Paul van Dyk

Matthias Paul, known as Paul van Dyk, grew up in East Berlin hearing the outside world through smuggled mixtapes and Western radio, a route that led him to the top of the international DJ polls. The German producer has been tied to trance since the early 1990s, and his Belgian-sounding stage name, he has said, came from the Belgian records he played in his early sets. In 2003 his album Reflections made him the first artist nominated for a Grammy in the new Best Dance/Electronic Album category.

A 1993 remix of Humate's "Love Stimulation" for Berlin's MFS label brought him early attention, followed by the hit "For an Angel". Seven Ways was his first real success in Britain and was voted the No. 1 album by DJ Magazine readers. Out There and Back (2000) included "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)" with Saint Etienne. Reflections, shaped by his trips to India, featured "Nothing But You" with Hemstock & Jennings. DJ Magazine named him world No. 1 in 2005 and 2006, and by 2008 he had sold over three million albums. VONYC Sessions, his radio show, reached 1000 episodes in January 2026.