Q&A: PAUL VAN DYK

Godskitchen and Paul Van Dyk are two names that are utterly synonymous with the global trance scene. And this weekend they join forces in Birmingham for Godskitchen TXXENTY at the Rainbow Complex, a show that sees the debut of a new stage concept called MEKANIKA. We caught up with the VANDIT boss ahead of the show...

Thanks for speaking to DJ Mag, Paul! We are obviously speaking to you ahead of the Godskitchen TXXENTY event this weekend. How long have you been playing for Godskitchen?
“A long time... I think I first played 4 or 5 years after its first nights, so late 1998 or early 1999, as I recall. Just after they moved to Sanctuary in Birmingham anyway.”

What do you think it is that has allowed Godskitchen to stay current for so many years in a fast moving scene like this?
“They’ve always kept one foot in the electronic music’s classic sub-genres (house, trance, and others) and the other foot in new styles. That, I think, has kept the faithful as happy as it has electronic music’s newcomers. That, alongside their continuing innovation with the sound, light and show aspects of their nights (BOOMBOX, Neon, Fusion Cube, etc) has kept them at the forefront I think.”

You are set to be the first headliner to play on the MEKANIKA stage concept - a great honour! How does it feel?
“It feels fantastic. Always exciting when you’re the first to work with anything a bit revolutionary like this.”

Do you know anything about the new production concept or will you have the same surprise as the clubbers attending the party?
“I do! I think projection mapping is one of those ideas that someone probably came up with a while back and they’ve just had to wait for the technology to catch up to be able to realize it. Some of the new concepts that arrive sound (and end up being) a bit gimmicky, but this – with the precise projection of images and designs onto irregular shaped objects – sounds very cool. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how works on Saturday.”

You are in Birmingham as part of your VANDIT World Tour. What have the highlights been so far?
Many. 2014’s We Are One - the festival I now run annually in August - was wonderful. We stage it in the Zitadelle Spandau in Berlin (the former site of Spandau prison). It’s an incredibly atmospheric and historical backdrop to host an electronic music festival. Ibiza has been – as ever – amazing. I’m actually here now writing this, ahead of my closing shows at Café Del Mar and Amnesia tonight. Next year is VANDIT’s 15th anniversary year, so we’ll be continuing the tour throughout 2015."

We premiered your latest track with Ummet Ozcan ‘Come With Me (We Are One)’, which is the official anthem of your festival. It had a great response on our channels. How has the reaction been elsewhere?
“Everything Ummet and I hoped for... and dare I say, just a little bit more!? As you say it was the anthem for We Are One in Berlin and when it got dropped on the night, it really seemed to sum the vibe, feel and musical direction of the festival exactly as it had been intended. It hit no.1 on Beatport a day or so after we released it, so it seems to have connected with the fans just as well.”

And are you planning to be back in the studio again soon?
“Always in the studio. The studio, to the greater degree, moves with me when I’m on tour, so I can work on whenever there’s time in the schedule. The next project will be ‘The Politics Of Dancing 3’, which will be released next year. It’s a hybrid artist album and mix-comp and putting it together has been a considerable task. There are a vast amount of collaborations on there and the back-and-forth of that type of project creates a huge amount of moving parts for the release. The greater the scale, the more satisfying the release though, so I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

Finally, what should the people attending Godskitchen TXXENTY this weekend expect from your show?
“I think they should expect to be as dazzled by the music as they are dazzled by MEKANIKA. That’s what I’ll be aiming for anyway!”

Don't forget to buy your tickets here www.godskitchen.com/tickets