Martin Garrix's career changing ‘Animals’ turns 9 years old

It’s the song that defined the career of Martin Garrix. This timeless classic is one of the very few songs that broke through in both the electronic scene and the mainstream audience. Martin Garrix’s “Animals” not only is one of the most recognizable tracks over the past decade but it introduced us to one of the greatest electronic artists of this generation.

Released on June 17th, 2013, Martin Garrix’s “Animals” brought a new take to the table of what was dubbed the “Golden Age of EDM.” By switching the commonly produced massive synths at the drop for a much more subtle (yet just as impactful) melodic woodblock-sounding pattern, Garrix remarkably created a unique lane for himself at the age of 17 years old before he even graduated grade school.

“Animals” earned Garrix the title from Billboard of being the leader of the new school era as it broke many records during its initial release. With charting a #1 spot in five different countries and making Garrix the youngest producer to ever reach #1 on the Beatport charts, it’s remarkable to think that it was just the beginning of the Dutch legend’s career. The song has also earned over 300 million streams on Spotify and over 1.5 billion views on YouTube. But not everybody believed that Garrix was the mastermind of “Animals” due to his age. So in response, Garrix posted a four-hour video on YouTube breaking down the entirety of the track and his production process throughout.

“We didn’t [think it would get this successful]. It was just another track which we did [and] I had in my release schedule. I made a track [and] we were arguing like about the drop, and in the end, I came up with this drop. We were like, ‘yeah yeah, ok, this is cool. This might work in a club.’ Then I started playing it out, and I saw the people reacting to it.” – Martin Garrix, Future Music Magazine

Nine years later, “Animals” still is a heavily demanded song within Garrix’s sets and has yet to lose its impact. It brought a new level of success to the Dutch producer that continues to grow to this day. With one of the most iconic melodies in all of electronic music, it proves why Garrix has been in a class of his own since day one.

Relive Martin Garrix’s second ever solo release with “Animals” below.

Image Credit: Louis van Baar