Forbidden Fruit, Served Seven Ways

In the clubbing world, trends fade quickly, and lasting ten years in the techno business is a milestone that always deserves to be celebrated. Paul van Dyk, the German DJ revered as a trance pioneer, is marking the first ten years of his music career with the release of Global (Mute), a double CD/DVD package complete with an audio anthology and hours of live footage. Through the wonders of electronic mail, van Dyk chatted with Spectator about his lengthy career and personal preferences.

Spectator: How do you feel about a retrospective being released at this point in your career? Did you originally plan, in the beginning of your career, to mark some kind of milestone after ten years in the business? Has your career taken shape the way you expected it to when you first began as an artist?

PVD:

When I started to DJ and to produce and make music I never thought about something like this. I enjoy and love music--that's why I am doing it. There was no plan behind it. But just to release a CD with old tracks was not something I was looking for. So we developed the idea of a package including a DVD.

What are some of your favorite cities to play in?

I have a lot of cities where I like to be, but New York City and my hometown, Berlin, are very special to me.

Some critics have described your music as mainstream, and your career seems to show a trend of walking the fine line between the unknown and the mainstream. Do you aim to walk that fine line, or do you let your popularity and reputation move on its own? Would you prefer to be heard by a wide audience, or by a smaller group of more "educated" dance music listeners (those who are more familiar with your styles)?

I never thought in these categories. I make the music I like and I don't care if it is very successful because of this or that. I don't mind how many people listen to my music. I just hope they enjoy it as much as I do.

Are you planning for your next set of original music? How do you feel about the music you created for [the upcoming Mexican film] Zudro?

I am working on my new album that will be released in September this year. Zudro was very special as I had pictures in front of me, this creative output from someone else I had to work with. It was different compared to the work on an own album where you had only your own mind to create ideas and music.

What are your opinions of the label "trance"? Do you try to avoid that label? What are your feelings about labels in general?

I don't like to be labeled--I try to avoid it. I make electronic dance music. Those are the best words to describe my music.

Do you consider yourself a DJ or a musician?

Both.

Who are your favorite artists? Are you yourself a composer, or simply a programmer?

I know a lot of artists I really enjoy. I like a lot of different kinds of music, but I don't have "the" favorite artist. I do everything in the studio by my own, so I am a programmer and a composer and a musician.

Paul van Dyk will be appearing at the Roxy on Friday, Feb. 21 at 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $40.