|
|
| Location: | Canada, Manitoba, Holland |
| Description: | Armin was born in Leiden, Holland, in 1976 and he has been occupied with music and technique most of his life. Because of this a DJ career was not much of a surprise. "My father was always busy with music. He played any record he could get his hands on. Because of that I got interested at an early age. During the 80's I got introduced to mixing and remixing through a close friend. Especially the work of Ben Liebrand, who, in my opinion, was far ahead of his time, fascinated me. Years later I personally got to know him and he taught me a lot of tricks. I still see him as my mentor."
Apart from his musical interests the young Armin developed an obsession for computers in its widest possible spectrum. When he was nine years old he wrote his first computer program in Basic, a programming language from that time. His two main interests, music and electronics, provided him with more and more insight in the equipment with which his favourite music was made. This insight became a real passion. "I bought loads of CD's, especially from synth-pioneers like Jean Michel Jarre and Klaus Schulze, but I also kept a close eye out on the dance scene."
In 1995 Armin starts his law study at Leiden University and in a local student club his DJ career kicks off. While studying he continues to develop himself musically in his own studio. This results in hits like 'Blue Fear', 'Touch Me' and 'Communication'. His musical upbringing is the main reason why all his tracks have a different atmosphere. "Don't be a prisoner of your own style" is a phrase that is often used by Armin. "Don't limit yourself by setting rules when it comes to the style of music you are making. The beautiful thing about making music is the fact that there are no rules!" Armin works on his own most of the time so others will not influence his sound. "When people hear music they know if it comes straight from the heart. Everybody knows music. The theme is what people remember and only second comes the production of the music."
The success of 'Blue Fear' in the UK charts in 1998 is basically the kick off of Armin van Buuren's international career. In 1999, the year that Armin started his own record label Armind together wit, he meets Dave Lewis, who opens a lot of doors for him in the UK and the US as a DJ.
His philosophy about DJ's, promoters, bookings and events has not only put him on the map but also people like Tiësto and Ferry Corsten. His marathon DJ sets have grown to legendary events in many countries and as a result he entered at number 27 in the DJ Magazine Top 100 in 2001. In 2003 he even climbed to number 3 after being elected number 5 in 2002! In 2002 he also set a new record by playing a set of 12,5 hours non-stop at the club in The Hague. In 2004 Armin will be Godskitchen's resident.
Armin van Buuren is more then a successful DJ though. He co-owns record/publishing/management company ARMADA MUSIC. He collaborated with people like Tiësto, Airwave and Ferry Corsten, compiled his popular compilation series AVB (Soon a new series coming up!), is a respected Remixer and on top of this he has his own radio show at ID&T Radio. In between he played almost every big club or festival in the world. Recently he toured Australia during the prestigious "2 Tribes tour" together with Sander Kleinenberg, Judge Jules and Junkie XL to name a few. Footage of this tour is used in his video for 'Sunburn'. Meanwhile he also got his law degree at University and delivered his debut album '76'!
This, already legendary, debut album contains Armin van Buuren's 'break-through' hits 'Communication' and 'Blue Fear' (in a brand new '2003 mix') as well as the hit singles 'Yet Another Day' and 'Sunburn'. With the release of '76' Armin van Buuren adds another exciting chapter to his already impressive career. |
|
