It's December 8th and trance legend, Paul Van Dyk, has just released his 9th studio album. That night I arrive to The Great Hall, a space within Avant Gardner, Brooklyn's newest multi-club venue that has become NYC's epicenter for dance music over the past year (also home to Brooklyn Mirage and Kings Hall) ready for the show of a lifetime.
To kick things off Paul had Aly & Fila opening up for him, each would have 3 hours at the decks to take New York City on a wild ride through the night. Aly & Fila played a progressive trance set to get the chilly city warmed up, and Fadi (of Aly & Fila) made sure it was extra toasty before handing the ropes over to PVD around 1am.
First off, there's something to say about Paul's performance style. Even in the age we live in, he still plays with a live setup and reads/interacts with the crowd he's playing to. That's something I'll always respect about him — he's a true musician, not just a DJ.
Paul brought energy right out of the gate and seeded songs from his album Music Rescues Me throughout the 3 hour marathon. Favorites of mine to hear live from the album were Aurora and Moments With You. The full album is phenomenal to say the least, and worth a full listen from start to finish. If you haven't listened yet – stream it below, or linked here. The album climbed up to #1 on iTunes dance charts around the world within just hours of it's release.
Throughout Paul's set we also heard a lot of his more recent hits such as Inhale, From Then On, and Stronger Together. Some PVD classics were added to the mix to get everyone charged up, such as Home, where the crowd sang along, and of course dropping his 2007 hit New York City reminding us why Paul Van Dyk can always call our city ‘home'.
Paul closed the night out by playing his single off the new album, Music Rescues Me (a massive hit), around 4am with the crowd still 100% engaged and leaving us chanting ‘Paul Van Dyk' for more once it was all over.
Thank you for blessing New York City once again, Paul. Come back home soon.
