|
PVD Article from djmixed.com
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Guinness Joe |
Nice name for his dog :D
America’s Favorite DJ: Innumerable Votes Have Been Tallied And The Results Are In. Who, You Ask, Is America’s Favorite DJ? Start clicking And Find Out. Some DJs Have Moved Up, Others Have Fallen Off And A Few Have Held Their Position. We’d Like To Extend A Big 'Thanks!' To All Of Our Readers And Web Surfers Who Took The Time To Vote. And Last But Not Least, BPM Bids A Fond Farewell To Bad Boy Bill, Last Year's Favorite DJ, And A Hearty Congratulation To This Year's Winner...
01 Paul Van Dyk
By Simon Rust Lamb
“Absolutely special,” “Really really cool,” and “Very very exciting,” are phrases that Germany’s Paul van Dyk utters with the frequency of someone who is aware that he enjoys a charmed life. Paul relishes each gig, every song and remix, and the adoration of all of his loving fans. His years of unrelenting international touring, his outgoing approach with the press and his absolute commitment to electronic music have earned him a life that is the envy of every single reader of this magazine. There are so many different ways that Paul van Dyk has touched people around the world that it is no wonder why he has been elected America’s Favorite DJ.
While many of his contemporaries have struggled to release a single, not to mention an entire album, Paul has been both a prolific producer and a dedicated traveling DJ. In ten years, this melody-loving German has dropped four full-length albums (45 RPM, Seven Ways, Out There and Back and Reflections), plus remixes for Faithless, New Order, Curve, BT, Age of Love, U2 and way too many others to name here.
“I would never really complain because what more can you ask for as an artist? Everywhere I go there are at least a few people interested in what I am doing,” says Paul in an early frontrunner for understatement of the year. Those “few” people number in the thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands in countries all around the world; the ‘few’ people who love Paul and his music have unified into immense dancing mobs at events like the Love Parade in Berlin, NYC’s Central Park Summer Stage and the beach in Porto Vallarta.
While Love Parade is a German institution and the biggest international electronic music event, economic problems dogged last year’s event. The organizers struggled with financing the cost of producing such an immense party amidst a recession and it was almost cancelled. But in a fairy tale ending, everything magically (lots of blood, sweat and tears) came into place, just in time, and for Paul and those in attendance, it evolved into just the type of special, unforgettable moments that has made the event famous. To top it all off, Paul and his Vandit Records crew hosted their own Love from Above party which Tiesto co-headlined. The reason for the joint billing? Paul wanted to lay the rumors to rest about, “this weird bullty compeition” between the two DJs. “He respects my style and I respect his. We played together and showed that big time.” says Paul. “The crowd was absolutely appreciative.”
In 2003, Paul released his fourth artist album, Reflections, as well as Global, a DVD travelogue and veritable greatest hits collection. To promote those two projects, Paul accumulated more flight-time than most commercial pilots—all the while returning each week to Berlin to DJ his Wednesday radio show Soundgarden. “The last year, even for my normal hectic schedule, was pretty hectic. This year is going to be just as hectic as last year because of Rock the Vote and all that. It’s going to be stressful but I really, really enjoy what I am doing,” says Paul.
Politics is an arena where few electronic artists have dared to make a stand but it is a place where Paul has become an outspoken advocate. Beyond the simple gesture of naming his last mixed CD The Politics of Dancing, Paul has worked diligently to change the authorities’ perspective that electronic music is inseparable from illegal drugs. In the past, Paul has suggested that electronic music is today’s version of classical music and he continues to press for its recognition as such. Central Park’s Summer Stage concert series traditionally features mainstream artists like Elvis Costello, Indigo Girls, N.E.R.D. and Sonic Youth. Through the work of Mike Bindra, whose work brought Twilo to the world’s attention, Paul became the first purely electronic music DJ to grace the stage. Paul’s performance at the fund-raiser for the Summer Stage events series was a way to contribute back to the city whose citizens had been so supportive of his Twilo gigs.
In another goodwill gesture, Paul eagerly agreed to play a fund-raiser for Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging American music fans to register and vote in elections. Paul donated a performance on February 5th at Avalon in Los Angeles and has tied the non-profit into his entire 2004 US summer tour. While it may seem strange that a German artist would take such an interest in US politics, Paul couldn’t be more positive about his participation.
“As a foreigner to your country, the thing is that the US has been putting themselves into being the world’s police. In a way, it’s right of people outside of the US to demand that everyone should be involved in choosing the boss of the police of the world. The main thing is really to actually vote, that’s the main thing of a democratic country—to encourage people to actually do so is great. I feel honored to be a foreigner and to be asked to encourage people from the electronic world to vote for the next presidential candidate.”
“I was contacted by Rock the Vote about what they are doing and if I’d be interested in participating. For me it was very clear, this is huge, this is absolutely amazing, I’ve never been quiet on my political opinions, on the war with Iraq I made my stand clear. That was one of the reasons they came to me, I’m aware of what’s going on and I’m politically interested. For me, coming from the East and not being able to live in a democratic society for the first 17 years of my life, I think it’s important to give your vote and be a part of what’s going on.”
“The registration starts the month before the elections so until October we need to encourage as many people to vote as we can. In the last election 551 votes made a difference, maybe this year we get those votes and it could be different. Even if not, I wish we would have something like this in Germany because it’s important to explain to people why it’s important to vote. There’s going to be registration booths at all of the gigs. I’m not a US citizen, so I’m not telling anyone what to vote, I’m just telling them to vote.”
Now, while Paul does take his work seriously, he does make sure to keep his life balanced. And the latest addition to the van Dyk family is a beagle puppy named Stanley.
“It’s an English dog so it needed an English name. As a kid, I grew up with dogs all the time and my wife did too. I always wanted a dog and now it has finally happened. I’m very excited and happy about it,” Paul says. “He’s so cute that when we take him out on the street, we can barely walk because people always stop us!” |
|
|
| Tranc3 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Guinness Joe
“It’s an English dog so it needed an English name. As a kid, I grew up with dogs all the time and my wife did too. I always wanted a dog and now it has finally happened. I’m very excited and happy about it,” Paul says. “He’s so cute that when we take him out on the street, we can barely walk because people always stop us!” |
Haha yeah they can barely walk because people see it's PvD and think "Maybe I can start a conversation with him about his dog!" |
|
|
|
|
