Darude found dance music while he was still in school. He practically gave himself carpal tunnel syndrome by constantly holding his finger on the pause button of a tape deck trying to catch the latest tunes on his favorite radio show. Darude says his "education" and broad taste in music dates back to those active radio-listening years. He says he gets inspired by other people's great music among other things and I think it's fair to say that he's probably inspired a fair share of aspiring djs and electronic musicians himself, too.
It actually took quite a long time for him to realize that he could one day make music of his own. After a friend showed him what could be done with a regular PC and a simple tracker program his studies started going downhill and time spent next to the computer increasing exponentially. He soon moved on to sound modules and samplers in need of better sounds and more variety. These days he's combining the best of both hardware and software tools in making music and performing live. He's considered somewhat of a tech freak wanting to try out the new stuff as soon as he gets his hands on them.