Live at Electric Love

Armin van Buuren: The “God Of Trance” is coming to us

Star DJ Armin van Buuren live at Frequency 2023. This year, he will lay waste to the pompous stage of the Electric Love Festival.

(Bild: Andreas Graf)

The new edition of the Electric Love Festival at the Salzburgring begins tomorrow, July 4. Around 180,000 fans are expected on all days. Dutch star DJ Armin van Buuren is one of the top stars. He told the "Krone" why he has scaled back his live gigs and why the festival is so special to him.

Around 180,000 fans are expected at this year's edition of the Electric Love Festival at the Salzburgring, making the techno and trance-infused event the biggest festival in the country. As usual, the internationally renowned event can count on an impressive number of top stars, with Dutchman Armin van Buuren standing out in particular. For the 47-year-old, the performance in the west of Austria is also a return to a successful venue, as he has already delivered countless legendary performances at this venue. Strictly speaking, the performance will be a little late, as he has said that he deliberately canceled his appearance in 2023. "I love this festival, it's one of my favorites, but you can't and shouldn't play the same place every year. The fans should be hungry after the gigs. That's why you need a bit of distance in between."

Musical family background
Van Buuren is not only one of the very few DJs who perform under their real name, he has also been one of the biggest in the world for a good 20 years. DJ Mag has ranked him as one of the "Top 100 DJs" worldwide five times, and he has been consistently in the top five for an incredible 22 years. His albums have sold more than three million copies and, as is customary for artists of his ilk, he jets across the globe to make his unique and, above all, successful trance sounds accessible to people live. Not a bad path for the 47-year-old, who comes from a musical family, was given his first computer by his mother at the age of ten and then gradually slipped into the world of electronics. With the single "Blue Fear", he made it into the British charts in 1997, setting the stage for relocations to London and later the USA.

In the "Krone" interview, van Buuren sees the fact that there is a lot of competition and rivalry in trance and electro-crazy Holland in a rather positive light. "The stage is a boxing ring. When we duel up there, there is a lot of competition. But apart from that, the whole scene is extremely helpful and supportive. Because the Netherlands is such a small country, the musicians and DJs quickly realized that it makes more sense to combine synergies and not elbow each other out." However, the success of Dutch DJs is also internationally based. "The dance and trance scene was invented in Detroit and Chicago. The Germans and English did it better in the beginning before it was finally our turn in the Netherlands. But now we've got this sound down pretty well too," he laughs mischievously.

Cooperation across all borders
Van Buuren is not only an internationally successful DJ, but also a renowned radio host who has been on air every week since 2001 with his show "A State Of Trance" and now delights around 40 million listeners in 84 different countries. His show is at least as important to him as his live performances, if not more so. They established the global fame of the born sufferer and with them he made trance tracks accessible to an audience that previously only knew the music by reputation. He has already collaborated with various greats such as Sophie Ellis-Baxtor, Steve Aoki, the indie band Kensington and his great idol, the French electro pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre. He recently remixed Bon Jovi's legendary rock hit "Keep The Faith", making himself accessible to another new target group. Openness and a lack of any fear of contact are among the 47-year-old's most important strengths.

However, since the tragic death of top Swedish DJ Avicii at the latest, we have also been aware of the pressure that the stars of the genre are exposed to with their countless gigs and frequent flying. Even van Buuren was not immune to setbacks and occasionally slipped into alcoholism. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020, of all things, was a warning cry, during which the Dutchman reflected more deeply for the first time and realized that time for his wife and two children was falling by the wayside with all the flights and hotel stays. The quickly initiated change process not only led van Buuren to focus more on the family component, but also to completely abstain from alcohol, meditation and a healthier lifestyle. "I much prefer to spend my time at home with my family these days and therefore cancel many gigs that I used to enjoy doing. I need the time off to get back to work motivated and fresh."

Between legendary and bad
His latest album "Breathe In" was released in January and its title already internalizes the fact that the man with the fast life is now all about the necessary rest. Despite all the big concerts and legendary performances, van Buuren still has goals for the future. "I've never played in Iceland before and there are also various countries in Africa where I'd like to perform. But my gigs are more about the party and the atmosphere than the country and the geographical surroundings. Every event has its pros and cons. I've had legendary gigs in England, for example, but also some pretty bad ones. There are different facets that make an evening particularly brilliant, or because of which it can also go down the drain." In any case, you can look forward to a fantastic gig at the Electric Love Festival. Even if van Buuren now likes to go to bed earlier - he will be playing on the Main Stage tomorrow, July 4, at 00:10 directly after Scooter.

Live at Electric Love
At www.electriclove.at you can find all detailed information and the exact timetable for the entire festival, which will hopefully take place in good weather from July 4 to 6. Here you will also find all information on any ticket options that may still be available.