Not this last Friday, but the one before that, I arrived at Pepenero in Cape Town, around 15 minutes late for a little gathering between some of  Cape Town’s top bloggers and and Smirnoff  SA to find out a about something of which I had no idea. I literally arrived there not knowing what they were going to announce.

Now I was late because I was having lunch in Cavendish, not realising what Smirnoff meant by ‘lunch’ I thought it would be snacks and things like that, and I was seriously hungry so had a normal lunch beforehand.

Big mistake.

We were treated to a three course meal, so I started with salad, moved onto the steak and then finished off with fruit salad.

I dig Smirnoff, you just roll into Pepenero and chill round the table with the entire Smirnoff crew as though it’s a family lunch. Which it essentially is, we’re just extended Smirnoff family. I don’t get brands in the modern who are basically one dimensional companies. You know them for a logo, you call them and get through to a call centre. You don’t ever get to really know the brand and the people who drive it. Because every brand is run by normal people with some crazy ideas, but they’re still people, and too often we don’t get to meet them.

This is especially important with social media, it’s important to connect with your audience/promoters through more than just e-mails.

So we sat down and Adrian from Smirnoff (Well actually the marketing manager) dropped the news that Armin Van Buuren will be making an appearance in Cape Town! Before this, we only knew that Armin would be touching down in Johannesburg. Bleak days indeed.

The thought of actually having to go to Joburg was too much and most people were thinking ‘Ah whatever, you guys take Armin for one night, we’ll take the beach, mountain and the lifestyle for the other 99.999% of the year’

Some of the boys have even booked tickets to Joburg to experience Armin. Still a good idea. Why?

Well the Cape Town show is going to be a lot smaller. I’m talking a seriously small. How small?

500 people to be exact. And this isn’t something you often get to experience. Who else can say they were at a party that small and intimate, with one of the worlds greatest DJ’s? There aren’t a lot of people who will ever be able to say that in their lifetime. What’s more, the Cape Town show will be the 500th show of Armin Van Buurens A State Of Trance 500.

Boasting high speed ADSL, ISDN2 and satellite connections for radio and video streaming, the show will be broadcast across the globe from a sound proof, air-conditioned radio studio space built exclusively for the event.

Can you just imagine how mad it is going to be? 500 people. The Worlds Number 1 DJ. Cape Town. Smirnoff.

You just don’t get better than that.

Armin van Buuren, who has been ranked as the world’s number one DJ for four years running in the leading DJ Mag top 100 poll, will be the fifth top international talent brought to South Africa by Smirnoff SA in the last year. Smirnoff brought South Africa the likes of Tiësto for the Smirnoff Experience Mashup Street, DJ Sasha for Smirnoff Experience, Above & Beyond as Smirnoff presented Godskitchen and Monika Kruse, ATB and Markus Schulz who recently brought Berlin’s nightlife alive for the ambitious Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project.
Having recently won various awards as Best Global DJ (2010), Best International DJ (2010), Best progressive House / Trance Track (2009) Best Music video (2009) and Best European DJ (2009), it is evident that Armin’s passion in trance music is beyond a hobby, it is essential to his way of life. “What makes trance work so well is that it doesn’t stick to one style. It can incorporate electro, minimal, whatever it likes,” says Armin.

I’m not going to lie to you…this makes me feel good in the place where good feels best…

For more information regarding Armin Van Buurens ASOT 5oo Tour, head on over to the Smirnoff South Africa Facebook page by clicking here.

Tickets to the official show in Johannesburg on 19 March 2011 are available from Computicket. To stand a chance to win tickets to the Cape Town exclusive event, purchase a bottle of Smirnoff Triple Distilled, a six pack of Smirnoff Storm or Smirnoff Spin for more details.  Terms and conditions apply. Smirnoff is not for Sale to Persons under the Age of 18. The good thing about this?

JUSTIN BIEBER WILL NOT BE AT ARMIN VAN BUURENS ASOT 500 SHOWS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Jay Bieber: Only allowed a nice cool can of the Biebertizer

This is what we refer to as ‘Great success’