Our questions & answers series is back, and this time we had the honor of interviewing one of the pillars of A State of Trance (and far beyond!) and one of the most respected figures in the international trance scene: Ruben de Ronde generously took the time to share his thoughts on the current state of the trance scene, discuss his latest music and collaborations, and offer an optimistic vision for the future of the genre, a vision we fully embrace
Ruben, it’s a great honor for us to have you featured on the pages of Trance History, and we thank you for the time you’re dedicating to us. Talking about you means opening a window onto an artistic universe built over twenty years of career: before going into detail about the past few years and future projects, we’d like to ask if you remember the exact moment when you realized trance music would be your path.
I think it was early 1998 when I really fell in love with trance, even though the genre didnt really exist yet. I was a passionate Formula 1 fan, and Olav Mol compiled a CD with a mixture of dance music and iconic F1 sounds, and I loved the music on the album. From there on, the journey started with going to events and eventually starting to DJing as well.
Among the many tracks and collaborations you’ve delivered in recent years, “Rainbow” with Estiva, released in 2018, undoubtedly stands out, having become over time a true progressive trance classic: a track that, among other things, we’ve had the pleasure of experiencing it across nearly every recent edition of A State Of Trance festival. Since last year, the EBENEZER project was born, launched with ‘ArenA’, followed by ‘Heaven’, which we can consider an ideal follow-up to “Rainbow”, and more recently ‘Falls’ and ‘Colorblind EP’, : what kind of artistic synergy has developed between you and Steven?
I think most of all, it is the friendship that we have. From touring the world together, to playing sets. He is a fantastic human being, and my favorite producer on the planet. So I couldnt wish for anything more than working with him.
Although your musical identity is solid and well defined, your journey is inevitably intertwined with that of A State Of Trance and Armin van Buuren: during the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the radio show at Ahoy Rotterdam on February 27, the message you dedicated to him was particularly moving, revealing a very genuine side of your relationship. Musically, have you ever considered the idea of creating a track exclusively together, beyond collaborations with other artists already released? And which of Armin’s productions are you most attached to?
That is a good question haha! I didnt prepare anything to say to Armin, so it came from the heart. And to be really honest, I still dont know what I have said, because im afraid I might cringe too hard hearing it haha. I would love to make a track with Armin, but I will leave that all up to him. I am not sure if he ever considered it even. I think my all time favorite Armin track is going to be Orbion, or ‘Down to Love’. I really loved the Mirage album!
On that same night, February 27 at Ahoy Rotterdam, in Area III of A State Of Trance, you performed an outstanding “historic” DJ set under your recent alias NRG2000, delivering a journey through legendary trance classics and more recent productions: what pushed you towards this more nostalgic dimension? And in your opinion, what is leading the trance scene today to rediscover its roots so strongly? Can we expect a 2026 increasingly oriented towards NRG2000, or will there still be space for releases under your name, such as your latest collaborations with Amber Revival?
I kind of started this journey because of something that happened at Rong in Malta in 2024. I had just created ‘New Inner Way’ with Ferry Corsten, which was the fastest song I produced since 2005 I think, and I ot a message from my agent asking if I wanted to do a second show, playing classics to replace an artist that didn’t make it. Before that time, I played many vinyl streams with classics – and the infamous open2close back2back with Fisherman as Y2K in 2023 – and I thought, well, why not! I really enjoyed playing that set, and decided to start to produce more music at a higher tempo. A few months later, Bo of Luminosity wanted to book me for a classics set at their festival, and since I had so many new tunes I thought it was time to give it an official name: NRG2000. Besides this project, I have a lot of new Ruben de Ronde music AND there is more Ebenezer music on the way.
Since the beginning of this year, alongside A State Of Trance, you have also been involved with Statement! Radio together with Ellen and Jimmy Meneyerji, the radio show linked to your label founded in 2005. How did this project come about and what differences in vision or approach set it apart from A State Of Trance?
Before the corona years, I ran a radio show ‘The Sound of Holland’, focussing on the deeper, progressive sounds. The best part of that radio show, was that I was creating it on my Twitch channel, twitch.tv/rubenderonde , together with an amazing group of viewers. When Corona came, I started to stream every single day, replacing that radio show with current music, so there was no real time to make another format. When Corona went away, the streams got less and less frequent, but on the road I received this question more and more: ‘Is The Sound of Holland coming back?’. I thought about it, and thought it would be better to not yet have another brand to run, but to link it to the label. So now we are back with a weekly show! Sonically, it sounds the same as TSOH, focussed on deeper sounds, as I think that sound deserves a bigger spotlight.
You and Armin share the studio with another iconic figure of the trance scene such as Ferry Corsten, with whom you have created some of the most appreciated melodies of recent years, such as ‘Bloodstream’ (2021), ‘Rise Up!’, ‘New Inner Way’ last year and the anthem ‘Destination’ in 2023. Collaborating with an artist of this caliber means engaging with a fundamental part of the genre’s history: in this journey, what have you learned from him? And what do you think you have brought into his way of working?
Oh man. It is amazing to share the studio with Ferry to be honest. His workflow has taught me a lot. The decision making, the simplicity of making sounds and stick to it, those are just 2 things that changed a lot for myself. Ferry and myself click on so many levels, and im sure we’ll do more collabs in the future!
One of the most evident characteristics of the latest editions of A State Of Trance is the growing attention towards emerging artists, who are driving the most recent evolution of the genre, as also shown by the mainstage lineup in Rotterdam on Saturday night. Which emerging artists are impressing you the most today?
There are a lot of exciting artists out there, especially from the new generation. I wouldnt know where to start haha!
With the ELEVATION edition, which celebrated 25 years of A State Of Trance, we had the feeling that a festival cycle that began with REFLEXION in 2023 and continued with DESTINATION in 2024 and TRANSFORMATION last year is now coming to a close: a journey defined by a strong drive for innovation, an openness to new sounds and, at the same time, a constant connection to the genre’s historical identity. If possible, could you give us an idea of whether the future of A State Of Trance will continue to revolve around this balance between old and new, and what we can expect going forward?
I feel that, musically, we are moving back to even more trancey sounds in the coming years. Melodic techno and techno are becoming influenced by trance even more, but there is a bigger thing happening within Gen-Z. I feel that the word Trance has been seen as ‘dirty’ by many people of our generation, but the kids nowadays all say that they love trance. Even though the sound is more comparable to an uptempo version of clubhouse/ trance from 1999/2000, I love that they embrace the name and the sound. I am excited to see where this generation is taking the sound.
It’s clear that trance is experiencing a phase of renewed centrality within the EDM scene, with artists not traditionally associated with trance also exploring the genre, even though we know well that its identity and reputation have never been lost over the years and you, like many other artists, are a concrete example of that. In this context, Tiësto’s return to the trance scene after many years also plays a role: we saw you particularly engaged on social media about it, as everyone, especially during his set at EDC Las Vegas last May: what is your point of view on this return? Did you expect it?
The fact that one of the pioneers of the sound is finding his way home to our favorite genre is fantastic! I thought it showed some serious balls to play that In Search of Sunrise set at a peaktime festival, not shying away from the deeper, slower sounds. But there is always one thing I would like to stress.. People say ‘Trance Is Back’, but for me, and many others it never left. We have been loving every subgenre and musical endeavour of our favorite artists through the last decade and a half, and most importantly trying to keep having a platform for all of them with A State of Trance.
We close with the classic Trance History question, once again thanking you for your time: name one or more historic trance tracks that you hold closest to your heart, excluding your own iconic releases.
My first melodic dance song I fell in love with was DJ Tonka – Show Knows You, but if you ask mewhich trance classic is my favorite, I would say ATN – Miss A Day, and I have JUST finished an NRG2000 remix of it!