Paul van Dyk

Paul van Dyk, born Matthias Paul, is an iconic electronic music producer and DJ from Germany, who became internationally famous for producing trance music. Despite his overwhelming success in the trance scene during the 1990s, Van Dyk no longer considers his music as part of that genre. Since he began his DJ career in 1991, he has found huge commercial success, most notably in Europe. He is also known as one of the world's foremost DJs and has won numerous awards.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Matthias Paul
2. Birth date: December 16, 1971
3. Birth place: Brandenburg, East Germany
4. Raised in: East Berlin
5. As a child, he had to listen to Western radio stations in secret
6. Married to Natascha van Dyk, and has collaborated with her in music projects
7. Has won numerous awards for both his DJ and music production skills

Beats Without Borders

Raised in East Berlin prior to the demolition of the Berlin Wall, Van Dyk grew up having to skirt the law in order to hear otherwise forbidden western music. He was forced to listen to stations like RIAS and SFB in secret, and would copy smuggled mixtapes from school friends.

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