Armin van Buuren Knows How to Love

Ultra Music Festival finished out an exceptional weekend in Miami today with epic sets from guys like David Guetta, Kaskade and the guy that I love (no homo) more than any other artist in the world. Except for the twenty minutes that Steve Lawler ruined my life when he was streaming live on Ultra TV during Kaskade’s set, UMF was streamed almost perfectly for three days. Eventually we got good music back though at the end of the night when the King of Trance took stage at 8 PM festival time.

When Armin van Buuren came out for the first time in Miami on Sunday night, he did so after spending almost the last two years deeply invested in fine tuning his sound, culminating with his latest album that was just released, “A State of Trance 2012.” The Dutch superstar was dominating this scene way before I had robot ears, and with the rise of heavy bass and electro-house, Armin has had to evolve his big room house sound into something that will continue to attract new fans.

Armin van Buuren Live at Ultra Music Festival 2012

So after watching about an hour of Armin’s killer first set (he played two sets) I came to the conclusion that even though he’s been out of the game for a short minute, Armin proved that he is still one of the world’s greatest electronic artists.  Unlike so many other DJs popular in the game right now, he can captivate a crowd with more than just a deafening bass line.

I’ve seen the guy three times and I recently told a friend that every show of his that I’ve been too, I straight fall in love with Armin and his music. Like most of you I can’t sit around and listen to trance all day long, but after a few weeks of being inundated by terribly normal mainstream music I miss the melodies and stories that are found in a good Armin track. Unlike any other DJ in the world Armin is not shy to make love the motivating issue behind the lyrics in his songs. Couple that with the fact that no artist in the world loves their job more than this Dutch legend, and now you can understand why I regard this guy so highly.

Beyond all that, I have some epic Armin stories. First one? Flew to Denver freshman year of college to see Armin play at Beta Nightclub with my best bro and two of my favorite girl friends. We were only 18 but we stayed in the city and raged face like champions as straight kids. I was under the influence throughout, but it was the first time I remember going straight from partying to eating breakfast. That was a big moment.

Second? After flying across the world from Australia to Barcelona to surprise my then girlfriend for her birthday, she flipped the tables and surprised me for my birthday with a last minute trip to Ibiza to see Armin van Buuren play at Amnesia. I’ll save you the romantic details, but I cant imagine a better way to pop my Ibiza cherry.

Simply put — Armin van Buuren is one of the world’s most special and respected DJs. Not only for his tremendous musical talent and his renowned epic attitude on life, this guy is different that almost every artist and person you’ll ever hear about. People fear true love because of the commitment that comes along with it, but Armin shows a pure and authentic love for his music that cannot be emulated or faked. His passion for his work translates into the beautiful, amazing and life changing music that has seriously been with me for almost ten years now.

From the bottom of my heart Armin, it was great seeing you tonight, even if it was on YouTube. It is people like you who are there to remind us all that even in a world where it’s value has depreciated, the genuinely magnificent true love you have for your work is parallel to none and a worthy aspiration for us all.

Thanks for partying.