6.7.10

PAUL VAN DYK





BY ALFONSO CORONA AND ISA TRAVERSO-BURGER

He began his journey in the field of music making in 1989. Surely you’ve heard his compositions and not necessarily in a Miami nightclub, -perhaps in a com- mercial, or a film soundtrack; that’s if you are over 45, all those below are familiar with Paul Van Dyk. This East Germany native who grew up in a communist country is now considered one of the best International DJs and producer. In 1997, his CD Seven Ways bares him the distinction of being the pioneer of the Trance genre, which begins in the British scene and didn’t easily welcome foreigners at the time; it be- came album of the year!



Van Dyk proved himself then, and now too, by supporting great causes, being blessed with great ener- gy and creating some of the most fascinating music in the electronica era.
Artists like Inspiral Carpets, Sven Väth, Curve and New Order are some of the protagonists of his fa- mous remix tracks. Between visits to cities like Lon- don, Tel Aviv, Mexico, New York and Singapore, this Berlin based performer stopped in Miami for the Ultra Festival at Bayfront Park and this is what he shared with Distrikt before earning 4 awards at the IDMA: Best Producer, Best Global DJ, Best CD Mix Com- pilation for Politics of Dancing 2 and Best HI NRG / Euro Track for The Other Side.



Explain what you do with music.
I write my own songs, I engineer and produce my own music and I’m also a DJ in live performances. Electronic music has always been about break- ing boundaries on creativity and tech- nology. I moved on from playing vinyl records; now I have 2 computers with me, with DJ software called Serato scratch and Ableton, so I can interface them and do the craziest things putting the right element with the right tracks together.




You’re doing this almost all the time.
It’s very alive what I do. Every time is different.
Do you play live instruments?
When I was a kid I learned how to play a little guitar. Since I grew up in East- ern Germany I learned all these Eastern folk songs. I’m not good at it, piano and keyboards a little.
How do you visualize a creative idea?
Everything I see is an inspiration; some- thing simple and beautiful like a sunset, an instrumental track, or the poverty in India become a pitch. What I want to do is bring it across. People always ask me, “how do you do all these sounds?” I just do it and it comes out that way. Not much thinking involved because I don’t think I have to do this or that.
How do you see music inside your brain?
I see something. I see a picture, a romantic dinner for example, or what a moment felt like and then try to recreate it.
If your music had a taste how would it taste like?
(Thinking) Probably sweet and sour. (Laughing). It has elements that are rough, dry, banging techno elements and atmospheric deep musical moments.
What is your biggest personal and professional achievement?
My marriage! The biggest on the professional side is being able to live out of what I do. I can live from it. It’s great.
Why do you think electronic music, specifically your music, has such a connection with people? I think it’s the general character of electronica. I don’t need to mention that there is crap music and there is quality music. When I talk about electronica, I focus on substance -what is real, what has roots, not cheesy pop music with danceable elements. I’m talking about the real thing. I am writing a song about the other side, dying, and death. The outline catches something in order to impact every person and everyone needs to fill the package with his or her own ideas and feelings because you fill it with your own. It’s passion.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Everything. I listen to all types of music. Right now my favorite is Placebo.
If you had to take only one CD to the moon which one would you take? (After given it a long thought) Probably...David Bowie. (Laughs).
How do you see your music growing in the next five years? I don’t think about it. I go inside a studio and do what I feel. There are so many things we do... (stops to acknowledge a bark) Sorry I’m a dog lover, if I hear barking I have to look. I have two Beagles in Berlin: Stanley and Audrey. But back to the question, in the next five years I would like to travel a little less. What I do now is I have an online radio, a music station called vonyc; it is a great thing downloading talented electronic music legally. There is really no other way for people, most music is coming out in vinyl, we changed it; radio 24 hours non-stop, no reruns, if you like something you click and it’s a legal download, you get to support your favorite artist, for $1.29.
Is ‘illegal downloading’ coming to an end, and does it really damage? There will always be criminals. You can only make it as safe as possible. Talk to your audience and make them understand that they kill their own music even while they don’t have money to buy keyboards, or to live decently, if they become something else, their music dies. We developed a watermark from one of the leading technologies in the world, so when one of our files shows up in the Internet we can track it down. I don’t like to do it, but it’s a way to scare off music predators. I totally believe in my soul that digital is the way to distrib- ute music. I see iTunes coming to an end because I have an iPod and bought the music I wanted to hear again; but for new music I go to specialized shops that we have in the electronic and hip-hop world, it may take 10 years to fully develop, but it can happen.