The State of Trans
Meet Armin Van Buuren: Because every Underdog deserves a great Sidekick
What does trance music have in common with romantic comedies, the lingerie football league and spicy food? They’re all things people either love or hate.
Trance music is the high school outcast who wore polka dots with stripes, had no friends and happens to now own a Fortune 500 tech company. It was overlooked, misunderstood, stereotyped and strutted intently to its own beat. Of course, you knew its far more popular siblings, house and techno; they were older and wore letterman jackets. But if 80s’ movies have taught us anything it’s that the outcast is always the main character and although they take time to develop, we’ll end up rooting for them.
Like any good outcast, trance doesn’t care whether you like it or not; unlike its try-hard siblings, it was not founded to be played in front of crowds of oversexualized teens in fur boots and underwear. Undeniably, it is a world of cheesy promo pictures, heart-shaped hand gestures and drug-filled neon benders, but every music style has its quirks, right?
Even the omnipotent leader of the genre, Armin Van Buuren, preaches, “If you don’t like it, it’s fine – I’m not gonna force anything onto you. I’m not gonna say, ‘You have to come to a set of trance.’ But if you want to, you’re more than welcome to join the family. That’s what it’s about.”
Trance, a genre described as no less than emotionally euphoric, is based on heavy compressed kick drums, cascading synth arpeggios, dramatic sweeping pads and uplifting melodies. Born in Germany during the early 90s on the wave of piano techno, its signature melodic synths and the introduction of vocals solidified its takeover of the European dance scene. Quickly followed by the North American festival circuit.
So why are people picking on trance? It’s constantly miscategorized as electro or techno, the large music festivals are being attended by youngsters who can “afford” $350 tickets and $12 beers, who care more about dressing up in glow sticks and not much else than the genre’s signature melodic synths, its 120-160 BPM are considered aggressive by some and, let’s be honest, European DJs aren’t leading global fashion trends. All that topped with the fact that many consider trance to be a dead 90s’ culture trend.
However, drop the shallow opinions of this outcasts’ outer appearance and take notice of the endearing character trait that’s being overlooked: the music.
When we met with Van Buuren in his posh W Hotel suite in Montreal, he let us in on a secret we already knew: “House music is more popular right now. Trance music is not as big. And I think that’s a good thing. I don’t want trance to be as big as house; I don’t want Billboard #1 hits with trance songs.”
Bold words from a man you might not know, but believe us when we say if anyone’s going to be trance music’s sidekick, it’s Armin Van Buuren. A veteran in the genre, he has topped DJ Magazine’s fan-voted Top 100 DJs list a record five times, a testament to his global reach.
“It’s an award from the fans, not from three old guys with grey beards sitting in an office. It’s from the people that go to work every day, that listen to my radio shows and my podcasts on the subway, the people that come to my shows in Montreal and New York and Miami. I connect with these people. I feel so blessed to be in this position.”
It’s a position he leverages by investing a great deal into the development of this relatively young music style, not only by paving the way with his own career but also by giving budding DJs high-profile platforms to grow and showcase their art.
Armada Music, the record label he co-founded with Maykel Piron and David Lewis in 2003, has been named the Best Global Dance Label by the International Dance Music Awards four years in a row; A State of Trance, the radio show he has hosted since 2001, is said to reach over 20 million listeners in 26 countries (dead ‘90s culture nostalgia? As if!).
I feel so blessed to be in this position.”
This massive audience has allowed Van Buuren to take A State of Trance on tour as a strategic move to further nurture trance and its up-and-coming artists. “Look, if we go to the same cities as we did last year we’re not going to make a difference. We’re going to sell out the events. We’re going to make a lot of money. It’s an easy fix. But the radio show won’t grow.” This type of concern for the genre’s long-term success is characteristic of trance DJs and enthusiasts alike.
The Trance Family, as it is affectionately dubbed, doesn’t intend to impose on anyone but itself. It is made up of music-loving fans seeking a euphoric experience, a community whose philosophy Armin strives to cultivate. “What I want to do is cater to the community and feel like I’m a part of it.”
Make no mistake: not everyone who loves trance is a pseudo-hippy who wants to hug everyone and believes in world peace. The reality is that trance is the most musical style of the electronic dance spectrum and therefore has an instant appeal. The encapsulating aspect of trance is its inherent progressive builds that can evoke an inexplicable relatability. Yes, the prom queen just fell for the band geek.
Better yet, he’s gonna rock her world, and all because she kept her mind open. As a flag-bearer of trance music, Van Buuren has that mentality pretty much down pat, “The people who may be interested in trance music and who may like it – I want to open the door for them. I want to introduce it to people and open their minds to it.”
Although as a genre it sways to the beat of its own synths, this outcast has begun to unveil the raison-d’être for its intense kick drums, 160 BPMs and euphoric sentiments. Besides, it turns out the songs aren’t all thirteen-minute mash-ups of repetitive bass drum beats and sounds of old school modems dialing up. Trance might not have had us at hello, but we’re startin’ to dig this lil’ sucker. And if you still won’t be caught dead in a crowd of 200,000 people cupping your hands in a heart shape while wiping the glitter swept down your face by beads of trance-induced sweat, well hey, trance doesn’t care anyway.
What does trance music have in common with romantic comedies, the lingerie football league and spicy food? They’re all things people either love or hate.
Trance music is the high school outcast who wore polka dots with stripes, had no friends and happens to now own a Fortune 500 tech company. It was overlooked, misunderstood, stereotyped and strutted intently to its own beat. Of course, you knew its far more popular siblings, house and techno; they were older and wore letterman jackets. But if 80s’ movies have taught us anything it’s that the outcast is always the main character and although they take time to develop, we’ll end up rooting for them.
“If you don’t like it, it’s fine – I’m not gonna force anything onto you.”Like any good outcast, trance doesn’t care whether you like it or not; unlike its try-hard siblings, it was not founded to be played in front of crowds of oversexualized teens in fur boots and underwear. Undeniably, it is a world of cheesy promo pictures, heart-shaped hand gestures and drug-filled neon benders, but every music style has its quirks, right?
Even the omnipotent leader of the genre, Armin Van Buuren, preaches, “If you don’t like it, it’s fine – I’m not gonna force anything onto you. I’m not gonna say, ‘You have to come to a set of trance.’ But if you want to, you’re more than welcome to join the family. That’s what it’s about.”
Trance, a genre described as no less than emotionally euphoric, is based on heavy compressed kick drums, cascading synth arpeggios, dramatic sweeping pads and uplifting melodies. Born in Germany during the early 90s on the wave of piano techno, its signature melodic synths and the introduction of vocals solidified its takeover of the European dance scene. Quickly followed by the North American festival circuit.
So why are people picking on trance? It’s constantly miscategorized as electro or techno, the large music festivals are being attended by youngsters who can “afford” $350 tickets and $12 beers, who care more about dressing up in glow sticks and not much else than the genre’s signature melodic synths, its 120-160 BPM are considered aggressive by some and, let’s be honest, European DJs aren’t leading global fashion trends. All that topped with the fact that many consider trance to be a dead 90s’ culture trend.
However, drop the shallow opinions of this outcasts’ outer appearance and take notice of the endearing character trait that’s being overlooked: the music.
When we met with Van Buuren in his posh W Hotel suite in Montreal, he let us in on a secret we already knew: “House music is more popular right now. Trance music is not as big. And I think that’s a good thing. I don’t want trance to be as big as house; I don’t want Billboard #1 hits with trance songs.”
Bold words from a man you might not know, but believe us when we say if anyone’s going to be trance music’s sidekick, it’s Armin Van Buuren. A veteran in the genre, he has topped DJ Magazine's fan-voted Top 100 DJs list a record five times, a testament to his global reach.
“It’s an award from the fans, not from three old guys with grey beards sitting in an office. It’s from the people that go to work every day, that listen to my radio shows and my podcasts on the subway, the people that come to my shows in Montreal and New York and Miami. I connect with these people. I feel so blessed to be in this position.”
It’s a position he leverages by investing a great deal into the development of this relatively young music style, not only by paving the way with his own career but also by giving budding DJs high-profile platforms to grow and showcase their art.
Armada Music, the record label he co-founded with Maykel Piron and David Lewis in 2003, has been named the Best Global Dance Label by the International Dance Music Awards four years in a row; A State of Trance, the radio show he has hosted since 2001, is said to reach over 20 million listeners in 26 countries (dead ‘90s culture nostalgia? As if!).
“It’s an award from the fans, not from three old guys with grey beards sitting in an office.I feel so blessed to be in this position.”
This massive audience has allowed Van Buuren to take A State of Trance on tour as a strategic move to further nurture trance and its up-and-coming artists. “Look, if we go to the same cities as we did last year we’re not going to make a difference. We’re going to sell out the events. We’re going to make a lot of money. It’s an easy fix. But the radio show won’t grow.” This type of concern for the genre’s long-term success is characteristic of trance DJs and enthusiasts alike.
The Trance Family, as it is affectionately dubbed, doesn’t intend to impose on anyone but itself. It is made up of music-loving fans seeking a euphoric experience, a community whose philosophy Armin strives to cultivate. “What I want to do is cater to the community and feel like I’m a part of it.”
Make no mistake: not everyone who loves trance is a pseudo-hippy who wants to hug everyone and believes in world peace. The reality is that trance is the most musical style of the electronic dance spectrum and therefore has an instant appeal. The encapsulating aspect of trance is its inherent progressive builds that can evoke an inexplicable relatability. Yes, the prom queen just fell for the band geek.
Better yet, he’s gonna rock her world, and all because she kept her mind open. As a flag-bearer of trance music, Van Buuren has that mentality pretty much down pat, “The people who may be interested in trance music and who may like it - I want to open the door for them. I want to introduce it to people and open their minds to it.”
Although as a genre it sways to the beat of its own synths, this outcast has begun to unveil the raison-d’être for its intense kick drums, 160 BPMs and euphoric sentiments. Besides, it turns out the songs aren’t all thirteen-minute mash-ups of repetitive bass drum beats and sounds of old school modems dialing up. Trance might not have had us at hello, but we’re startin’ to dig this lil’ sucker. And if you still won’t be caught dead in a crowd of 200,000 people cupping your hands in a heart shape while wiping the glitter swept down your face by beads of trance-induced sweat, well hey, trance doesn’t care anyway.