It was one of those mornings. You know the ones. You wake up and it’s like you’ve shat in your own mouth. The night’s online poker had gone terribly and the cycle of luck had been crushed by the juggernaut of ‘it was going to happen sooner or later’. My phone starts to ring. I look down at it and don’t even scan the number. What subhuman wretch calls people up at the ungodly hour of eleven o clock in the morning? What kind of schedule are these people on?

I reject the call and try to put my head down. The sunshine streaming through my window almost inspires me to get out of bed. When I say get out of bed of course I merely mean getting out of bed to shut the curtains. Then getting straight back in bed again. I dare not risk the energy because I might be too tired to sleep afterwards. At least that’s what I tell myself because somewhere my logic reflex is rejecting the idea of being too tired to sleep wholesale.

Then it happens again. My phone rings again. I suspect it’s the same person so I answer with a mind to take out the frustrations of the previous night’s poker on the caller. I press the “answer” button and drop my jaw to formulate a word. I’m simply not fast enough.

“Paul Van Dyk.” Gee’s dulcet tones ring down the hotline.

“When?” I ask back.

“About thirty minutes” Gee tells me in his professional slant.

“Fuck. I best get on with it then” I say, ending the call suddenly. I climb out of bed and open the curtains. I reach down and give my plums a squeeze. Each one is both ripe and full of sweet juice. I always leave them on my window sill just after I’ve got them from the supermarket so they soften up. I eat a few for breakfast to keep me nice and regular and then waltz naked into the computer suite and fire up the old girl for a little research.

I don’t have to look too far into the net to research Paul Van Dyk as he’s all over it, as most big stars are. He’s also probably been one of my favourite producers for such a long time that the questions literally just fall out of my fingers like babies fall out of chavettes.

Next thing I know I’ve got the number for Paul’s German promotion company in my hotmail box. I ring the number and after three attempts we manage to get a connect good enough to talk freely. I greet Paul with the traditional Deutsche “guten tag” and we both giggle like kids. It’s great when that happens, because you know laughter breaks down every barrier from point one. However, Paul is a busy man so we launch straight into the interview…

Hi Paul, I’m going to launch straight into my questions. Can I ask what first attracted you to Dance music, not how you became a DJ but rather what was the magical quality that made you think Dance music was for you?

I grew up in East Berlin, so the only way I could actually listen to good music was through West Berlin radio stations. The first music that I discovered for myself that I really loved was this British Indie pop sound; bands like “The Smiths” and “New Order”. Then it must have been round about 1985 when something which we’d call early “House music”. What I enjoyed most about it was there was no one telling me through set lyrics that this is a love song, or that I have to be happy now… It was just really free, the pure sound, the instrumentation, those things that actually make the piece of music

Just going off track, I can’t really relate to what it would have been like to grow up in East Berlin. I’ve got a picture of quite a dark oppressive place, and a very oppressive time. Can you tell us what that was like for you?

Well, you’ve got the picture quite right. The only thing that made it bearable is that what you don’t know you don’t miss. Looking back now I think it was a really awful place. People couldn’t raise their voices and say what they believed in. There were no proper, fair, democratic elections. There was no choice at all. When it came down to music we didn’t have any magazines which featured music at all; we knew nothing of the international music scene. We had no record stores selling the music I was listening to on the radio.

"If you would have told me I’d be living my life like that when I was young, I’d say you’re absolutely nuts.
It’s bullshit.

It’s not going to happen."

Did you have a sense there was this larger, cultural world outside East Germany and the Berlin Wall and was that your inspiration for you to be more creative and passionate so you could get out and find it?

The lucky part of growing up in East Berlin was that we could listen to West German radio stations, as I said. This gave me a real sense of being connected to a world outside of the Iron curtain and a knowledge of what was going on with music. I could never read anything about my favourite artists and had no idea what they looked like. This gave me a somewhat different approach; still to this day the music is the important thing to me. I don’t really care if somebody is taking drugs or has this favourite food or drives that car. I don’t care for all this pop stardom bullshit. For me it’s all about the music because of the pure fact that was the only thing I had when growing up and I kept that pure relationship with music.

Interestingly enough, and this is something I hear from a lot of DJs on the scene – They like to keep to the music, the purity of the music like you’re saying. They don’t like the “Superstar DJ” vogue of the Dance music scene, and they think this movement makes people more focussed on fashions and less focussed on the more important things, like the music… Do you agree with this? Do you think that this vogue is a good thing on the Dance music scene?

Well the thing is the scene should be absolutely about the music. It’s the reason I’m doing this. When I started the DJ was the freak in the corner. I would say the majority of Dance music fans think and feel the way you’ve just explained it. There are a few of my colleagues out there who seem to think they are God’s gift to the world.

You’ve been lucky enough to play the first Creamfields festival, and now 10 years on you’ve been invited back to play again. What’s your craziest memory of the festival?

I had a very special moment there. I played “For an Angel” there, the first time it was ever played anywhere in the world. I remember finishing the track in the afternoon and taking it with me.

Were you happy with the final mix, I understand you’re somewhat of a perfectionist.

The thing is I am a perfectionist. You can see me twiddling in the bloody studio for days. At the same time I’m a musician and that’s something of a gift. I never lose the entire picture of the track. For me a track is finished when I feel like it’s coming across as it should.

So how did it feel when you dropped the track? What kind of response did you get?

People went absolutely nuts. It was phenomenal. I was stunned, blown away; I had goose-bumps running all the way up my arms and back. I even remember having tears in my eyes.

You’ve recently been booked as a resident for Cream in Ibiza, yet another milestone that you’ve really achieved as a DJ. What would you have said to me, if I’d have told you right at the beginning of your career that this is where you’re going to end up?

Just to answer that differently; people always ask me what’s the craziest thing or wildest thing that’s happened to you… My whole career, my whole way of living is the craziest thing. I come from East Germany, from a very poor family background, with a single mum. Now I am travelling all round the world, making money from playing my favourite music. That’s just the absolute best.

Now, if you would have told me I’d be living my life like that when I was young, I’d say you’re absolutely nuts. It’s bullshit. It’s not going to happen. The whole thing, it’s a dream which has come true, yet on the other hand it’s not something that’s been easy. There is obviously a lot of work involved. You have to be very disciplined to stick to studio schedules and the such. I’ve got a very good team round me too. There is nobody who deserves more praise than anyone else; each individual is absolutely spot on and perfect in their field. I’m thankful for every day I get to work with them.

You’re often cited as one of the driving forces behind the Trance movement in the late nineties; a sound and scene which totally captivated music. I want to ask you a question I love to ask everyone; where’s the next big scene defining sound going to come from?

I don’t really know. At the same time I’ve always said I’m not a Trance DJ. There’s been this funny misconception somehow; the music I play definitely has “Trancey” elements to it. However, it’s not the stereotype Trance house.

I’d certainly say that was true. Your music has a poetry, a class and definition that can reach beyond the majority of the genre – a lot of which often sounds like bad Euro-house.

Well, thanks for that definition.

Oh come on Paul, you must be proud of your music?

Well the thing is I wouldn’t use the word ‘proud’. I do everything I do very passionately and very enthusiastically. Every single note of my music comes from myself and my heart. Therefore I live my music, that’s something beyond being merely proud of it.

What do you actually mean by that phrase “you live your music”?

Let’s put it this way; if I wasn’t as successful as I am now, luckily, if no one liked my music, I would still make the same songs and sounds I like to make.

One thing you often hear from very successful creative people is that they just feel drawn towards doing something. One example I often think about is the British poet William Blake. He died a pauper and no one knew who he was till some twenty years after his death his poetry became relevant and people worked out he was a genius. Do you just feel this compulsion to make tunes?

Obviously I’m luckier than this guy because there’s a few people out there who enjoy listening to my music, and I’m still alive… But going back to your original question about where the next big sound is coming from.

There is a sound that is big right now in the clubs; it’s very banging Techno beats with big Electro bass-lines and both Trance top lines and breaks in the middle. That’s the sound of the moment. What do you call it?

I don’t know. Electro-pop? Trance-breaks? Electro-Techno?

It doesn’t matter; there is no definition for it. It’s electronic music and that’s the flavour that’s out there right now. I think the most important thing is taking all the elements that are out there at the minute and making and creating something unique with it. It doesn’t matter what it’s called at the end, you have to be happy with what you’re doing, because otherwise you’re not going to be convincing.

Many of the world’s greatest composers have (like yourself) been German. Beethoven and Back perhaps the most brilliant of all time. In fact when you talk about being raised by a single parent family it reminds me a great deal of Beethoven who was the eleventh son of a prostitute. What do you think there is within the Teutonic consciousness that lends itself to create great and evocative music?

I don’t know whether or not it has anything to do with a certain Nationality. In my case as an example my influences and inspiration is pretty much global. My first few gigs were in Germany and then suddenly I had a chance to play in New York. I was overwhelmed by that and from then on basically my take on electronic music was a global view.

Yeah sure. Have you ever been to Manchester?

Of course!

Horrible, isn’t it?

(Paul laughs) – Yes, but what made it a centre for creativity? Is it the weather? The lack of sunshine, or whatever. You can’t say, can you?

You look at my friends and family, and they are all over the world. If you were to ask me where my home was, OK, I’d say I live in Berlin, but my home is where my friends and family are.

How about Ibiza? People often say Ibiza is a magical or spiritual place, and it’s a place they hold very close to their hearts. What do you think makes Ibiza such a crazy creative place with so much good music coming out of it?

Well it’s definitely a magical wonderful place. You can find the most calm spots there to really relax and chill out. At the same time what makes the clubbing experience in Ibiza so special is the fact it’s multicultural. It’s the party island for the whole world.

When I go to the UK I’m playing for the Brits, when I go to France I’m playing for the French. When you go to Cream, when you go to Amnesia you’re playing for a world audience. There, in Ibiza, everyone’s together, in one room having a great time. It’s a fantastic experience.

I’m actually off to Ibiza for the first time ever, to meet Tiesto and interview him. What advice would you give me as a first time clubber in Ibiza?

Go to Cream at Amnesia and forget about the other clubs!

(Hilarious laughter from both sides)

I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have said that

That’s OK. You said it Paul. It’s hilarious. I’m putting it in the interview.

Ibiza is known ultimately for clubbing and there are different kinds of clubbing. The club on the island which is most concerned about music is Cream at Amnesia. People go there for that one simple reason.

As you know we are interviewing you for the UK’s biggest Dance music website, Dontstayin.com. What part do you think the Internet can play in the future of Dance music?

Well it’s all about communication, information and interaction. It makes a lot of sense for established artists to be on there as it does for young talent. If you’re a young kid and you’ve just made this track, you can basically just send it to your favourite DJs. The DJ can listen to it instantly and if he likes it he can burn it and play it straight away. You don’t need a record label, you don’t need a publisher, you can work it all yourself on the Internet. People can be much faster with information, and can have real, direct contact with other people.

Would you like to come in to do a video interview with Dontstayin.com next time your in the UK?

Yeah sure, I’d love to.

Finally, I always like to end on this question, so is there any message you’d like to give to your fans out there?

Thanks very much for all the support over the years. It means so much to me. It’s very hard for me to put it into words.

Well, you do usually put it into music don’t you?

Yes and sometimes there are moments when I’m behind the decks, well, obviously I’m not going to take the microphone in my hand, but I’d really like to scream “thank you” for everything the fans give me.

We say our goodbyes and talk off for a bit having a laugh. I seem to get on pretty well with Paul as he comes across as a serious guy able to look and laugh at a situation and himself. Usually interviews like this are done on a shift basis, so as soon as I finish my call, Paul will get another music journo on the line. It’s hard for stars to keep coming out with this stuff time and time again, so I feel lucky to have got a really fresh and honest interview.

I ring off, going through to his PA. We have a chat about the feasibility of video in the future. She gives me Paul’s email address so we can stay in touch over the a few bits of stuff and of course, they want to see the interview. The call is then terminated. I look down at the timer and I’ve been on the line for nearly half an hour. It was only supposed to be ten minutes but I guess when two people get in the flow, when the conversation runs, it just sucks you both in. I collapse down onto my double bed and stare at the ceiling.

It’s such a high, such a fast ineffable thing… Balanced at the top of that old rollercoaster ride.

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