The Transformation of Armin van Buuren: Interview [Magazine Exclusive]

“What I really love are the creative possibilities that are there right now. We’re not so caught in our genre any more,” says Armin van Buuren.

With a career spanning over two decades, Armin van Buuren has experienced nearly everything the dance music world has to offer. Never one to be put into a box – the superstar DJ/producer is not afraid to challenge people’s perceptions of what the trance genre can sound like. From unique collaborations with Bon Jovi and Rob Swire, to his live sets and A State of Trance events worldwide, the dance music chameleon never stops evolving. At the top of his game both mentally and physically, Armin talks to us all about his 2025 plans, the current state of trance and what fans have to look forward to in these coming months.

2025 started off in a huge way for you with collaborations with Bon Jovi, Ben Hemsley, Rob Swire and others. How are you going to keep that momentum going in terms of releases for the rest of 2025?
“This is going to be the craziest year I’ve had in my entire career release-wise. The things we have lined up are going to blow your minds. It’s going to be like “What, really? Who?” There’s an album coming this year which I’m super excited about. It’s probably the biggest piece of work I’ve done so far.”

What kind of direction are you going in with this next album?
“It’s very varied. On the one hand it’s more classic Armin van Buuren, and on the other hand there’s a lot of flirting with techno. It’s a good mix between both. In a way I’ve found my mojo with the more classic trance such as ‘Angels,’ the track I dropped on 14 March. It’s not so much to please the fans but I feel more comfortable going back to my roots.

It’s all over the board right now in the music world, everybody is working with everybody and it’s possible to score hits with classic trance sounds again. Not that I’ve ever not released classic trance tracks, but I feel more at home in my own sound than ever. On the other hand I’m really excited about all of these amazing collabs I’ve got coming up. I’ve been teasing tracks with Maddix and Adam Beyer, but we’ll have to see if everything sees the light of day.”

To read the rest of our exclusive cover interview with Armin van Buuren, visit the link here to download your copy.

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