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boundaries, with van Dyk sporting a constantly evolving technology rider that’s seen him ditching the standard set-up and in its place, incorporating multiple laptops, MIDI controllers, sampling units and live keyboards, for a show that has much more in common with a live performance than a traditional DJ set. He says this set-up continues to evolve, though nowadays the changes are linked more to custom hardware revisions than additional gear. “There’s always new elements being added. However, most of the stuff that I use on stage now is custom made. For example, the Allen & Heath mixer that I use is one of only three versions available in the world. Everything is basically done to my own configuration, so it’s always evolving; sometimes not just on the rider, but within the actual machine itself.”


TE CHN OID In a way, the ‘Evolution’ stage show represents van Dyk simply adding another layer into the mix, and another element he’s able to control; albeit, one that delivers plenty of visceral impact. Inspired by the high-impact live shows of bands like Muse, he approached the same production company that designed that band’s notorious live show, this time asking them to help him develop a show that would mesh with the dynamic nature of a DJ set. “Nothing that I do is preprogrammed, in the sense that I press play and then it runs,” he says. “The crazy thing about this whole particular set-up is the way that I’m able to interact with the synchronized computers; I’m playing live, but it also enables me to trigger things right to the very point on the visual side as well, so what you hear is what you see. So if there’s something in the sound elements that goes ‘whoosh’,” he says as he motions with his hands, “then you also see it go ‘whoosh’. This is something that I really wanted to actually create and bring across. So I have the possibility of interacting with every single element; it definitely keeps the dynamic of things, and it’s definitely evolving and changing during the show.”


You wonder at what stage it would become a step too far, with one too many elements thrown into the mix, but van Dyk insists the possibilities will continue to expand, the more the technology enables it. “I only have two arms, so that’s pretty much my own limitation. Everything else is possible though, and dependent on the next big development of what’s out there. But this is what excites me. Doing something that brings electronic music across in the most intense way. “Electronic music is like pure energy, pure moving forward, and everything is just so intense. It’s great to have the possibility of doing something new on the creative side of things, not just pressing play on a CD player, waiting until it’s over and then beatmatching the next one. I proved for many years that I was pretty good at beatmatching, and now that’s pretty much the only thing that I’m leaving out of what I’m creating, I’m doing so many other things right now.”


E DM Looking towards how the boundaries are shifting in the electronic music world itself, the topic that’s generating plenty of discussion at the moment is the long-overdue embrace of dance culture by the American mainstream, and the potential for commercialisation that


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goes along with it. There have been conflicting opinions as to whether it will revitalise the scene in the long run, or instead water it down on a grand scale. Van Dyk has been a consistent visitor to the US since the days of his residency at New York City’s iconic Twilo nightclub in the late ’90s, forming a special relationship with that city in particular. However, he’s rather nonplussed about the ‘EDM’ revolution in America, painting its wide- scale popularity as more of a fleeting evolution of the standard pop market. “Let’s put it this way. What I define as electronic music, it’s not any more popular now than it was two years ago. The stuff that is extremely popular in America is that danceable stuff that Rihanna produces; but I don’t think anybody would really think that Rihanna is suddenly an electronic act. It’s just basically the sound of the pop world right now,” he says. “The fact that names like these are suddenly becoming representatives for American house music is a clear joke,” he says, recalling the country’s legacy in underground electronic music as a more authentic representation of what American h o u s e h a s


t o o f f e r .


“Right now it seems to be acting like the normal touring pop market in many ways, and it’s not about a ‘scene’ as such. It still exists, and it’s still as big as it has been, but what people are referring to as the big ‘explosion’ of electronic dance music hasn’t much to do with that. I don’t really care much about it, because I don’t really care much about Rihanna. If she puts out the next great record, then good for her, but it’s not necessarily what I’m interested in. I’m looking forward to something new from the fantastic electronic talents out there. This is the music that I f ind inspiring. When you’re listening to something and you’re like, ‘what the fuck?’ how do they do it’?”


“It’s great to have the possibility of doing something new on the creative side of things, not just pressing play on a CD player, waiting until it’s over and then beatmatching the next one. I proved for many years that I was pretty good at beatmatching, and now that’s pretty much the only thing that I’m leaving out of what I’m creating, I’m doing so many other things right now.”


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