Awards & Accolades
Armin van Buuren has been named number one in the prestigious DJ Top 100 poll twice in a row, in 2007 and 2008– voted for by over 350,000 people across the world, as an indication of his prolific output over the more than 10 years he’s been dj’ing and producing. Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements, but the driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for dance music.
Even a basic list of recent successes reads like a lifetime of work: he was awarded with the prestigious Buma Cultuur Pop Award in 2008. This was followed by being voted as the Best Trance Artist in the Beatport Music Awards judged on the musician’s artistic achievements, national and international success. Next to that, Armin was awarded for Best European DJ at the 2009 IDMA Awards, along with 3 other Awards. It is evident that Armin van Buuren has become one of the decade’s most influential trance acts.
A State of TranceCause aside from recognition and ever-going fan support, it’s the music that means most to Armin. The perfect example of that given fact, is his weekly 2-hour radioshow ‘A State of Trance’. Listened to by 30 million EDM lovers, he continues to deliver his fans a selection of the best in trance and progressive, no matter how cluttered his tour schedule might be. The 8th birthday of the show was celebrated in style with a cross-country 72-hour live broadcast, with three events in Germany, UK and the Netherlands. In addition to the weekly show, Armin also started the weekly ASOT podcasts, which contain highlights and Armin’s favourite tracks from the previous episode, to ensure that trance lovers across the world will never miss another episode!
Armin Only Sold-out shows for Armin Only in 2005 and 2006 created eager anticipation of the third edition, which kicked off in a sold-out Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in 2008; over 16,000 fans attended and were enthralled by the DJ’s nine hour set. The theme of the night was ‘Imagine’, described by Armin as “the celebration of our sensations both in life and in club land.” Fans all around the world needed not to despair, as ‘Armin Only’ tour dates were also set for Romania, Poland, Belgium, Australia and USA; aside from his ‘normal’ tour in England, Scotland, Ibiza, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, with expected dates in, for an example, the Czech Republic. On New Years Eve 2008-2009, Armin managed to draw 35,000 people to his Armin Only show in the Los Angeles Sports Arena, making him the first Dutch DJ ever to have drawn such a big crowd to an own event. How it all began Born in Leiden, Holland (on December 25, 1976) to a musical family, Armin indulged his passion for music from a young age. He spent all the money he earned with his paper round on records. His mum won a computer when he was 10, gaining Armin’s interest. “So as a little nerdy kid I was writing my own basic programs, and learnt about the technology from there.” He progressed from making low-profile mix tapes for friends to higher profile mixes when he discovered experimenting with different sequences on his computer through his uncle. “I was so stunned by what I saw him doing on the computer, that I got addicted to creating music right there and then!”. (Taken from www.arminvanbuuren.com)
