Selena Gomez
Armin van Buuren is a Dutch DJ, music producer, composer, radio host and co-founder of the Armada Music label. As one of the leading figures on the global trance scene, he played a major role in popularising the genre, transforming his original radio show A State of Trance into an international media platform, festival brand and global community of electronic music fans.
Armin has topped the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs ranking five times, received a Grammy Award nomination and released nine main studio albums. His professional activities encompass music production, radio broadcasting, festival organisation and the development of an independent record label.
Childhood and early musical interests
Armin van Buuren was born on December 25, 1976, in Leiden, the Netherlands, and grew up in a family where music was highly valued. As a child, he spent the money he earned delivering newspapers on records and gradually built his own music collection.
When Armin was ten years old, his mother won a computer. His introduction to computing sparked an interest in programming and electronic technology. He soon began experimenting with sound sequences, creating amateur mixes and studying the principles of electronic composition.
Among the musicians who had the strongest influence on him, Armin has named French composer Jean-Michel Jarre and Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand. Liebrand later helped the young musician gain a deeper understanding of mixing and studio production.
Alongside the development of his musical career, van Buuren studied law at Leiden University. Due to the constantly increasing number of performances and studio commitments, completing his education took longer than originally planned, but the musician ultimately earned his law degree. Leiden University has subsequently listed him among its notable alumni on numerous occasions.
Early recordings and breakthrough
Armin’s first works appeared in the mid-1990s. The instrumental track Blue Fear, released in 1997, brought the young producer international attention. The composition became one of the early recordings that established his recognisable melodic and emotional approach to trance.
The single Communication, originally released in 1999, marked the next important stage of his career. The track received widespread club support, became especially popular in Ibiza and reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2000. It also peaked at number two on the UK Dance Chart.
It was during this period that van Buuren established himself not only as a DJ but also as an independent composer and producer. His early compositions were distinguished by extended development, expressive melodic passages and close attention to emotional progression — characteristics that later became typical of a significant part of his work.
In 1999, the Armind imprint began operating, releasing both Armin’s own projects and music by other trance producers. Early releases on the label included One by the project Gig and Free, released under the name Gimmick. Van Buuren also used the alias Rising Star, under which he created more melodic compositions oriented towards the classic trance sound.
A State of Trance
In June 2001, Armin van Buuren launched the weekly radio show A State of Trance, commonly abbreviated as ASOT. Initially, the programme focused on new releases in the trance and progressive genres, but it gradually developed into one of the world’s best-known radio shows dedicated to electronic music.
The show’s format includes new tracks, exclusive premieres, guest mixes, listener voting and recurring segments. The programme later expanded into the annual A State of Trance compilations, the Year Mix and Classics series, podcasts, its own record label and large-scale live events.
In 2017, a dedicated studio opened at Armada Music’s headquarters in Amsterdam, allowing ASOT episodes to be broadcast live. The project’s national events later moved from Utrecht to Rotterdam, while festivals under the A State of Trance brand began taking place in countries around the world.
In 2025, the programme celebrated its 1,250th episode. A State of Trance marked its 25th anniversary in 2026, and episode 1,288 was released on July 31. According to Armada Music’s official press kit, the ASOT ecosystem reaches tens of millions of listeners in more than 80 countries.
The success of ASOT holds particular significance in the history of trance. During periods when the genre lost ground in commercial radio broadcasting, the show retained a stable international audience, introduced listeners to new artists and ensured that trance music maintained a permanent presence in the global media landscape.
Armada Music
In 2003, Armin van Buuren founded the Armada Music label together with music entrepreneur Maykel Piron and manager David Lewis. The company’s name was formed from the opening parts of the three founders’ names: ARmin, MAykel and DAvid.
Over time, Armada developed into one of the world’s largest independent electronic dance music labels. The company manages a catalogue of more than 50,000 recordings and operates its own studios, live event formats and educational platform, Armada University. Over the years, the label has worked with numerous artists from trance, progressive house, techno, melodic house and commercial dance music.
The Armada structure includes the Armin-associated labels Armind, A State of Trance and Who’s Afraid of 138?! This has allowed van Buuren not only to release his own music but also to provide systematic support for both emerging and established producers.
Studio albums
Armin van Buuren’s debut album 76 was released in 2003. It included the tracks Yet Another Day, Burned with Desire and an updated version of Blue Fear. The album’s title referred to the year of the musician’s birth.
His second album, Shivers, was released in 2005. Its title track, recorded with vocalist Susana, became one of Armin’s most recognisable vocal productions. The album established the musician’s characteristic combination of club trance, melodic harmonies and song-based structure.
The 2008 album Imagine marked a shift towards a broader and more varied sound. It included Going Wrong, In and Out of Love featuring vocals by Sharon den Adel, and other tracks that became an important part of the artist’s live repertoire. The release was accompanied by the global Armin Only: Imagine show.
In 2010, Armin presented the album Mirage, featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Christian Burns, Ferry Corsten, Adam Young and other performers. The musician continued to expand the boundaries of trance by combining it with pop music, progressive house and stadium-scale electronic production.
One of the greatest commercial successes of van Buuren’s career was the 2013 album Intense. Its lead single This Is What It Feels Like, recorded with Canadian vocalist Trevor Guthrie, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance/Electronic Recording category. The composition became one of the artist’s most successful radio hits and significantly expanded his audience beyond the trance scene.
The 2015 album Embrace was built around the idea of combining electronic music with other genres. The recordings featured jazz trumpet, guitars, live drums and orchestral elements. Contributors included Eric Vloeimans, Hardwell, Mr. Probz, the band Kensington and Gavin DeGraw.
The double album Balance, released in 2019, reflected van Buuren’s desire to find a balance between club trance, pop music and contemporary festival EDM.
His eighth studio album, Feel Again, was presented in full in 2023 after the consecutive release of its three parts. The project’s concept was connected with emotional burnout, the isolation of the pandemic period and the musician’s gradual reconnection with family, friends, colleagues and his audience. Across its 34 tracks, the album combined trance, dance-pop, progressive, hardstyle and festival-oriented electronic music.
In January 2024, Armin released Breathe In, the first part of his next large-scale project. It was followed in June 2025 by Breathe Out, after which the two parts were combined into his ninth studio album, Breathe. The final version contains 51 tracks and includes collaborations with David Guetta, Moby, Bon Jovi, Pendulum, Rob Swire, Oliver Heldens, Indira Paganotto and other artists.
In November 2025, Armin released the separate acoustic project Piano, an album consisting of 15 original piano compositions. It was the first work in his discography performed entirely on acoustic piano. At the same time, the musician prepared a special mix combining material from the album with works by Hans Zimmer, Jon Hopkins and Ludovico Einaudi.
Main discography
Studio albums:
- 76 — 2003
- Shivers — 2005
- Imagine — 2008
- Mirage — 2010
- Intense — 2013
- Embrace — 2015
- Balance — 2019
- Feel Again — 2023
- Breathe — 2025
Separate acoustic album:
- Piano — 2025
The artist’s official press kit lists nine electronic albums in his main studio discography, from 76 to Breathe. Piano is positioned separately as the musician’s first acoustic project.
Concerts and Armin Only shows
The Armin Only format occupies a special place in van Buuren’s career. These extended solo shows feature a single DJ constructing a complete, multi-part concert programme. Different productions in the series were connected with the albums Imagine, Mirage, Intense and Embrace.
In 2013, Armin became the first solo artist from the dance music scene to present his own show at a completely sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York. The Armin Only: Intense tour included more than 30 dates across five continents. In subsequent years, the musician presented the programmes The Best of Armin Only and This Is Me — Feel Again.
Van Buuren has regularly performed at Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, Creamfields, Untold and other major festivals. His live style combines classic and contemporary trance, progressive, techno, melodic house, psytrance, big room and vocal dance music.
Awards and recognition
Armin van Buuren has topped the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs ranking five times: in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. He became the first participant in the ranking to win for four consecutive years. In 2025, almost three decades after the beginning of his career, the artist still remained in the top five of the poll.
In 2014, the song This Is What It Feels Like was nominated for a Grammy Award. It remains Armin’s only nomination for the leading American music award.
In 2011, Queen Beatrix appointed the musician an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in recognition of his contribution to Dutch music and his international promotion of the country’s dance culture.
Personal life and public activities
Armin van Buuren is married and has two children, a daughter named Fenna and a son named Remy. In interviews and documentary projects, the musician has repeatedly spoken about the importance of maintaining a balance between his touring schedule, studio work and family life.
In 2019, van Buuren became a global oceans ambassador for the World Wide Fund for Nature and joined the #BeatPlastic campaign, aimed at reducing plastic pollution in seas and oceans.
Armin van Buuren in 2026
In 2026, Armin continued releasing club-oriented tracks and collaborating with artists from different musical directions, ranging from contemporary trance and melodic techno to techno and commercial dance music. His new works included collaborations with Glockenbach, Adam Beyer, Hannah Laing, Silver Panda and other producers.
One of the year’s central events was the 25th anniversary of A State of Trance. In May, the compilation A State of Trance 2026 was released, consisting of three themed mixes: Pulse, Frequency and Energy. It was the 23rd annual instalment in the main ASOT compilation series.
By this point, van Buuren’s activities had long extended beyond the role of a touring DJ. He simultaneously works as a producer, record-label curator, radio host, organiser of major events and one of the leading international representatives of trance culture.
Importance to electronic music
Armin van Buuren’s contribution is defined not only by the number of hits, concerts or awards he has achieved. His greatest accomplishment lies in the creation of a sustainable infrastructure around trance music. A State of Trance unites radio, digital platforms, festivals, a record label and an international audience, while Armada Music releases and promotes music by several generations of electronic artists.
Throughout his career, van Buuren has repeatedly changed his sound: from the classic uplifting and progressive trance of the late 1990s to pop-oriented electronic music, big room, techno, psytrance and acoustic music. These experiments have periodically caused debate among fans of classic trance, but they have also allowed the artist to remain relevant and connect with several generations of listeners.
Armin van Buuren remains one of the key figures on the global electronic music scene: a musician who has not only created compositions and performed at the world’s largest venues, but also built one of the most influential international platforms in the history of trance music.
