He has been named number one in the prestigious DJ MAG Top 100 poll four times in a row, from 2007 till 2010 and for the 5th time in 2012. He's the first DJ in the history of the DJ Magazine to achieve that and an indication of his prolific output over more than 14 years he’s been dj’ing and producing. Being the official World’s Most Popular DJ is just one of his many achievements, but the driving force behind his success is an overriding passion for electronic dance music.
2008 began with the success that the number one DJ seems to attract; he was awarded with the prestigious Buma Cultuur Pop Award in January. This was followed by being voted as the Best Trance Artist in the Beatport Music Awards in March; judged on the musician’s artistic achievements, national and international success, it is evident that Armin van Buuren has become one of the decade’s most influential trance acts.
Even a basic list of recent successes reads like a lifetime of work: ‘Best Album’ for artist album ‘Shivers’ at both the Dutch Release Dance Awards and the prestigious Edison Awards; ‘Best Compilation’ for ‘A State Of Trance’, in 2006, claiming the ‘Best European DJ’ award in 2007 and ‘Best Mix Radio Show’ at the Miami Winter Music Conference in 2006 and 2007, for radio show ‘A State Of Trance’ – now broadcasting on a massive 40 FM stations as well as satellite and internet radio, with over 26 million listeners a week; a 5th year residency in Ibiza at Amnesia and over 50,000 downloads every week from podcasting high end chart-bothering positions all over the world for singles, albums and compilations , with single “Rush Hour” used as the theme tune to the UEFA European Youth Championship; the #1 entry in the Dutch album charts with his artist album ‘Imagine’, the #1 entry of the DVD registration of ‘Armin Only ‘ Imagine’ – the landmarks just keep coming!
The 350th episode and the 7th year of the hit radio show ‘A State of Trance’ was celebrated in May 2008 with an eight hour live broadcast from Antwerp in Belgium to over 40 radio stations internationally. Fans were invited to a free party with a line up that had been voted for by the show’s listeners; another example of the importance the DJ places on the satisfaction of his fans. Considering the popularity of the radio show the introduction of ‘A State of Trance Podcast’ was a natural progression. The weekly podcasts which contain highlights and Armin’s favourite tracks from the previous episode ensure that trance lovers across the world will never miss another episode!
Sold-out shows for Armin Only in 2005 and 2006 created eager anticipation of the third edition, which kicked off in a sold-out Jaarbeurs in Utrecht in 2008; over 16,000 fans attended and were enthralled by the DJ’s nine hour set. The theme of the night was ‘Imagine’, described by Armin as “the celebration of our sensations both in life and in clubland.” Fans all around the world should not despair, as ‘Armin Only’ tour dates have also been set for Romania, Poland, Belgium and Australia; the DJ will also be touring in England, Scotland, Ibiza, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, with expected dates in, for an example, the Czech Republic.
Born in Leiden, Holland (on December 25, 1976) to a musical family, Armin indulged his passion for music from a young age. He spent all the money he earned with his paper round on records. His mum won a computer when he was 10, gaining Armin’s interest. “So as a little nerdy kid I was writing my own basic programmes, and learnt about the technology from there.” He progressed from making low-profile mix tapes for friends to higher profile mixes when he discovered experimenting with different sequences on his computer through his uncle. “I was so stunned by what I saw him doing on the computer, that I got addicted to creating music right there and then!”
“I loved dance music immediately – this great rebellious sound that was so different to the ‘beautiful’ songs of the years before”. Armin cites electronic pioneer Jean Michel Jarre as a major influence (famed for his awesome visuals as well as his groundbreaking synth sounds), as well as Dutch producer Ben Liebrand, who later mentored him in his mixing and producing.
In the early days, Armin thought it was wise to have something extra in case the DJ’ing didn’t work out. So he studied for a law degree. The final year of his course was inevitably stretched as he juggled his studies with his increasingly hectic schedule; his rise to fame included lots of productions and remixes, as well as playing out to packed clubs every weekend. It took him three years to graduate, but his determination made him succeed!
Armin’s own productions have all made a huge impact and quickly gain worldwide acclaim; his latest artist album titled ‘Imagine’ entered the Dutch Album Top 100 Chart at number one; this is the first time a dance producer has ever accomplished such a feat in the history of Dutch music. The first single to be taken from this album, ‘Going Wrong’ with DJ Shah featuring Chris Jones, entered the Dutch Singles Chart at number five. The ‘Armin Only DVD’ was also released and reached the acclaimed number one spot in its second week. His back catalogue includes Blue Fear, Communication, Sound of Goodbye, Shivers, Rush Hour, Burned With Desire, Exhale, Love You More, This World Is Watching Me, and Yet Another Day. While the remix offers flood in, Armin only takes on tracks that he really loves. He uses exactly the same criteria for his compilations, meaning that every release from Armin or his long-running Armind label is a bone fide stormer that’s earned its place. His output includes tracks for the cult TV series 24, and the likes of Motorcycle’s As The Rush Comes.
Armin is a dedicated trance lover, but isn’t imprisoned by a single genre, saying “What makes trance work so well is that it doesn’t stick to one style, and can incorporate electro, minimal, whatever it likes.” His desire to showcase more of the great music he hears, along with the number of people sending him tracks they wanted to release, led to the obvious step of starting his own label, Armada, in 2003.
The label is a joint venture between Armin, Maykel Piron (former head of A&R for Warner Music) and David Lewis, who'd previously managed Armin. "What we wanted was a company that could offer everything for an artist: representation, a booking agency, and a record company. Artists can choose full management, or to just release a record or play out at gigs. Armada lets the artists choose what they want without telling them what to do".
Armin is now a fully-fledged artist in his own right, having made his songwriting debut on his album, the award-winning Shivers; The events continue to get bigger and bigger, and Armin regularly headlines the likes of Sensation White, Global Gathering, Dance Valley, ZoukOut, Mysteryland, Coachella, Beats In Brazil, Trance Energy, Fort Dance, Summer Days – basically whether you’re in Australia, Russia, the Middle East, the US or Europe, you can catch Armin van Buuren at a club or festival near you!
"This is just what I really want," says Armin. "It’s not just love for music, it’s my passion. It goes beyond liking, and beyond a hobby, it’s about a way of living. Music is essential to my life”.
Drowning
Armin van Buuren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world is at my feet and it's no wonder
Your eyes speak to me, they tell me be calm
They tell me be strong
Swimming out so deep, now I can't breathe
And it's exactly where I belong
'Cause it feels like the ride of a lifetime
Let the waves come crashing down
'Cause it feels like I'm right for the first time
And every time I take you in
I feel my heart skip a beat again
I'm drowning in your love
Love, it's taking over
There's no in between to offer me some cover (oh-oh)
The tide is coming, I don't know if I can take it
I lose my focus, lose my focus
With every breath I feel my inhibition breaking
I can't control it (no-no-no)
'Cause it feels like the ride of a lifetime
And nothing is gonna save us now
Let the waves come crashing down
'Cause it feels like I'm right for the first time
And every time I take you in
I feel my heart skip a beat again
I'm drowning in your love
The song "Drowning" by Armin van Buuren expresses the feeling of being consumed by love, overwhelmed and swept away by intense emotions. In the song, the singer describes the sensation of being pulled under by strong currents, yet feeling at ease and at home in the depths. The depth of love he feels for the person he loves is all-consuming and he feels like he is drowning in their love.
The opening lines of the song, "Rush, pull me under, the world is at my feet and it's no wonder" suggest that the singer is being swept away by a strong force, possibly love. He feels like he has the world at his feet, and he is being pushed forward by this force. The lyrics "swimming out so deep, now I can't breathe, and it's exactly where I belong" indicate that he is out of his comfort zone, but he is comfortable with this feeling of "drowning" in the love he feels.
The chorus, "Cause it feels like the ride of a lifetime and nothing is gonna save us now. Let the waves come crashing down" suggests that the love he is experiencing is intense and consuming. The singer feels like this is the most incredible experience of his life and he wants to embrace it fully, despite the risks involved. The second part of the chorus, "Cause it feels like I'm right for the first time and every time I take you in, I feel my heart skip a beat again. I'm drowning in your love" emphasizes the intensity of the emotions he is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Rush, pull me under
I want to be quickly submerged in this feeling
The world is at my feet and it's no wonder
I have everything at my disposal to feel this way
Your eyes speak to me, they tell me be calm
You tell me to relax and stay calm
They tell me be strong
You want me to be brave
Swimming out so deep, now I can't breathe
I've gone too far and now I'm suffocating
And it's exactly where I belong
But I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be
'Cause it feels like the ride of a lifetime
This experience is something I'll never forget
And nothing is gonna save us now
We're completely engrossed in this moment and nothing can interrupt it
Let the waves come crashing down
We'll let the intensity of the feelings consume us
'Cause it feels like I'm right for the first time
This is the first time I've ever felt so in sync with someone
And every time I take you in
Every time I'm with you
I feel my heart skip a beat again
I get butterflies and my heart races
I'm drowning in your love
I'm completely consumed by my love for you
Love, it's taking over
My love for you is overpowering everything else
There's no in between to offer me some cover (oh-oh)
I can't find any middle ground to escape from these feelings
The tide is coming, I don't know if I can take it
I feel like something big is coming and I don't know if I'm ready for it
I lose my focus, lose my focus
I become so lost in these feelings I lose sight of everything else
With every breath I feel my inhibition breaking
Every time I exhale, I'm becoming more and more vulnerable
I can't control it (no-no-no)
And I don't know how to stop it
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENNO DE GOEIJ, MIRIAM NERVO, OLIVIA NERVO, ARMIN J J D VAN BUUREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@armadamusictv
Join Armin van Buuren on Discord! ➡ https://discord.gg/arminvanbuuren
@josefontela
This is still, and will always be, my favorite EDM track. Thank you, Avicii, for creating this masterpiece. May you rest in peace <3
@ReverbCanvas
Cheers bro, I share the thought
@mic5228
Same here brothers
@domibelenmuniz4943
Me to0🇩🇴2023
@uyenho689
Same 🥺😍🥹
@aurum1515
Same💛
@mihaillupu4967
2024 still listening ❤
@Skuglyft
2021. Still my favourite track, and Tim's best work in my opinion. This one has such emotion and brings back many good summer memories.
@gyeoulbee
i cannot agree more. nothing more to say