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Paul Van Dyk
The globetrotting mega
DJ returns to minister to
the faithful
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| Courtesy of Ageha |
The days when superstar DJs could command paychecks that gave the Rolling Stones a run for their money are long gone. In an ever more competitive clubland, it takes someone with certified celebrity status to bring out the punters. German trance artist Paul van Dyk is one of a dozen or so who can be counted on to draw crowds in the thousands.
Rated the number one DJ by DJ Mag for two years running, the suave Berliner is particularly popular in the difficult-to-crack American market, where he is due to again host two nights of revelry in Central Park in August. In Japan, where trance never died, he’s guaranteed to bring out the masses in tomorrow’s “Magnificent” gig at bayside superclub Ageha, where he’ll be prepping the faithful for the release later this year of his new album In Between.
Raised in East Berlin, van Dyk listened secretly to West German radio, and when the wall fell in 1989, wasted no time in getting behind the decks at renowned Berlin club Tresor. The die was cast with van Dyk’s 1993 club hit, a remix of Humate’s “Love Stimulation,” but it was his second album Seven Ways that thrust him to the top ranks of the world’s electronic artists.
What’s perhaps most impressive is van Dyk’s staying power at a time when trance is basically a spent force.
One reason may be that he refuses to categorize himself
as a “trance DJ,” lacing his sets with techno, breakbeats and whatever else suits his fancy. In addition to his residency
at famed NYC nightclub Twilo, van Dyk is also known in America for taking part in the “Rock the Vote” campaign
of 2004...
There’s more than one way to create electronic music.
You can use keyboards, synthesizers, effects units and, as
most do today, computers. Or, then again, you can use acoustic instruments like violins and cellos. That’s the wonderful paradox behind the group known as A Hundred Birds.
A 15-member ensemble that sometimes expands to a
40-piece orchestra, A Hundred Birds was formed by leader DJ Yoku with the mission of playing original dance music as well as interpreting electronica classics in an orchestral setting. Debuting with one of the biggest selling singles in Japan in 2001, the group has just released its second album, To The Eden, and will be presenting one of its unusual performances as part of the next installment of DJ Kaoru Inoue’s “Groundrhythm” parties at Air.
Magnificent@Ageha,
June 2. Groundrhythm@Air, June 2. See club listings
for details.
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