Armin Van Buuren - Why My Mental Health Is Important For My Career

Podcast Overview: Armin van Buuren discusses his journey in the music industry, the challenges of DJing, the evolution of electronic dance music, and the power of radio in shaping the scene. He shares insights on the art of DJing, the influence of radio, and the impact of technology on music production and distribution. Armin van Buuren discusses the impact of playing full tracks in the studio, the preference for buying music over promos, and the influence of radio shows on his DJ sets and production. He also shares his journey of self-discovery, mental health, and the importance of meditation in his life and career. Armin van Buuren discusses the importance of setting boundaries, saying no, and finding a balance in his career. He shares insights on decision-making, financial implications, and the impact on his family. The conversation also delves into the evolution of Armada Music and the label’s approach to artist development and brand building. Who Is Armin Van Buuren: It takes little to recognize that Armin van Buuren has been one of the world’s biggest DJs and producers in electronic music for over twenty years. His life-long dedication to the scene has earned him a Grammy® nomination for ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ (feat. Trevor Guthrie) and critical acclaim for global hit singles such as ‘Blah Blah Blah’, ‘Great Spirit’ (with Vini Vici), ‘Leave A Little Love’ (with Alesso) and ‘Music Means Love Forever’ (with Steve Aoki). Additionally, he claimed the number one spot in the annual DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll for an unprecedented five times, contributing to the twenty-one consecutive top 5 spots to date (the most recent being a #5 in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll of 2023). His two-hour radio show, A State of Trance (ASOT), is broadcast weekly from his own radio studio in the Armada Music HQ in Amsterdam to over 44 million listeners in more than 80 countries, as well as online via audio and video live stream on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. ASOT, which surpassed the milestone number of 1000 episodes in January 2021, has grown from a small radio show into a complete dance music brand with stages and events across the globe. Armin van Buuren has launched several ‘Armin Only’ world tours throughout the years, including the ones based on his albums (‘Imagine’ in 2008, ‘Mirage’ in 2010, ‘Intense’ in 2013 and ‘Embrace’ in 2016) and ‘The Best Of Armin Only’ in 2017. In addition to all of this, Armin van Buuren is the co-founder of Armada Music, the biggest independent dance music label in the world. The Amsterdam-, NYC- and London-based record label, which was founded in tandem with Maykel Piron and David Lewis, is acclaimed internationally for releasing music across the electronic music spectrum, was voted #7 in Mixmag’s “Label Of The Decade” poll in 2017, and is the six-time winner of “Best Global Record Label” at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami, the sixth of which was won in 2018. As a performer, Armin had headlined countless shows at leading festivals and venues around the world, including Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas, New York), Ultra Music Festival (Miami) and Tomorrowland (Belgium) plus residencies at Hï Ibiza, in Las Vegas and numerous others. To date, Armin has seven full-length artist albums to his name: ‘76’ (2003), ‘Shivers’ (2005), ‘Imagine’ (2008), ‘Mirage’ (2010), ‘Intense’ (2013), ‘Embrace’ (2015) and ‘Balance’ (2019). Join for updates: ⏲ Follow Will Clarke ⏱ @djwillclarke Chapters 00:00 The Art of DJing: Challenges and Experiences 02:21 The Power of Radio in Shaping the EDM Scene 05:25 The Impact of Technology on Music Production 23:52 The Impact of Full Tracks in the Studio 25:13 The Power of Buying Music and Crate Digging 30:33 Influence of Radio Shows on DJ Sets and Production 39:17 Journey of Self-Discovery and Mental Health 48:35 The Art of Saying No: Finding Balance in a Music Career 51:28 Financial Implications and Decision-Making in the Music Industry 53:14 Evolution of Armada Music: Artist Development and Brand Building