Armin van Buuren. Photo By Vitaliy – Wikimedia

Top 10 Fun Facts About Armin van Buuren   


 

Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. He rose to stardom by being a remixer, composer, musician, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Armin tops the prestigious ‘DJ MAG’s Top 100 list poll.  

The driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for dance music. He is one of today’s most respected and well-known trance DJs in the world.  

Armin has enjoyed a massive and successful career while traveling around the world as he produces and remixes incredible music which has earned him fame and fortune. 

In his sets, both online and on live events, he plays all kinds of electronic music, house, and progressive house, techno and techtrance, electro and electrotrance, and the modern minimal style “trance”. 

Here are top 10 facts about DJ Armin van Buuren. 

1. The DJ Was Born on Christmas Day 

In the last week of 1976, Joep van Buuren and Marianne Verwaijen received a special Christmas gift in the form of a baby boy.  

Their son Armin van Buuren was born on that 25th December 1976 at Leiden but he grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn, Netherlands. This DJ and producer was born a perfectionist. 

His father was a music enthusiast so Armin listened to all kinds of music during his formative years. He showed interest in music from a young age. His brother Eller van Buuren, is a guitarist. 

Later, his friends introduced him to the world of dance music. He was inspired by two people who are, Jean-Michel Jarre, the French electronic music composer, and Ben Liebrand the Dutch DJ and Remixer. 

2. He Began Experimenting With Music At The Age of 10 Years  

DJ AvB. Photo By Patrick Savalle – Wikimedia Commons

When he was 10 years, his mother bought him a computer. This heightened his curiosity and interest in music because he discovered the vast possibilities that technology had to offer.  

Armin began experimenting with different tunes with a computer equipped with music-creating programs.   

3. He is a Law Graduate 

Armin graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995. He proceeded to Leiden University where he enrolled to study law.  

At the same time, he began his young DJ career which became so demanding, that he dropped out of university to focus on music.  

However, he went back years later to finish his studies and he graduated from law school in 2003. 

4. He Started by DJ-ing in a Club 

Armin Van Buuren. Photo By Vitaliy – Wikimedia Commons

When he was 20 years began working as a DJ in a club called Nexus. He would play multiple sets a week, most of which lasted six or more hours. 

In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him as a DJ in England and the United States. With the talent he had plus the practice and experience he had gathered over time from the number of songs he had remixed, Armin became one of the best DJs in the world.  

5. He is a Father of Two  

On 18th September 2009, Armin married his girlfriend, Erika van Thiel. They had dated for nine years. Their first child, Fenna, is a girl. She was born in July 2011. Two years later, they received their second child, Remy, a boy born in July 2013. 

6. He is a Very Popular DJ 

Armin has been number one in the acclaimed DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll for five times. Four of those times were in consecutive years. He was the first DJ in the history of the magazine to be in that position that many times.  

He tops the list because of his loyalty to fans, his creativity in the studio, his perseverance, and the energy he brings to the crowds and his fans. Armin’s popularity is an indication of his prolific output over the years that he has been DJing and producing.   

Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements. Overall, in his career, to date, he has won 50 competitive awards from 91 nominations. Amongst these are twelve DJ Awards, twenty-seven International Dance Music Awards, and five DJ Mag Awards.  

Despite the heavy pressure that comes along with being one of the world’s most popular DJs, Armin has always kept his focus on the music and that’s what keeps him going.   

7. His Weekly Radio Show Made Him Famous 

Broadcasting ‘A State of Trance’ show. Photo By warrenski – Wikimedia

Armin hosts “A State of Trance”, a weekly radio show that mostly plays trance music and other genres. The show propelled him to superstardom and garnered a heavy following of trance fans globally. It was traditionally broadcasted in Dutch but was later changed to English.  

Initially, Armin didn’t even have enough tracks to fill the two-hour slot. Now, he finds it extremely difficult to fit in all the tracks within two hours. In the show, he plays the latest popular trance music tracks and publishes the artists and track titles on his website.  

Since the show started, many DJs around the world have created their radio programs structured in the same manner. The show is broadcast to nearly 40 million listeners in 84 countries on over 100 FM radio stations. 

8. He Worked With Successful Artists 

Armin has worked with popular singers such as Sharon den Adel, Nadia Ali, Justine Suissa, the trance duo Gabriel & Dresden plus many others. He also collaborated with other DJs like Tiesto, Paul van Dyk and Ferry Corsten. 

Armin has a loyal fanbase and passionately influences the rave scene around the world. 

9. He Writes Songs For Movies 

DJ AvB. Photo By Patrick Savalle – Wikimedia Commons

Armin is regularly contracted for songwriting and song composing for popular movies and TV shows.  His music has been featured in the Upcoming Summer and Love Island (UK) soundtracks.

Some of Armin’s most popular songs include Blah Blah Blah, which was featured in the Welcome to Eden.

10. He Is an Order of Orange Nassau Officer 

On 3rd March 2010, Armin was awarded with the Golden Harp for his musical work and contribution to Dutch music, by Buma/Stemra at the 2010 Buma Harpen Gala in Hilversum Netherlands. The Golden harp award is considered one of the most important prizes in Dutch music. 

In 2011, Armin was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau for his services to music. The order is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the Queen.