Last Saturday, over 35,000 trance fans gathered in Utrecht for a night of unrivaled energy at A State of Trance 950. Celebrating the 950th episode of Armin van Buuren‘s iconic radio show, ASOT950 hosted 35+ acts at the massive Jaarbeurs venue this year. Breaking the record as the fastest-selling ASOT, the fully sold-out event was also live-streamed on ASOT.TV to millions of viewers around the world.
The Five Stages
Mainstage*: Setting the energy high since 9pm with an exclusive warm-up set titled ‘Let The Music Guide You‘ – the name of the ASOT950 anthem AND the theme of the night. Needless to say, the man behind the deck was Armin van Buuren himself. Many Armada label artists then filled his shoes, including Ilan Bluestone, Markus Schulz, Rank 1, Aly & Fila, Andrew Rayel and Giuseppe Ottaviani.
Who’s Afraid Of 138?!*: Fans clearly weren’t afraid, because the stage was packed throughout the night as trance lovers gathered to witness the likes of Jorn van Deynhoven, Ben Gold, Solarstone, Skypatrol, and Key4050 work their magic on-stage. Keeping traditions alive, Armin played three different sets throughout the night, the last of which was here. Spirits were raised to a new high, but Richard Durand and David Forbes managed to keep things that way for the rest of the night.
*Both stages also featured a five-minute ‘Special: Road to 1000‘ teasing ASOT’s next milestone event. A montage of clips highlighting moments captured since ASOT’s inception in 2001, further paired with stunning visual and audio effects, the short interlude brought fans on a quick trip down memory lane.
Psy: Psytrance tends to have a particularly loyal following, and of course, ASOT organizers don’t disappoint. With genre superstars such as WAIO, Morten Granau, Captain Hook, Day.Din, Ace Ventura, RITMO, Simon Patterson, and Coming Soon!!!, fans were basically transported into another dimension in that space.
Progressive: Because ASOT promises to bring “the best and latest in Trance and Progressive” each week, of course there would be a stage dedicated to progressive. And there are no better artists than Sound Quelle, PROFF, BLUUM, Estiva, Grum, Rodg, and Elevven to represent the deeper sounds of the trance world.
Road To 1000: Given the scale of this year’s event, we can’t even imagine the scale of magic that the monumental ASOT1000 will bring. But the Road To 1000 stage could be a good indicator. Helming this extra-special stage included Ahmed Helmy, Fisherman B2B Nifra, Tempo Giusto, Beatsole, Alexander Popov, Rub!k, and DRYM.
Counting Down to ASOT1000
Although ASOT950 Utrecht is now one for the records, it’s only just the beginning of the ASOT950 world tour. Announced locations so far include Miami (at Ultra Miami), Moscow, Boom (at Tomorrowland) and London. Now, of course Armin still has other projects to focus on, for example, his series of This Is Me shows coming up in May, and possibly more touring for Balance?
But one thing we do know for sure is that the planning for ASOT1000 will definitely be one of the top items on the to-do list. Will there be more stages? Will there be a classics stage (there has to be right!)? Only time will tell. But with Armin’s unrivaled talent, ALDA’s impressive experience at hosting events, and having personally experienced ASOT950, our expectations are HIGH, to say the least.
Don’t worry – we’re sure to bring you all the updates as we get them! Meanwhile, check out the ASOT950 Utrecht Recap Video below!
