The Dutch DJ reveals the risks he took to deliver the majestic spectacle at his “Embrace” World Tour in Singapore
By Cassandra Lim and Pamela Chow. Photos: Colossal Photos
They say the universe has a wicked sense of humour, and the weather reeled its mischievous head on April Fools’ Day. The rain poured outside as we met with Armin van Buuren minutes before his show.
“I’m super excited to bring the show to Singapore, although the weather is not really helping us,” the Dutch DJ remarked candidly. Mere moments before the curtains opened, the clouds decided to call it a day, leaving him a muddy concert floor at the Gardens by the Bay.
But the trance musician turned it around with a grand spectacle of stunts, theatrics and action that blew some 7,500 fans away, showing up his previous smaller sets at local clubs here.
We learned what it took for Armin to unplug his set and turn it into a dramatic five hour-long parade.
What would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions about you?
I guess one of the misconceptions is that I’m doing this to be popular, or for the money, or whatever. Honestly, to do a show like this — to travel with 35 people around the world — we don’t do this for the money.
Of course everybody wants to make money, but you have to find the balance. At one point you have to say, okay, I’ve made some money, I’m going to reinvest that in a radio studio — which I just did.
Tell us a bit more about that radio project.
I opened my new radio studio in Amsterdam and I paid for it myself. This studio is my own, and it’s very exciting to all of the sudden go ‘live’ on radio again.
I play tracks from Andrew Rayel, Dash Berlin, Bryan Kearney, John O’Callaghan, Above and Beyond and more.
What do you hope to achieve with your musical experiments?
I want to show my fans and myself that I’m not thrusting on the successes of the past. You are only as good as your last track or your last set, and that’s a pretty important realisation. It’s a tough world, in that sense.
But you know, I’m super happy that after 20 years, I’m still here, talking to you guys. I feel blessed. That’s the only word I can say.
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