Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren (b. December 25, 1976) is a world renowned trance music DJ and producer hailing from Leiden, the Netherlands.

Early influences

Born in Leiden, the Netherlands, Armin was fascinated by music since very early in life. This had a lot to do with his father who listened to lots of different music styles. Besides his love for music, Armin slowly started to gain more interest in technology and computers. At the age of 14 he bought his first sampler, confiscated his father's synthesizer and started to make music.

Related Topics:
Music - Computers - Sampler - Synthesizer

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During adolescence, he would always cycle to school with his headphones on, listening to music from Jean Michel Jarre and Ben Liebrand's minimixes. Having a great deal of respect for Ben Liebrand, he sent him a demo that was received enthusiastically. As a result, Ben taught Armin a lot about producing and mixing the following year.

Related Topics:
Jean Michel Jarre - Ben Liebrand

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Armin's passion for mixing progressed. He started working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus, finished high school in 1995 and went on to university to study law. Meanwhile he moved his studio equipment from his bedroom to a 'real' studio. The first tracks he produced in his new studio were, amongst others, hits like "Touch Me" and "Communication". Not liking to be confined to a particular style by labelling his music, the tracks that followed had varying feeling. Armin has been quoted as saying 'don't be a prisoner of your own style'. Armin has described his musical style as euphoric, uplifting, melodic and energetic.

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Armin's ambition has driven him to do many things at the same time: studying, producing, and being a DJ. He says that the only way to be able to do so is by enjoying what you do. Armin claims his ultimate dream is 'doing what he loves most and have as much fun as possible doing it'.

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Lately, Armin has been working hard on his DJ career, performing at an average of more than two gigs per weekend. According to him "the fans and the public are the most important thing for a DJ". Seemingly because he strongly believes in the importance of his fans, he can be seen signing his autograph on virtually anything: vinyls, flyers, t-shirts, body parts, and mobile phones.

Related Topics:
Vinyl - Mobile phones

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