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ARMIN VAN BUUREN
”IT’S INSANE,” beams Armin Van Buuren “This big rock star was standing on my But if you add up every dancer at every club,
when we tell him that the world’s dance music doorstep,” Armin exclaims, as if still surprised concert and festival for the whole of the year
fans have voted him the No.1 DJ on the planet that Sharon wanted to work with him. “I’ve it still doesn’t touch the audience that listens
for the second year running. “I don’t know been making dance music for 15 years but to A State Of Trance every week. According to
what I’ve done to deserve it.” producing for an artist like that is a real the fi gures, 27 million listeners tune in to
He’s got to be kidding, surely. When he won challenge. When she was in the vocal booth Armin’s radio show.
last year his crowning seemed more than singing I got shivers all over my body.” “That’s what the radio department tell me,”
worthy. But after the past 12 months the he says sceptically. “In May we signed a deal
Dutchman has enjoyed, 2007 now looks like a There were plenty more shivers when Sharon with a big radio station in Brazil. We ask every
mere warm-up. With immense solo gigs, and many of the other guest vocalists came station after a few months what their ratings
records charting across Europe, a great Ibiza together for the latest in his Armin Only are, how many people actually tune in. They
residence, awards as the most important concerts, fl ying in from all over the world. told us that they were having 20 million
recording artist in his homeland and a radio Tying in with the album launch, all the listeners on a Saturday night when my show is
show listened to by — wait for it — 27 million cameras brought in to fi lm the event for the broadcast. I fi nd it hard to believe but they
listeners, it’s enough to make the rest of the live DVD were put to good use when Holland’s swear it’s true.”
Top 100 DJs hang up their headphones as equivalent of the BBC decided they’d like to It’s not bad for a show that Armin sometimes
underachievers. broadcast Armin Only: Imagine live, another does in his underwear from hotel rooms across
His DJmag victory in 2007 has helped fi rst for the country. Around 250,000 people the globe. But as a round-up of everything
massively in Armin’s über-year. watched from their living rooms, while that’s happening in trance it’s second-to-
“It’s only affected me in a positive way,” he another 18,000 went crazy in the venue for none.
says of his win 12 months ago. “It’s opened Van Buuren’s extended session behind the Armin points out that many shows don’t
doors that weren’t open before. On the one decks. include his own tracks or those from his
hand, I’m still doing the same thing — I was “What I really enjoy is playing nine-hour sets Armada group of labels, but when that
already working with the best promoters in because I get to show the people that I also umbrella organisation has grown to 21
the best clubs around the world. But the love more progressive records,” he says. “I imprints those tracks are getting everywhere
whole No.1 thing is magical for me — love so many dance tunes but when I do a two anyway. No longer just a trance company,
everyone looks at the DJmag list. It’s a really, or three hour set usually what I do — and what artists like Simon & Shaker, Markus Schulz and
really good feeling.” every DJ does — is play the big tracks that are Stonebridge all contribute labels, making
out there at the moment. When I play nine Armada Holland’s answer to Ministry of
That good feeling started all the way back at hours I can play the records that I want to play Sound.
the Top 100 DJs party last year when Armin but I can’t when I play a festival or
played the winner’s set to a rapturous something.” It’s clear that Armin is doing great things not
reception. And he had some very special Armin stresses that the big concerts he plays only for the Dutch economy but also for the
guests watch him accept his award. Ben are not a way of raking in the cash. music scene, something that was recognised
Liebrand — a massive infl uence on Armin — “To be honest, it doesn’t make me a lot more at the highest level this year. The person who
was there, as was his parents, who he’d fl own money when I play a nine-hour set,” he has had the most impact on Dutch music each
in all the way from Australia. claims. “It’s not like I want to play to 15,000 year is given a BUMA Award by the national
“It was one of the highlights of my life,” he people to just show off that I can play for nine copyright organisation.
grins. “I thought, ‘That’s it, I can die happy hours. It’s really that I save up all these “It was an incredible honour,” Armin says with
now.’” records that I know I can’t play normally. It pride. “I thought it was a really big step
gives me a lot of satisfaction. It’s a lot of hard towards the acceptance of dance music in
But things just got better. When Armin work but it’s also very rewarding once I’ve Holland.”
bagged the top spot last year he was surprised done it.”
that he was able to do it without fi nishing his It’ll sit rather nicely with his recent Beatport
artist album, ‘Imagine’, an opus he’d been One of his most rewarding concerts came in an award for Best Trance DJ, his Top 100 DJs
working on for two years. There’s no such unlikely form this year. Romania is fairly award for 2007, and now his second
worry this time around. It exploded in consistent in its lack of rain so Armin thought confi rmation as the No.1 DJ in the World,
Holland, shooting straight to No.1 — the fi rst that an open-air concert would be a pretty something he’s characteristically modest
time a dance album has ever achieved the fi ne idea. But the heavens opened and the about.
feat. only thing heavier than the beats was the fall “I don’t see it as a contest,” he says. “I don’t
Since then singles like ‘In And Out Of Love’ of water from the sky. But the crowd refused see it that I’m better than this DJ or that DJ,
have been clogging up the charts in many to be dampened and raved hard and happy it’s just a really big honour to be in this
European countries. That track features until three hours of downpour fi nally eased position.
Sharon den Adel, the lead singer of Goth outfi t and the stars came out. “I’m such a big fan of a lot of the DJs that are
Within Temptation, a band who have “It was incredible,” he recalls. “I’m not talking in the Top 100. I’m still shy to talk to guys like
themselves sold around 10 million albums, about light rain — it rained cats and dogs but Sasha and John Digweed and Sven Väth and
making them the European answer to the crowd just stayed.” Carl Cox. It makes me very humble to be in a
Evanescence. Armin admits to being Other gig highlights saw two more Armin Only list with these guys. I’m thrilled, you know. I
starstruck when the project came together. gigs in Australia, a great night at Global don’t know what to say.”
“I saw Sharon on TV and I called her the day Gathering and another eight-hour set at one You don’t have to say anything, Armin — the
after with shivering knees because she’s like a of his Amnesia residency sessions, where he clubbers have already spoken.
diva in Holland,” he confesses. also played a house set with new mate Mark JAMES KENDALL
The next day she was knocking on his door. Knight.
www.djmag.com
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DJ467.top 100_1.indd 33 16/10/08 10:18:58
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