10 reasons Paul van Dyk is a trance master

Paul van Dyk established himself as an electronic innovator early on in his career. His debut album, ‘45 RPM’, released in 1994, set the foundation for his approach to dance music, focusing on captivating melodies and driving rhythms while also contrasting delicate and rugged textures. Standout tracks include ‘Pump This Party’, ‘Emergency’, ‘Spannung’ and, of course, iconic ballad ‘A Magical Moment’. Not to mention ‘For An Angel’, a euphoric production that helped set the stage for the trance genre. Now, over two decades since the release of his debut album, the material still sounds fresh.

In 2001 van Dyk released his first mix CD titled ‘The Politics of Dancing’, which featured exclusive edits of tracks that could not be found anywhere else. Following the first edition, he continued to push the boundaries with the mix CD, but in 2015 his ‘Politics Of Dancing 3’ release served as an album, rather than a compilation, as it consisted of all original material.

Van Dyk later revealed why he called the mix ‘The Politics of Dancing’ and is so fascinated with how dance music can bring people together in a unique way, especially at his shows. "Palestinians dancing with Israelis, Lebanese people dancing with Israelis - without war, without anything in their minds other than treating each other respectfully. To me, only dance music has this power to reconcile the historic divisions of the planet like this."