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”.
Lost
Armin van Buuren Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I did you wrong
And I've been drownin' in the whiskey
Every night since you've been gone
And I know that I've been trouble
But you've been on my mind
And I'm just pickin' up the pieces
I'd walk a thousand miles out through the wild
To get back inside your heart
Just tryin' to light your fire at any cost
And darlin', I'll be standing by you when the sky gets dark
Oh I, I will find all that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
Oh, I know that you've been lonely
Yeah, I've been lovely too
Oh, I've been dancin' with the devil
Got blisters in my shoes
But still, I'd walk a thousand miles out through the wild
To get back inside your heart
Just tryin' to light your fire at any cost
And darlin', I'll be standing by you when the sky gets dark
Oh I, I will find all that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
All that love we lost
The lyrics of Armin van Buuren’s Lost explore feelings of despair, hopelessness, and the search for meaning and purpose. The opening lines, “Forget the peace inside, you’ve given way to the gods of destruction,” suggest a loss of inner peace and a sense of being overwhelmed by destruction and chaos. The lyrics then go on to express a feeling of emptiness and aimlessness, with the lines “Full of desire, you feel afraid that there’s nothing left” and “Nowhere to hide and nothing to swallow.”
The chorus of the song serves as a message of hope, encouraging the listener to let go of their fears and trust that they will find their way back home. It suggests that the journey back to a sense of inner peace and purpose may be difficult, but it is possible to find one’s bearings again.
The lyrics also touch on themes of materialism and the search for external validation, with the lines “What can you believe in now, with no love to follow? Now that you have lost yourself, oh, can anything help you now?” These lines suggest that the search for meaning and purpose cannot be found by accumulating material possessions or seeking external validation; true fulfillment must come from within.
Overall, the lyrics of Lost convey a sense of despair and confusion, but also offer a message of hope and resilience. It encourages the listener to let go of their fears and trust that they will eventually find their way back home.
Line by Line Meaning
Forget the peace inside
You have let go of the inner peace you possessed, and it is no longer a priority for you.
You’ve given way to the gods of destruction
Your desire and the quest for more have led you to embrace what destroys, such as greed, envy, and pride.
Full of desire
Your mind is fully preoccupied with wanting more and more, and increasingly losing sight of what really matters.
You feel afraid that there’s nothing left
You are worried that you have lost what was once valuable, and that you may not regain it again.
The ocean is dry
The sources of your satisfaction and joy have become empty, and nothing can quench your thirst anymore.
Do you feel hollow?
You have a feeling of emptiness, as if there is nothing solid or genuine in your life.
Nowhere to hide
You have lost your refuge, and there is no place to find shelter, solace or comfort.
And nothing to swallow
Everything is dry and tasteless, and you are unable to find anything to nourish your soul.
And when you can’t recognize
When everything is so vague and uncertain, you are unable to distinguish and comprehend what is happening around you.
Anything solid
No concrete unit of value or meaning can be found in your life, and everything seems to be extemporaneous and worthless.
Where do you turn?
You are wondering where to seek help, and whom to rely on in this uncertain state.
When you can’t buy it?
You are faced with a new reality where the solution to everything cannot necessarily be solved with money or material success.
What can you believe in now
In the face of the stark and bleak reality you face, there is nothing to put your trust in.
With no love to follow?
You are devoid of love or any positive emotion that could guide you through your predicament.
Now that you have lost yourself
You are no longer the person you used to be, and have lost sight of the values that were intrinsic to you.
Oh, can anything help you now?
In the face of what looks like a hopeless situation, you are searching for anything that can help restore your serenity.
What did you learn?
Amidst the chaos, you are reflecting on past experiences and what they may have taught you.
What was it worth?
You are questioning whether all the lost time and energy were worth chasing the things that have now vanished.
What did you yearn for?
You realize that the things you had always desired were not really what was important and that they let you down.
Everything’s lost now
All the things you held dear have vanished, leaving behind an empty shell.
And not alone and not alone
The realization that others are enduring similar pain gives you comfort and solidarity.
Just let your fears go
The conflict within could be quelled if you banish all fears that drive you towards the negative spiral.
You might find your way back home
By shedding your fears and clamoring, you can rediscover yourself and what made you happy before.
Let your fears go
A plea to release any external influence that chains you down from reconnecting with your former self.
You might find that you’re not lost
By letting go of the fears and desires that led you astray, you can come to embrace the person you once were and move forward.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9
Written by: Armin van Buuren, Benno De Goeij, Emery Taylor, Fadil El Ghoul, Lewis Hughes, Nicholas Audino, Simon Alexander Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind