Armin was born on December 25th 1976 in Leiden, Holland. As long as he remembers he's been fascinated by music. This has a lot to do with his father who listened to lots of different music styles. Besides his love for music, Armin slowly started to gain more interest in technology and computers. At the age of 14 he bought his first sampler, confiscated his father's synthesizer and started to make music. During puberty he cycled to school with his headphones almost glued to his ears, listening to music from Jean Michel Jarre and Ben Liebrand's minimixes. Having a great deal of respect for Ben Liebrand, he sent him a demo that was received enthusiastically. As a result, Ben taught Armin a lot about producing and mixing the following year. Armin's passion for mixing progressed. He started working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus, finished high school in 1995 and went on to university to study law. Meanwhile he moved his studio equipment from his bedroom to a 'real' studio. The first tracks he produced in his new studio were, amongst others, hits like "Touch Me" and "Communication". Lots of tracks followed, all with a different feel to it. Armin doesn't like to be limited to a particular style by labelling his music. A phrase he often uses is: 'don't be prisoner of your own style'. Armin likes to describe his musical style as euphoric, uplifting, melodic and energetic. Due to the fact that Armin is very ambitious he's been doing a lot of things at the same time: studying, producing and being a DJ. He truly believes that the only way to be able to do so is by enjoying what you do. Armin wants to fulfil his dream, which is 'doing what he loves most and have as much fun as possible doing it'.