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The world's number one DJ and Grammy award nominee Paul van Dyk (PvD to his fans) is to hit the shores of Bahrain for the second time tomorrow at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir.
Taking time out of his busy schedule, Paul van Dyk spoke to Gulfweekly's Marie-Claire, about his music.
Born and raised in the then communist Eisenhuettenstadt in East Germany, PvD grew up only able to listen to music on the radio. It wasn't until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 that he was able to follow his passion for music and forge a career for himself as the world's top DJ and producer.
With over 18 albums under his belt, numerous singles and EPs and more than 36 awards, PvD still finds time to devote to charity.
He works with poor children in Mumbai, India as well as 'Ruckenwind', an organisation he founded in Germany that enables
underprivileged children to do things they would otherwise never get the chance to experience.
When did you discover your love for music?
When I was a kid I always used to listen to the radio when I did my homework.
I had this incredible moment at the age of 10, when I heard the first single of the Smiths in 1981. It was a fantastic moment!
How did you get started as a DJ?
I grew up in Easy Germany so the only thing I could do was listen to the radio, but I always heard about the whole club scene in West Berlin.
When the wall came down I went to all the clubs but I was very disappointed because it was really boring... so I went to record stores and found a lot of the records that I really enjoyed and started making tapes for myself and some friends.
One of my friends passed a tape on to a promoter and that's how I got my first gig.
Where and when did you perform your first set as a professional DJ?
I wouldn't say I was a professional DJ at that point... but my first performance in front of people was in March of 1991 at Tresor, Berlin.
Tell me about the Dubmission parties in Berlin
That was my next step. My second or third gig was at the Dubmission parties. I managed to convince the promoter because he hired me to be one of the resident DJs straight away.
For about two or three years I played at all the Dubmission parties until they stopped doing them.
How did you feel when you finally released your first LP 45 RPM?
That was crazy. I was jumping up and down in the tube station. I was like a little kid (well, I was a little kid then) holding on to a vinyl of my own album. It was ... it was really crazy. It was great!
You are widely regarded as a pioneer of trance music. How did that particular genre come about for you?
I don't know. I don't even call myself a trance DJ so it's funny really that I pioneered it.
I play electronic music and when you hear my production you find trance elements as much as you find techno elements or break beat elements as well as house or progressive house.
This is what I love doing. I love electronic music and I use the elements of all these genres that I enjoy and create something that people call 'Paul Van Dyk' style. This is what I do, from very punchy electro baselines all the way to beautiful trancy strings ... You can have it all.
Where do you see the future of electronic music heading?
Because of the open characteristics of electronic music, you can incorporate so many different influences and this is what always inspires new people to do something in a different way and therefore it's always going to be evolving.
You composed the soundtrack for the Mexican film Zurdo. Is working on a movie soundtrack very different than producing an album?
It's totally different. When I go into the studio to work on a track of my own I have this atmosphere in my head - something I like to recreate.
But when you make music for a movie, you see the scene and get a feeling on what you see and then you create music to fit the scene, that particular feeling for that particular atmosphere. It's a completely different approach.
Which do you prefer? Working in a studio or doing live sets?
I love both. It is the way I play these days - I have two computers on stage, a custom made mixer, keyboard, software synthesiser and lots of different stuff. So in a way I'm combining my studio work and my production skills with my DJ-ing skills when I'm on stage.
For the last 15 years, I've developed the same package for making music as for DJ-ing.
You've won more awards than you can count. Which one means the most to you?
Last year I got the medal of honour in my country and that was obviously something very special. It wasn't connected to music or whatever, it was connected to the charity work that I'm doing.
It's honouring all the people that volunteer in our project and so that was a very special thing.
How does the music scene in Bahrain differ to Europe?
Well, the last time I was in Bahrain I was only there for about 12 hours so I can't really say much. I'm very well aware of the different cultural backgrounds but what I experienced in Bahrain was very open and cosmopolitan.
It had a fantastic, energetic and open minded crowd... and it was great.
What have you not yet done in life that you still dream of doing?
Right now, to be honest, it's so hectic I'm not even dreaming of ... you know what? ... a very very long sleep. I'm dreaming about dreaming.
If you could play a set for anyone in history, alive or dead, who would it be for?
I play my sets for every single person that comes to see me.
To be honest I don't really care if they're famous or not. I don't care if it's one person or five thousand or one million. I'm very enthusiastic about what I do and give the same 100 per cent in my music to whoever is in front of me and listening to my music.
