Paul Van Dyk Out There And Back CD

Paul van Dyk, Germany's most prominent trance producer at the turn of the century, edged forward creatively on his third studio album, Out There and Back. Whereas his past two albums, 45 RPM (1994) and Seven Ways (1996), were fairly straight-ahead affairs similar in approach to a trance DJ mix dotted with anthemic moments such as "For an Angel" and "Forbidden Fruit," this third album is more eclectic, with distinctive songs and a greater emphasis on vocals. In fact, those listeners with an affection for mid-'90s trance might be disappointed by the eclecticism on display here. "Another Way" is an early highlight, sequenced as the third track. The one-two punch of "Avenue" and "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)" a couple tracks later stands out as the album centerpiece. As with most albums of this type, Out There and Back drags a little toward the end, but everything considered, this is still a more well-rounded and thus engaging album than van Dyk's previous two and, certainly, most others in the trance bin. ~ Jason Birchmeier
Paul Van Dyk was born in Eisenhuttenstadt, in former East Germany, and came to Berlin in the late '90s, lured there by the burgeoning techno and house scenes. It's amazing to think that Van Dyk only began deejaying in 1991, and in a single decade, reached further than most DJs will in a lifetime, imprinting his sound and style upon the dance music world's trance scene which first erupted in 1999.
OUT THERE AND BACK gives an idea why dance music bible Mixmag named Van Dyk its man of the year in 1999, writing "In his hands, the music is powerful, emotional and never cheesy, just the way it should be." OUT THERE AND BACK sports flawless mixing and a number of exceptional tracks that span trance, progressive house, and future soul music. Van Dyk's peaks-and-valleys mixing, a sound that has become the hallmark of the trance experience, dominates. This double-CD features a continuous mix on Disc One and remixes of "Tell Me Why," "Face to Face," and "Together We Will Conquer" on Disc Two.

2-CD;All New Tracks In One Continuous Mix;Bonus Remix DisRolling Stone (1/4/01, p.118) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000".
Rolling Stone (8/3/00, pp.52,54) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A soulful, perfectly sculpted work of epic trance..."
Q (8/00, p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A crisp, precision-tooled work, which draws a line under ATB, Alice Deejay and similar evils done in the name of trance and starts afresh..."
Alternative Press (10/00, p.78) - 4 out of 5 - "...In its orchestration of (dancefloor) highs and lows, OUT THERE... is as functional as wheels."
Mixmag (6/00, p.168) - 5 out of 5 - "...A sleek, gleaming behemoth of an album, precision-tooled to deliver the most delirious highs imaginable but intent on finding new ways to do it..."
CMJ (6/19/00, p.24) - "...An endearing, emotional symphony that should transcend mere dance floors..."
NME (Magazine) (6/17/00, p.42) - 8 out of 10 - "...If you've ever been within rump-shaking distance of a dancefloor, you'll know why this demands your respect..."