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”.
Face of Summer
Armin van Buuren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where are you now
Is there a sign you're sending
I want you back, I said I want you back
I was broken, such a fool then
'Til you looked my way
I was dreamin', now I'm believin'
You're my night and my day
You're the face of summer
I won't wait 'til summers gone
Don't let this fade away
I've headed down this road
Too long to discover
Standing in the light you and I side by side
You're the face of summer
You're the face of summer
Memories stole away
I won't wait 'til summers gone
Don't let this fade away
I've headed down this road
Too long to discover
Standing in the light you and I side by side
You're the face of summer
I want you to stay, let's walk into the sun
You're the face of summer
The lyrics of "Face of Summer" by Armin Van Buuren and Sarah Decourcy appear to be a love song about a person who the singer has lost and wants back in their life. The first two lines suggest a feeling of being lost and unsure about where to turn. However, they ask the person if there is a sign that they are sending indicating where to find them. The singer then says they want this person back and regrets pushing them away previously. The lines "I was broken, such a fool then / 'Til you looked my way" suggest that the singer was in a difficult place before this person came into their life. But now, since meeting them, the singer sees the world differently. The person they are singing about is now their "night and day."
The chorus, "You're the face of summer / I won't wait 'til summer's gone / Don't let this fade away / I've headed down this road / Too long to discover / Standing in the light you and I side by side / You're the face of summer," continues the theme of the person being the highlight of the singer's life. They don't want to wait for anything else, they just want to be with this person. They also express regret that they have been searching for this person too long when they were likely always right in front of them. The line "Standing in the light you and I side by side" is especially poignant as it suggests that, with this person, they feel like their true selves. The singer ends the song by asking the person to stay with them and walk into the sun; they are the "face of summer" and they do not want the memories of them to fade away.
Overall, the message of the song appears to be that the person the singer is singing about is the highlight of their life and they do not want to lose them. They express regret for foolishly losing them before and promise that they will not wait any longer to be with this person.
Line by Line Meaning
Wandering alone caught at dusty dead end
Feeling lost and stranded with no direction or purpose in life
Where are you now
Wondering where someone important is in life
Is there a sign you're sending
Questioning if there are any indications or messages being sent from that person
I want you back, I said I want you back
Longing to have that person back in life
I was broken, such a fool then
Feeling shattered and foolish in past situations
'Til you looked my way
Until that person noticed and paid attention to me
I was dreamin', now I'm believin'
Previously living in a dream-like state and now coming to actual realization
You're my night and my day
That person is a constant in my life, present both day and night
You're the face of summer
You represent the happiness and warmth associated with summertime
I won't wait 'til summers gone
I refuse to let time pass without seizing the moment to enjoy and appreciate this person
Don't let this fade away
Pleading for this experience with that person to last and not disappear
I've headed down this road
I've been on this journey for a while
Too long to discover
It's taken me a long time to realize what's important
Standing in the light you and I side by side
Together in a bright and positive environment, enjoying each other's company
Memories stole away
Reminiscing about past moments that are no longer present
I want you to stay, let's walk into the sun
Wanting to continue this journey together, with bright and optimistic outlooks on life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@memphisiv
Incredible underrated track. A hidden masterpiece.
@nunosantos00
People overrated David Guetta with the same style of this track and AVB has no fans compared to him although his talent is 100 times bigger.
Not fair!
@MariamArab
Love it
@notdream3450
so fantastic
@memphisiv
@@notdream3450 Yes!! I miss that old Armin so much.
@MariamArab
This track doesn’t need any remix treatment. Perfect the way it is.
@notdream3450
yes absloutly
@lightflareproject
Qulinez took the Remix treatment
@memphisiv
I will never understand the reasons for Armin to never play this track live nor compose tracks like this again.
@raymondleggs5508
I think Armin just invented new genre, Spanish classical guitar trance . :D