Paul van Dyk Biography - Stark Profiles PR

Evolution Biography
The nucleus. From the origin of a single remix, an extraordinary music career set in
motion… Throughout its course, it has given rise to terms including ‘genre creator’,
‘artisan DJ’ and ‘studio maven’, as well as others like ‘activist’, ‘pacifist’ and
‘world-citizen’. All designations regularly used to describe Grammy-nominated
DJ/producer and electronic dance music icon, Paul van Dyk.
Following the scene’s first gleaming 20 years ago, he became trance’s
internationally recognised torchbearer. From there - through his litany of singles,
remixes, albums and soundtracks - he’s gone from vanguard to its single most
enduring influence.
Along the way he has twice been crowned the world’s no.1 DJ, amassed
numerous awards (inc. 4 IDMA wins) and spins to over 3 million music lovers each
year. He’s played to most noted gigs. He wrote ‘For An Angel’
Two decades on from trance-catalysts like his ‘Love Stimulation’ remix, the early
MFS releases and his E-Werk sets, scene-originator Paul van Dyk now stands on
the brink of his sixth full-length album. The successor to ‘45 RPM’ (1994), ‘Seven
Ways’ (1996), ‘Out There And Back’ (2000), as well as the Grammy nominated
‘Reflections’ (2003) and ‘In Between’ (2007), it is, in ways small and big, an
evolutionary release.
Berlin, dateline: Feb 2012 - “when I settled on this album’s title, it naturally related
to the five EDM years which have past since ‘In Between’, says Paul. “As much
though ‘Evolution’ is a reflection on the longer journey my career has taken. One
that began growing up behind the Iron Curtain, through to where I find myself today.
I feel that anything I had to strive to achieve, throughout that early period, will
naturally be more valued. This was the case with my connection to music
throughout those formative years. Growing up, I listened to RIAS (Radio In The
American Sector), which transmitted from West Berlin. Tuning in was actively
discouraged”, He recalls, “but it became the only way to connect with a freer society
and the outside world. As such I felt that music had even greater resonance for me.
More than if there’d been all the media freedom of the west at any rate”.
After a brief spell residing in Hamburg, Paul returned to Berlin at the start of ‘91. He
made his first ever DJ appearance in March of that year, during the opening month
of the fast-to-become-legendary techno temple, Tresor. From there he began to
build a spinning career, which, by ‘97 had provided the gateway to its highest
echelons. As the twin phenomena of Superclubs and the DJ-as-a-rock-star landed,
he found himself not only as trance’s most synonymous producer, but also its
figurehead DJ. From that point on van Dyk has held sway over dance floors in every
EDM-speaking country in the world. He holds the record for the longest unbroken

un inside the ranks of the world’s Top 100, has twice reached the no.1 position and
spun under every major tent-pole on the planet.
Drawing on this wealth of DJ experience and ability in an entirely new fashion, Paul
put his deck time to unique effect for ‘Evolution’. Throughout the 10 months
leading up to its completion, he brought each track in turn to dancefloors in order to
test run them. Using a portable, customized, hybrid production/DJ set-up, he
introduced new harmonies, melodies, note arrangements, bass and FX on each.
Trialling them on the fly and literally evolving the tracks real-time, this method gave
him invaluable, first-hand floor-feedback. This inventive ‘club-becomes-a-studio’
technique has helped him craft what is without doubt the most dancefloor-orientated
album of his career.
The evolution will be realized. With a next-level album in motion, van Dyk pushed
its range further through an increasingly favoured studio method. Seeing the
collaboration as a natural bridge for a positive exchange of influences, his early
years gave rise to many landmarks. These included ‘Flaming June’ and ‘Namistai’
(with BT), the embryonic ‘Visions of Shiva’, as well as vocal collabs such as ‘Tell Me
Why’ with Saint Etienne and ‘Fall With Me’, with Talking Head, David Byrne. For
‘Evolution’ though he pushes this co-production dogma into supernova. On
‘Eternity’, with Owl City’s Adam Young and ‘If You Want My Love’ featuring Swedish
alternative-rockers Caligola (from Mando Diao), he blurs the boundaries of the
electronic and non-electronic music. Working together with Contemporary Christian
music doyen Plumb, they created the brooding, emotive sear of ‘If I Don’t Deserve
You’. It also sees Paul resume his already productive Berlin/Miami connection with
Austin Leeds and, likewise, create two tracks with Russian wunderkind Arty. He’s
also back working with regular kindred musical spirit, Giuseppe Ottaviani and coproducing
for the first time with techno/tech-trance don Ummet Ozcan.
In solo mode meanwhile, on ‘Rock This’, PvD pointedly (and thoroughly) subverts
the rules of the EDM sub-genre. A truly maverick track, it sees him experiment with
several electronic dance styles, all inside the confines of a single piece of music.
With this mass of new PvD music now in hand, the time has now finally come to
take the finished tracks to clubs, arenas and festivals around the world. There, Paul
will personally introduce them to fans old and new, as part of the mammoth 50 date
Evolution World Tour.
With production complete, additionally it allows Paul time to rededicate to his other
projects. Among them is his work towards social justice that includes his
Rückenwind (Tailwind) charity, which seeks to maintain a thirst for knowledge in
underprivileged children. It’ll also provide him with more time to engage in his
longstanding political involvements, specifically his work with anti-war movements
and organizations.
You can obtain more information on all of Paul van Dyk’s musical and non-musical
activities through the links below…
paulvandyk.com // facebook.com/paulvandyk // twitter.com/paulvandyk
Prepared By Stark Profiles PR