Johan Gielen appointed ‘Ridder in the Order of Oranje Nassau’ by Dutch Royal Family

International trance icon and producer Johan Gielen has been making a global impact on the music world for three decades as he has traversed the globe and seen his singles climb the charts. Now his work and influence are being recognized with an exclusive honor bestowed upon him by the Dutch Royal Family.

With 30 years of experience in the music industry, Johan Gielen seems to show no signs of slowing down as the iconic producer is continuing to grow and evolve his work and reach, most recently teaming up with Ginchy to explore sounds beyond his familiar trance roots for the explosive single Loops & Tings.  This openness to learn and grow has made him not only an ambassador for dance music but for humanity as well while traversing the globe to DJ stages and festivals.  Now he has been appointed as a ‘Ridder in the Order of Oranje Nassau,’ a Dutch tradition dating back to 1892 and founded by the queen regent Emma of the Netherlands.  The distinction honors “everyone who has performed acts of special merits for society.”

For Gielen, the ceremony took place at the Van der Valk Hotel, located in his own hometown of Tiel, where a surprise art exhibition was displayed in honor of his 30 years of success in the music industry.  Upon receiving the award, Johan Gielen said ‘’It’s really a super big surprise” and “This is a huge appreciation and reward for my work.”  While Gielen will no doubt continue looking forward as he continues to perform around the world and prepares a new album for future release, he certainly will be reflecting on this latest honor and the incredible career that lead to his recognition by the Dutch Royal Family.

All of us here at We Rave You would like to congratulate Johan Gielen on his acceptance into the ‘Ridder in the Order of Oranje Nassau’ and we look forward to 30 more years of music and live performance from the trance icon.

Image Credit: Dianne Vink