Album lore

Intense, the fifth studio album by Dutch trance producer Armin van Buuren, arrived on ARVA in May 2013. The record unfolds across fifteen tracks, weaving progressive trance and house with occasional nods to electronica’s broader palette. Noteworthy singles include “This Is What It Feels Like,” featuring Trevor Guthrie, which preceded the album’s release and gained traction with its accompanying video starring Ron Jeremy. Earlier in the year, “Waiting for the Night,” featuring Fiora and tied to the Dutch film Loving Ibiza, was issued, setting a cinematic tone. Emma Hewitt lends vocals to “Forever Is Ours,” adding to the album’s textured layers.The album’s title track and closer “Reprise” frame a set that balances club-ready pulses with melodic expanses. Van Buuren’s production here is polished, privileging shimmering synth leads and driving beats, a hallmark of his ARVA imprint. While the genre tags range broadly—even touching on nu metal and rap metal in some catalog listings—the core remains rooted in trance and progressive house, making Intense a notable installment in van Buuren’s discography and a signal artifact for collectors of 2010s electronic music.

Album lore

Intense, the fifth studio album by Dutch trance producer Armin van Buuren, arrived on ARVA in May 2013. The record unfolds across fifteen tracks, weaving progressive trance and house with occasional nods to electronica’s broader palette. Noteworthy singles include “This Is What It Feels Like,” featuring Trevor Guthrie, which preceded the album’s release and gained traction with its accompanying video starring Ron Jeremy. Earlier in the year, “Waiting for the Night,” featuring Fiora and tied to the Dutch film Loving Ibiza, was issued, setting a cinematic tone. Emma Hewitt lends vocals to “Forever Is Ours,” adding to the album’s textured layers.The album’s title track and closer “Reprise” frame a set that balances club-ready pulses with melodic expanses. Van Buuren’s production here is polished, privileging shimmering synth leads and driving beats, a hallmark of his ARVA imprint. While the genre tags range broadly—even touching on nu metal and rap metal in some catalog listings—the core remains rooted in trance and progressive house, making Intense a notable installment in van Buuren’s discography and a signal artifact for collectors of 2010s electronic music.