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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 AUGUST 2022 6 MUSIC PAUL van Dyk is a Gram- my-nominated producer and DJ who first burst onto the scene in 1994 with the release of his chart-topping hit, For An An- gel. Since then, he has sold over three million records, and con- tinues to tour internationally to packed audiences worldwide. On Saturday 30 July, Paul per- formed live in the "beautiful setting" of Malta's Monte Kristo Estate, bringing his unique and eclectic blend of electronic mu- sic to the country's committed EDM audience. Reflecting on the recent performance, Paul explains that, "The audience is one that follows the journey the DJ provides, and I was able to go from deeper techno to happier, more uplifting things...provid- ing some variety of electronic sounds. That's what this music is all about." Indeed, in a similar fashion to the way a live DJ set develops, Paul's own career journey has witnessed considerable creative development and reinvention. When asked about his artis- tic evolution from Trance in the 1990s to his diverse and genre-defying musical iden- tity now, he notes the genre's relatively underground nature when compared to today, com- menting that, "...electronic mu- sic wasn't all over the place like it is now — we had to search for it. It wasn't on the radio and there were only a few clubs, to the point that the music we wanted to hear, we had to cre- ate because it didn't exist. This is how all those genres started to emerge. I was involved in creating something that later people called Trance...we cre- ated the music we wanted to hear, and that sort of developed into probably the biggest music youth culture in the world." Throughout our discussion, Paul exhibits a thoughtful ap- proach to music and the creative process, something especially noticeable when I enquire as to the influence of the recent nov- el coronavirus on his artistic output: "It influenced me very directly, because my influence is life in general. Whatever I see and whatever I experience has an impact on my music...it's the travelling, meeting people, the events and the feedback from the audience. During the pan- demic it was basically the same tree outside the window at the studio, so, obviously, instead of being bombarded by all those experiences, it was a more intro- verted approach to the music." Paul notes how this directly impacted the creative vision for his upcoming new album, ex- plaining its planned release in three parts: "The first part, Off The Record, is deeper yet still very energetic. You then have For the Record — which is a more festival-like approach to my music — then The Record, which is this, but even more music." This year has seen a string of new releases from the veteran producer, including a track written in collabora- tion with Rafael Osmo entitled Two Rivers, and In Your Arms (For An Angel) — a remix of Paul's iconic 90s anthem which saw him join forces with sing- er-songwriter Nico Santos and fellow producers and DJs Topic and Robin Schulz. In addition to Saturday's con- cert at the Monte Kristo Estate, this recent visit also saw Paul perform a set for Chasing Sun- sets — a series of videos filmed in Malta featuring electronic artists presenting live perfor- mances in stunning locations around the country. Discussing his involvement and the artis- tic concept behind the produc- tion, Paul explains that, "It's a streaming project that also shows the beauty around the thing — it's not just the music and a steady camera on the DJ. With the beautiful setting of Malta, it had to be done and I was very happy to be asked to participate in this." With electronic music seeing such widespread popularity and enthusiasm amongst the next generation of music-makers, I was interested to learn what advice Paul might give to aspir- ing DJs and producers. Exhib- iting a wisdom built on years of experience, he stresses that, "You should really ask yourself why you want to do this: fame and money are not guaranteed, and they also come and go, so the only thing that gives you a healthy mind and a steady way of living is if you do it because you love music — that should be the centre of it all. It's not about being on the main stage at festivals, it's firstly about making new music and then presenting new music. It's an art form, everything else is ran- dom entertainment that comes and goes." Since his first performance in Malta in 1999, Paul's frequent return visits have been eager- ly anticipated by the country's loyal EDM audience. I ask if we can expect to see him again in the future: "Of course, I hope so! I was able to spend two or three more days here this time, and it's so beautiful that, even if there's no chance for me to play, I'm definitely going to come back just to check it out." It seems clear that Paul's en- gaging and fruitful musical journey is far from over, with this year holding much in store for fans of his music to look for- ward to. The coming months see Paul continue his busy touring schedule — including a hot- ly-anticipated appearance in Ibiza — as well as the release of his new album, Off The Record. Demonstrating a refreshingly honest and eclectic approach to both his artistic output and the wider musical landscape, Paul's hugely successful career shows no sign of slowing down, and, when one considers his clear appreciation for Malta and the country's enthusiastic response to his recent two performances, it seems doubtful this is the last we will see from this legend of the electronic music world. Chatting with legendary producer and DJ Paul van Dyk German producer and DJ Paul van Dyk is known across the world for his pioneering work in the Trance scene and his continued unique contributions to the electronic music world. JAMES CUMMINGS sat down with Paul to discuss his extensive career and recent performance at the Monte Kristo Estate