P. van Dyk

It should come as no surprise that the number one DJ in the world is something of a Bono. Paul van Dyk worked with Rock the Vote in 2004 in the US, campaigned for the Social Democratic party in the 2005 German elections, and co-founded a Red Cross-affiliated charity to fight poverty in Germany. He's doing a hurricane benefit and playing the peace, love, and respect party known as the LoveParade in San Francisco in 2005. His new compilation album, Politics of Dancing 2 continues the dancing where the first of the series left off, albeit in a much different global context than four years ago. With all of his work for the good of the world, is Paul van Dyk is still all about the music. Absolutely!

Paul van Dyk is the avatar of European trance, the living embodiment of everything trance has done right and wrong in fifteen years. From vital ascent, through popular glory, down into shameful corruption, his name has tracked the history of the genre. Rising star, god, sell-out: one wonders whether Paul van Dyk shares the fortune of trance, or the other way around. I've seen the man, but part of me wonders whether he actually exists. Could it be instead that he is a sort of spectral representation of the herd, taking the stochastic flow of trance and feeding it back in human form?

If trance is a religion then Paul van Dyk is the god of trance.
Either if it´s his own productions or dj-Sets, you hear and feel that it comes from his heart and that he loves
what he is doing. In 2005 he was crowned as no.1 dj of the world and no one deserves it more than Paul.
Paul has created so many tunes and dj-sets that makes you both cry and smile of happiness.
No words can really describe this man, you have to experience him behind
the decks. Just close your eyes and fly away...
Besides the music Paul is also involved in 9 help-organisations.
Paul has a great concern for the world we live in. He cares alot for the poor, sick and the victims of injustice
and war. There are no limits for this man, PvD is the god of Electronic Music

What can you say about PvD? Pure class if you ask me. This guy really knows how to trash a dancefloor. Always playing the latest and the best mixed with some old time classics. Listening to this guy´s dj-sets is simply amazing. He always makes me happy when I listen to his sets. His own music is pretty okay, he has produced a few real classics during his years in the bussiness but personally I like him more behind the turntables.

I feel obliged to say something here since Paul has been one of my major influences and definitely my favorite producer/DJ for the last few years.

His sets are still great--they are now even better flowing, better beat, better timing... The music he puts out is though commercialized, is melodically very mature, in my opinion.

But as I listened to some of his latest life stuff, to his latest releases I felt like something was missing compared to the numerous live bootlegs I heard before -- and that was that amazing connection he used to establish with the listener/clubber/etc. It's not the same energy--it feels like the sets/songs are for the mass rather than on individual level. Nothing But You is a great track musically, but I just don't connect with it. To me, his 'last good release' was the Politics of Dancing mix album, that was quality.

I hope that Paul will slow down, look around, see where his true passion lies, and go back to the sound that made him big and made us like it. He said in an interview he wanted to inspire people and hopefully he will be back to it again. Once he takes a step back from the Motorolla commercials and other money making things I think PvD will be back as we know him because he is still great... maybe somewhat misguided.

As far as PvD's CD's, I haven't heard many of his releases. As far as his vinyls and productions go, the only one i own in is "Empire - Second Sun (PvD Remix)". I've got to say though, the man's live style is not congruous with what i'm seeing here as far as comments go. His mixing is stellar, and i've never really clocked a set that i've heard at under 145 bpm. His live stuff really takes off with you; i've been hard pressed to dance that hard at the parties i've seen him at.

Paul Van Dyk is not bad news to the trance scene. It is tracks like those released on the AATW label that give trance a bad name. Even though Van Dyk's music is similar to the early likes of Ferry Corsten and Paul Oakenfold, the element that sets the trance gods apart, is the purity of their productions. They made the music so it would make you feel the way they want you to. Unfortunately these days they have tracks and remixes they have to produce by a certain deadline, set by record companies, so the emotion is left out of the tracks. As for his sets, they speak for themselves.

Paul Van Dyk has and will continue to contribute to the dance scene as much as the other a-list DJs! He has an UNRIVALLED work pace! This is for all of the people out there saying he uses the same bass lines and the same blah blah blah. He may use similar sounds, but what you have to understand are a few things.

1.) He is playing LIVE music all the time and LOVES playing HIS OWN TRACKS. Because he is BOOKED EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, he has to whip up tracks like crazy. He doesn't have nor need the time to learn about a bunch of new synthysizers, etc. So he uses HIS synths? big deal? He also uses the same KICKS. Big deal? You have to listen to the melody that he pops out with in EVERY TRACK and realize how it makes you feel. For an Angel, Green Valley EP, Another Way, Crush, the list goes on forever.

2.) He's POPULAR! OH yes, he's POPULAR. Don't try and go against or with what's normal. Listen to this man's music and don't be thinking, "OMG what will my friends think when I tell them I like Dyk's music!" Just live your own life and enjoy! :)

He's a great DJ and a great influence to the scene, and please, please don't be afraid to tell your friends about him :)

Paul van Dyk's productions were amazingly good WHEN he had a talented co-producer like Cosmic Baby and then Johnny Klimek. Unfortunately when he stopped working with these two he was shown up as an a very average producer. Just compare his work before and after and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. This is how we got from 'How Much Can You Take?' and the 'L'esperanza' remix to............ 'Time Of Our lives. I rest my case.

A year and a half later I come back to listen again to some of his works. Clearly a lot has happened in that time, as I am now frankly embarrased by the previous comment. Technically proficient and jolly enough melodies, but ultimately I find it hard not to skip through the tracks as quickly as possible to reach the end. Mostly just like all your average "trance" - same blueprint, different melody. Just isn't enough to sustain my interest these days.