Interview: Paul Van Dyk

Abbas Ali chats to superstar DJ Paul Van Dyk ahead of his forthcoming UK Club tour.

Grammy-nominated German DJ and Producer Paul Van Dyk rose to fame in the early 90s with his remix of Humate’s 'Love Stimulation', going on to become one of the most recognised names in the world of dance music by the late 90s. Having produced five studio albums and selling over three million albums, he has mixed many compilations, and produced countless remixes, including one for The Dark Knight film soundtrack. He has also been voted 'World’s Number 1 DJ' by DJ Magazine on two occasions; a rare feat. Following the success of Gatecrasher Trance Anthems 1993-2009 and Gatecrasher Club Anthems 1993-2009, Van Dyk is currently promoting Gatecrasher Anthems - Paul Van Dyk, as well as an accompanying UK Gatecrasher Tour. 

You describe your style as ‘Electronic Dance Music', although in the minds of many, you’re very much associated with Trance music. How do you feel about that?

The thing is that you can pick up interviews that I did in 94, and you will see that I said, ‘I’m not just a trance DJ, I’m playing electronic music.’ And this is what I have always done. Even some of my biggest records, if you’re listening to ‘For An Angel’, it doesn’t sound at all like the stereotypical trance music that people are referring to. So therefore, it has always been a broader approach to electronic music that I have.

Looking back at the late 90s/early 2000s, dance music really reached a peak, that culminated in the Superstar DJ culture of the time. How did that affect you, and what was it like at the time?

Electronic music developed through all those different phases into the biggest music culture in the world. Everybody is connected through by things like the internet, through chatboards, through social networking sites. So it’s like a major community that’s loving music, communicating about music and exchanging music. And this is why it is so global, and this is why it is so big. I never really experienced a ditch in the growth of electronic music. Just because there might be, say, a local issue with the closing down of a club, for whatever reason, doesn’t necessarily have a creative impact on what the whole scene does.

Dance music was in the mainstream, then during the noughties the fashion was towards guitar music? You weren’t affected by that?

Well, the thing if you a more analytical look on it, the music that I am standing for, and the music that I am connected to, has never really been to the mainstream at all. It’s like, right now, there’s again a lot of pop music with dance elements that is successful. This has nothing to do with the dance music that we are talking about, or that I am talking about. This music is still somewhat leftfield and has a very special audience. The normal Joe Bloggs doesn’t actually go to clubs where I play. I see myself in the German tradition of proper clubbing, and proper straightforward music that is intense and special. And not the kind of wishy-washy stuff that we hear on the top 40 radio station. Wherever you go in UK, you find proper real dance music exists, and this is something that’s very important. If you listen to music that’s going on now, electronic music has grown up substantially. It’s not as plingy-plongy naive anymore, as in the beginning of the nineties. It’s much more complex. It’s always interesting, it’s always evolving, it’s always progressing.

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I believe you now use two MacBooks and keyboards as part of your live setup, where in the past it would have been vinyl and turntables. What’s your take on the technological changes in DJing?

The thing is, electronic music has always been about breaking the boundaries, not just on the creative side, but also in terms of using the latest technology in order to make the experience more intense. So, this is what I am doing. For me this is the ultimate set up because I can combine my passion for being a DJ with being my passion for being a musician. And have both of it, basically integrated into my setup, and therefore play much more intense sets.

Is it true that you’re a 'teetotaller', as we say in England? You don’t drink or take drugs?

From time to time I have a glass of wine, but the thing is, when I work, I actually don’t. Because I see that I have a certain responsibly for actually delivering, and I think when people come to see me, and when they pay to get in, they can expect me to be 100% there, and not off my head.

We’re coming to the end of the Ibiza season. How was it this year, and were there any particular tracks you enjoyed playing and hearing?

It’s definitely a great season. It’s phenomenal. Nobody expected this season to be so massive. It’s a definite notch up from previous seasons in the numbers, and the vibe as well. It’s not so much, at least for me, about individual tracks, it’s about the overall experience of electronic music.

So, tell us about this mix CD you’re doing for Gatecrasher, Gatecrasher Anthems- Paul van Dyk.

I tried to get the most influential tracks, or at least some of them, along with some that are massive right now, and some are going to be massive in a few months, and basically put that in a continuous mix with three CDs. I didn’t care so much about the timelines, so it doesn’t start really old and end up really new, basically it goes all the way through, it’s a musical journey, and the musical journey is more important than the age of the tracks.

Some of the older tracks, have they aged well?

I don’t think they really aged. With some tracks you have more memories than others, but with these tracks, they don’t seem to have aged. I think a good track doesn’t really age.

You’ve been involved with several anti-poverty and anti-war causes over the years. Are you involved with anything currently?

I’m still involved with my main two charity organisations. One is based in India, it’s called Akanksha, and the other one is based in Germany, in Berlin, it’s called Rückenwind. It’s not about jumping on a plane while everybody is trying to do something good. It’s about longevity. So putting something on that helps, that is a reliable source of help for people, rather than help for a year, and then, “I’m off”. This is my main belief. Democracy is the best concept on this planet to live together. But it’s obviously not perfect, it’s all about to make democracy better. And as more people are getting involved in this process, the better it is. When you see something is wrong in your neighbourhood, go ahead and change it. Don’t wait for someone else to do it.

There’s a new generation of DJs and producers coming through at the moment. Is there anyone that you particularly enjoy?

Well it’s not so much a single person, it’s more an individual sound, where basically, I was always going for, saying, it doesn’t matter calling it this or that. Right now there is a lot of music you could call house as progressive house as trance, as techno, all in one track. It’s basically using all the elements of these sub-genres, which are not my subgenres. I couldn’t even tell you where trance ends and techno starts. Or where progressive house starts and trance ends. For me it’s all electronic music.

Can you think of any producers doing that that you enjoy?

I’m thinking of someone like Giuseppe Ottaviani (Signed to Dyk’s own Vandit Records label), Filo and Peri are doing it, Arty is doing it, are quite a few.

You’ve had a long career over the past two decades and been involved with a lot of things from soundtracks to computer games. Have there been any highlights?

Well, obviously, playing with a big classical orchestra was something that was really special. Also, our shows at Central Park in New York were really special. The Love Parade in Berlin has been massive. Yeah, there are quite a few things that I have experienced.

What are your plans for the coming months? Do you have any projects that you’re focussing on?

When I’m not travelling, I’m in the studio working on my next artist album, that’s pretty much what I’m concentrating on right now. There are artists that I’m collaborating with, but I can’t tell you!

Is there a particular style, concept or theme that we can expect?

If it’s intense, it’s very intense, if it’s very banging, it’s banging. I like music to be intense, I don’t like the wishy-washy stuff. The album should be due in about February / March, depending on when I get it finished.

And finally, are you looking forward to the UK Gatecrasher tour?

Since 96, I have really strong support for the UK clubbing scene, so therefore, I’m just generally looking forward to the tour, it’s going to be good.

Paul Van Dyk embarks on his UK Club tour later this month. Tour dates are as follows:

Friday 24th September London, Ewer Street Warehouse Buy tickets!

Saturday 25th September Leeds, Gatecrasher Seven Buy tickets!

Saturday 2nd October Birmingham, Gatecrasher Buy tickets!

Friday 8th October Manchester, Warehouse Project Buy tickets!

Saturday 9th October Liverpool, Cream Buy tickets!

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