New Paul Van Dyk interview

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Paul Van Dyk - Dance Culture’s Not Just About Entertainment  

“We need to lay down ground rules- to explain in magazines that electronic music IS a cultural thing.†So said Paul Van Dyk, when he caught up with Skrufff’s Manila correspondent Twinky Lagdameo, just before Christmas

“This style of music is such a global language and it’s a tool of communication,†he continued. “I don’t speak one word of Spanish or Filipino but it’s possible for me to bring something across. It’s an important tool and we need more of these tools in these times.â€

Paul was chatting to Twinky to promote his new mix CD, the Politics of Dancing, which he released in conjunction with Ministry of Sound in November. Best known for his precision hard dance productions and DJing, he’s increasingly attracting attention for addressing issues most other DJs choose to ignore, being remarkably outspoken yet also talking sense. Also happening to be one of the few European jocks to admit to never using drugs, he’s also an unusually effective example of the power of dance music, proving that the old cliché of “it’s all about the music†is, in fact true.

“Electronic music is a very different type of culture but it should receive the same amount of respect as opera,†he said.

Skrufff (Twinky Lagdameo): Why did you call the compilation “The Politics of Dancing�

Paul Van Dyk: “It’s basically to send out a signal, to remind people that there is more to just listening to the music when they go out on weekends. It’s a whole lifestyle and it’s a whole youth culture.â€

Skruff You recently described 2001 was a “year of destructionâ€, what’s your opinion on the whole Afghan war situation?

Paul Van Dyk: “A lot of good things have happened this year but they’ve been overshadowed by the bad things that have taken place. Look at all the plane crashes and how many wars have happened leading to September 11 and the whole terrorism thing. In Africa, black presidents were starting to kill white people. Everything like this happened in 2001 on a larger scale than before. I think we all should wake up to it.â€

Skrufff Are you for or against the bombing in Afghanistan?

Paul Van Dyk: “I’m against it, though our stupid (German) government has actually decided to go into the war. I don’t see the point in bombing a desert. The country is already destroyed so why make it worse? The only solution is to give these people education and food. Bombing doesn’t help anything. If someone was killing my family, I would go up against them. That’s the problem; you can’t avoid killing people who have nothing to do with it. There are so many sides to it as well. The Clinton administration has worked very hard to help the peace situation in Palestine and Israel. Bush didn’t do anything.â€

Skrufff: News reports have suggested that Bin Laden’s network reaches the Philippines, would you have any concerns about coming to Manila?

Paul Van Dyk: “No, because they actually say the same thing about Germany. In Hamburg, they have a lot terrorist cells. Given Bush’s intentions, he wouldn’t bomb Germany. Afghanistan was easier to do. It’s about education and communication which brings us back to the whole Politics of Dancing project. This style of music is such a global language and it’s a tool of communication. I don’t speak one word of Spanish or Filipino but it’s possible for me to bring something across. It’s an important too and we need more of these tools in these times.â€

Skrufff: Has your travelling been affected much by the events of 9/11?

Paul Van Dyk: “We cancelled the first weekend after the attack because it didn’t feel right to be enjoying ourselves when so many people were in mourning, especially since I’ve been playing in New York bi-monthly for the past five years. I’m not scared of flying as such but more so because there are many accidents happening everywhere such as the crash in Zurich and the one in Queens, New York. It worries me but not I’m not scared.â€

Skrufff: US authorities shut down Twilo last year over drug concerns and clearly continue to misunderstand electronic music, why do you think this is the case?

Paul Van Dyk: “They don’t know any better because we don’t communicate with them. If you’re the Mayor of New York, how can you know what’s going on in a kid’s head in Asia or Europe because you don’t communicate on that level? All they see are kids running around like headless chickens at six in the morning in Manhattan, so in their minds, the easiest thing to do is to close down the venue. That’s a poor decision, because if kids want to take drugs they’ll take them somewhere else.â€

Skrufff: What kind of changes might reduce the harm drugs cause?

Paul Van Dyk: “If you want to reduce drugs problems and create a healthier environment, then you have to do it on a whole social level: to go in to schools and explain to people what they’re doing to their bodies. People usually take drugs because they want to escape the real world but if the real world is great then they don’t need to leave it. We need to lay down ground rules, to explain in magazines that electronic music IS a cultural thing. In La Scala in Milan (Milan’s world renowned opera house), for example, there’s a big cultural thing going on and no one will shut it down because it’s Opera. Electronic music is a very different type of culture but it should receive the same amount of respect as opera.â€

Skrufff Do many of your DJ colleagues share the same views?

Paul Van Dyk: “Obviously, everyone has their own opinions. I’m against lobbyism with one spokesman talking for everyone else. The beauty of electronic music is that it’s about a gathering of free minds and of different ideas coming together. That’s why I emphasize that people must understand that it is a youth culture, that they must go and share in it and present it in their owns ways.â€

Skrufff: Do you feel a responsibility to speak out more these days?

Paul Van Dyk: “The responsibility I feel is the same as before- I do what I do. If people ask me for my opinions then I share them but I don’t throw them in anyone’s face.â€

Twinky Lagdameo/ Jonty Adderley (Skrufff.com)

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