Armin van Buuren with his wife Armin van Buuren: personal life, wife, children, family
Armin van Buuren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrmɪn vɑn ˈbuːrə(n)]; born December 25, 1976) - Dutch music producer and DJ. He has won numerous awards including being number one on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs list a record 5 times: four consecutive years in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and again in 2012. this moment he is ranked third on DJ Magazine's 2014 Fans' Top 100 DJs. In 2013, he was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Dance Recording category for "This Is What It Feels Like" , making him the 4th trance artist to ever receive a Grammy nomination along with Tiesto, Paul van Dyk and BT. Van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance since 2001, reaching 30,000,000 weekly listeners worldwide. This radio show propelled him to superstardom and helped garner a worldwide trance fan base. His studio album 2008's Imagine entered the Dutch album chart at number one for the first time for a dance artist in Dutch history.
Personal life
Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, the Netherlands on December 25, 1976, but grew up in the village of Koudekerk aan den Rijn. Van Buuren started making music at the age of 14. He was inspired by French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre. He graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995 and studied law at Leiden University. He began DJing at the Next Club, playing a variety of sets throughout the week, many of which lasted six hours or more. Because it musical career began to take off, he shelved law, although he later returned to graduate from university in 2003.
On September 18, 2009, Van Buuren married Erika van Thiel, whom he dated for nine years. Their daughter Fenna was born in July 2011 and their son Remy in July 2013.
In 2013 Van Buuren was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his contributions to music. Van Buuren revealed that just hours before, he had performed on the main stage of Tomorrowland (Saturday, July 27, 2013) while his wife was giving birth to their son.
1995-1999: Early career and success
In 1995, Van Buuren had his first big hit with a track called "Blue Fear" which was released on Cyber Records; when he was 19 years old. This track, which was made in the euro-trance genre, hit the UK charts. Another successful track "Communication" was released under the same label and became popular in Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 1999. After signing with AM PM Records, it entered the UK chart at number 18 in 2000.
Van Buuren began his DJing career at the Nexus nightclub in Leiden, where he learned to play long DJ sets lasting six to seven hours at a time. During the holidays, he played more than four times a week. In 1999 he met Dave Lewis, who was a DJ in England and the USA. His career took off when he entered DJ Magazine's Top 100 in November 2001 at number 27. He has played in over 25 countries and most often on the main stages of major summer festivals. Van Buuren played a record-breaking twelve and a half hour set at the Dancetheater in The Hague, the Netherlands. In the UK, he performed regularly at Passion (2002 residency), Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Slinky, Ministry of Sound, Peach and Golden.
In early 1999, Van Buuren opened his own label, Armind, with United Recordings. His first release "One" under the pseudonym Gig was well received. Before the record label could make a second release of "Touch Me", the Ministry of Sound club signed a contract to perform in the UK under the name "Rising Star" (Russian Rising Star).
By that time, the third release "Free" (Russian: Svoboda) under the pseudonym Gimmick was released on the R&S Records label, his label was popular. Under the pseudonym Gaia, he released "4 Elements" on Captivating Sounds, a Warner Brothers label. As a result of the merger with Tiësto, two new projects were born: Major League - "Wonder Where You Are?" (rus. I wonder where are you?) was released on Black Hole Recordings and Alibi - "Eternity" (rus. Eternity) was released on Armind. "Eternity" was a club and chart success and was also released on Paul van Dyk's label Vandit Records. Another important collaboration followed. With Ferry Corsten, Van Buuren recorded a riff called "Exhale" for the System F album, which was released as a single. This track was certified Gold in less than a month.
2000–2004: A State of Trance and 76
In 2000, Van Buuren launched his own compilation series. He found a balance between progressive house and vocal trance. His first compilation, A State of Trance (not to be confused with his weekly radio show A State of Trance), sold 10,000 copies and included a Van Buuren remix of Moogwai called "Viola". His second album Basic Instinct came out with a new track: "Perpetuous Dreamer" - "The Sound of Goodbye". This track entered the Dutch charts in June 2001 at number 26. Later that year, the track became a No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. A third album, In Motion, was released on August 6, 2001. A fourth album, Transparence, was released in 2002. In 2003, he worked with DJ Seth Alan Fannin for the entire Dance Revolution World Tour in Europe; 20,000 people attended in the Netherlands.
In March 2001 Van Buuren launched his radio show on ID&T (usually broadcast in the Netherlands and later in England under the name ASOT 183). In this weekly two-hour show called A State of Trance, he played popular trance tracks. The show became popular due to the fact that artists came to him, whose names and their tracks he posted on his website. When ID&T radio changed direction in 2004, Van Buuren left and took A State of Trance with him. The show moved to Fresh FM and later to SLAM!FM, two Dutch radio stations. It now operates weekly on Radio 538, another Dutch radio station, DI.FM, an online radio station, XM Satellite Radio and Channel 80 in the US and Canada. In Russia, the show takes place on Radio NRJ weekly every Friday from 23:00 to 01:00 Moscow time. Full list stations playing A State of Trance can be found in the ASOT section of Armin's website. Also in 2004, Van Buuren remade the theme song for 24 into a trance hit. In June 2005, the 200th episode was celebrated in Amsterdam and later released to radio. The 250th (eight hour) anniversary episode was celebrated at the Asta Club in The Hague, The Netherlands with Van Buuren, Jonas Steur, M.I.K.E., John Askew, Rank 1 and Menno de Jong.
In 2002 he moved to Glow, Washington DC and played across North America: San Francisco, Vancouver, Houston, Toronto, Boston, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Montreal, Detroit, Edmonton, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Seattle and The Necto nightclub. He appeared regularly at Amnesia in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. In October of that year, Van Buuren was ranked fifth on DJ Mag's "Fans Choice Top 100 DJs" list.
In June 2003, Van Buuren celebrated the 100th episode of A State of Trance at Bloomingdale, Bloemendaal aan Zee, The Netherlands and released his debut album 76, a 76-minute album divided into 13 tracks. In the same year, he was placed third on DJ Mag's "Fans' Top 100 DJs" list and stayed there for two years in a row (2004, 2005).
2005–2009: Shivers and Imagine
On June 2, 2005, he celebrated the 200th episode of A State of Trance at Museuplein, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. On August 8, 2005, Van Buuren released his second studio album, Shivers. Van Buuren worked with Pakistani-American singer Nadia Ali, English singer Justina Suissa and American trance duo Gabriel & Dresden to create the album.
On May 25, 2006 he celebrated with various artists the 250th episode of A State of Trance at Asta, The Hague, The Netherlands. He was ranked #2 on DJ Mag's 2006 Fans' Top 100 DJs list. On May 17, 2007 he celebrated with various artists the 300th episode of A State of Trance at "Pettelaarse Schans", 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.
As a result, Armin reached number one in 2007 on DJ Mag's "Fans Choice Top 100 DJs" list.
On January 12, 2008, Van Buuren received the "Buma Cultuur Pop Award," the most prestigious award in the Netherlands. On April 17, 2008, Van Buuren released his third studio album, Imagine. Artists such as Krezip's Jacqueline Goveirth took part in its creation. The album debuted at number one on the Dutch Albums Chart. The second single, "In and Out of Love", featuring Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation, was shot with a music video that has been viewed over 140 million times on YouTube.
After the release of Imagine, Van Buuren began working with Benno De Goe and DJ-RA of Rank 1 on solo recordings and remixes. On May 1, 2008, he celebrated with various artists the 350th A State of Trance at Noxx, Antwerp, Belgium. He was also voted number one in DJ Mag's 2008 Fan Choice Top 100 DJs list.
He collaborated with his brother Eller van Buuren on Together As One in Los Angeles, USA on New Year's Eve 2009, as well as on the 2008 album Imagine. Their performance on Together As One was a very long performance on the Armin Only: Imagine world tour.
To mark the 400th episode of A State of Trance, he performed three shows with various artists. Venues: Butan Club, Wuppertal, Germany April 16, 2009, night club AIR, Birmingham, UK on 17 April and Maassilo, Rotterdam, the Netherlands on 18 April.
Also in 2009, Foreign Media Games announced the release of Armin van Buuren: In the Mix, musical game, which was created in collaboration with Cloud 9 Music and Armin's label Armada. Its release was scheduled for 2010 exclusively for the Wii console.
He was voted first in DJ Mag's 2009 Fan Choice Top 100 DJs list for the third year in a row.
2010–present: Mirage and Intense
March 3, 2010 Van Buuren was awarded the Golden Harp for his musical work and a valuable contribution to Dutch music on behalf of BUMA/STEMRA at the 2010 Buma Harpen Gala in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
To mark the 450th episode of A State of Trance, he performed with various artists at five shows in two countries. Venues: The Guvernment Nightclub, Toronto, Canada on April 1, 2010, Roseland Ballroom, New York, USA on April 2 and 3, Expo Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia on April 9 and Centennial Hall, Wroclaw, Poland on April 24.
On June 23, 2010, it was announced that Van Buuren's fourth studio album Mirage would be released on September 10. The first single "Full Focus" was released through the iTunes Store on June 24 at midnight. The song peaked at number sixty in the Netherlands. On one of the tracks from the album called Not Giving Up On Love, she took part English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, which was released as a single from Bextor's fourth album Make a Scene. Armin also wrote a song for the English singer Sil, but due to the fact that his album was supposed to be released greatest hits Hits, the collaboration never took place.
On September 12, 2010, Van Buuren launched "A State of Sundays", a new weekly 24-hour show airing on Sirius XM Radio.
On October 20, 2010, Van Buuren won the Most Popular International DJ award at The Golden Gnomes.
The 2010 Armin Only: Mirage tour began on November 13, 2010 in Utrecht and continued in St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Beirut, Poznan, Moscow and Bratislava.
To mark the 10th anniversary and 500th episode of his weekly radio show A State of Trance, Van Buuren performed at five shows on five continents for five consecutive weeks with various artists. The first show took place on March 19, 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa at MTN Expo Centre. The Miami show was part of the Ultra Music Festival on March 27th. The third ASOT 500 celebration was celebrated at G.E.B.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina. The most significant performance took place at the exhibition center in the province of Brabant in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. With the participation of more than 30 DJs from around the world, 30,000 people came to the event. The event was shown in live in 30 countries. The final show was held in Sydney, Australia on April 16 at the Acer Arena.
On 30 April 2011 Van Buuren was appointed an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau for the promotion of Dutch dance music and the Dutch music economy. He received his insignia (badge and ribbon) from the mayor of Leiden. That same year, he was voted number two on DJ Mag's "Fans' Top 100 DJs" list.
To mark the 550th episode of A State of Trance, he performed with various artists on 2 different continents for 4 weeks. The show was titled A State of Trance 550: Invasion. The first event was celebrated at the Ministry of Sound in London on March 1, 2012. On March 7, the second event was held at the Expocentre, Moscow. The people of Kiev were able to see the show at the International Exhibition Center" 10th of March. March 17 as part of the Beyond Wonderland festival in Los Angeles and March 25 at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. On March 31, ASOT 550's biggest final show was held in Brabant's-'s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
On October 19, 2012, Van Buuren announced a 5-year uninterrupted number one spot on DJ Mag's World Fans' Top 100 DJ List.
To mark the 600th episode of A State of Trance, Van Buuren announced that he will be performing with various artists around the world. The show was titled A State of Trance 600: The Expedition. It was the most significant event. The venues and dates were: Madrid 14 February 2013, Mexico City 16 February, Sao Paulo 1 March, Minsk 7 March, Sofia 8 March, Beirut 9 March, Kuala Lumpur 15 March, Mumbai 16 March, Miami 24 March, Guatemala 27 March, New York on March 30 and 's-Hertogenbosch on April 6, 2013.
On March 2, 2013, Van Buuren announced the release of his fifth album Intense on May 3, 2013. The first single from the album, "This Is What It Feels Like", featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Trevor Guthrie, was released on April 5. The single was successful and made him the 4th trance artist to ever receive a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance Recording category. The Armin Only: Intense tour was scheduled for October 17, 2013.
On April 30, 2013, Queen Beatrix abdicated in favor of her son King Willem-Alexander, who was crowned the same day. Van Buuren was the headliner for an audience performance during the King's coronation celebrations in Amsterdam. While he was performing live with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their three daughters made an unscheduled visit to the stage.
On October 19, 2013, Van Buuren was ranked #2 on DJ Mag's "Fans Choice Top 100 DJs" list.
December 25, 76 small town Leiden in Holland was born Armin Van Buuren. In his youth, Armin listened to Liebrand, as well as Jean-Michel Jarre, which was very popular at that time.
Armin loves to watch TV, spending days and nights playing Nintendo 64 in front of it. Young Armin does not miss the opportunity to play football, and at an older age, Armin loves to drive a car. One could say that Armin is an ordinary boy... However, this would be true, except for his phenomenal musical output.
He released his first release at only eighteen years old, and at the age of twenty he hit the UK top for the first time. musical performers with the track Blue Fear. Continuing the conversation about his achievements in his youth, it must be said that at the age of twenty-two, Armin created his own label. At twenty-three, he again finds himself in the UK top music artists with the track Communication. At the moment, a collection of his discs is out of circulation, and, being a producer and a DJ at the same time, Armin Van Buuren is conquering the whole world.
His musical career began at school in the early 90s. In those days, Armin was influenced by the music of the Dutch Master. He bought himself two turntables at that time, learned how to create mixes and started later create his own unique style. At the age of sixteen, Armin bought a mono sampler. Young talent did unimaginable things with him. The first track was included in the compilation at the same time. With the money that Armin received from the deal, he bought better equipment. As a consequence, the purchase of more modern equipment had an impact on the quality of the music: the first vinyl was released in the mid-nineties.
Since 1995, Armin has been producing a large number of tracks on various labels with great success. First major result was Blue Fear, which went out of circulation with the help of Cyber Records. This Euro Trance blueprint even helped him get into the UK charts. On the same label, he released Communication, which made a splash in Ibiza in the summer of the late nineties. The track peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in the new millennium. At the beginning of 99, Armin founded his own label Armind. The 1st release, Gig - One, was well received by the public. The 2nd release of 'Touch Me' under the name of Rising Star was approved by the famous Ministry Of Sound before the CD was in the hands of dance music lovers.
When the new track was signed to RandS Records, it was absolutely certain that young talent managed to put their own label on the map at the right moment. Armin released Gaia - 4 Elements and worked with DJ Tiёsto to retire two more projects. Several more foreign projects were released, which were won big success. Blackhole and Alibi also became a successful project, several tracks were released with the label of the famous DJ Paul van Dyk. Later, another project was created, which became a joint one - together with Ferry Corsten.
It is also worth noting that in 2001 Armin did not stop releasing his own collections of dance music, which became very successful. Millions of copies of his products with signatures of various record companies are bought up. After remixing the best tracks, including Wamdue Project - King Of My Castle, Gouryella - Walhalla. It is worth noting that Armin has become the most requested remixer at present.
Almost every day, Armin rejects various requests for remixes of music tracks. different performers almost every day. In the very near future, musical talent Armin plans to disengage from remixes and start paying more attention only to his own production. One of the most popular DJs in the world decided to concentrate all his efforts on tracks for the Rising Star compilation.
Armin's DJ life takes most time. In England, you can constantly see him in most popular clubs (Passion, Slinky, Peach). It can be found in all sorts of places around the planet (Tokyo, Moscow, Ibiza, Crete, etc.). Thus, Armin Van Buuren is a talent who, for his age, has done the almost impossible and continues to amaze us all with his inexhaustible talent. By 2008, one of the most popular DJs in the world, he won the hearts of all dance music lovers.
When Armin was ten years old, his mother won a computer. Soon, the smart boy mastered programs for creating music. And as soon as I started making money on my own, I bought myself two turntables and began to make remixes. At the age of 16, the guy got his own sampler. And with the help of his father's AKAI S-01 mono synthesizer, he began to take the first serious steps in creating tracks.
After making his first remix, Van Buren sends it to idol Ben Liebrand, who soon offers to give him some musical lessons. Having received useful advice from a professional, Armin becomes more determined and gets a job as a DJ in a small Nexus club in Leiden.
After graduating from school in 1995, Armin entered the Leiden University at the Faculty of Law. His first demo work gets into a dance music collection, and the DJ receives his first fee, equips a small music studio and releases a number of compositions, which soon begin to enjoy unprecedented popularity among music lovers.
Push was his first release. And the first single that brought success was the track, label Cyber Records Blue Fear, which soon hit the prestigious British chart. Soon the single Communication was released, which became a hit in the summer of 1999 in Ibiza, later also hit the British chart at number 18.
In early 1999, Armin founded his label Armind with United Recordings. And soon he released releases: One under the pseudonym Gig and Touch Me under the pseudonym Rising Star. By the time of the release of the third release Free under the pseudonym Gimmick, his label enjoyed enviable popularity.
Later he collaborates with Tiёsto, Ferry Corsten, Perpetuous Dreamer, Olav Basoski and others. In 2001, van Buuren goes on the air with his own 2-hour radio show A State Of Trance on ID&T, which is broadcast on 25 radio stations worldwide. And on his labels A State Of Trance and Armind, he releases the best compositions of musicians making music in the trance style.
Armin Van Buuren has ten music albums, many interesting compilations and colorful world tours. The Dutchman appears on the best venues world and wins prestigious awards thanks to his musical flair and talent.
Personal life
In 2009, he married Erika van Thiel, whom he met while on vacation in Crete. In 2011, Erica gave birth to a daughter, Fenna, and in 2013, a son, Remi.
Interesting Facts
#1 DJ in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 by DJ Mag
Host of his own radio show A State of Trance (ASOT), which broadcasts worldwide
One of the founders of the largest electronic music record label Armada Music
His track Rush Hour was used as the anthem of the European Youth Football Championship
Ranked No. 1 on the Dutch Albums Chart with Imagine and also No. 1 on DVD with Armin Only Imagine
In 2010, the album Imagine (2008) was certified gold in the Netherlands.
Discography
2006 - 10 Years
2009 - Imagine: The Remixes
Girls, no matter how sad it is to tell you, but the best and most enviable suitors of the planet are taken apart like hot cakes. You can see that all the princes will be married, and the white horses will be taken away. Then it will be just right to grieve and complain about the fate of the villain, which deprives us of the lawful female happiness. And all right, if only the kindergarten love Vasya Pupkin from the next entrance or the university bespectacled hobby Ivan Sidorov would marry. So no! World-class stars and dreams of all girlish hearts, such as Orlando Bloom, Javier Bardem and Brian Austin Green, voluntarily go down the aisle. And this is not the whole list of sex symbols that ringed last year. The wedding boom confidently walks the planet under the march of Mendelssohn, sweeping away everything in its path. He did not pass by the idol of all the clubbers of the planet, DJ No. 1 in the world and simply handsome blond Armin Van Buren. Although, everything here was quite expected and predictable, because a 10-year-long romance was once supposed to end with a wedding.
This amazing romance between Armin Van Buuren and his compatriot Erika Van Thiel began more than 12 years ago while relaxing in the scorching sun on the Greek island of Crete. Then Armin was just starting his musical career and actively promoted his hits in all kinds of clubs in different countries and traveled around the world as part of various fests and trance festivals. Initially, young people were connected exclusively by friendly relations, not containing even a hint of something more. Over time, then the future couple began to understand that you still can’t command the heart, so why resist and hide what lies on the surface? So the future guru of all club youth, without even suspecting it, began a relationship with his beloved, who in the future would become his wife.
Armin Van Buuren rapidly gained momentum in the world music industry, for several years in a row, in 2007, 2008 and 2009, he took the 'Dj of the World No. 1' award and was constantly at the top of the charts, and over time began to produce other aspiring DJs. Erica was by his side all this time, accompanying Armin at all events, supporting him and steadfastly withstanding the attacks and attacks of numerous armies of the blond king of trance fans. Largely thanks to Erica, Armin has achieved such heights and become what he is now.
Time passed, and the couple was still in no hurry to formalize their relationship. The reason for this was the glory that fell on Armin and, accordingly, his constant employment. So 10 years have passed and, finally, a miracle happened! On September 17, 2009, Armin Van Buuren and Erica Van Tiel legalized their relationship. took place in Wassenaar, Holland. The groom gave preference to classics and rigor and looked great in a strict black suit, white shirt and snow-white silk tie. The bride shone next to the star groom, like a pearl. She was wearing a chic ivory color embroidered with rhinestones, looked very elegant and restrained. Van Buren did his best to protect himself and his beloved from the press on this day.
And now, almost 2 years after the significant event, information appears on the Internet that Armin and Erica ... are waiting for replenishment! Van Buren wrote about this on his twitter, which terribly pleased all his fans and true connoisseurs of his work. Major event in the life of a DJ should happen in the summer of 2011. Armin himself is excited about becoming a dad. 'Yes!!! I will become a dad! Erica and I are expecting a baby this summer. I hope that this will be my best creation of all that I have ever created!’, Armin told the press, not hiding his sincere joy at the upcoming event. We wish happiness to this magnificent couple and health to the future baby, who, we hope, will follow in the footsteps of his star father and, perhaps, even surpass him.
Today we are going to talk about the legendary musician whose passion for music has made him one of the most influential figures in the world of the club-dance scene. Four times our today's hero became the first DJ on the planet according to the DJ Mag Top-100 rating. He is the recipient of an astonishing number of prestigious awards (including the Electronic Dance Music Awards and the Beatport Music Awards). He is an Officer of the Order of Orange (The Order of Oranje-Nassau), received from the hands of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, whose honorary guest he became. The financial condition of this musician is estimated at $ 40 million. Ladies and gentlemen, we're talking about Dutch DJ and producer Armin Van Buuren! Welcome to the world of real feelings! Listen and enjoy with Friday.com!
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When silence reigns around, you are left alone with yourself. The only sound you hear is the beating of your heart filling every cell of your body. It gives birth to life and the need for movement. This feeling cannot be confused with anything. This is the Sense of Rhythm.
I miss you like a flower misses the rain
The song of love cuts through the ringing silence.
Notes of feeling draw and fly up,
Happiness breathes the body and every thought.
Joy gently flickers with the dawn of dawn,
The doors of the heart are open - you come into my world.
I love this life and I am able to fly
It needs to be felt, not understood.
Someone thinks in the past, and someone is on the way
For tomorrow's future, and all as one.
I ask everyone to live here and now,
After all, love rules the world and each of us.
Samir Kuliev
Our today's hero is four times the first DJ of the planet according to the DJ Mag Top-100 rating and the owner of many prestigious awards. Many are associated with his name. Interesting Facts, for example, he released some of his releases under different names. In total, this artist has 23 pseudonyms. This is more than the famous lover of aliases Fatboy Slim (Fatboy Slim). However, the main thing for him is always art. About himself he says: “Despite the fact that I am in the center of the club business, I am far from it. Even if I was not known to anyone, I would still continue to engage in electronic music, because it is the most important thing for me. Ladies and gentlemen, we're talking about Dutch DJ and producer Armin Van Buuren.
Armin Van Buuren feat Nadia Ali "Who's Watching" (Original)
Armin Van Buuren was born in the picturesque Dutch town of Leiden. Leiden is a cozy place in the south of the Netherlands, standing on the river Old Rhine. The town is known for being the birthplace of the great Dutch painter Rembrandt. Marina Tsvetaeva and Alexander Blok found rest on the streets of Leiden. It was here that they got the inspiration that inspired the poets to write some of their famous poems.
So, born on December 25, 1976, our hero Armin Van Buuren was shrouded in music from a very young age. At the cradle of the baby, beautiful melodies always sounded. Parents future star the dance floors were musicians. As a child, Armin was fond of football, and later he was captivated by cars and everything connected with them. But subsequently, the passion for music nevertheless overcame all his hobbies, and the future artist devoted himself entirely, as the poet would say, "to the service of music."
Already in adolescence, young Van Buren spent all the accumulated money on music records. Since childhood, Armin listened to a variety of music. His player played works by such performers as Tomita (Tomita), Kitaro (Kitaro), Klaus Schulze (Klaus Schulze), etc.
“My parents didn’t like my hobby for electronics at all, but for me it was really cool,”- the musician recalls in an interview. When the young talent was 10 years old, his mother won a computer in the lottery. Armin immediately showed interest in the "miracle of technology." In addition, at the suggestion of his parents, he began to attend piano courses and mastered this instrument quite well. Having become popular, Armin will say in an interview: “I have had a passion for two things since childhood: on the one hand, music, on the other hand, computers. Computers have always fascinated me, so electronics and dance music are a great tandem."
Already in his youth, Van Buuren gradually began to master programs for creating music. He learned all the possibilities of technology for recording and mixing. By the age of fourteen, Armin bought his first sampler and, using his father's AKAI S-01 mono synthesizer, began to work hard on creating his own tracks. A great influence on the young Van Buuren had such masters of electronic music as Jean-Michel Jar and Ben Liebrand (Ben Liebrand).
By the way, Ben Liebrand is one of the first European DJs who created mixes for publication and broadcast. Ben is rightfully considered one of the founders of studio DJing in Europe. Back in the 70s, he came up with a kind of DJ mixes, some compilations that he compiled specifically for disco clubs.
But back to Armin Van Buuren, who, after a long and hard work, began to send the fruits of his labors to Ben Liebrand. Ben, having listened to the guy's works, realized that he was dealing with a capable musician, and suggested that he conduct a kind of master class in the music business. Armin was beside himself with happiness. Subsequently, Liebrand introduced young musician with DJ and producer craft. It is quite possible that it was this man who had a great influence on the musical tastes of the young Van Buren and indirectly contributed to Armin's dazzling rise to the dance Olympus.
Armin Van Buuren feat. Miri Ben-Ari "Intense"
A great support for Van Buren was the passion for music and friends with whom he exchanged vinyl records and arranged friendly competitions in the knowledge of fashionable music.
“That was exactly the moment when I grew up and searched for my own personality, my own style. All my friends were listening dance music, and she was wildly popular in the Netherlands. Back then, we were all spending a fortune on vinyl records. I was still small enough to go to clubs, I got information through radio shows on Dutch radio stations. I went to clubs when I listened to the radio. I closed my eyes and mentally found myself on the dance floor of any club.
After receiving a lot of useful knowledge and advice from Ben Liebrand, Armin became more confident in his abilities and got a job as a DJ in a small local club called Nexus. Van Buuren recalls his first experience as a DJ: “It was very difficult to play in a club for a small audience back then. The audience was capricious and did not always dance, so the main task was to dance the female half of the audience. If the girls danced, then the guys also went to the dance floor. It seems to me that this picture is very similar to what is happening in many clubs today. It's a little strange to see how the public puts forward an ultimatum to DJs, saying "if you don't put on a hit, I won't dance." And now the DJs, like waiters, strive to fulfill the order of the listeners and put on mostly hits, often of low quality, so that the dance floor is not empty. It’s scary to think what kind of devaluation of the profession this will lead to.”
Having grown older, Armin Van Buuren enters the university at the Faculty of Law. “We made a deal with my father because he did not believe that I would succeed in music. To tell the truth, I didn't believe it either. After all, there is so much competition in this area, so many great DJs and musicians. So I didn't expect to achieve anything in the world of DJing, so I got higher education as a fallback. After receiving my diploma, I was already waiting for a job offer, but I decided to take a break for the sake of DJing for about a year or two. And you know, my thoughts are still somewhere in that “magic year”. I never dreamed or planned to become a DJ. I just became it, Van Buren recalls.
Armin Van Buuren feat. Fiora "Breathe In Deep"
After graduating from university, Van Buuren is increasingly working on his music and playing in clubs. In 1995, the musician tries to release music by mailing to many labels. The musician's first big success was the release called "Blue Fear", released on Cyber Records. The track "Euro Trance Blueprint" even hit the UK charts. On the same label, he released the blockbuster "Communication", which made a splash on the dance floors of Ibiza in the summer of 1999.
Inspired by trance music, Armin is increasingly focusing on writing tracks. “I like trance because it is able to convey to the listener all the subtle shades of emotions. It seems to me that of all musical styles, the diversity of which lives in electronic music, trance is the most intense, rich in mood and at the same time energetic.
When creating music, and in general music business, Armin increasingly concentrated on copyright. And when I started my own business, I realized what ways to move.
Armin Van Buuren, honing his own style, began to try to release many diverse tracks under various pseudonyms, such as Darkstar, Perpetuous Dreamer, Rising Star, Gaia, Gimmick and others. He also created some tracks with his fellow "trans-Dutch" Tiesto and Ferry Corsten.
Armin Van Buuren feat. Sharon Den Adel
In June 2001, Armin first launched his own radio show called "A State Of Trance" - a weekly 2 hour radio show. It all started as a little-known program, broadcast only within one city. But then, during his performances, Armin began to notice that the audience recognizes certain tracks that he played on the air. This inspired him immensely. Now the show "A State Of Trance" has more than 20 million listeners around the world. Ever since Armin started listening to Dutch radio as a teenager, he knew for sure that he wanted to have his own radio show. “When I was little, I promised myself that if there was an opportunity to do my own radio show, then I would not miss it. It was, perhaps, the paramount dream.
“My radio show is the cornerstone of everything I do. When I need to release releases, talk about my personal life, about the tour - I do all this through the releases of "A State Of Trance". Perhaps a radio show is a kind of straight Talk heart to heart, which I personally really like, " Van Buren says.
In 2003, Armin Van Buuren, together with producers Maykel Piron and David Lewis, launches the most popular Dutch record label, Armada Music. For 5 years in a row, the company received the award as the "Best World Record Label". The conglamerate attracted many well-known electronic musicians, from to Markus Schulz. Now, under the wings of the giant Armada Music, there are more than 25 sub-labels releasing a wide variety of music, including "Armind" and "A State Of Trance", which are managed by Van Buuren himself.
In 2003, Armin Van Buuren released his debut album, 76, containing such mega hits as: "Yet Another Day", "Burned With Desire", as well as new versions of "Blue Fear" and "Communication". He records an insane amount of remixes on such popular tracks as "King of My Castle" by Wamdue Project, "Don't Call Me Baby" by Madison Avenue and "Walhalla" by Gouryella, thereby establishing himself not only as an excellent musician and DJ, but also as an incredibly gifted remixer.
Armin Van Buuren feat. Adam Young "Youtopia"
A separate niche in the work of Armin Van Buren is occupied by tour activity and epic shows that the maestro gives around the world. Armin, enjoying his popularity as one of the top trance DJs, travels extensively, performing at the biggest events like Sensation White, Godskitchen, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival and many more. In 2006, Armin begins to explore new technologies in the world of the music industry, which have replaced the traditional vinyl and CD.
As the No. 1 DJ for four years in a row (according to DJ Mag), Armin has opened doors that were previously locked. On the one hand, he continues to do what he wants - to work with the best promoters, the best clubs. On the other hand, in order to keep the title, publicly announcing his uniqueness, he has to keep high bar, so Armin and his huge team are constantly coming up with something new. As Van Buren himself says: "The fans and the public are the most important things to me».
He collaborates with many artists, such as: Sharon den Adel, Emma Hewitt, Miri Ben-Ari. Having reached incredible heights in music, Armin created several successful music shows which are popular all over the world. An important moment in the career of Armin Van Buuren is his seven-hour show "Armin Only". It all started in a small room where Armin just played his music. Now it is a whole performance, woven from special effects and filled with the performance of artists and musicians.
For Van Buuren, his show "Armin Only" is an opportunity to show his true self, to demonstrate his love for music. “For short sets, you can play only what is popular at the moment, but for many hours you can play the music that DJs keep just for such occasions.”
Armin Van Buuren feat. Winter Kills "Take A Moment"
As for the personal moments of Armin Van Buuren's life, in 2009 he married Erika Van Thiel, whom he dated for nine years. In 2011 they had a daughter, Fenna, and in 2013, a son, Remy. Remy's birth just happened when Armin was scheduled to perform at Tomorrowland. He recalls how he was in the ward with his wife and newborn baby and understood that “there” thousands of listeners were waiting for him. Seeing her husband's confusion, Erica asked if all this was really important to him at such a crucial moment?
