EDM : Video - A Year with Armin van Buuren - #1 DJ

 

Why are we so captivated by the superhero? Because in some degree he isn’t a superhero at all. Every hero has a weakness– what the Greeks defined as the tragic flaw– that makes us fear for his life every time he takes to the sky in our defense. We know he could fall, and for that reason he mesmerizes us. We exalt the superhero because he is still human like us; we cherish him because he is real.
In the EDM world, Armin van Buuren is our superhero– our Superman. And what, if anything, “A Year with Armin van Buuren” shows us is that he is also real, also human, just like all of us. Behind all of the music and lights is a man, emotional and vulnerable, whose passion burns bright inside. And this passion, above all else, has been his driving force in becoming the world’s most accomplished DJ.
What we learn about Armin in this short hour is that he is quite an emotional character. We see him, in one scene from his home in Leiden, go from joking around with his parents about a Blu-Ray player to sinking into a moment of great nostalgia as he stands in the small childhood bedroom that served as his first studio. It is these moments, not the ones of his famous shoulder-shrugging on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans, where we feel like we get to know Armin on a personal, profound level. We see his self-awareness as he talks about how he can be grumpy around those he loves; we come to know his humility as he congratulates David Guetta backstage on surpassing him for the #1 spot in the DJ Mag Top 100 in 2011.  Most of all, we see the intense determination he has in his art as we watch him build “Brute” in-studio with Ferry Corsten. In just fifty minutes, we see a kaleidoscope of emotions, good and bad, from Armin van Buuren.

 The awkward tension between the top 2 DJs

Towards the end of the documentary, we witness Armin with his wife, Erika, as he takes a phone call from DJ Mag informing him that his streak of #1 rankings was at an end, being voted #2 in the world behind David Guetta for 2011. Invincibility forgone, Armin still remains gracious and jovial as he concludes the phone call. It isn’t bitterness or anger or disbelief that veils him, just a somber sense of dissatisfaction.  You can see in his demeanor that he’s disappointed in himself, even though it is no small thing to have won four years straight and then slip only one spot to #2 worldwide. He’s still honored and thankful, just not as honored and thankful. He admits that it’s just an award, that it isn’t why he works, but he also acknowledges the emotional vilification that comes with worldwide praise. He’s conflicted. Here we see a glimpse of that passion, of that fire, that burns so bright in him. We see a man still driven, even after such immeasurable success, by his deeply personal love for the music.

 Armin with his wife and his daughter Fenna

But alas, we end our time with Armin with reflections far removed from late-night-into-early-morning raves, photo shoots and interviews or crowds of people chanting his name. We’ve seen enough of the superhero scaling walls and soaring between skyscrapers in the name of justice and harmony. Now we see Armin van Buuren, the man, in the final moments of the film. He talks about how coming short in the Top 100 DJ #1 award means nothing compared to spending a day with his then-newborn daughter, Fenna. The joy he feels with her surpasses all else to Armin, almost brought to tears as he expresses this to the camera.



There is a depth to Armin van Buuren that we will never know, even with all of the broadcasts, festivals, stages and cameras capturing elements of his brilliance. And, in so many ways, this masterful documentary teaches us that. The film ends not with affirmations of success, proclamations of grandeur or promises of eternal fame, but with the touching realization that there is much more to this man than his incredible contributions to music. This isn’t Armin van Buuren standing atop the world, looking down from above and shouting his name from the heavens; this is Armin van Buuren tearing away his super-suit and showing us his heart.

Credit : EDM Tunes