EDM Artist News
Tiesto Returns To Trance & Announces Album
The electronic music world is witnessing a major shift as one of its biggest names, Tiësto, officially solidifies his return to the sound that defined his legendary career: trance.
The release of his brand new single, ‘Bring Me To Life,’ a powerful collaboration with FORS, has been met with explosive enthusiasm, confirming the Dutch titan’s pivot back to melodic euphoria and driving rhythms.
For the past decade, Tiësto has championed a diverse, mainstage-focused sound, but recent hints—including special ‘In Search of Sunrise’ sets and a high-profile trance appearance at Dreamstate SoCal—have signaled a deeper connection to his roots. ‘Bring Me To Life’ is the triumphant fulfillment of that promise, offering a refreshing blend of classic, hands-in-the-air trance energy with the crystal-clear production quality of the modern era. It’s an instant anthem designed for both nostalgic reflection and contemporary dance floors.
The Cryptic Social Media Tease
The excitement reached a fever pitch following the song’s release, as Tiësto took to his official Instagram. The legend not only celebrated the single but also delivered the monumental news that fans had been hoping for, with a concise and powerful tease: “album loading…”
This simple three-word phrase has effectively launched the countdown to his next major studio project. The context strongly suggests this upcoming album will be a full-length exploration of the trance sound he has revisited with ‘Bring Me To Life.’ The prospect of a comprehensive collection of new trance music from the artist responsible for classics like ‘In My Memory’ and ‘Just Be’ is a game-changing event for the genre.
A New Chapter for a Legend
The move highlights more than just a musical change; it’s a commitment to the enduring power of his foundational sound. Tiësto’s influence spans generations, and his re-embracing of trance is a testament to its timeless appeal. While no official title or release date has been announced yet, the “album loading…” comment marks the definite start of a new, highly anticipated chapter.
Fans worldwide are now eagerly awaiting further breadcrumbs of information, ready to follow the master of trance on what is shaping up to be his most significant musical journey in years.
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The Pokémon Company is officially marking three decades by throwing a massive rave to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Under the banner of the Pokémon Center, the brand will host a special two-night concert series titled “Pokémon Night Out“.
Both events are scheduled to debut in Los Angeles and London this fall, offering fans a unique fusion of EDM and gaming culture. Attendees will be immersed in a world of themed visuals curated for this series, alongside the debut of exclusive merchandise collections directly from the Pokémon Center.
The choice of headliners for these milestone shows is a perfect match for a collaboration of this scale. Global talent Marshmello and Alison Wonderland are set to perform at both shows. They will be bringing the high-energy beats and immense production value they are each known for. Both artists have established themselves as icons at the intersection of music and gaming with proven careers in sound design. They have tracks featured in major franchises like Forza, NBA2K, and FIFA. Their ability to blend technical precision with massive stage presence makes them the ideal leads for Pokémon’s 30th birthday party.
The Event Details:
The tour kicks off in the United States before heading across the Atlantic.
-Los Angeles: The first concert takes place on October 24, 2026 at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome. This massive venue boasts a capacity of 18,000 attendees and offers some of the most advanced audio-visual technology in the world.
-London: The celebration continues on November 10, 2026 at the premier O2 Arena supporting an even larger capacity of up to 20,000 fans.
Tickets officially go on sale this Friday, April 17, at 10:00 AM local time (10:00 AM PDT for Los Angeles; 10:00 AM BST for London).
A Global Celebration for All Ages
In addition to the concert series, the Pokémon Center is also rolling out a family-oriented experience. This will be an international event catered for fans throughout France, Germany, and Mexico. This exciting expansion will feature over 16 unique exhibits showcasing everyone’s favorite Pokémon characters in a life-sized format. While the “Night Out” concerts target the adult crowds, these summer exhibits are designed to be accessible to fans of all generations. More specific dates and venue locations for the summer tour are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
”Pokémon Night Out” promises to be a truly one-of-a-kind experience. By combining world-class musical talent with a multi-sensory journey through the entire Pokémon universe, this 30th-anniversary milestone is guaranteed to not disappoint.
Sara Landry Before Techno: Data Analyst In Austin, SXSW Events And Her Rise To Tomorrowland Mainstage
Before becoming associated with hard techno lineups across Europe and major festivals, Sara Landry was working in Austin, Texas in data analytics, including a role at YETI, while developing her involvement in music at the same time. Her academic background at New York University (NYU) was built around social and analytical fields, which later informed how she approached performance and audience response. Her early years were not centered around clubs or touring, but around balancing a structured corporate role with regular involvement in the local scene, which shaped how her career developed before expanding beyond the United States.
@electrodecksdaily @Sara Landry explains how she managed to go full time on music 🤩 | Follow for more | #music #fyp #goviral #foryou #foryoupage #learnontiktok #dj #DJ #djs #ravers #djhelp #djinterview #musicinterview #interview #djadvice #saralandry ♬ original sound – electrodecksdaily
Building A Presence In Austin Before Any International Exposure
While working full time in data analytics, Sara Landry was already active in Austin’s local music environment, taking on DJ sets outside of her work schedule and building connections through smaller independent events. These were not established club circuits or festival bookings, but early-stage opportunities where she was playing in front of limited crowds, often in informal spaces that allowed her to test different approaches to pacing and track selection. Her involvement around SXSW house parties is one of the clearer examples of this period, where unofficial events and side gatherings played a role in how artists gained early exposure within the city.
What separates this phase from a simplified “before and after” story is the amount of time spent building within that environment. She was not only performing, but also involved in organizing and shaping events, which meant understanding both the logistical side of running a night and the response of a crowd in real time. That combination created a practical foundation that extended beyond DJing alone, covering how events are structured, how audiences move across a set, and how consistency is built over repeated performances. This period in Austin is also where her identity within harder techno began to take shape, at a time when that sound was not widely represented in the city, which adds context to how her later positioning developed once she moved into larger markets.
From Local Development To Positioning Within The European Techno Circuit
After establishing herself locally, Sara Landry’s career expanded into the European techno circuit, where cities such as Amsterdam and Berlin continue to play a central role in defining the genre’s direction. This shift is important because it places her within a network of venues, labels, and audiences that are more directly aligned with hard and industrial techno, allowing her sound to develop within a scene that supports higher BPM sets and longer-form performances. Her work through Hekate Records further positioned her within that space, giving her a platform to release music that aligns with her approach while also connecting with other artists working within similar styles.
Her move into larger stages followed that progression, with international bookings building toward festival appearances that extended beyond the underground circuit. Her set on the Tomorrowland Mainstage in 2024 is often referenced because it brought hard techno into a space that has historically focused on other styles, placing her sound in front of a broader audience.
@tomorrowland The wonderful @Sara Landry at the MainStage. #tomorrowland #electronicmusic #festival #ontour ♬ original sound – Tomorrowland
That moment reflects a wider change in how festival programming is evolving, where genres that were previously more contained within specific scenes are now appearing across larger platforms. When viewed alongside her earlier work in Austin, the progression shows a clear expansion from local events into a global network, with each stage of her career building on the one before it.
Her trajectory is defined by the period where her corporate role and music work developed alongside each other, creating a foundation that carried into her later work once she began touring internationally. That early structure explains why her career has developed with consistency across different stages, from smaller events in Austin to major festival lineups, without relying on a single breakthrough moment. As hard techno continues to gain visibility across larger platforms, her position now sits within a broader shift in how lineups are being constructed, and the next phase will depend on how she continues to develop her sound and her label while working across both established venues and new audiences entering the genre.
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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