In Between

Paul Van Dyk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B000T9886K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,542 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's 2007 and trance has been left for dead. Pop swooped in and cherry-picked the genre's egalitarian appeal, repackaged it, and squeezed the whole thing dry. Meanwhile its other flank was shredded by dance music itself and its brutally dynamic nature, evolving and expanding and making the genre seem simple-minded--or worse, irrelevant. In response, Paul Van Dyk has spent the last several years concocting In Between, which, as its name implies, is an attempt to find a sweet spot connecting the progressive sweep of past efforts like Seven Ways and his own long-simmering commercial instincts. At least as gifted in the studio as he is on the decks, Van Dyk's record glitters with production depth and a veteran's panache. Guest vocalist Lo-Fi Sugar helps turn the lead track "Haunted" into a delightful shimmer, and for a moment we think he might spring an ambient record on us. But that notion is cleanly dismissed by the chunky synths of the electro-house excursion "White Lies," and from there, the DJ attempts with limited success to stuff the usual peaks and valleys into the tight confines of pop songs. He occasionally succeeds: "New York City" is especially good fun, as Van Dyk puts a siren sample in the background that'll have you reaching for your license and registration. But he's squeezed 17 tracks onto this single-disc release, and you can feel the struggle to sustain momentum--shorter tracks like "Talk in Grey" (featuring Ryan Merchant) end just as they might genuinely take off. Nothing sinks in with any depth. Van Dyk is a master practitioner and his efforts to evolve are laudable, but on In Between, his determination to cross over into pop too often mutes his more progressive and compelling instincts. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

The world's #1 DJ Paul van Dyk is back with IN BETWEEN, a dynamic new effort that spotlights his incredible talent as a producer and recording artist. The album features a wide range of collaborations including David Byrne (Talking Heads), Jessica Sutta (Pussycat Dolls), Ashley Tomberlin (Luminary), Alex M.O.R.P.H, Lo Fi Sugar, Rea Garvey (Reamonn), Ryan Merchant and Wayne Jackson. Paul van Dyk received a Grammy nomination in 2005 for Best Dance/Electronic Album for his original album "Reflections" - this marked the first time NARAS recognized this category. His original productions from "Reflections" have been licensed for major television commercials, such as Motorola, Land Rover and most recently for Jeep.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars very blah, March 26, 2008

By 

Big T (7 minutes in the future) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Between (Audio CD)

Very blah tracks. Nothing good or memorable. Simon Cowell would call it "Completely forgettable."

For the best new stuff out try: Cosmic Gate - Back 2 Back 3; Markus Schulz - Amsterdam 08; Sander Van Doorn - Supernaturalistic.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably Paul's weakest release, November 23, 2008

By 

Bulldozer (By the Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Between (Audio CD)

First off, purchase the mp3 release. It contains more tracks and has longer running times than the CD release.

Second, PvD's famous (or infamous) 4-4 beat gets very tiresome here. It plagues just about every track. It works for some of the tracks, but in songs like 'New York City' it just gets ugly repetitive. And when that's pread over 17 tracks, it becomes hard to really distinguish and separate one track from the other.

Some of his best tracks here are 'Another Sunday' and 'La Dolce Vita'. Still, there's nothing quite as memorable, nothing that would stand alone as a classic PVD tune like 'Forbidden Fruit', 'Another Way', or 'Autumn'. I don't believe that these few tracks would, however, justify a purchase of this album except from the most ardent PVD fans and those just generally interested in what one of the world's top DJs produces. For that measure, I would recommend the Global CD/DVD.

On the upside, this album does return PVD more to his dance roots and I appreciate that. We saw a slight departure to a more artistic expression (and commercial) with Reflections (see my review) and him experimenting with hip-hop wasn't exactly a well-received experiment. But to be honest, Reflections sounds refreshing compared to this. Reflections had a bit of filler, but tracks like 'Time of our Lives', 'Reflections', and of course, the euphoric 'Nothing But You' were sonic heaven-- and all three tracks sounded different.

Still nothing beats a PVD live set or a PVD remix thrown in a PVD set, and the remixes for New York City and White Lies are rather good. Unfortunately, In Between is an album best served in small doses rather than in a large, single serving.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough Trance for me, April 7, 2008

By 

Crystal S. Mccollough "trixiekiddo" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Between (Audio CD)

The only song I really loved was the first, "Haunted." The rest was just okay and the last song was no good at all! I usually love Paul Van Dyk, but for some reason, this CD didn't do it for me.