5 Reasons Why Armin Van Buuren Wins Forever

If you don’t already agree with the above statement in this headline, by all means – read on.

5. He’s The Ultimate Mentor and Champion of New Artists

Think about it, would we have Tritonal without Armin? Or Cosmic Gate? I wouldn’t even know about those artists if he hadn’t shown and championed them to me over the last few years. Armin is almost as famous for his support of new artists as he is for his own music, between ASOT Radio and his Armada label, he has been shaping the landscape of the international trance scene for over 10 years. With releases ranging from guys like Audien and Omnia to mainstreamers like W&W, the spectrum of sound coming out of Armada is undeniable and it’s hard to imagine where the trance scene would be without Armin’s efforts to curate the best of the best.

4. His A State of Trance Radio Show Is The Definitive Source For New Trance

Armin’s weekly radio show and podcast has been airing since 2001, a whopping 13 years of a weekly, two-hour radio show. I’m terrible at math, but that sounds like a lot of episodes and a lot of hours put into them. He confesses that basically all of the new music he hears and plays in his shows come from scouring the web and listening to music submissions for ASOT Radio and that the desire to keep his weekly radio show fresh trickles down into maximum freshness all the time in his live sets.

3. He’s Reportedly the Best Dad and Husband Ever

You hear A LOT about slutty DJ’s out there on the road cheating on their wives 5 days a week and never spending time with their kids. Not so for Armin van Buuren, who’s known for taking his wife Erika and daughter Fenna on the road, and for just generally being the happiest, most loving guy on the planet.

2. No Two Armin Shows Are Ever the Same, He Mixes Live ALWAYS

Not that Armin throws DJ’s who play pre-mixed sets under the bus, but he kind of does a little. During a press conference in Los Angeles for the upcoming Armin Intense tour, the mayor of trance music made sure to let everyone know that when he’s behind the decks, he’s present in the moment playing to the crowd on the fly and thus no two Armin sets will ever be the same. What a joy to see a guy at the top of his game still doing everything himself and giving 150% when he could just as easily be sitting home with his gorgeous family counting his money.

1. His ASOT Shows Literally Bring The World Together

Easily the most compelling and unifying moment I’ve ever witnessed at a rave came when looking around the ASOT tent at Ultra last year and seeing the individual faces of a dozen fans from around the world on a dozen different screens around the tent. But that wasn’t the coolest part – the climax moment came when their perspective shifted and suddenly the kids watching at home became aware of the fact that they were on a big screen in the tent being waved to by thousands of fellow fans. Imagine watching a live stream at home and suddenly your vantage point shifts and you’re lo longer watching Armin onstage, instead you’re behind him looking at the crowd and you realize they’re all waving to you.

Then Armin’s on the mic like, “Say hello to our friends in Dublin!” and the kid on the screen in Dublin is screaming and going batshit crazy and everyone in the audience gets to share the excitement of that fan at home.

It was the most elegant and unifying use of technology to ever grace the rave.

Now you know why Armin Van Buuren wins forever.

P.S. Bonus Round – Paris Hilton Wants His Autograph