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Aug 31, 1:17 PM EDT
Q&A With Techno Artist Paul Van Dyk
By TANIA FUENTEZ
Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/Jim Cooper
Latest Music New
Q&A With Techno Artist Paul Van Dyk
NEW YORK (AP) -- Paul van Dyk seems to have struck the right balance between commercial success and underground appeal.
The prolific electronic dance music producer has topped international DJ lists, earned a Grammy nomination for the 2003 album "Reflections" and gotten the masses to embrace his techno and trance-tinged influences on film, TV, even Jeep and Motorola ads.
Recently, he was awarded Berlin's medal of honor for his children's charities in Mumbai and Germany.
Yet, performing at a concert at New York City's Central Park humbles the 35-year-old, who began DJing as a teen in Germany before the Berlin Wall came down.
"I remember the first time I played here, I believe I still played with vinyl," van Dyk said during a soundcheck break. "It's always very special to be in the middle of this vibrant, creative, buzzing city - in the park - and to have a fantastic audience in front of you."
Hours before showtime, the Berlin-based artist spoke with The Associated Press about his new CD, "In Between," politics and why the "whole pop star concept" is lost on him.
AP: You have this really eclectic range of artists on the new album like David Byrne and one of the Pussycat Dolls. What was that like in the studio?
van Dyk: Every collaboration had a different kind of structure to it. With Jessica (Sutta of the Pussycat Dolls), the track was ready, we had the lyrics written and everything, and I was like looking for someone who actually can bring the whole track across vocally as much as with the whole package. We contacted Jessica and she really loved the track. With David Byrne ... management said 'Let's get the guys together, they should talk.' We had a few phone calls, talking about everything, even weather, and what we like musically, where we want to go with it, what we want to do with it. I did a layout of some music and he really liked it. He came back with some other melodies on top and I incorporated it, and then back and forth until the point that we both loved it.
AP: Growing up in East Berlin, what kind of influence did that have on you artistically?
van Dyk: Obviously, if I look back now, we were missing out on so much in East Germany. It was a communistic dictatorship and food supply was limited and all that kind of stuff. My mom really tried to prepare a childhood for me that was happy and this is sort of what my general memory is ... I could never buy a record, I could never actually buy a magazine and read anything about my favorite artists, so for me, it was purely the music, purely what I heard on the radio, and I still have that. I don't really sort of get this whole pop star concept stuff 'cause it's not part of what music is to me ... it's not how I sort of see music, not how I hear music.
AP: Do you think techno is one of those misunderstood genres?
van Dyk: The thing is ... it's the biggest youth culture all over the world, then obviously it's not misunderstood. What still is kinda like strange is a (lack) of respect toward electronic music within a majority of music journalists and even parts of the industry that say it's not real music - which is obviously complete nonsense because the computer is only doing what I'm telling it to do. So, I have to be musically trained, I have to be talented. That's the thing, a computer is nothing more than a modern 8-track recorder in a way.
AP: Besides keyboards, do you play other instruments?
van Dyk: I learned playing the guitar a little when I was 12. I always wanted to play like Johnny Marr from The Smiths and they made me play East German folk songs, so I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome. I would never go on stage with my talent (laughter).
AP: You were part of the 2004 "Rock the Vote" campaign. Any plans to be involved in 2008?
van Dyk: Well, there's different contacts already, different organizations ... I think it's necessary, to be honest, because democracy is on the edge more than ever, especially in the (United) States. I really believe this country was hijacked. It just comes down to basic democracy, you should really shut up and complaining about George W. Bush if you don't go out and vote.
AP: Explain why you decided to launch VONYC, the Internet radio station and music store.
van Dyk: The majority of the music industry, especially like the big major companies, slept through the development of what happened with MP3s and all that. When they realized that they started to actually blame the audience. In order to change that you need to put some decent content into the Net, so I thought, "OK, what would I like to have?" First of all, a radio station that plays my favorite music 24 hours a day, so we created that with VONYC ... and the next thing whatever I hear, I want to know what it is and I want to buy it, so we created that.
AP: What's on your iPod these days?
van Dyk: Placebo did an album with a lot of cover versions. That was the last thing (downloaded). The last Linkin Park album is fantastic. And, of course, a lot of electronic music.
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On the Net
Paul van Dyk:
http://www.paulvandyk.com
VONYC:
http://www.vonyc.com
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