Gospel of dance according to Paul
Grammy-nominated artist and globally-acclaimed DJ and producer Paul van Dyk continues to dominate the electronic music charts and appears at the pinnacle of every Top DJ list across the globe. PvD, as his fans have nicknamed him, was currently ranked the World’s No. 1 DJ in DJ magazine’s “Top 100 DJs poll” for the second consecutive year. His fifth original album “In Between” was released August 2007 and features collaborations with David Byrne and Jessica Sutta of the Pussycat Dolls.
PvD is renowned as one of the hardest working artists, with sold-out tours that cross each continent, headline spots at every major festival, and a hugely successful recording career. With over three million albums sold worldwide, Van Dyk travels around the world over 16 times each year to sold out performances internationally. 2007 alone has brought us PvD remixes of Depeche Mode’s Martyr, Britney Spears’ Gimme More and Justin Timberlake’s What Goes Around, Comes Around.
PvD received a Grammy nomination in 2005 for Best Dance/Electronic Album for his original album “Reflections” — this marked the first time NARAS recognized this category. His original productions from “Reflections” have been included on major motion picture soundtracks such as Into the Blue, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, television’s Entertainment Tonight and MTV’s Cribs, and international ad campaigns for Motorola, HBO, Land Rover, Ski Vail and most recently for Jeep. This year he won the International Dance Music Award (IDMA) for Best Euro DJ.
Previously, PvD won four IDMAs in 2006: Best Global DJ, Best NuNRG/Euro Track, Best Producer and Best Mix Compilation for The Politics of Dancing 2. In addition, PvD was voted “America’s Favorite DJ” for 2004 and 2005 by BPM magazine and was the big winner at the 2004 Dancestar Awards, taking home three awards: Best International DJ, Best Event and Best Music in a Commercial (Motorola). He also won the Mexican equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar for his soundtrack to the film Zurdo in March 2004. Paul van Dyk was voted “Best Music Maker” by DJ magazine, received the “Best International DJ Award” at the 1999 Music Awards in London, was named “Best International DJ” by Ministry of Sound Magazine, and Mixmag elected him as “Man of the Year.”
Aside from his musical activity, Paul van Dyk has always dedicated a significant part of his life to politics and social justice: from his youth, when he fled over the Berlin Wall to the West, to his children’s charity in India’s Mumbai, and his partnership scheme with the German Red Cross to help poor children in Berlin. In 2004, PvD was the only electronic artist involved in a nationwide tour with the Rock The Vote campaign, where he joined the likes of Bono, P Diddy, the Black Eyed Peas and George Clinton in campaigning for America’s youth to sign up to vote in the presidential election. In 2006 he received Berlin’s Medal of Honor (Landesverdienstorden) in recognition of his work with Ruckenwind, a charity organization he founded dedicated to helping poor children in Berlin. He joins a distinguished list of arts and political establishment figures with this honor.
Born in Eisenhuettenstadt, East Germany, Paul van Dyk grew up in communist East Berlin. Because his community did not have a true club culture, Paul van Dyk listened to the radio where he discovered his passion for music that extended beyond techno music — he wanted to create a different, more unique sound. In the early 1990s Paul was spinning regularly at various clubs in Berlin before releasing his first album “45 RPM” in 1994. But it wasn’t until the release of his second album “Seven Ways” which catapulted him into the Top 100, followed by the release of his hit single For An Angel, that he began to earn praise across the globe. By the time Paul van Dyk 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 DJs and producers of all time. His first compilation mix CD, “Politics of Dancing” was released in 2001, followed by Global in 2003 — a DVD that illustrates his own experiences traveling the world.
Paul van Dyk created the Internet radio station VONYC.com, focusing on the electronic dance scene.
The DJ’s touring diary remains incredibly hectic with regular globetrotting stops at major venues across the globe from New York, London, Ibiza to India, China and Singapore. In the little time remaining between all the travel, Van Dyk resides in Berlin where he has his own radio show, “Paul van Dyk’s VONYC Sessions,” which airs weekly on BIGFISH radio through Magic89.9FM in mega Manila, and the Killerbee stations nationwide.
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