

It's kicked off in very hectic fashion - I did 17 gigs in January alone and I don't think Feb isn't going to be any quieter. But that's a good thing! I've had a couple of really exciting Global DJ Broadcast World Tour dates already, including the massive Together As One in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve. It was the first time I've been back there since 2005 and they always put on a colossal event. Suffice to say it didn't disappoint! We also did Sao Paulo in Brazil for February; guys, if you've not been there, let me tell you: that country has a type of electricity all of its own!

Describe some of your best moments in 2009…

Production-wise I think that largely comes back to Dakota. It's been pretty incredible to see how the fan base embraced `Thoughts Become Things' and actually expanded it further.

In terms of gigs, well aside from Ibiza there have been lots of special places in their own way, but Las Vegas, I feel, has turned into something really special. I don't think it's overreaching to say that it's become a new US clubbing Mecca. Nights like Rain at Fabulous and Moon at the Palms clearly draws clubbers from farther and farther afield every time I play there. If you're serious about clubbing it's soon going to become a place you have to say you've tried!

What is the first thought that pop's into your mind when you walk into a new venue to perform?

As soon as I hear that bass kick I get the butterflies and you can just feel that sense of anticipation in the room and you just know right away it's going to be a magical night.

You share a special connection with Miami, what are some of your plans for this year's WMC on and off the decks?

I do indeed have that connection - I've lived here for over 10 years now. On the decks, well I'm doing a WMC warm up gig at Dream on the 22nd and then I'm going to be playing the Spin Artist Agency showcase at Nocturnal on the 26th alongside Cosmic Gate, Menno de Jong, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Sied van Riel and a fair few others. That all leads up to the big finale - the Ultra Music Festival on the 27th. It's a nice spread I think; some slightly more intimate gigs before the big festival finisher! Off the decks, well I'm going to be sitting on the WMC's Remix Panel on the 24th and the minute that finishes it a dash over to the Sirius/XM WMC broadcast for an interview and mix.

While on any of your tour dates in Vegas, did you engage in any gambling? Were you a big winner?

Ha! I did actually… But it wasn't on the slots or on the tables. When I was there playing the Palms the other weekend I had a super-hot tip on the Super Bowl from my wife. Turned out she was right on the money!

In recent years, do you feel that the suffering economy in the US has affected your bookings in any way?

It's a funny thing - I've ended up in conversations about this with a number of other DJs in airport terminals, on flights and at after-parties… With the exception of a couple of countries at the start of last year they pretty much all seem to say the same thing… it just hasn't! The reason for that though is for people far more in tune with the socioeconomic factors to 'speculate' on! I just concentrate on arriving at nightclubs, playing music and sending people away with smiles on their faces!

What is the strangest request you have received from a clubber while DJing?

My answer to this wouldn't be repeatable on a family-orientated website like 365mag (joking!), though I'd point out that it did get turned down in an appropriate manner! When I was playing the Ministry last month I did see something fairly strange, that I'd not come across before: a young lady in the middle of the dance floor who was periodically sheltering herself under a large umbrella - that was hard to miss! The Ministry photographer, (who's been there every weekend for a long time now) said he'd never seen it before either. A new clubbing phenomenon in the making maybe!?

After Las Vegas '10 can you tell us which other cities you have in mind for future compilations?

You know what if you'd asked me this by the middle of last year I would probably have told you it'd be Las Vegas in 2010. That city was a shoo-in. For '11 though I've got a shortlist of between 3 and 4 cities I'm thinking about. There's also an element that I want to see how the year goes and find that event or gig that really stands out and represents the whole year for me. When you've not made you mind up though it's unfair to start mentioning places so I'm going to keep my lips sealed at the moment.

What is your favorite piece of equipment or technology, and why?

It's a tough question to answer down to a single piece. In the studio I use Ableton, Logic and Pro-Tools. I think it's important to use all the tools available to make your music, but those three are indispensible. In Logic I love all the synths and plug-ins in there. Ableton is incredible for making loops and making and those glitchy cool effects and of course the sound engine in Pro-Tools is amazing - I really like to mix everything down using that system.

Do you have any other comments for the readers of 365Mag?

Just many thanks for having me, I hope you have as much fun listening to the Las Vegas '10 as I had putting it together and I hope to see you all out there somewhere in the near future!