Armin van Buuren has been named No. 1 in the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100 poll five times in the last six years as the dance globe waits with baited breath for 2013’s results. This year he released his fifth artist album ‘Intense’ which he agrees is his most diverse work yet and celebrated with another colossal summer in Ibiza with his beloved A State Of Trance weekly at the world’s biggest club Privilige. He now unveils the second single from the album ‘Beautiful Life’ featuring the incredible French singer Cindy Alma. Dan Prince checks in with the main man…
Hi Armin, where in the world are you right now?
“Hey Dan, I’m in an aircraft flying from Ibiza to Amsterdam. I’m spending some time with my family after playing at Privilege.”
You have had a great summer on the white isle congratulations. You are back on everyone’s lips yet again, this time courtesy of your latest release ‘Beautiful Life’ featuring Cindy Alma. Tell us about how you discovered this wondrous French singer…
“I sent out a demo via my A&R department at Armada. That demo reached the desk of Cindy and she sent me back a vocal idea. This was on my Hard Drive for quite a while. Then I wrote this melody idea with my friend Benno de Goeij and the voice of Cindy perfectly fitted with this melody idea. A new track was born!”
Your latest album ‘Intense’ smashed our way in May, without doubt your most diverse work yet incorporating trance, classic and even rock. Now that the dust has settled, how are you feeling about it’s reception?
“I’m very pleased by the overall reaction and it’s my best selling album so far. I’m particularly proud of this one because it’s the first album that wrote itself! By that I mean that I wasn’t trying to force myself into making a certain sound, instead I was merely trying different things in the studio that I found interesting. This gave me a certain sense of musical freedom and that’s why the album is so diverse. I like to move on and try different things all the time. After my hit record “Communication” in 2000, I fell into the trap of trying to repeat that record. I had writers block after that but I survived it by finding the love for making music again and just doing what I love most: experimenting with sounds and music!”
In a recent interview you exclaimed that a vocalist can “have a horrible voice but sing an amazing song and still make it work”. How easy is it for a producer in today’s incredible technology era to make a bad singer sound great?
“It’s actually very easy with all the timing and pitch correction software, but the most important thing is always the song itself and the performance. You can tweak a voice but you still have to write a song and record a performance. That’s 90% of the work”
The DJ Magazine 100 poll is on our doorstep yet again, a fan based competition that you have won a record five times, yet as you say “it’s like comparing apples to oranges, how can I compare my sound to Carl Cox or John Digweed?”. The world of rock & roll have their Hall Of Fame…surely our dance world needs some form of recognition for our superstars on a seperate stage?
“Yes but we never had a “DJ MAG” chart for rock bands for example did we? It’s a bit silly to compare the Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Faithless and Coldplay right? Having said that, I think it’s good to raise attention and debate about the EDM scene.”
A great insight into the superstar millionaire world…” I used to do like 200 gig’s a year and now I make a maximum of about 100 to 110. That way I can spend maximum quality time with my wife and daughter. We’re very spoiled in the DJ lifestyle, we get to travel and get a taste of different cities. What are the best perks of being a globe trotting DJ?
“The best is always to see a crowd go nuts. You can never get used to that. It’s awesome! Of course it’s also very inspiring to meet so many different people and see so many different cities. I’m a very lucky guy!”
What is on a Armin Van Buuren rider in 2013?
“2 bottles of Dom, 1 bottle of Grey Goose, coffee, some water and sodas. But that’s for my whole crew.”
Let’s talk about Armin on the road…what are the clothing items you cannot do without whilst on tour?
“Vest, T-shirt, jeans and comfortable shoes. And oh, my running shoes. I LOVE to go jogging in the different cities I’m in. It’s the only way to get a little taste of the different places.”
What is the biggest fashion disaster you have ever sported?
“Does this count – jumping on the DJ table and ripping my jeans wide open by doing so. It was a gig in Finland a few years back.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
1. Armin van Buuren feat. Cindy Alma- Beautiful Life (Protoculture Remix) [Armind]
2. Andrew Rayel – Dark Warrior [Armind]
3. Antony Waldhorn – Theatrum (Intro Rework) [Armada]
4. Alex M.o.r.p.h. & Natalie Gioia – Dreams [ASOT]
5. Craig Connelly & Christina Novelli – Black Hole (Jorn Van Deynhoven Remix) [Garuda]
6. Eximinds – Euphoria (Original Mix) [Armada]
7. Simon O’Shine & Sergey Nevone – Apprehension (Aly & Fila Mix) [Defcon]
8. Mark Sixma – Character [Armada]
9. Andrew Rayel & Jwaydan – Until The End (Club Mix) [Armind]
10. Armin van Buuren – Who’s Afraid of 138 (Photographer remix)
Tomorrowland in Belgium really raised the game this summer, is there a better festival in the world right now?
“It’s definitely one of the best, along with EDC Vegas, Stereosonic & Ultra Music Festival in Miami.”
As mentioned before, another great Ibiza with yourself the star of the show at Privilige every Monday with your beloved A State Of Trance. One of busiest nights on the white isle! Tell us about Ibiza 2013….
“To be honest it was kind of a surprise we did so well. I thought house music and electro was going to rule everything and it did to a certain extend, but somehow we managed to be the busiest trance night on the island. I think it has to do with the popularity of the brand “ASOT” and the fact we made a clear choice for trance.”
Anthem of the summer?
“This Is What It Feels Like…”
What is coming out next from the Van Buuren studio…?
“I can’t tell you yet but it’s VERY exciting…”
Not many people know this, but Armin van Buuren is really good at…
Videogames!!! I recently played “The Last of Us” and Killzone on PS Vita!”
The last GREAT album you listened to?
“Carbon Based Lifeforms – Interlooper.”
And finally, what has been the proudest achievement in your career to date?
“My radio show A State of Trance. It’s the center of everything I do…”
www.arminvanbuuren.com
www.positivarecords.com
www.armadamusic.com
www.astateoftrance.com