Paul van Dyk with a World Tour in Moscow

On May 9, as part of his world tour, European trance pioneer Paul van Dyk will perform in Moscow. The DJ has long established himself at the top of numerous international rankings as "Man of the Year" (Mixmag), "Best European DJ" (International Dance Music Awards), and third on the Top 100 DJs list (DJ Mag).

Born in the town of Elsenhüttenstadt, GDR, Paul Matthias had to make a difficult journey from a local celebrity, a star of the Dubmission parties at the Turbine club in Hamburg, to a world-class DJ capable of delivering six-hour sets before a crowd of thousands at the Gatecrasher festivals.

His childhood in East Germany cannot be called absolutely carefree. The only source of information for a music-loving teenager was the radio. "We recorded music from Western radio stations and played it at our parties, as there was nothing like club life in the East. In those days, I listened to Monika Dale's shows, and I was captivated by the music of New Order," recalls Paul.

Later, when the Berlin Wall fell, parties were no longer in short supply. Paul entered the 90s already a fully formed DJ with his musical preferences and honed playing technique. In 1991, he debuted at the legendary Tresor, then moved to Turbine, where he performed alongside his friend and colleague DJ Kid Paul. Their show, dubbed by Berlin clubbers as Paul vs. Paul, quickly gained popularity, and soon they were found by musician and producer Harald Bluher (aka Cosmic Baby).

A year later, the track Perfect Day from their joint project The Visions of Shiva was released on the independent label MFS and marked the beginning of Paul van Dyk’s official discography.

The head of MFS, British Mark RIDE, played a decisive role in Paul van Dyk's career. A close friend of New Order musicians, he persuaded them to let Paul make a dance remix of the track Spooky. Mark also produced van Dyk's first two LPs, "45 RMP" and "Seven Ways", helping give his works the current trance sound.

"Seven Ways" with its fresh sound arrived just in time in the UK, which was at the peak of the trance revolution. British music magazines made van Dyk their favorite, and his name never left the pages of DJ Mag. Immediately, the owners of British superclubs took Paul on, and no major festival, whether Gatecrasher, Creamfields or Global Gathering, was without van Dyk's set. The "German miracle DJ" was able to play six-hour sets, shining at the DJ booth in his signature anti-drug T-shirt that read “No E, Pure PvD".

In 2000, Paul founded his own label, Vandit Records. He gradually shifted away from the classic trance sound and began actively experimenting with sound. His albums "Out There" and "Back, Reflections" and especially "In Between" marked this stylistic evolution. Van Dyk's music became more complex and melodic, and collaboration with various stars, including David Byrne from Talking Heads and Jessica Sutta from the Pussycat Dolls, attracted the attention of the general public to Paul van Dyk. As a result - a Grammy nomination and top positions in national charts in the UK, Germany, and the USA.

Paul is also a pioneer behind the DJ booth. His performances transcended the framework of a standard DJ set - skillfully handling two computers, a MIDI keyboard, and turntables, Paul creates a complete live show in the club. But still, that’s not enough for him. In February 2009, he combined dance and classical music, performing in Frankfurt with the Paavo Järvi Symphony Orchestra.

Paul van Dyk performs very rarely in Moscow. Over the past ten years, he has been in the Russian capital only twice. On May 9, Paul van Dyk will play a three-hour set at the official party of the Paul van Dyk World Tour at the Gaudi club.

May 9, 2009, 22:00
Gaudi Arena, Moscow
Skoldovskaya St., 1