Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren is known for playing trance music with a strong reputation in the dance community. He hosts a radio show called A State of Trance with 20 million listeners in 26 countires.
He is the fourth trance artist to have a Grammy nominated song with "This Is What It Feels Like." This track features vocals by Canadian singer Trevor Guthrie and was the second single from his album Intense.
With nine huge tour stops on the Armin Only: Intense tour, Chicago is lucky to be one of them at the massive United Center. [UPDATE: van Buuren has cancelled his April 17 show in Chicago due to a death in the family. Refunds are available at points of purchase.]
Windy City Times gave him a call before he headed into town.
Windy City Times: Hey, Armin. Where in the world are you?
Armin van Buuren: I'm sitting in the park close to Times Square right now in New York City.
WCT: I met you briefly in Chicago last time you were in town at the House of Blues.
Armin van Buuren: Oh, yeah? Cool.
WCT: There are so many great Dutch DJs where you are from.
Armin van Buuren: I think dance music culture has been around for such a long time in the Netherlands. When I was 16 around 1991there was already a massive scene in the Netherlands, especially in Amsterdam where tons of people go out. All of my friends were listening to that so I grew up listening to dance music. That is different than the U.S. It has only been big in the past couple of years here where as in the Netherlands it was already on the radio at a very early beginning. That was very exciting.
WCT: Who were some of your favorites growing up?
Armin van Buuren: There were so many. I used to be addicted to DJs like Paul van Dyk, Marcello, Dimitri and Remy, everything from 808 State to early Prodigy. Back then everything was called house; there was no trance or techno. It was just one thing. From house the whole scene came. Everything was new and fresh because our parents hated it. We loved it. It was an anti movement.
I think a lot of the DJs that are popular right now grew up listening to dance music. I had a competition with my friends on who had the record first. Back in those days everything was on vinyl. It was a very exciting time. I still miss those days. It was phenomenal.
WCT: Frankie Knuckles, a big house-music DJ, just passed away.
Armin van Buuren: That is just sad. What strikes me is people know who Avicii is but they don't even know who the godfather of this whole thing is. It saddens me because it all started in your Windy City. It all began there before I was even into it. Frankie Knuckles and those guys really started everything. It was a very sad week when he passed away.
WCT: You have paid your dues performing for over 15 years. How did it feel when "This Is What It Feels Like" became a huge hit?
Armin van Buuren: It is a little bit strange. On the one hand I am extremely happy to finally have a Grammy nomination, a multiplatinum-selling record and be on daytime radio everywhere. That has been great.
On the other hand to my older fans I need to apologize for the success of it because it is obviously more of a commercial record. For some people they think you are a sell out if you are successful with a certain track. Honest to God, hand on my heart, this was something that was born in the studio. The song came alive in a collaboration of five amazing people. We sat in the studio and created this song. We all loved it and released it. It was a big hit. There is nothing more than that to it. It just happened.
I am actually very proud of the song. I don't think it is the best work I have ever done but it's among the best tracks I have ever done. It is strange how a song can become a hit. I have done tracks in the past that I think may be even better than "This Is What It Feels Like" for example "This Light Between Us" or "Not Giving Up On Love" or "In and Out of Love." Those tracks were never big on daytime radio. It is funny how you can never put your finger on what will be a hit.
WCT: Do you feel pressure to put out another hit like that?
Armin van Buuren: That's a good question. I made the mistake in the past, in the year 2000, when I had a hit in the UK with the track "Communication" to try to make a follow up. I think if you try to make a follow up you will never make a better track than the original just because you are trying too hard to create the same atmosphere. What I have learned from the success of "Communication" is that I should not try to make a follow up. I just go back in the studio and try to have fun.
I made an indie pop track called "Alone" as the follow-up single. It was a completely new direction. I then released a single called "Ping Pong" which was a total joke, how it came about.
This is how it works for me. I cannot make music as an assignment or something I have to do. Of course, there are A&R managers in my office that want me to make a follow-up to a record. I tell them I won't and I will never do it. You don't want to ruin the magic of that one song. I know Trevor Guthrie is an extremely talented writer and singer. I know that we could come together again in the studio and make a song but it wouldn't be as strong as "This Is What It Feels Like." I don't want to fall into the trap of making a follow up. If it happens that Trevor sends me a song that is completely magical then I would approach it in a new way. I would change the melody and the tempo. I think music is about trying to be different every time.
WCT: You did a remix of Idina Menzel's "Let It Go." How did that happen?
Armin van Buuren: It was very simple. I got a phone call from Disney out of the blue, probably after the success of "This Is What It Feels Like." I was asked to remix "Let It Go." I knew it was a big success from that movie. This was before they won an Oscar for the song. I liked the song but I told them I wanted to be able to play it in my DJ set. I don't want to alienate my fans. I told them that I would probably rape they song and ruin it for a lot of people!
Disney agreed with my offer and wanted me to have carte blanche, [which] included omitting a lot of the original vocals. We took out a lot of the verses and backing vocals. We stripped it down to the chorus. Disney loved it. That was great. We did the remix in a week in the studio. I premiered it last night on my radio show. Reactions have been good so far. It is not meant for a Top 40 release but it is a remix I can play in my sets. It caters more to the trance fans than commercial radio.
WCT: I wonder what Idina thinks of it.
Armin van Buuren: I haven't heard any reaction from her. I didn't see anything on her Twitter but it was approved by Disney. We have a signed contract and they paid the remix fee so I guess Idina agreed with it. I love her work. She is amazing but sometimes I feel like I am ruining somebody else's painting! [Laughs]
WCT: Tell your LGBT fans about the show next week for this publication.
Armin van Buuren: To make a long story short, I call it "Christmas dinner with Armin Van Buuren!" Sometimes I play intense festivals and all of my big tracks in a row, where I show up with my USB key and put my hands in the air. It is easy. With Armin Only I really try to push the limits for myself and bring something different.
It is called "Armin Only" because I am the only DJ for the night. I am the first guy in and the last guy out. It gives us total control over the night. I am able to program the night and really take people on a journey. Of course, you will hear the big hits and the stuff you can expect but when it drops you never know. I like having full control over the night because you can take people on a journey. I think those days are a little bit in the past and I want to bring it back.
For this particular show I bring in six live singers, four dancers, trampoline artists, acrobats, and a full band. They will all be incorporated at several times into the show.
I want to stress that this is not a preprogramed set. Every Armin Only show that I play will have different tracks in them with a different flow. When I play a track for example "This Is What It Feels Like" we have made a special program where all of the crew can see where I am at in my set and when it is cued up Trevor will be backstage ready to walk on at the right moment. We have this new technique that makes it possible to DJ but then have things set to go onstage. It will be an experience for the audience. It is still a nonstop DJ set with a lot more theatrical experiences.
I want to bring people more than just a DJ set. This is the future of dance music and where it will go. It is easy to DJ right now. You just make a couple of good tracks, put them on a USB drive, and tour the world. I don't find that creatively inspiring. I am not bitching on people that are doing that. There is nothing wrong with that but more me—someone who has been DJing for 15 years; I am trying to keep it creatively inspiring for myself. Financially, it would be easier to travel the world with a USB key and not have 35 people on the plane!
I want to stand out and do something that my fans will get value for their money. They get to see an actual live show with trance, house, and progressive music. I wanted to bring people something extra.
WCT: It sounds like a Cirque du Soleil show with acrobats.
Armin van Buuren: We have artists with trampolines that fly through the air. You can look it up on YouTube but I want to stress that every show will be different. If a producer sends me ten great tracks the night before a show I will play them. It is a freedom that I want creatively and one I will take.
WCT: Are you still doing the residency in Ibiza?
Armin van Buuren: Yes; I moved from Privilege to Ushuaia this year, so from the end of June until September I will be there. It is a dream come true because it is such a hot venue right now. So many people are craving to go there. I think it was the right time to make that move!
WCT: Sounds like you are tied up for the rest of the year.
Armin van Buuren: I have that and my radio show, my Armin Only show, my lovely wife and two children.
WCT: When do you sleep?
Armin van Buuren: I sleep on the road. When I am home I am doing remixes in the studio and the radio show. I like to go running a lot and have a game room. I am a video game fanatic but I never have time. Since I have had two kids I have never been so busy in the studio. This has definitely been good for me.
WCT: Good luck juggling all of that.
Armin van Buuren: I have a great team. They are getting the stage set up here in New York right now. I don't like airport security but other than that my job is the best!
More on the man himself can be viewed at www.arminvanbuuren.com .
