Paul Van Dyk: Out There And Back : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

In dance-music circles, Paul van Dyk is known as the Lord of the Trance. What sets the East German-born DJ apart is that throughout his career he has focused on his own original material rather than tossing out mix CDs. His third full-length effort, Out There and Back, is a soulful, perfectly sculpted work of epic trance. Rather than go for a quick, gratuitous climax on every track like many trance DJs, van Dyk makes his journey a slow burn. He doesn't rely on the epic synth sweeps and the hokey siren singing that give the genre a bad name, instead layering his sound with ethereal effects and percolating keyboards. Out There's most interesting moments occur in the middle, on tracks like the sinisterly funky "Avenue" and the bouncy "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)," featuring Sarah Cracknell of St. Etienne. By the time the album's payoff hits at the end, with the minimalist title track and "We Are Alive," you're nearly burned out -- van Dyk has delivered an exhausting but enveloping joy ride. (RS 846)

MATT HENDRICKSON