Armin Van Buuren interviewed by DJ Mag, calls Avicii-like records ‘a trick’

Armin Van Buuren recently spoke with DJ Mag about everything from summer in Ibiza to ASOT 550 to the current state of EDM. Th

e interview is extensive, but like Pete Tong’s candid piece for Miami Music Week, it’s quite revealing. Armin rightfully recognizes that EDM has become “the 2012 pop music,” and credits social media and YouTube — along with the rise of dubstep Stateside — for making it viral and giving it the radio play to hit critical mass. The interviewer asks if the “drive towards the big room synths, like Avicii” has anything to do with the shift, and Armin has an unsurprisingly honest stance. “I think it’s a temporary thing to be honest,” he said, before going on to talk about the double-edged sword of the massive attention on EDM right now. For some of our favorite quotes, keep reading.

Armin has quite a bit to say about Avicii’s music, saying that “it’s a trick” and draws the connection to ticket sales.

“I’m not all of a sudden going to make Avicii-like records just because I can do it. It’s a trick, I mean he’s very good at it, I don’t know if I could ‘beat’ him so I’m not even going to try. I’m going to stick to my sound. I want to make what I want to make, and I want to make the sound that I believe in, and I want to bring that across.”

Avicii isn’t the only artist he sounds off on.

“I mean, in all honesty if I listen to a few DJs of my colleagues right now I like their sets but it’s so mainstream driven.”

Armin reveals what DJing is to him, which seems at a direct jab at some of the big players out there.

“This is the way that I see the art of DJing: the art of DJing is not playing all of those big records in a row. The art of DJing is playing a set which builds towards something. Yes, of course with a few big records, but it’s more the story that’s important, the journey, than the actual hits that you play.”

Interestingly, Armin also says that he wanted to stop at ASOT 500, but that the fans wanted it to keep going. He talks about all of the interaction he does with his fans, and the fact that he has a full team dedicated that watches the Internet to get reactions to certain tracks.

“Sometimes the people really surprise me and that’s where I’ve learned to never underestimate my crowd… I get educated by my own crowd; I can be testing a track and get a reaction that I really didn’t expect. It’s really great to interact, and I learn from that every show.”

To read more about Armin’s summer plans for Privilege Ibiza, some of the vocalists he’d like to work with, and the full interview, head over to DJ Mag.

Via: InTheMix

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