Paul van Dyk Biography - Stark Profiles PR

Evolution <strong>Biography</strong><br />

The nucleus. From the origin of a single remix, an extraordinary music career set in<br />

motion… Throughout its course, it has given rise to terms including ‘genre creator’,<br />

‘artisan DJ’ and ‘studio maven’, as well as others like ‘activist’, ‘pacifist’ and<br />

‘world-citizen’. All designations regularly used to describe Grammy-nominated<br />

DJ/producer and electronic dance music icon, <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>Dyk</strong>.<br />

Following the scene’s first gleaming 20 years ago, he became trance’s<br />

internationally recognised torchbearer. From there - through his litany of singles,<br />

remixes, albums and soundtracks - he’s gone from <strong>van</strong>guard to its single most<br />

enduring influence.<br />

Along the way he has twice been crowned the world’s no.1 DJ, amassed<br />

numerous awards (inc. 4 IDMA wins) and spins to over 3 million music lovers each<br />

year. He’s played to most noted gigs. He wrote ‘For An Angel’<br />

Two decades on from trance-catalysts like his ‘Love Stimulation’ remix, the early<br />

MFS releases and his E-Werk sets, scene-originator <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>Dyk</strong> now stands on<br />

the brink of his sixth full-length album. The successor to ‘45 RPM’ (1994), ‘Seven<br />

Ways’ (1996), ‘Out There And Back’ (2000), as well as the Grammy nominated<br />

‘Reflections’ (2003) and ‘In Between’ (2007), it is, in ways small and big, an<br />

evolutionary release.<br />

Berlin, dateline: Feb 2012 - “when I settled on this album’s title, it naturally related<br />

to the five EDM years which have past since ‘In Between’, says <strong>Paul</strong>. “As much<br />

though ‘Evolution’ is a reflection on the longer journey my career has taken. One<br />

that began growing up behind the Iron Curtain, through to where I find myself today.<br />

I feel that anything I had to strive to achieve, throughout that early period, will<br />

naturally be more valued. This was the case with my connection to music<br />

throughout those formative years. Growing up, I listened to RIAS (Radio In The<br />

American Sector), which transmitted from West Berlin. Tuning in was actively<br />

discouraged”, He recalls, “but it became the only way to connect with a freer society<br />

and the outside world. As such I felt that music had even greater resonance for me.<br />

More than if there’d been all the media freedom of the west at any rate”.<br />

After a brief spell residing in Hamburg, <strong>Paul</strong> returned to Berlin at the start of ‘91. He<br />

made his first ever DJ appearance in March of that year, during the opening month<br />

of the fast-to-become-legendary techno temple, Tresor. From there he began to<br />

build a spinning career, which, by ‘97 had provided the gateway to its highest<br />

echelons. As the twin phenomena of Superclubs and the DJ-as-a-rock-star landed,<br />

he found himself not only as trance’s most synonymous producer, but also its<br />

figurehead DJ. From that point on <strong>van</strong> <strong>Dyk</strong> has held sway over dance floors in every<br />

EDM-speaking country in the world. He holds the record for the longest unbroken

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un inside the ranks of the world’s Top 100, has twice reached the no.1 position and<br />

spun under every major tent-pole on the planet.<br />

Drawing on this wealth of DJ experience and ability in an entirely new fashion, <strong>Paul</strong><br />

put his deck time to unique effect for ‘Evolution’. Throughout the 10 months<br />

leading up to its completion, he brought each track in turn to dancefloors in order to<br />

test run them. Using a portable, customized, hybrid production/DJ set-up, he<br />

introduced new harmonies, melodies, note arrangements, bass and FX on each.<br />

Trialling them on the fly and literally evolving the tracks real-time, this method gave<br />

him invaluable, first-hand floor-feedback. This inventive ‘club-becomes-a-studio’<br />

technique has helped him craft what is without doubt the most dancefloor-orientated<br />

album of his career.<br />

The evolution will be realized. With a next-level album in motion, <strong>van</strong> <strong>Dyk</strong> pushed<br />

its range further through an increasingly favoured studio method. Seeing the<br />

collaboration as a natural bridge for a positive exchange of influences, his early<br />

years gave rise to many landmarks. These included ‘Flaming June’ and ‘Namistai’<br />

(with BT), the embryonic ‘Visions of Shiva’, as well as vocal collabs such as ‘Tell Me<br />

Why’ with Saint Etienne and ‘Fall With Me’, with Talking Head, David Byrne. For<br />

‘Evolution’ though he pushes this co-production dogma into supernova. On<br />

‘Eternity’, with Owl City’s Adam Young and ‘If You Want My Love’ featuring Swedish<br />

alternative-rockers Caligola (from Mando Diao), he blurs the boundaries of the<br />

electronic and non-electronic music. Working together with Contemporary Christian<br />

music doyen Plumb, they created the brooding, emotive sear of ‘If I Don’t Deserve<br />

You’. It also sees <strong>Paul</strong> resume his already productive Berlin/Miami connection with<br />

Austin Leeds and, likewise, create two tracks with Russian wunderkind Arty. He’s<br />

also back working with regular kindred musical spirit, Giuseppe Ottaviani and coproducing<br />

for the first time with techno/tech-trance don Ummet Ozcan.<br />

In solo mode meanwhile, on ‘Rock This’, PvD pointedly (and thoroughly) subverts<br />

the rules of the EDM sub-genre. A truly maverick track, it sees him experiment with<br />

several electronic dance styles, all inside the confines of a single piece of music.<br />

With this mass of new PvD music now in hand, the time has now finally come to<br />

take the finished tracks to clubs, arenas and festivals around the world. There, <strong>Paul</strong><br />

will personally introduce them to fans old and new, as part of the mammoth 50 date<br />

Evolution World Tour.<br />

With production complete, additionally it allows <strong>Paul</strong> time to rededicate to his other<br />

projects. Among them is his work towards social justice that includes his<br />

Rückenwind (Tailwind) charity, which seeks to maintain a thirst for knowledge in<br />

underprivileged children. It’ll also provide him with more time to engage in his<br />

longstanding political involvements, specifically his work with anti-war movements<br />

and organizations.<br />

You can obtain more information on all of <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>van</strong> <strong>Dyk</strong>’s musical and non-musical<br />

activities through the links below…<br />

paul<strong>van</strong>dyk.com // facebook.com/paul<strong>van</strong>dyk // twitter.com/paul<strong>van</strong>dyk<br />

Prepared By <strong>Stark</strong> <strong>Profiles</strong> <strong>PR</strong>