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Max White Returns To The Spotlight With Chart-Topping Anthem ‘Need You’

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After a 20-year hiatus from the decks, Max White is back with the same passion and drive that once made him a staple of the underground DJ scene. Two decades ago, he stepped away from nightlife to pursue a career in medicine—but last year, the beat called him back, and he answered with a monumental return.

His explosive comeback has been nothing short of electric. Max’s latest track, ‘Need You’, dropped just in time for Ultra Music Festival and immediately caught attention. A high-energy mainstage anthem, the track pairs soaring vocals from the talented Mary Lova with emotionally charged melodies and peak-time festival energy.

What followed was a meteoric rise: from stethoscope to stage, ‘Need You’ rocketed to #1 on Beatport’s Top 100 Mainstage Release Chart—surpassing tracks from industry titans like Armin van Buuren. It’s a comeback that can’t be ignored.

“I’m humbled to be in the charts alongside artists like Armin van Buuren, Steve Angello, R3HAB, and so many of my musical heroes,” Max shared, reflecting on the moment.

With several new tracks in the works, collaborations with both rising stars and established names, and shows lined up across the U.S. and Ibiza this summer, Max White is just getting started. His return proves he never lost the spark—and now, he’s back with a vengeance.

To follow Max White on Instagram, click the button below:

Hi I'm Mackenzie and rather unsurprisingly, I love electronic music. After over 10 years of blasting my ears with everything from Martin Garrix to San Holo, I've found myself forever digging deeper into this world. If I were to name my top 5 favourite artists I'd say Martin Garrix, Oliver Heldens, The Prodigy, Hardwell, and Avicii make up that list. Alongside writing I'm also a producer who makes whatever comes to mind. Big room house, drum & bass, hardstyle, it's all fun to dig into. See you out in the fields people :)

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Ultra Europe 2026 Drops Phase 2 Lineup

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Crowd and fireworks at Ultra Europe in Split Croatia during the festival’s nighttime mainstage show for the 2026 Phase 2 lineup announcement.

Ultra Europe 2026 Drops Phase 2 Lineup with Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, DJ Snake and more confirmed for Split this July

Ultra Europe 2026 has dropped its Phase 2 lineup, adding more names to its return to Split, Croatia from July 10 to 12, 2026 at Park Mladeži. Now heading into its 12th edition, the festival’s latest announcement brings in Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, DJ Snake, AFROJACK, and Subtronics, joining a Phase 1 lineup that already included Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, FISHER, John Summit, and Amelie Lens. The update gives the 2026 edition a much fuller look across the Ultra Main Stage and RESISTANCE, while keeping more names saved for the next announcement.

 

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Phase 2 Adds Trance, Big-Room, Bass, Techno and House to Ultra Europe 2026

The Ultra Europe 2026 Phase 2 lineup strengthens both sides of the festival. The new additions bring more mainstage names into the July weekend, while RESISTANCE also gets a heavier presence through techno and house bookings. With Phase 1 already led by names such as Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, FISHER, John Summit, and Amelie Lens, this second announcement gives the 2026 edition a fuller lineup across its main festival stages.

Phase 2 additions:

  • Adam Beyer
  • AFROJACK
  • Armin van Buuren
  • CamelPhat
  • DJ Snake
  • Hardwell
  • Jamie Jones
  • Nico Moreno
  • Oliver Heldens
  • Subtronics
  • HALO
  • Maddix

Subtronics Stands Out Among Returning Ultra Europe Regulars

While several Phase 2 additions are familiar names for Ultra Europe, Subtronics still gives the 2026 announcement one of its more interesting talking points. He played Ultra Europe 2024, appearing on the same day as AFROJACK and DJ Snake, so his 2026 booking is not a debut. What makes it worth noting is the context around the booking. Ultra Europe has long been associated with mainstage EDM, house, techno, and its RESISTANCE programming, while large-scale bass bookings have not been as constant in the festival’s Croatia lineup. Bringing Subtronics back after 2024 keeps that part of the lineup visible and gives the July weekend a different pull next to the festival’s more established returning names.

For many of the other additions, Ultra Europe 2026 reads as a return to artists with a longer history in Split. Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, AFROJACK, and DJ Snake have all appeared at past editions, while Adam Beyer, CamelPhat, Jamie Jones, and Oliver Heldens have also been part of previous Ultra Europe lineups in recent years. That matters because Phase 2 is not relying only on newness. It brings back names already tied to the festival’s mainstage and RESISTANCE identity, then places Subtronics inside that structure as one of the less typical bookings for the Croatia edition. For a lineup that already had Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, FISHER, John Summit, and Amelie Lens in Phase 1, this second announcement makes the 2026 edition feel more complete without giving away the full final lineup yet.

Ultra Europe 2026 Still Has More Names To Come Before July

With Phase 2 now out, Ultra Europe 2026 has a much clearer outline, but the lineup is still not complete. The festival has already confirmed a strong mix of mainstage names, RESISTANCE artists, and newer additions across the first two announcements, while the poster also confirms that Phase 3 is still on the way. That next update will likely help fill out the remaining stage programming, daily structure, and support acts as the festival moves closer to its July return to Split.

For now, the 2026 edition already has enough confirmed names to show how Ultra Europe is building its 12th edition. Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, DJ Snake, Amelie Lens, Sara Landry, Adam Beyer, FISHER, John Summit, and Subtronics give the lineup both familiar Ultra names and bookings that widen the festival’s appeal. More artists are still expected to be announced before Ultra Europe 2026 takes over Park Mladeži from July 10 to 12, with tickets and updates available through the festival’s official channels.

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Armin van Buuren News

Why Armin van Buuren Nearly Quit Music in 2011

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Armin Van Buuren performing in an A State Of Trance studio setting with headphones on, DJ equipment in front of him, and the ASOT logo displayed on a screen behind him.

Why Armin Van Buuren Nearly Quit Music in 2011 Despite Reaching a Peak in Trance

At the Winter Music Conference 2026 in Miami on March 25, Armin Van Buuren joined Stephen Campbell and Tim Sweeney for a keynote discussion on the future of electronic dance music. During that conversation, he opened up about a period in his career that did not match how things looked from the outside, explaining that 2011 was the year he came close to walking away from music altogether. That detail gives more weight to the story because 2011 was not a low point in public terms. By then, Armin Van Buuren was already operating at a high level across trance, radio, and international touring, which makes the idea of nearly stepping away during that period far more striking.

Why Armin Van Buuren Considered Walking Away at His Peak

When Armin Van Buuren reflected on that period, the reasoning was not tied to visibility or output. He stated, “I almost quit music in 2011,” referring to a point where the connection to the music no longer felt as direct as it had before. That distinction matters because the surrounding context was stable. His presence in trance was already established through years of releases, radio broadcasts, and festival performances, and his role within the genre had been reinforced repeatedly through that consistency. The uncertainty came from within the process itself, where repetition and structure began to change how the music was felt rather than how it was received.

The conditions around that period also show how a fixed routine can begin to limit creative space at that level. Touring cycles, radio commitments, and production schedules continued without interruption, which left little room to step back and engage with music outside of expectation. At the same time, trance was moving through a phase where its position in the wider electronic scene was being questioned, which added another layer to how the genre was being experienced from within. He addressed that directly when he said, “Trance isn’t a dirty word anymore,” pointing to a shift in how the genre was perceived and discussed. That combination of internal disconnect and external pressure created a point where continuing was no longer assumed, even at a stage where everything externally remained intact.

What Brought Armin Van Buuren Back to Music

What brought him back was not a change in schedule or a reduction in expectations. It came from recognising what had shifted in his relationship with the music. He explained, “I felt like I lost the connection with the music,” which clarifies that the issue was not fatigue alone, but distance from the core reason he started. That moment reframes the entire situation, because it places the turning point inside the music itself, not in the surrounding structure. Reconnecting with that feeling allowed him to continue, not as a response to external demand, but as a decision grounded in whether the music still held meaning.

That return is closely tied to trance as a genre and to the role it has played across his career. A State Of Trance continued to expand beyond a radio format into large-scale events and stages, maintaining its position as a central platform for trance globally. His sets across festivals and ASOT-branded shows remained consistent, but what changed was the basis on which that consistency was maintained. Instead of operating through routine, the continuation came from restoring a direct connection to the sound, structure, and progression that define trance. That shift explains why the period did not result in withdrawal, but in a continuation that carried more clarity, where the music itself remained the point of reference rather than the system around it.

 

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Why This Moment Still Matters in Electronic Music

The significance of that period is not limited to one artist. It highlights how continuation in electronic music is not determined solely by visibility, output, or position within a genre. Even at a stage where everything appears stable, the decision to continue can shift if the connection to the music changes. In Armin Van Buuren’s case, the moment came after years of sustained involvement in trance, which makes it a reflection of how long-term careers develop rather than a reaction to short-term conditions. The question was not whether he could continue, but whether continuing still held the same meaning.

Looking at what followed, his ongoing presence across global festivals, releases, and A State Of Trance shows how that connection translated into continuity over time. The period in 2011 did not interrupt his trajectory, but it did redefine the basis on which it continued. That is what gives the moment weight. It shows that staying active in electronic music is not only about maintaining a position, but about maintaining a relationship with the music that remains consistent across different stages of a career.

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Armin van Buuren News

Tiësto and Armin van Buuren Make It Official: “Alibi” Is No Longer A Rumour

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Tiësto and Armin van Buuren confirm duo project Alibi, debuting in London on July 12 before two exclusive Ibiza sets at UNVRS.

Following months of speculation regarding a B2B set in Ibiza this summer, Tiësto and Armin van Buuren finally confirm their duo project, ‘Alibi.’ Set to debut at Tiësto’s headline show in London, 12 July, ‘Alibi‘ marks a new era in the world of trance, with the genre’s two kings uniting under one act.

Not only has Tiësto’s return to London seen huge demand, but the announcement of ‘Alibi‘ has taken anticipation to another level. Besides the act, a special stage design will also be presented by their production teams, honouring both DJs’ legacy through massive structures and visuals like never seen before.

The duo will then take the project to Ibiza, with Armin van Buuren joining Tiësto at UNVRS for two exclusive sets. After all, the long-standing Ibiza rumours have now proven true, much to fans’ excitement.

Armin and Tiësto Ask Fans to Choose Outro Track

While everything seems to be already in place for the three upcoming shows, Armin and Tiësto have an ongoing debate regarding the tracklist. The two artists are not sure what song to pick as an outro and have asked fans online to choose between the iconic ‘Adagio For Strings’ or a brand new ‘Gangnam Style’ remix they have recently finished.

Although these are the only two options shared by the DJs, it is questionable why they wouldn’t close with a track from the upcoming ‘Alibi‘ album, reportedly in the works and expected to be titled: ‘It’s All an April Fool’s Joke.’

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