Slinky catch up whit Paul van Dyk ahead of his appearance on June 6th

Slinky catch up whit Paul van Dyk ahead of his appearance on June 6th

Paul Van Dyk truly is one of the biggest DJs on the planet. Oscar winner, Grammy winner, and has sold over 3 millionsrecords alone. Impressive stuff, but what really strikes you about him is his passion for what he does.

In his own words he doesn't give a shit about being famous. It's about the music. We spoke over the phone at length about his time growing up in East Berlin as well as his attitudes towards democracy. All in all he's got some interesting things to say.
I opened the interview by asking Paul what his memories and recollections were of playing past gigs at Slinky and he explained to me that despite the travelling, it was always worth the trip:

"Bournemouth is tricky to get to for me with the flight and drive down from London, but it's always something I look forward to. Slinky for me is always fantastically crazy and the crowd are so colourful and enthusiastic! I love the way the Opera House is this big theatre that goes all the way up."

So, Paul Van Dyk is definitely a fan of Slinky! This led onto us talking about his extensive globe-trotting as an international DJ and I wondered if he ever got a chance to see the places he was playing in as much as he liked:

"Sometimes due to time I don't really get a chance to see these places. If I'm lucky I'll be in the town and get some moments to see what's happening. For example, all I know about Bournemouth is there's this roundabout and a parking spot... and then I go down a little alley into the club!
A place that I always enjoy for many reasons is New York. Some of my best friends live there and on the creative side of things it is the most vibrant place in the whole World. It really is inspiring for me, although I don't know if I could live there constantly. I am a Berliner."

Bearing in mind Paul travels constantly all over the globe, I asked him if gigging in places different polar opposites like New York and Bournemouth actually inspired his work.

"Everywhere inspires me. I take as much back from Bournemouth as I do New York, Miami, or Sydney. The vibes, the energy, the people, the crowds - this is what I take back."

I was getting the impression that the music we hear from Paul Van Dyk has many varied influences and ideas behind it. Does that mean he has to tailor the way he structure his set for different crowds in different cultures?

"I have a very clear idea about the music I like to play and there are always tracks I will definitely plan to include. But the main thing is the interaction with the crowd. That ultimately dictates how the set will progress. Each set will be different from Bournemouth to Toyko to Berlin and that's completely inspired by the crowd in front of me."

I asked him if that meant we'd never know what to expect from a Paul Van Dyk set?
Paul was very keen to set me straight on that one:

"I wouldn't say that. There are some general attributes to it. It is very powerful, very energetic, and also some very intense deeper moments as well. What keeps it interesting is the tension between these moments.
I call it electronic music and I fuse all those elements together into something people call the PVD Sound. Just playing
one style would be really boring for me."

This led us onto a discussion about how he uses technology in his sets. Unlike a lot of DJs Paul Van Dyk doesn't simply use just vinyl and CD. I'll let him explain:

"I have two computers with me. One is a big library of audio material and runs Ableton Live.The other PC runs MainStage and includes 23 software synthesizers. I also have Midi keyboards with me so I can play a lot of things live. Then there are the sequencers which let me record something on the fly and then loop it back.
All this means I can create a track right in front of the people and remix the tracks whilst I'm playing them.I can play your favourite track but it will sound some what different to what you're used to, but fit perfectly into the set."

So, a Paul Van Dyk set will certainly be different to what most DJs would attempt, but what about his life outside DJ'ing?
I asked him about his background and also the various causes he has been involved with in the past. I then put it to him whether he felt it was his duty as a famous person globally and in Germany to help various causes where he could.
This is what he had to say about his approach to politics:

"We live in a democratic society and are very lucky. I grew up in East Germany and I know what it's like not to have that. A democratic society can only be as strong as the people getting involved. Everybody can do something, not just famous or rich people. It's not just my responsibility as someone who is deemed to be famous.
If you see something is wrong, no matter how small, and you are in a position to change it, then go ahead and do that."

Paul's got some positive views, which led me to ask him whether clubs and politics can truly exist together:

"Let's not mix clubs and politics. But what you can do by bringing all these different people together is give them an essential positive kick in the ass! Then hopefully they'll take that energy out of the club and do something good with it.
I got the impression that growing up in Communist East Germany had obviously played an essential part in building Paul's character. I wondered what life was like living behind the Berlin Wall for him?

"It was not a good situation. If I'd had the possibility of choosing to grow up elsewhere I would have. We didn't have any records there. There were no clubs I could visit, and there were no magazines for me. I was lucky though because being in East Berlin I could hear the radio stations from the West of the city. That's where my musical education came from.
I had no idea what the stars that I listened to looked like, or how they spoke... only the tunes... this meant I had a very pure relationship with the music. I keep this ethos to this day.
But do you know what that means? It means I don't give a shit about pop stardom, being famous. I don't really care about all that. The main thing is the music, that's the communication tool between me and the people that like what I do."

Speaking of radio stations, Paul actually runs his own one now online along with his own download website called VONYC music.

"We have shows with DJs such as Carl Cox and myself giving a vast roster of what electronic music has to offer.
There's also my label Vandit. I don't treat it as a B outlet for music.
It has the same quality as a vinyl release you would hear, but you don't have the financial pressure due to it being digital. I can release fantastic music that otherwise would not be given an avenue to be heard."

We finished up by talking about his time over in the US where he produced and recorded a track with the Pussy Cat Dolls. He also told me about his other music tastes outside of the club scene, and his current iPod tracklisting includes the band British Sea Power. Needless to say this was a great way to end our conversation and left me thinking that Paul Van Dyk leads quite a good life, but he certainly appreciates what he's got and is giving it back... and we can all appreciate that.

You can catch Paul playing a three hour set for Slinky on the 6th June at Bournemouth's Opera House with support from Michael Dow and Dav Gomrass.