A State Of Trance celebrates it’s 900th Episode

Last weekend marked the first of many celebrations of A State Of Trance in 2019. The global trance network and world renowned radio show, founded by Dutch DJ and producer Armin van Buuren, recently hit yet another milestone; hosting their 900th episode just over a month ago. Each year, the show celebrates 50 new episodes in the Dutch city of Utrecht. This year’s edition was ASOT900: Lifting You Higher and the sold out event saw over 35,000 ravers from more than 100 countries attend the record breaking event. Over 12 million viewers from more than 165 nations also tuned in online, as the entire event was broadcasted in real time. 

NEWS

The event kicked off with an official press conference, where Armin van Buuren expressed his excitement for the upcoming evening, answered a range of questions and revealed a brand new edition to the ASOT900 world tour. On June 29, 2019, ASOT900 will be heading over to the West coast of the United State for a show in San Francisco’s Bay Area. The news comes after only weeks from announcing that ASOT900 will also make appearances at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and Tomorrowland in Boom, Belgium. 

British trio Above & Beyond also confirmed their attendance at Electronic Family, the largest outdoor trance festival in Europe, later this year. 

facebooktwitterpinterest

THE VENUE

Hosted at Utrecht’s Jaarbeurs convention centre, the venue acts as the perfect location for a multi stage event. The five individual stages each had their own dedicated area, separating the sounds and vibes perfectly; while avoiding issues like noise pollution. Each hall was connected by tunnels and walkaways; and large maps were placed throughout the entire venue, making it extremely easy to navigate between stages. 

facebooktwitterpinterest

THE STAGES

Five dedicated stages with a carefully curated lineup, made up this year’s edition of ASOT. The main stage featured the man himself Armin van Buuren, performing not once but twice; in addition to a third set at a neighbouring stage. Above & Beyond also performed on the main stage, for the first time in seven years, and were greeted with an incredible response. German duo Cosmic Gate also shared the stage with Armada residents Estiva, MaRLo. Finally, the main stage wrapped up with the debut of FUTURECODE; a brand new collaboration project by DJ’s Ben Gold and Omnia. 

The psy stage hosted everything deep, dark and fast; with the likes of Captain Hook, Ghost Rider and Whiteno1se making an appearance. The Who’s Afraid of 138?! stage saw the return of Armin van Buuren, who shared the stage with Will Atkinson, Allen Watts, Sneijder and more. The progressive stage hosted everyone from Kolonie to Rodg and Paul Thomas, creating yet another unique special vibe and sound for visitors. Finally, the Road To 1000 stage, featured A State Of Trance favourites, including Ruben De Ronde and Maor Levi. The lineup at each stage was created perfectly, to compliment the individual sound and style of the respective halls. Additionally, the stage designs and levels of visual production remained consistently impressive throughout the entire venue. 

facebooktwitterpinterest

NEW MUSIC

The annual celebration acts as a showcase for many established and up and coming artists to debut their new music. It also gives headliners the perfect opportunity to surprise fans with unsuspecting collaborations; and this was the case for headliners Armin van Buuren and Above & Beyond. The musicians debuted a brand new single together, titled ‘Show Me Love’; which was released on March 1 with Armada Music. FUTURECODE also premiered six brand new tracks during the debut of their collaborative project. 

facebooktwitterpinterest

Overall, ASOT900 was a record breaking and mind blowing event. Having attended previous editions of ASOT in both Australia and the United States, the native event in Holland was next to tick off the bucket list. Everything from the music to the production and in particular, the impeccable organisation from ALDA, made ASOT900 one of the best indoor festivals I have attended so far; and I can’t wait to follow along the road to 1000! 

PHOTO CREDIT: Katarina Cvetko