T.H.E Interview – Armin van Buuren

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Armin van Buuren interview

It takes little to recognize that Armin van Buuren is one of the world’s biggest DJs and producers in electronic music for over twenty years.

As he prepares to set Big City Beats’ WORLD CLUB DOME on fire, we speak to him about his year so far, his brand new remix of Van Halen’s “JUMP” and why mash-ups are an important part of his set.

Paridhi – You’ve been quite busy in 2019 so far! If you had to sum it up in one word what would it be?

Armin van Buuren – Wonderful. I’m touring the world, making tons of new music, working on an artist album and get to spend time (although never enough) with my family and friends. Life is good! J

Paridhi – Your latest release, the incredible remix of ‘JUMP’, has been on loop ever since we first heard it at ULTRA 2019. How was the experience remixing it?

Armin van Buuren – I had so much fun remixing this track. It’s always tricky to remix such a classic, but the vibe of the original is so light and positive I could only enjoy every second of it! And truth be told, how could you not ‘Jump’ all over the studio with a track like that!

Paridhi – You’ll be performing this year at BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME. What are you looking forward to the most?

Armin van Buuren – In a video message I recorded about a year ago, I said that I thought BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME was one of the best festivals in the world and I meant it. I already played in Frankfurt once and in Korea as well for this event, and if there’s even 50% of the magic here this year that I experienced at these events, I’ll be a happy man.

Paridhi – This isn’t the first time you’ve played there. What are the best aspects of the festival in your opinion?

BigCityBeats World Club Dome 2019

Armin van Buuren – Honestly? It’s the crowd. The stage, the sound, and the lightning are all on point of course, but the energy of the crowd is just unreal.

Paridhi – This year is the festival’s ‘Space Edition’. Given that you are a big fan of space are you excited about this year more than others perhaps?

Armin van Buuren – Absolutely. It’s no secret that I absolutely adore Star Wars and other space-themed stuff, and this isn’t an exception.

Paridhi – How do you normally go about preparing for your sets? Are there any exclusives we can look out for at World Club Dome?

Armin van Buuren – I do try to prepare in the sense of track selection (incl. a few exclusives if I have ‘em), but I still believe playing a set is mostly about reading the crowd. I could prepare the entire set to the second if I wanted to, but if the crowd doesn’t feel it, you’ve got to switch it up anyways.

Paridhi – Apart from originals, mash-ups form a big part of your production and your sets. What’s the process you go through to identify the right songs to mash-up?

Armin van Buuren – The songs have to complement each other in the right way. It could be an instrumental with a vocal from another record. Or a certain melody or drop that lands right after the build-up of another record. The records just have to fit together, both in key and in the atmosphere.

Paridhi – What is it like for you to see the crowd’s reaction to your mash-ups?

Armin van Buuren – It’s mostly a look of surprise, and I like that. But as long as they react in a good manner, I’ve done my job well, I guess.

To buy tickets for Big City Beats’ World Club Dome 2019, click here.

Akshay Bhanawat

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