International DJ and producer Paul van Dyk was voted “America’s Favorite DJ” for 2004
by BPM Magazine and was the big winner at the 2004 Dancestar Awards, taking home
3 awards: Best International DJ, Best Event and Best Music in a Commercial (Motorola).
He also won the Mexican Oscar for his soundtrack in the film Zurdo in March 2004.
Paul partnered with the “Rock the Vote” campaign in order to encourage America’s youth to exercise their right to vote in the 2004 presidential election. Paul’s involvement marked the first time an electronic artist became involved in the campaign and he joined other artists such as Bono, Mary J. Blige, Lenny Kravitz and the Black Eyed Peas.
Previously, Paul was voted "Best Music Maker" by DJ magazine, ahead of DJ legends Fatboy Slim (2) and Paul Oakenfold (3).
He then went on to receive the “Best International DJ Award” at the 1999 Music Awards in London. Ministry of Sound Magazine named him the "Best international DJ", and his regular 6 hour set at “Gatecrasher” was voted as the "second best club night ever" by the readers of the English magazine Muzik.
In 1999, Mixmag elected him as “Man of the Year” and Muzik Magazine named him “Leader of the Trance Nation.”
Born in Eisenhuettenstadt, East Germany, Paul grew up in communist East Berlin. Prior to Germany’s reunification, he had an early window to the capitalist world via the cross-border airwaves. Because his community did not have a true club culture, Paul listened to the radio where he discovered the music of artists such as The Smiths and New Order.
Then in 1989, after the wall finally came down, a broad club culture sprung up throughout all of Berlin and although Techno music emerged, Paul was looking for a different, more unique sound.
That search would never leave him. Stemming from two crusty old turntables, the first remix tapes of his musical ideas were created. And in March 1991, his unique style of dance music was played for the very first time to the public at the embryonic Berlin club "Tresor".
Around this same period, Paul also started writing his own original compositions. His first production "Perfect Day", produced together with Cosmic Baby as "Visions of Shiva", was released in 1992.
In 1993, Paul created the club hit of the year with his remix of Humate’s "Love Stimulation". The following year, his first album 45 RPM was recorded, while he was also regularly spinning sets at the legendary Berlin club "E–Werk".
Over the next few years Paul garnered further respect by remixing tracks of many renowned artists such as Inspiral Carpets, Sven Väth, Curve and New Order. This was of course until the release of his second album, Seven Ways, which firmly established him as one of the world’s truly great electronic artists.
Seven Ways unleashed a frenzy of national and international interviews, and Paul was catapulted into the Top 100. Even the English music media, typically protective of their own homespun DJ artists, unanimously praised the record. Readers of DJ Magazine – voted Seven Ways as the Number 1 album of the year. Bellowing singles such as "Beautiful Place", "Forbidden Fruit" and "Words", featuring remixes of Salt Tank, Quattara and Curve, fully secured him a place as a major player in the British and European dancecharts.
Before the club closed, Paul became an institution at Berlin’s “E–Werk”, regularly spinning new musical magic, with guest appearances by fellow superstar DJs Nick Warren, BT, Dave Seaman and Sasha.
In 1998 his first album 45 RPM was released in the UK, and the new remix of the single "For an Angel" attacked dance floors worldwide. The album buzzed for two weeks at number 1 in England and four weeks at number 1 in the German dance charts, and also achieved high positions in the American, Australian, Dutch, Belgian and Scandinavian dance charts. Paul then became a resident DJ at New York’s legendary dance club “Twilo” and also at the acclaimed “Gatecrasher” in Sheffield.
In 1999 Paul, together with his team, created the new label Vandit Records. This label presents both Paul’s releases, as well as other new and innovative dance/DJ artists.
In England, Deviant Records took care of Paul’s creative output, whose brainstorm was the 1998 Triple CD "Vorsprung Dyk Technik". Combining 33 tracks, it is the most exhaustive collection of Paul’s remixes to date, containing classics like Humate’s "Love Stimulation" and Joe T. Vanelli ‘s "Playing with the Voice in Germany" as well as Binary Finary’s clubhit "1998" and Paul’s own chart single "For an Angel". A year after its release in Nov 1999, "Vorsprung Dyk Technik" was officially declared "Silver" with over 60,000 sales in the UK, a very rare feat indeed for a Triple CD.
By the time Paul released "Out There & Back" in 2000, it became clear that the Berlin-based musician had far more to offer than his signature club sets and remixes that had already defined him as one of the most influential German DJs and producers of all time. His first compilation mix CD Politics of Dancing was released in 2001, followed by Global in 2003 – an original CD/DVD which illustrates his own experiences traveling the world.
Paul’s last album Reflections illustrates little stories told by life and was released last year. The magic of the album’s thirteen tracks is based on each song’s potential to extravagate and blow away clichés – and still be unbelievably multi-faceted.
The first release from Reflections was the hit single “Nothing But You” with its yearning Norwegian vocals and the impassionate lyric line “I have nothing but I have got everything when I have got you” and quickly made its way onto mainstream radio stations worldwide.
The follow up single, “Time Of Our Lives”, is the result of Paul’s first collaboration with the rock band Vega 4 and was the first “live in concert” track Paul presented at his record release tour. “Time of Our Lives” reached the first position in German and English dance charts.
Shortly after the album’s third single “Crush” was released, Paul collaborated with Peter Heppner, singer of the band Wolfsheim, which resulted in the hit single “Wir sind Wir” (translation: This is Us). Both artists were inspired by the German TV documentary “Das Wunder von Bern”. The song illustrates the spirit and history of Germany and although lots of Germans in east and west lost their self-esteem, they are united and unafraid of what the future may bring.
Today, Paul’s touring diary is incredibly hectic with regular globetrotting stops at major venues in London, Tel Aviv, Mexico, New York and Singapore. Between all that, Berlin is always there and waiting -- if not for the interviews and local club dates, then for looking after his own label Vandit, recording studio and his radio show Soundgarden which airs every Wednesday 2pm – 4pm (EST) on Fritz radio and over the internet
www.fritz.de
