Following in his father’s footsteps, who used to be an avid buyer and listener of records, Armin Van Buuren developed a taste in music at a young age. He was born in Leiden, Holland, in 1976. When a bosom friend of Buuren introduced him to the universe of dance music that he met and was inspired by Ben Liebrand, a Dutch DJ, he grew fond of electronic music and bought quite a few Jarre and Schulze CDs. Soon, he set up his own personal studio after acquiring a computer and turntables. He made music his priority.
Armin Van Buuren’s Inspirations
Van Buuren claimed to have been inspired by Jean-Michel Jarre, an electronic music composer from France. He also drew inspiration from Ben Liebrand, Dutch DJ and Remixer. After he graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, he went to Leiden University to study law. After that, he took up the job of a DJ at a nearby club, Nexus. After he met Dave Lewis in 1999, he was thrown into the spotlight as a prospective DJ in Europe and India.
Early Musical Life
After entering Leiden University in 1995, he made friends with a few local students. They got him space for playing his first few DJ remixes. In the same year, he produced his first 12″ under the label of Cyber Records. It was called “Blue Fear.” In 1999, he released his second album “Communication.” This successfully helped them sign into AM:PM. It was in the same year that he released his own label and named it Armind.
Luckily he soon met the man who had taken responsibility for bringing several other renowned DJs under the spotlight, Dave Lewis. Van Buuren released a collaboration with Tiësto under his label Armind. Other remixes released under Armind were “King of my Castle” by Wamdue Project and “Don’t Call Me Baby” by Madison Avenue.
Armin van Buuren: EDM and Discography
Armin had occupied the number five in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 list by 2002. He was facilitating his own on the Dutch ID&T radio broadcast every week. He had also figured out how to establish the world record of the longest DJ set (more than 12 hours at a club in The Hague) by the fag end of 2003. He finished his law degree and delivered his first CD, which was a non-mix called 76. “Shivers” was released in 2005 and “Imagine” in 2008. The album stayed right on top of the list in the Netherlands. This album marked the day that he first appeared on the Billboard 200 when he released hits like “All through Love” and “Turning out badly.”
Mirage, 2010
One of Armin’s most significant albums released in 2010, Mirage, included collaborations with renowned singers like Sophie Ellis-Bextor and producers like Ferry Corsten and BT. It had reserved its place at the #3 of the Dutch charts for several weeks. He released quite a few albums following this before making a few additions to A State of Trance in 2013. His fifth album, Intense, was released the very next year.
A State of Trance Ibiza, 2016
Armin proceeded with his yearly release of A State of Trance series throughout the next few years, up to his fourteenth edition. He added to his Ibiza series, A State of Trance Ibiza 2018. That same year, he delivered the EP Blah and continued in 2019 with Trilogy. That very year witnessed the release of Balance, his seventh Studio album featuring his collaborations with Above and Beyond, Rudimental and BT, and had 28 tracks.
Top tracks by Armin Van Buuren
Armin has gifted the world of dance music with unforgettable treasures. The following tracks are only a few of the best ones that we can never forget!
#1 Blue Fear, 1997
This major hit by Armin called “Blue Fear” helped him carve a niche for himself in the hearts of his listeners. He released this at the age of 19. To date, this trance classic happens to be a favorite for a lot of people. The song speaks of Armin’s fear of getting out of his house in his childhood in fear of bullies.
#2 Shivers, 2005
Part of Armin’s album called “Shivers” features one of the most famous trance music vocalists of his time, Susana. The song was soon declared the best trance song in A State of Trance and its history of 20 long years.
#3 This Is What It Feels Like, 2014
What made this song all the more special was the featuring of Trevor Guthrie, a Canadian songwriter and singer. The song also received a nomination for the Grammy Awards. The song speaks of Trevor’s neighbor, who had a brain tumor and died soon after.
#4 Feel Something, 2020
One of his most recent hits, this edgy song has a catchy tune. This dance-pop includes a vocal from Duncan Laurence, a Dutch singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019. The song about heartbreak was a part of the debut album of Laurence, called Small Town Boy, released in 2020.
Armin van Buuren’s Equipment
Armin van Buuren, one of the most renowned DJs in the industry, is known for using a variety of equipment, especially for his live performances on stage that clearly portrayed how he considers trance music an art.
Mixers
He uses Allen & Heath Xone: DB4 as well as Pioneer DJM-2000 for mixing music.
Decks
As far as decks are concerned, he uses Pioneer DJ CDJ-2000NXS2.
Headphones
To listen to music, he uses Pioneer RMX-1000, Beyerdynamic DT 250, Pioneer EFX-1000, and Beyerdynamic DT 770.
DAW
He uses professional DAW Tools, including FL Studio, Apple Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and PreSonus.
Having ranked fourth on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list for four consecutive years i. e. 2015, 2016, and 2019, 2020, Van Buuren has won accolades all his life for various reasons. He received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2015 for his track, “This Is What It Feels Like,” that featured Trevor Guthrie. From the young child who started falling in love with music to the renowned DJ who made millions fall in love with music, Van Buuren is as relevant and popular as he was a decade ago.
