There’s no deying that Paul van Dyk (or affectionally known by fans as PvD) is one of the most talented trance music DJ/producers in the world.
He is, after all, commonly referred to as “The Godfather of Trance” by electronic music veterans.
Born in East Berlin, Paul van Dyk has been active in the electronic dance music scene since the early 90s. Though he first achieved popularity with trance music, he now prefers to describe his current music style as electronic music.
The German trance DJ/musician/record producer was the first artiste to earn a Grammy nomination in the newly-added category of “Best Dance/Electronic album” for his 2003 album “Reflections”. He was also named the the World’s #1 DJ in both 2005 and 2006, further proving that he is a true superstar in the music scene.
Having performed at numerous sold-out shows and huge music festivals all across the globe, it’s no surprise that his career has taken him all over the world for over a decade.
Exactly a week before this year’s Halloween, global nightlife brand Zouk Kuala Lumpur and lifestyle cruise Beatship marked the first of their regional strategic partnership with a collaborative gig. The event was held at indoor arena KL Live at Jalan Sultan Ismail, featuring headlining acts Paul van Dyk, Andrew Rayel, and Aly & Fila – all of whom are current top ranking DJs. The trio was supported by one of KL’s best musicians – BATE and Chukiess & Whackboi.
Before Paul van Dyk went on stage for his set, we caught up with him real quick for a chat.
Here’s what went down:
Welcome back to Malaysia! You were here last year for Future Music Festival Asia. How do you feel about coming back to Malaysia again?
Well, it’s always great. It’s a great place with a very exciting crowd. So it feels so good to be back.
The 2nd “Politics of Dancing” was released 10 years ago and you finally released “The Politics of Dancing 3” this year. Was the 3rd one a particularly difficult record to make as compared to your previous work?
No. It’s because “Politics of Dancing” was previously a brilliant mix compilation as well. Now, we’re coming out with another collaboration album and the creative process is almost similar, so it’s not a particularly difficult record to make.
So, what’s your daily working routine if you’re not touring? What do you to ensure that you don’t get bored?
Well, actually I like to read books. So, it’s something that I like to do to, you know, get my mind away from music if necessary (laughs).
You lent your talents to remixing Batman’s “Dark Knight Theme” written by Hanz Zimmer. Is the process of composing for a feature film different from composing for the music festivals?
Yeah, of course! Especially when you make stuff for films, pretty much what’s happening there is..getting inspired by what you see rather than everything else.
Speaking of movie soundtracks, are there any particular tracks in your albums that were inspired by movies? If so, what movie is that?
No, not that I can think of right now.
Okay, that’s cool. That’s all for our interview then! Thank you!
Thank you too 🙂
Thanks Paul van Dyk for taking time to do this quick interview and special thanks to our friends from Zouk Club KL for making it happen 😀
For more information about Paul van Dyk, visit his official website or follow him on Facebook, Twiter, and Instagram.
