Armin van Buuren dishes on the ASOT 600 experience and forthcoming artist albumA Tale Of Two Armins Armin Van Buuren At Edc Ny Review

Armin van Buuren dishes on the ASOT 600 experience and forthcoming artist album

Over a decade in the making (12 years to be exact), Armin van Buuren is amidst celebration for the 600th episode of his A State Of Trance radioshow. After knocking out the first two stops of his global movement known as “The Expedition,” the godfather of trance took the time reminisce on his career, open up about ASOT 600, and spoke of an upcoming full-length artist album.

“Radio is not only meant to please your ears but also to challenge people to stay open to new sounds.” – Armin van Buuren

Kicking off the interview with his own A State Of Trance outlet, Armin was nearly speechless about his tour stops in Madrid and Mexico, leaving us with one word: “Insane.” Hype for the annual ASOT campaigns normally pick up where the predecessor left off and even Armin considered that 365 days of buzzing could’ve been too much.”I was afraid maybe the hype was too big, but I hope we managed to please everyone with the level of production and sound.” AvB’s conclusion: too much ASOT hype is an oxymoron.

Looking back on nearly 13 years as the conductor of A State Of Trance, van Buuren touched upon some of his brightest memories: ”One time they were renovating the studio in Amsterdam where I was doing the early episodes of ASOT. The studio was on a rolling platform and that started moving in the middle of a set so I had to move around the studio to keep the mix going.” It’s no surprise that time spent on home territory was time most enjoyed. “I loved it when it was in Dutch and in this small studio and a lot of producers stopped by for a coffee.” Feeling nostalgia, he continued, “I still miss doing the ‘XXL’ episodes with specials about certain artists.”

Everyone’s hosting their own radioshows these days, but few have the allure as Armin’s weekly Thursday treats. When asked about what sets A State Of Trance apart from others, he humbly accredited his listeners. When asked the same question, only in regards to the celebration instead of the radioshow itself, Armin distinguished his globe-traveling festival by the community that supports it — you may know them as “trance family.”

“I think it has to do with the strong community. What trance does to people, I haven’t seen in other styles in music. Some people live and breathe this music.”

After an ASOT discussion that could never go stale, Armin was asked how he spent his two weeks free time leading up to the São Paulo celebration. Better yet, he was nudged to drop hints about a new artist album that he was trying to keep under wraps.

“Proud to say the album is now finished and I’m working on completing the artwork now. We’re still signing contracts with a few people so we need to get that out of the way… But it will be very soon!”

Original material aside, in addition to the recent release of his A State Of Trance 2013 compilation, Armin reveals that the official ASOT 600 compilation “should be available in Den Bosch on April 6th.” Sit tight, America — a boatload of new music from Armin and company is on the way, and catch “The Expedition” in New York City and Miami this spring.

Via: A State Of Trance

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