- Throughout my time here in Seoul, I’ve seen many famous DJs. Narrowly missing Paul Van Dyk during the World Cup of 2002, I wasn’t sure I’d have the chance again. Luckily for me he made it back here at the end of April.
Having been one of the DJs that piqued my curiosity in the dance music scene way back when, I was curious to find out how Paul’s sound had evolved since the days when trance or progressive trance was driven by real melodies as opposed to cheesy synths.
To be honest, I haven’t listened to what is generally considered trance for several years now so tonight it was a real case of approaching an evening with fresh ears, something I hadn’t done in a long time.
When we arrived at M2, Uncle, one of the forefathers of the Korean scene, was on the stage playing a typical up-for-it house set. The full crowd hadn’t quite arrived yet, but the people that had were certainly enjoying themselves.
Around 1am, Paul hit the stage with a warm and enthusiastic welcome. By now the crowd had packed in tight enough to drive a fire marshal to cardiac arrest and he didn’t waste time figuring out his sound or making the crowd wait.
"Even when I thought he had hit his peak, he would let loose the real killers, overwhelming the crowd with... contemporary progressive-type trance."
It wasn’t long before everyone’s hearts were beating in synchronicity as track after track he took it higher and higher. Even when I thought he had hit his peak, he would let loose the real killers, overwhelming the crowd with the contemporary progressive-type trance he was pumping out.
When I go see a DJ, I check out a lot of things. Not only do I like to see that he or she consistently plays good tracks and plays to the crowd. I also look for his or her ability to interact with the crowd. Throughout the night I noticed Paul posing for pictures and shaking people’s hands. He seemed to be an all-around nice guy. Those who take the time to cover every aspect of being a world class DJ make it difficult for even the most difficult critic to resist grinning from ear to ear.
Tonight, the party was great. The DJ pleased the crowd and served them what they came for, which is how all parties should be. Music-wise, did he play cheesy trance? No, I don’t think so. Did he entertain, send people off and send them home smiling? Absolutely.
Special thanks to Robb Harker and all the staff at M2 who were extremely hospitable.