Track List

Disk 1

License To DJ – Intro

CYBERPUNK – Omnia

Immortal Lover (In My Next Life Mix) – Andrew Bayer feat. Alison May

Higher – Audien feat. Cecilia

The Last Dancer – Armin van Buuren vs Shapov

Blockchain – Super8 & Tab

Why I Came Here – Simon Lee & Alvin with Susie Ledge

Sinfonia – Mark Sixma

Coming On Strong (Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge Remix) – Signum feat. Scott Mac

Hurt – Jeremy Vancaulart feat. Danyka Nadeau

True Love – Super8 & Tab feat. Envy Monroe

For You – Omnia feat. Danyka Nadeau

Awaken – Cosmic Gate & Jason Ross

Dream In Color (Ruben de Ronde Remix) – HALIENE

Happiness Amplified (Above & Beyond Club Mix) – Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford

Body (Orjan Nilsen Remix) – Loud Luxury feat. brando

Bergen – Purple Haze

Wild Wild Son (Club Mix) – Armin van Buuren feat. Sam Martin

Bloom – Estiva

Ghost Voices (Raito Remix) – Virtual Self

Will We Remain – ilan Bluestone & Maor Levi feat. EL Waves

Safe With Me – Ferry Corsten & DIM3NSION

Tim – ARTY

Violet – Fatum

Savour This Moment – Orjan Nilsen

Tierra – KhoMha

Here We Are – MaRLo feat. Emma Chatt

A Thousand Seas – MaRLo & Roxanne Emery

Sweet Lie – Denis Kenzo & Sveta B.

We Are The Light – Markus Schulz feat. Nikki Flores

Stay – Ben Gold & Sivan

Call To Arms (Cosmic Gate Remix) – Gareth Emery feat. Evan Henzi

Therapy (Super8 & Tab Remix) – Armin van Buuren feat. James Newman

Light Years – Maor Levi

Trance ReBorn (Mark Sixma Remix) – Andrew Rayel & David Gravell

Wormhole – NWYR

Inkunzi – Eric Senn

Dragon – NWYR

White Swan – KhoMha

Only Road (Cosmic Gate Remix) – Gabriel & Dresden feat. Sub Teal

Who I Am – Denis Kenzo, Fahjah & Kate Miles

Without You My Love (Myon Definitive Mix) – Seven Lions feat. Rico & Miella

Always (Above & Beyond Club Mix) – Above & Beyond feat. Zoe Johnston

Perfect Strangers – ARTY

Sleepwalker – ALPHA 9

Red Rocks – Above & Beyond

In The Dark – Andrew Rayel & HALIENE

Our Origin – Armin van Buuren vs Shapov

Surrender – Darude & Ashley Wallbridge feat. Foux

Sundown – Alex Kunnari

Pearl – Beatsole

A Slice Of Heaven – Ferry Corsten & Paul Oakenfold

Patterns Of The Soul (Davey Asprey Remix) – Venetica

Running For Peace (Club Mix) – Alex M.O.R.P.H.

Disk 2

See You Again – DJ T.H. & Nadi Sunrise feat. Michele C

This Life – Craig Connelly feat. Roxanne Emery

Open My Mind – Bryan Kearney & Deirdre McLaughlin

Fireflies (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Roman Messer feat. Christina Novelli

You & I (Aly & Fila Club Mix) – Aly & Fila & Emma Hewitt

There Will Be Angels – Ben Gold & Audrey Gallagher

Fall For You – Simon Patterson feat. Lucy Pullin

D (Don’t Go) – Scot Project

Zombie – Ran-D

Strike As One – Ben Gold & Allen Watts

Northern Star – RAM & Susana

Light The Way (Bryan Kearney Remix) – Craig Connelly feat. Kat Marsh

Long Way Home (Ashley Wallbridge Remix) – Gareth Emery

Missing (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Mark Sixma & Emma Hewitt

Army Of Angels – A.R.D.I.

Enough Echo – MaRLo

Coming Home (STANDERWICK Remix) – Dash Berlin feat. Bo Bruce

United – Armin van Buuren x Vini Vici x Alok feat. Zafrir

Popcorn – Armin van Buuren vs Alexander Popov

Free – Exis feat. Enya Angel

Till The Sunrise – Giuseppe Ottaviani

I Feel Love (Omar Sherif Remix) – CRW

Stadium Arcadium – Heatbeat

Be In The Moment (ASOT 850 Anthem) (Allen Watts Remix) – Armin van Buuren

Midnight – Allen Watts

Music Rescues Me – Paul van Dyk feat. Plumb

Rebirth (Ahmed Romel Remix) – Aly & Fila

Seventh Heaven – Will Atkinson

Wherever You Are (Solis & Sean Truby Remix) – Ferry Corsten feat. HALIENE

Safe From Harm (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix) – Markus Schulz feat. Emma Hewitt

Just As You Are – Armin van Buuren presents Rising Star feat. Fiora

For The One You Love – Roger Shah & RAM feat. Natalie Gioia

Alone In The Wilderness – Davey Asprey

Zubr – Oliver Cattley with Kiyoi & Eky

Whiplash – Darren Porter

The Air I Breathe – Richard Durand & Christina Novelli

Activate – Avao

Ayla (Ben Nicky & Luke Bond Remix) – Ayla

Lifting You Higher (ASOT 900 Anthem) – Armin van Buuren

Thirty Three South – Protoculture

I’ve Been Thinking About You – STANDERWICK

Take Me There – Militia

Blah Blah Blah – Armin van Buuren

U – Luke Bond

A World Beyond (FSOE550 Anthem) – Aly & Fila with Philippe El Sisi & Omar Sherif

Disturbance – Billy Gillies

The Wolf – Chris Schweizer

The Sound Of E (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Ultra Shock

Ready To Rave – W&W x Armin van Buuren

Shock Therapy (Rising Altitude Mix) – Splinta

The Verdict – Outro

Say what you will about the evolving face of trance music, there’s no denying this genre has never been so strong, growing and evolving with time. The end of every calendar year marks a special place for many fans of the genre; a reflective period to look back on all the great music the year has given us. At the centre of this is Armin Van Buuren, who graces us with an eclectic mix of the biggest trance songs from 2018. With 105 tracks and a balanced blend of styles, Armin delivers another solid mix, one that seamlessly integrates various sub-genres of trance into a cohesive, tightly mixed 2 hour compilation.

The two CDs are distinctly different too, with the first a little slower in tempo and more commercially focused. Armin’s EDM productions, various tracks from the Anjunabeats label and a big emphasis on vocals reinforces a much more mainstream approach here, mirroring the usual format of “On The Beach” as seen in his mid-year mix compilations. While there are a fair few highlights here, including personal favourites Immortal Lover, Tim, Call To Arms and Only Road, the second disk is far and away the highlight here.

This mix is much more representative of the State Of Trance sets Armin thrives with and a move toward the faster and more euphoric trance offerings from the year. Just As You Are, the stunning Richard Durand track The Air I Breathe and various remixes of classics really stand out here. There’s also a lovely little 10 minute segment at the end highlighting some of the hard trance tracks of the year, leaning on that old school hard house sound. The entire mix, from start to finish, is about as close as you could come to a consistent musical journey through trance music.

Much has been made of Armin’s style this year, evolving to accommodate a bigger, more commercially driven following. With songs like Blah, Blah, Blah, Therapy and Body becoming big hits for the trance superstar, it’s easy to see hints of EDM influence throughout the mix. The opening intro, Licence To DJ, addresses this perfectly, making it one of the best openings for these year mixes for quite some time. This clever quip toward his critics around what constitutes as ethical DJ behaviour is a great little jibe and a self-awareness that spills over to much of the compilation.

Having followed these year mixes since their inception back in 2004, Armin Van Buuren has grown and matured as a DJ and a producer. The mixing is on point and harmonic as ever, effortlessly incorporating many different styles and sub-genres into this 2 hour musical journey. The two CDs are very different in style and in many ways reflect the diversity in this genre. As 2018 bows out and we eagerly await the arrival of 2019, what better way to do it than with Armin’s beautiful 2 hour tribute to trance music.