Now that Glastonbury is over for another year, if you are a dance music lover and living in the UK, the chances are you’ll be attending the massive event that is Creamfields over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The Northwest UK based dance music festival is famous worldwide and attracts some of the biggest talent around. From 29th-31st August 2015, the village of Daresbury is alive with the sounds of DJs and producers. It is a festival of epic proportions with a number of stages and arenas which cater for the diverse range of dance music that is out there.
Legendary acts have often graced the stage at Creamfields, and this year’s line-up is no exception, One of the main acts over the weekend is trance and electronic music legend, Paul Van Dyk. TheGayUK caught up with the Paul, ahead of his forthcoming Creamfields performance, to find out what makes him tick and about his work with the Cream brand. Putting his jetlag from his current world tour to one side, Paul talked about his influences, his longevity and who he tips as the ones to watch.
TGUK – Firstly, congratulations on over 20 years in the music industry and the success of your The Politics of Dancing compilations and tour. A lot of dance artists have been and gone over the years. What would you say is the secret to your success?
PVD – I’m passionate about the right things. I’m passionate about the music. At the end of the day I am communicating to my audience. I’m the person/artist on stage and I believe that authenticity keeps the audience interested when I play live as well as when I release music.
PVD – Probably the “synthy” bands from the eighties, like Depeche Mode, OMD and Erasure. I listened to all of these as a kid on the radio and tried to explore the world through the radio. Obviously there was Kraftwerk before it, but in terms of bigger exposure it was the first kind of electronic music. I think that anybody who has a passion for electronic music and is not mentioning Depeche Mode and music like that, hasn’t understood what electronic music is about.TGUK – No doubt you have influenced many current and new artists, but are there any up-and-coming artists around at the moment that you are impressed with, or inspired by?
PVD – Well, first of all, “inspired by” is a bit twisty for me because my biggest inspiration is life in general. Everything that has happened and everything that I see. It’s inspiration on an artistic level. My mum is my biggest inspiration. She has taught me everything I know and she pretty much created everything that my character is based on. In terms of people that I enjoy listening to right now…in terms of how they do things live as well as their recordings, I would say Jordan Suckley and Ben Nicky who are from the U.K of course. They have that fire and they have that passion for music. When you see them play you know that they are loving the music. They don’t have to grab a microphone and scream “One, two three…put your f@*king hands up” EDM bullshit. I love the real music and they have that drive. This is what I love about listening to their music and listening to them playing live. These are definitely two names amongst a lot of others that I believe will have many more years to come and very amazing careers.
TGUK – And what new projects do you have coming up in the near future?
PVD – Despite The Politics of Dancing 3 being out now and me touring with it, there is a lot more music to be released from the album as EPs. I will keep making music until I retire…or die at some point! At the end of the day I am a musician. This is what I do.
TGUK – You have worked with some fantastic vocalists. Sue McLaren and Tricia McTeague are particular favourites and appear on your The Politics of Dancing 3 album. Are there any other vocalists or artists that you would like to collaborate with and what do you look for in a collaborative partner?
PVD – I don’t have a list in the back of my head that I need to work with. I see an idea when I’m working on a piece of music and like you said, I’m already working with some fantastic artists and vocalists. For me, it is not about if they are famous or whatever. It’s about actually finding a common artistic ground. Basically, I don’t have anything to do with any R&B or hip-hop vocalists therefore you won’t find that in my music.
PVD – The gig that always stands out is when I play in Berlin, in the We Are One Festival, which will be happening this summer on 4th July. It is obviously very special because it is my home town and we are putting all the effort that we can into the festival to make it a great experience for everyone.
TGUK – You have played at Creamfields many times and you are playing there again this year. If you could sum it up in one word, what would it be?PVD – Wow. I think it is difficult to describe Creamfields in just one word! It is a positively crazy gathering. It is very well organised and done by one of the most professional festival organisers in the world. It is where you are most likely to see your favourite artists. Everyone on the line-up has a meaning of some sort…From the EDM world all the way to the underground techno that you find. Obviously the “trancey” guys, like me, are there as well, which Cream is obviously very famous for. It is almost like a music convention. You can find your favourite music and also discover music.
TGUK – You have worked with Cream for many years, whether performing at their various nights in the U.K or your residency at Cream Ibiza, which you return to this year for various dates between June and October. You appear to have a great relationship with them.
PVD – Absolutely. In terms of electronic music brands, it is probably the one that I have worked the closest with except for my own label, Vandit Records.
Paul Van Dyk will be performing at Creamfields this August Bank Holiday on 30th August in the Pepsi Max Arena. He will also be playing Cream Ibiza at Amnesia as an exclusive resident on a number of dates across the summer. His album, “The Politics Of Dancing 3” is out now. For more information and tickets please visit www.cream.co.uk.
by Scott Ellis @ellis2s
