An Interview with Paul van Dyk

This Saturday, Montreal will welcome Grammy-award winning DJ and electronic music producer Paul van Dyk at New City Gas as part of his ongoing North American tour. CJLO has taken the time to speak to the man himself about his upcoming show, his passion for music, and his newest music and plans.

How does it feel to be back in Montreal? Are there any memories you have of the city?

I’m thrilled to be back in Montreal, it’s certainly one of my favorite places to visit in Canada. I always feel so much genuine love from the crowds here.

How do you feel about your upcoming show? Who's going to be there? Anything the crowd should be ready for?

Alex M.O.R.P.H. and the Heatbeat guys will be joining me for the Montreal leg of the tour. I’ll be playing a lot of the records that are out on my label, Vandit. There’s a lot of good music being made and I’m so happy to have gotten a chance to put it out. Jardin, Mohamed Bahi, Leroy Moreno, all fantastic producers right now. I try to make my shows as enjoyable as I can for both devout electronic music fans, and for people who have never heard this music before in their lives.

You’ve been doing music for over twenty years now. How would you say you’ve changed as an artist through that time (in terms of sound, but also as a person)?

Throughout my career, I have realized that it is always better to create music that personally resonates with me, instead of trying to make hit records. Similarly, it’s best to work with other like-minded musicians who share the same passion for the music, rather than simply collaborating with popular artists based off their reputation.

What keeps your passion going for so long?

This music is truly my greatest passion in life. It’s what drives me and I’ll always be making electronic music as long as I’m able, even when I’m an old man! Touring the world and meeting people from every country and culture imaginable is an incredible perk of being a musician.

Your career shows many different endeavours: albums, singles, but also film soundtracks, even videogames. What would you consider your most exciting project? Which one are you most proud of?

Well obviously I am very proud of the work I did on The Dark Knight soundtrack. My album Reflections is probably the project I am most proud of, and of course I am honored that "For An Angel" still finds its way into discussions, even today!

You've released a single, "Touched by Heaven," a little over a month ago. Can you tell us about it?

The track is a very personal one for me, as this was the first song I made after the accident [in February 2016, Paul van Dyk suffered a severe brain injury following an on-stage fall]. In fact, the name of the track is somewhat a reflection of how I felt after the accident. I was very close to actually dying, hence I got a little taste of heaven before returning to reality. This was actually one of the first songs I made after my accident last year so it is very personal song for me.

Are there any plans for another new release coming up?

Yes! I will have an album coming out later this year. I can’t tell you too much about the upcoming album, but it’s certainly one of the most meaningful projects I’ve created in my entire career. I’m so excited to share it with my fans.

Any last few words for your Montreal crowd?

Thank you for all of the support of the past years—I’m so excited to see you all again!

 

Main photo by Christoph Köstlin. Live photo by Rudger Geerling.