It’s no secret that Armin Van Buuren is a hotly debated fixture of the global trance community. On one hand, the A State Of Trance founder and single artist to be named DJ Mag #1 DJ a record of five times has solidified his place in the genre through a career of genuine devotion to his craft, but it also can’t be denied that his recent performances have exhibited a significant mainstream leaning.
However, with pet projects like Gaia, his “pure trance” endeavor with co-producer Benno De Goeij, he’s demonstrated a willingness to keep a foot in the illustrious history of trance music – and “Who’s Afraid of 138?!” looks to be an even more wide-reaching extension of this sensibility.
The track features the high BPMs and rolling bass kicks of what trance used to be – and according to the blurb on the official Armin Van Buuren SoundCloud account, a record label of its namesake will be devoted to releases from the genre’s more obscure side. “What started as a joke in the A State of Trance radio show, has now turned into a worldwide happening,” it reads.
Listen to Armin Van Buuren‘s “Who’s Afraid of 138?!” and check back with us for further releases from the spontaneous new project in the coming months.
