Armin van Buuren
Back in 2011, Armin van Buuren was the first DJ our founder André Beekmans would join for a whole world tour. In fact, he was one of the first DJs ever who took a lighting operator on tour with him. We have worked together on many festivals and private shows, where every crowd goes wild for the signature sound of Armin. For years now, one of our lighting operators is 100% dedicated to the Armin team, making sure every lightshow contributes to the ultimate experience.
Armin van Buuren is well known for hosting A State Of Trance (ASOT), a radio show that broadcasts weekly to over 40 million listeners in 84 different countries. Next to being one of the world’s best and most professional DJs, Armin van Buuren is just a very nice and normal guy. The ideal son-in-law, we would say. Armin is certainly one of our favorite artists and we are really looking forward to joining him on the This Is Me shows in June.
We will take you into a state of trance
For 20 years now, Armin is at the top. All over the world he has a great fan base and we completely understand his success. Armin always stands out from the crowd. He gets inspired by all kinds of styles, but it is impossible to categorize or even describe his music. It’s the Armin van Buuren signature sound. You can only understand this by listening to it.
One of the shows we will never forget was Tomorrowland Brasil. Throughout the day, all kinds of artists were playing EDM. Great ambiance, people were vibing. When Armin arrived, everything changed. His signature sound is so unique, so different and yet so recognizable as Armin van Buuren. The crowd went absolutely wild!
Challenge
Matching the unique sound of Armin van Buuren, the team has their own distinctive style when it comes to operation, design and lighting. People in the industry can recognize an Armin van Buuren show even when it’s completely muted. On the stage you can see Armin with his eyes closed and his arms spread wide.
We know what an Armin van Buuren show should look like. The biggest challenge is creating the same unique experience in different set-ups all round the world. It takes some flexibility to make this happen. We work together with a lot of local technicians and promoters. We see getting them excited to create the desired experience as a part of our job. By spreading enthusiasm and humbling ourselves, we can achieve a common goal. This way of working is very successful.
Result
Our lighting operator Micheal has been part of the Armin team for years. The team is completely attuned to each other and Michael knows Armin's music like no other. He knows what is coming, every little sound, every accent. This way, the music and lighting can be aligned perfectly to create the ultimate experience.
Armin always achieves the unthinkable. A perfect example of this was Pinkpop, the oldest annual dedicated pop music festival in the world. Although the Dutch festival is all about pop and rock music, Armin van Buuren closed the festival in 2019 as an atypical act. But that is what Armin does best: be different, stand out and convince the audience with his own signature style. At Pinkpop, he did it again. We never saw so many arms thrown in the air. Despite the enormous success, Armin keeps working hard, aiming to improve and evolve.
Watching Armin van Buuren perform always is a great delight. We are proud to be part of this experience.
Photocredits: Jorrit Lousberg