Trance lovers from all across the world gathered in the Netherlands at the fastest-selling ASOT in history over the weekend, as Armin van Buuren hosted a fully sold-out A State of Trance 950, a celebration of the genre’s finest stars and sounds, in honour of his universally acclaimed weekly ASOT radio show.
Hosted by global dance giant ALDA, the ASOT950 spectacular saw over 40,000 party goers gather across the weekend. A large proportion met in Amsterdam on Valentines night for a special ASOT warm-up event, before descending on Utrecht’s Jaarbeurs venue through the course of Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, where the event was streamed on a special live broadcast to millions of viewers around the world.
Filling the party with an electric atmosphere and a flurry of magical moments, A State of Trance 950 saw a variety of acts join Armin van Buuren as ravers danced the night away, across five stages, each packed with their own uniquely thunderous tones. With the likes of Anjunabeats golden boy Ilan Bluestone and German maestro Markus Schulz joining Armin on the mainstage, there were also incredible performances from legendary acts such as Aly & Fila, Andrew Rayel, and live shows from both Rank1 and Giuseppe Ottaviani.
Filling the arena with a rapturous set packed with unrivalled energy, Jorn van Deynhoven kicked things off over on the Who’s Afraid Of 138?! Stage, where Armin van Buuren himself also played an hour-long set packed with an army of eclectic selections – offering a contrasting flavour to his festival-ready mainstage style – in addition to performances from Ben Gold, Solarstone, Skypatrol, Key4050, Richard Durand and David Forbes. With the more progressive side of trance also catered for by all-star billing which included Scottish selector Grum, a flurry of the genre’s finest names, including Rodg, Elevven, Estiva, Bluum, Proff, and Sound Quelle catered for the deeper sounds of the trance world.
Since the inception of ASOT in 2001, the brand has enjoyed a rapid rise, growing meteorically to become the largest trance network in the world, with every episode airing to millions globally, every week. With this year’s ASOT centring around the theme of ‘Let The Music Guide You’, all eyes will now turn to the hugely monumental landmark of ASOT 1000, where fans are certain to be treated to a special weekend packed with jaw-dropping surprises.
With the entire venue united by their mutual love of music, ASOT950 marked another record-breaking event from ALDA, whose vast array of festivals also includes the gigantic AMF and the upcoming SAGA Festival in Romania this summer. Cementing a reputation as the most hotly anticipated trance event on the global dance calendar, A State Of Trance 950 lived up to every inch of its humongous reputation, with the memories made during the course of the weekend set to live a lifetime in the minds of ravers worldwide.
