Voted as the world’s best DJ for a record-setting five times straight by DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJ list, the Grammy-nominated Dutch DJ and producer is a trance legend. Revered for his euphoric DJ sets, van Buuren indulges his artistic side by bringing his Armin Only Embrace tour to Shanghai Oriental Sports Center on November 18. He gives us the details.
On bringing his Armin Only show to Shanghai…
It’s an incredible honor for me to bring the Armin Only show to Shanghai. I’ve been coming to China a lot since 2004 and I always dreamed of doing a bigger show, because I have many fans here. I think it’s going to be something new and it’s something I’m very proud of.
On the concept behind the Armin Only show…
The idea behind the Armin Only show is based around my last artist album, Embrace. The concept is that I’m the only DJ playing an extended set. But it’s not just about the music – there are live performances and special videos – things no one else is doing.
One of the [special] things about Embrace is that the artwork was done by the famous photographer Anton Corbijn, who did all the album covers for U2 and Depeche Mode. He’s a famous movie director as well and is also from Holland. I asked him to do the photos for the artwork, which provided the ideas and base for the visuals of this show.
On Embrace…
The concept of Embrace is to embrace different styles – within trance and within my own sound. For example, I will be bringing world famous trumpet player Eric Vloeimans on tour.. wI’ve asked him to do a special track with me for the show. So it’s a little bit of art – I’m trying to incorporate different styles and sounds into my DJ set, to create something really [unique] for the listener.
On what makes the Armin Only shows so special…
I don’t do that many Armin Only shows. It’s really a solo show with a lot of live tracks and performances. It’s very different from my Intense tour and I’m not bringing any musicians from that show or playing any music from the Intense album. This will really just be about the Embrace album, with a few exceptions.
It’s very different from a normal DJ set. If you want to experience Armin van Buuren in full, you have to come to the show. For me it’s super exciting to do something like this. I’ve been DJing for quite a long time and I’m always trying to find new things to inspire me.
On living up to his legend status…
As proud as I am of my past achievements – my tracks and my singles – I don’t want to repeat myself. I want to show people that I’m constantly reinventing myself, whether it’s working with a live band or with an orchestra or with session musicians or using different techniques to produce tracks. After 20 years, I’m still learning so much about music and production. That makes me so excited. It’s something I’m super proud of.
On what he’s up to…
Right now I’m spending a lot of time in my studio at home, working on new songs. Making a lot of new music is always one of my favorite things. I might play a lot of the new stuff in between the live action and performances during the Armin Only show, depending on how the tracks are sounding at the moment.
Nov 18, 8pm, RMB280-680. Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, see event listing.
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