Grammy-nominated DJ Armin van Buuren releases two new albums like we’ve never heard him before

FOR over two decades, Armin van Buuren has stood as one of the towering figures in electronic music, a Trance titan, global festival headliner and relentless creator. 

With a Grammy nomination and as 5-time No. 1 DJ on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list, behind the scenes, Armin has undergone a personal transformation that goes far beyond his music. 

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That story comes to life on Breathe, his most expansive and genre-defying project to date.

Spanning 51 tracks across two companion albums, Breathe In and Breathe Out, the body of work is both a celebration of artistic freedom and a snapshot of transformation.

From mainstage-ready collaborations with David Guetta, Bon Jovi and Moby to experimental detours with Pendulum and deep club workouts tested in late-night sets, Breathe is Armin like we’ve never heard him before.

“Albums are like time capsules,” he says.

“Even in the age of playlists, I still believe in crafting something that tells a story from start to finish.” 

With Breathe In released first, followed by the sprawling Breathe Out, the complete project paints a picture of an artist who has broken free from creative constraints and personal ones, too.

Behind the scenes, Armin has undergone a dramatic shift. After years of nonstop touring, he found himself on the brink of burnout. “I had a press release ready to announce I was taking a sabbatical,” he admits. “Then COVID happened and suddenly I had space to breathe literally.”

What followed was a total lifestyle overhaul. Armin quit drinking, embraced mindfulness and breathwork, and began a journey inward that would reshape not only his health and mindset, but also his music. “I used to think meditation was nonsense,” he laughs. “But if so many high-functioning people are doing it, maybe it’s not so stupid after all.”

His new routine includes daily journaling, gratitude lists and breathing exercises. The results have been powerful. “I’m more productive than ever thanks to the sobriety, thanks to looking after my diet, thanks to my sleeping pattern, thanks to finally being able to say no to big shows and big offers” he says. 

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This personal evolution has poured directly into his creative process. “DJing still fuels a lot of the music,” he says, explaining how many of the tracks on Breathe were road-tested live before being finalised in the studio. “You don’t even have to fully finish a track or master it to play it out. If I have a short snippet, I can already tease it in my sets. I don’t have to finish the tracks immediately, but I can sculpt them, which is different from the vinyl days where you had to cut an acetate.” 

Collaboration, too, remains central. Whether working with icons like Guetta or the genre-blurring Pendulum, there’s no fixed formula. “Sometimes it starts with a loop, sometimes a vocal or a chord progression. Every session is different and that’s what makes it exciting.”

But perhaps the biggest shift is Armin’s relationship with success. “There was a time when I took gigs purely for the money,” he confesses. “But now, success is being present, going to my son’s football game instead of chasing another big show.”

That doesn’t mean he’s lost the fire. Armin’s still innovating, still pushing boundaries. At his A State of Trance festivals, which continue to sell out worldwide, he’s introduced new formats like “face-to-face” DJ sets, where two artists perform from separate decks, locked in a kind of sonic duel. “You can’t touch each other’s mixer. You use hand signals like boxers,” he says. “It’s nerve-wracking, but it brings a real human element to the performance.”

The face-to-face sets are just one of many ways he’s reinventing the live experience. At this year’s A State of Trance Festival in London recently, his second in the UK capital, Armin brought a more diverse lineup with more underground names sitting comfortably alongside traditional heavyweights.

“There’s a real resurgence of Trance right now,” he says, noting how classic Gatecrasher-era records are finding their way back into sets sometimes even in their original, unedited forms. “All the tracks we played in 1999, 2000, 2001, they’re all coming back in different shapes or form. I mean, obviously, the sound quality is a lot better. You know, the kick hits harder, the drop hits harder, but the melodies are still the same. It was funny because I remember at the time, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing. I guess the groundwork was done by people in 1999, 2000, 2001. And there was something golden in that time, but then after that, for a while Trance became a bit of a dirty word. It definitely feels to me now that Trance is not a dirty word anymore.”

Ibiza also still holds a special magic for him. “It goes back to the Balearic spirit of ’88 with Oakenfold, Sasha, Digweed. Ibiza is unique. There’s something in the air there.” Armin continues his residency at Ushuaïa this summer but, that said, he’s taking a break this August in line with his new approach to looking after himself. “No decks, no phone, just family. That’s my summer plan.”

In an industry that has too often glamorised excess and punished vulnerability, Armin’s honesty is refreshing. He’s not just talking about mental health, he’s demonstrating what a healthier version of success looks like. 

“Take care of your balance,” he advises younger artists. “Once the train gets going, it’s easy to say yes to everything. But it’s okay to say no. It’s okay to rest. You’re no good to anyone if you lose yourself in the process. We’ve only got to see the downsides recently, you know, particularly since the passing of Tim (Avicii). There was a dramatic shift in the electronic music world.”

For Armin van Buuren, this isn’t a detour, it’s the destination. The music is still euphoric, still anthemic, still packed with the uplifting energy that made him a global force. But now, it’s grounded in something deeper. He’s breathing. And in doing so, he’s showing others how to do the same.

Read the full interview with The Night Bazaar HERE. Stream or buy Armin van Buuren’s Breathe HERE.