Paul Van Dyk - The Best of Paul Van Dyk
By: Melissa Hayes
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Monday June 29, 2009
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German-born Matthias Paul a.k.a. Paul Van Dyk (PVD) is the all-time genius of electronic dance music. His Best Of 2 CD collection celebrates his artistry, vision, and mastery of trance, house, and synth-rock. This compilation is a must-have for those who want to lose control in a frenzy of hardcore and intensely beautiful beats.
My friends and I spent the entirety of college listening to PVD’s music. They were comprised of an adopted Philipino artist, a preppy sorority drop-out stoner, and the gay pre-med son of a power broker in the pharmaceutical world. The music was the backdrop to our combined life philosophy and our desire to see the world overcome by peace and love. Like Bob Marley and Bob Dylan were to some, PVD was to us. His music transcended race, religion, status and for a brief time, we were ready to conquer the world and all its demons.
That being said without any bias, the cds are caught in a battle of good and evil. The initial CD is one big pumped up primal beat, sexy and provocative while also innocent and hopeful. Songs like “Home,” “Magical Moment,” “We Are Alive,” and “Time of Our Lives,” are bright, playful and comforting. His songs are raw and unashamed.
Conversely, the second installment feels heavy and leaves a bloody iron taste in the back of my throat. With the exception of a few songs like the classic “Love Simulation” and “1998”, the CD felt like a sucker punch to the kidneys, in a Fight Club sort of way. In contrast to the first CD, the second was dreary, albeit challenging, featuring a macabre choice of sampled songs, like “Pictures,” from Timo Maas and Depeche Mode’s “Martyr”.
In my crazy world, the CDs reflect two different kinds of dancers. The first dancer is free to be joyful, one that believes and basks in beauty. The second dancer was once like the first. However, as the songs progress, the dancer becomes enmeshed in a passionate struggle and he morphs into a Frankenstein-esque monster, worthy of fear and awe. The songs are still dance-able and interesting but when I finally got to the last remix, a sugar-coated Brittney Spears single, “Gimme More,” I was still hungry for a return to the ‘good old days’ of a PVD masterpiece that ended with a bang instead of a diabetic coma. Hopefully a new generation will prove me wrong and continue loving each other and making the world a better place while listening to “Poor Choice of Words [Batman Theme]”. Instead of holding my breath, I’ll be popping in Paul Van Dyk’s Best Of CDs and rocking out in my car.
