“There’s always been negativity towards trance,” mused Armin van Buuren when inthemix got him on the phone recently. “Back in 2002, I had people around me declaring that trance was dead but it’s still going strong. It’s still an essential force of EDM.”

Despite the detractors, the Stereosonic headliner remains a tireless ambassador for the sound that made his name. As Armin put it to inthemix, the strength of trance lies in the new breed of inspired producers, including fellow Stereosonic visitor Arty.

“I think there’s a lot of high-quality producers,” he said. “If you look at guys like Arty or Orjan Nilsen, who is not only signed to my label but the track I played most this year was his Between The Rays. It’s trance, but in a different way. I feel the fun is coming back into trance again.”

Did trance get a bit serious for his tastes? “Yeah,” Armin laughed. “But trance music is constantly changing. Of course, it still has the elements: of course it’s uplifting, it’s melodic, it’s energetic, it’s 138-BPM. But it should evolve and I think the best producers have an open mind to other genres.”

We also quizzed Armin on his game-plan for headlining Stereosonic which you can read all about here, and we’ll have the full interview for you before the week is out.