A superstar DJ in every sense of the word, Paul van Dyk has just finished another season in Ibiza and contributed new remixes to The Dark Knight soundtrack and new action game Mirror’s Edge. He’s currently working on new (secret!) projects for next year, a new album for 2010, runs his own label and is about to rock up in London for a show at matter in his ever-busy DJ calendar. In between all of that though, he managed to find time for a chat with RealMusic Blog to discuss why dance music is the great unifier, why Ibiza still rules, who you should look out for in 2009 and why Christmas day is his favourite 24 hours of the year…
Hi Paul - how are you?
“OK - it’s fairly grey and rainy here, and since Germany lost against England yesterday we’re a bit sad today…” (Laughs)
Sorry about that. Let’s talk about matter which you’re playing tomorrow night. Have you played there before?
“No, it’s my first time, but I’m told it’s already one of the best clubs in the UK so I’m really looking forward to it.”
matter has 75 1,000 Watt speakers pumping the sound through the floor - what’s the best club you’ve played at in terms of sound quality?
“You can put a lot of speakers in a club, but if the system isn’t properly tuned it’s no good - so we’ll see. The best club sound-wise I ever played in was Twilo in New York. They had a sound system by Steve Dash and because he lives in New York, he was there every week adjusting the sound for different styles of electronic music. When I played there I had my own Paul van Dyk set-up at the club and it was a phenomenal sound - it meant you were right in the music, not just in front of a speaker. It was definitely special.”
Sounds amazing. Lots of people have been talking about the decline of Ibiza - how did you find it this season at Cream?
“It was absolutely great. Amnesia is the best club - it’s all about the music there - and along with myself at Cream, we attract an international crowd. That’s what electronic music is - a uniting tool where people from all different religious and cultural backgrounds come together and have a good time in a really peaceful manner. We didn’t have any downers - all the nights were sold out and it was a great atmosphere.”
Trance has been in the limelight for a number of years now with Armin van Buuren, Tiesto and yourself dominating DJ Mag’s Top 10 poll - but where can it go next?
“I don’t feel that close to the label ‘trance’ - I never produced any of those stereotype trance records or played them. For me, it’s all electronic music and I combine many different elements that I enjoy listening to in order to create something that people call the Paul van Dyk style. Electronic music is the biggest youth culture in the world and more and more people come to it every day and get excited about it.”
Deadmau5 recently said that he “doesn’t see the technical merit in mixing two songs together at the same speed”. It seems that you always have a lot of equipment on stage with you - what is it all and why did you choose to stop using vinyl?
“Guys like Sasha, Carl Cox and myself have been mixing for years and we’ve done all the crazy things you could possibly do with two vinyl records. We moved on because we saw the creative potential in using new technology. I use different things in my music because I’ve developed the same passion for being a musician as I have for being a DJ - so having keyboards on stage, special mixes and controllers enables me to combine both. It’s the ultimate and it’s a far more intense experience than just playing a track that’s already finished. Doing it my way, I can adjust elements to suit the moment.”
It’s been 15 months since the release of In Between - is there another album in the pipeline?
“I’ve done a few remixes since then and I’m working on a really interesting project for next year which I can’t tell you much about. I’m also working on material for my new album which will be out in spring 2010.”
You’ve collaborated with a number of people in the past - anybody else coming up?
“Yes - that’s my next exciting project which I can’t tell you anything about! That’s one thing I’ve learnt - to talk about things when they’re done rather than when they’re in the planning phase.”
Not even one tiny detail?
“No!”
OK! You own Vandit records - so who should we be looking out for in 2009?
“We’re releasing an album by Alex M.O.R.P.H. which is on the trance side of things - but on the new side of trance, rather than the stereotypical ‘diggly diggly diggly’ thing - there’s something more to it. Also, Kuffdam is releasing an album which will be out in February next year and much more…”
You’re a DJ who’s very involved with charity work, working with the Red Cross in Berlin to help disadvantaged youngsters. Does it take up a lot of time?
“I spend a lot of time talking to politicians, making things happen and of course the whole thing is financed by me. But there are also a lot of volunteers who we couldn’t function without. The whole administration and functioning is done by the Berlin Red Cross who are professionals in that field - aside from telling the kids some jokes I couldn’t really help them much with that side of things!”
You’re travelling to Australia, America and then onto Rio for New Year’s Eve. Are you free over Christmas and where will you be spending it?
“Yes! I’ll be home with family for Christmas. I always say that December 25th is my favourite day of the year because nobody expects you to answer the phone so you don’t feel guilty for putting it aside - that’s phenomenal! I’ll be having a walk in the morning with the dogs or the horses and then I’ll be chilling out.”
And what would be the perfect gift you could receive this Christmas?
“The most valuable thing I could receive would be more spare time and nobody can give me that! But leaving me alone on the 25th is present enough.”
Not even some socks?
“No, I’m pretty set up with that kind of thing!” (Laughs)
Finally, what’s the most-played song on your MP3 player right now?
“British Sea Power’s Waving Flags - I played it for an hour non-stop the other day.”
Listen to Paul van Dyk Radio on RealMusic
Paul van Dyk plays matter, London, this Friday November 21st.
(Clare Lydon)
