RS: Aside from dance music, what else are you listening to right now?
Paul Van Dyk: A lot of different things. I’m enjoying the Linkin Park album which is absolutely amzing. The new Keane album is great and the new New Order album is amazing. So in terms of stuff outside of the electronic world, there's quite a lot of good music around.
RS: If you had the choice to collaborate musically with The Smiths, New Order or tATu, which would you choose?
Paul Van Dyk: Well I would immediately rule out tATu, I would probably go with The Smiths.
RS: What would you want to do with them?
Paul Van Dyk: I don’t know and this is something that I really enjoy about collaborations especially. The Smiths have a very clear idea about their sound and about what they want to do, and I have that as well. When we go to the studio and these worlds collide, this is when something interesting is going to happen and this is why I would choose The Smiths because I couldn’t tell you what's coming out at the end.
RS: What are some positive or negative aspects of technology, the way that it hit dance music in the past year or two?
Paul Van Dyk: Technology enables a lot of people to be creative. That’s a positive aspect if they are creative and they do great things. On the other side, because it enables people to do something, uncreative people are putting things out on the market and that kind of lowers the quality allover. But there’s so much great music coming out all the time and electronic music is the most progressive kind of music there is and it’s very exciting.
RS: You mentioned at the Amsterdam Dance Event that you’ll DJ a set, and then you’ll go online that same day see your whole playlist posted. How do you react to that kind of thing?
Paul Van Dyk: I don’t react to that thing, why would I?
RS: That people out there worship your music so much they're trying to identify every song that you play.
Paul Van Dyk: Well to be really honest, I wish they would actually do what an event like this is intended to - let loose and enjoy themselves. I would rather they breathe the music and live the music, rather than writing every single track I play down and posting it on the internet. I don’t think that makes a lot of sense to be honest, and I don’t really think that’s worshipping to be honest. Because if you really let loose and are into an artist, you forget what's going on and live the music. I believe that’s much more than writing a playlist.
RS: How important do you think it is for a DJ to produce or a producer to DJ?
Paul Van Dyk: Since you cannot be everywhere at the same time, it’s always good to have a piece of music that represents your sound, that represents what you stand for musically. So I guess it is very important. At the same time, if you ask me as what I would see myself, I would say I’m an artist and a musician. In order to actually make electronic music I have to be able to write songs and I have to be able to produce them. My way of presenting the music in front of an audience is DJing. It all belongs to each other and I do everything with the same passion and with the same energy.
RS: Nice. There are some rumors floating around that you're working on a new artist album…
Paul Van Dyk: Yes.
RS: Can you tell us anything about that?
Paul Van Dyk: Well, I cannot say more than I am working on it. That’s pretty much the truth and that’s the case, and I have quite a few things as a layout.
In mid-November I’m going to start actually going on it in the studio with the target to finish off the first productions and then more on a continuous basis. I create more and more tracks, finishing them off until I feel there's enough great music to put out as an album.
RS: Are you using Logic in the studio?
Paul Van Dyk: Yes.
RS: One last question, do you have anything you want to say to all the dance music fans out there?
Paul Van Dyk: Well yes, thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you have given me over all these years, for all the support, for every single smile that I see when I play, and thank you for all making me one of the happiest persons on this planet.
