Paul van Dyk

If you want a hearty, healthy dose of house or DJ music, don't head to the local mall to shop and bob your head at the Abercrombie & Fitch while the powers-that-be blast "uns uns uns" dance music at damaging decibels. Instead, give your old friend Paul Van Dyk a call, figuratively speaking, via his remix release Hands On In Between. The German-born Van Dyk is the highly decorated, leading authority on electronica, and this release is a pitch-perfect indicator of why Van Dyk rose to status and clout in this scene! There's a whole lot rump shaking to be had with the colossal beats that are collected here. The two discs worth of songs are remixed by a variety of different musicians. Here, Van Dyk is all about the rhythmic dominance.

DJ culture may be a bit of an anomaly to those not immersed in it, due to the nightlife, the esoteric, somewhat recycled nature of the music and the chaos that ensues during raves or the drugs that are consumed during all night dance-a-thons. But Van Dyk and this release are able to "warm" up electronic music for the average listener. In fact, the "In Circles" or "New York City" remixes could double as workout music for the hard-bodied, hard-working Williamsburg dweller who has a taste for fast nightlife but isn’t married to any particular genre. Hands On in Between is music for night owls, who can't (or don't want to) sleep or take a breather. The music pumps with adrenaline and movement, like a heart that cannot stop beating. That's not always the case with electronica, but Van Dyk's expertise is in allowing his music to have a humanized and mechanized feel, two states that are often mutually exclusive.

Down a can of Red Bull, grap your headphones or start grooving to the Jon O'Bir remix of "Castaway" or lose yourself in the ethereally angelic vocals of Ashley Tomberlin on the aforementioned "New York City" and "Complicated." Additionally, Van Dyk supported musical "fan fiction" by allowing his fans to remix songs themselves and the ones he liked best are included here, as well. Maybe one of your tunes will pop up on the next Abercrombie mix.

— Amy Sciarretto
01.29.09

Paul van Dyk's celebrated artist album In Between was followed by lots of touring, a situation that lends itself naturally to a follow-up placeholder release built purely out of remixes. A project like this can be either a cynical money move or a genuine artistic exploration that sheds new light on the original versions. In this case, it's mostly the latter -- and the budget-line pricing helps dispel the cynical view as well. The album opens powerfully with van Dyk's own remix of "Talk in Grey," a brilliant version on which Ryan Merchant's lush and laid-back vocal is counterposed with an urgent house beat. A Kyau & Albert remix of "Complicated" mines similar territory, though the beat is more complex and Ashley Tomberlin's vocals are even prettier. On the second disc, Tomberlin is back for the Giuseppe Ottaviani remix of "Get Back," on which a nervous and jumpy beat suddenly gives way to a straightforwardly gorgeous song. The Tyler Michaud remix of "Haunted" and Tom Colontonio's take on "Complicated" are equally lovely, and if the Reaves & Ahorn remix of "Détournement" is a bit headache-inducing, well, it's a rare house or trance compilation that can go that long without inducing a headache. [This edition includes a bonus disc featuring seven additional remixes.] ~ Rick Anderson, Rovi