The Politics of Dancing [Original recording reissued]

Paul Van Dyk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Ministry of Sound Us
• ASIN: B00005R5MX
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,322 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #26 in Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Trance

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Digital Reason- Ashtrax

2. Innocence- Joker Jam

3. First- Private Taste

4. Feeling Good- Jimpy

5. Vega- Paul Van Dyk

6. TBC.- Southern Comfort

7. Iio - Rapture (Tastes So Sweet)

8. So Alive- Sippin Soma

9. Killin' Me- Timo Maas

10. B.W.Y.- Maja Na Damu

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Shout C'mon - Sagitaire

2. Epic Monolith - Micro De Govia

3. Massive - Ralphie B

4. Questions Must Be Asked - David Forbes

5. Activity - Way Out West

6. Interference - Connector

7. Secrets & Lies - Blank & Jones

8. Reach Me - Lexicon 4

9. Reset - Jamnesia

10. Into The Night - 4 String

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Considering his uber-DJ status, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that The Politics Of Dancing (and, presumably, feeling good) is the first-ever mixed outing from one of dance music's most reluctant figureheads. Having said in the past that he didn't think he could bring the atmosphere of a club to a compilation, it has taken the full weight of the ubiquitous Ministry to persuade the legendary Berliners to their turntables for a steroid-pumped two hours of music. Despite his aversion to the term, rippling Eurotrance is the order of the day here, with Van Dyk stamping his authority by way of no less than 11 of his own tracks or remixes scattered across two seamlessly mixed compact discs, the tracklisting for which has also been dissected and rebuilt in the studio into what amounts to a series of exclusive versions. Message understood? --Kingsley Marshall

Product Description

With several releases under his belt of his own original tunes, Paul Van Dyk, puts together a killer mix CD including tracks from Joker Jam, Iio, Timo Maas, Way Out West, Blank & Jones, David Forbes, Sipping Soma and more. Ministry Of Sound. Slipcase. 200

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the starving trance soul!, November 20, 2001

By 

Daniel Ambrus (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Politics of Dancing (Audio CD)

I must admit i had reservations about buying this CD at first, fearing another lapse into the monotone and dying Digweed-ian prog-trance sound which is so over used and worn by now. What i actually heard after popping the Politics of Dancing into my CD player absolutely amazed me! I was right in one thing: this IS prog trance, but not like i ever heard it before. This is absolutely a top class and beautiful release equally good for spine tingling, bass pounding party atmosphere, while being cool enough to listen to while chilling out or doing homework. Let your volume knob adjust for either case.

PvD starts things out with infectious vocals and rolling bass in Ashtrax - Digital Reason, which then leads into one of his own brilliant remixes, followed by a track made world famous by Max Graham, 'First' by Private taste, an amazing journey into deep progressive. Just when you settle into your prog groove, Paul turns it up a notch with his own mix of the universal club hit 'Rapture' followed by two more songs with excellent vocals and bass, esp. 'Superconscious' will have you humming under your breath after the CD is over and wanting to hear it again. His remix of 'Elevation' tops the original in my opinion by miles, and 'Furthermost' by Solicitous is enough to give me chills for all the awesome deep synths it has. Paul closes disc one with one of his favorites (and mine) 'Second Sun' by Empire, a track you've surely heard if you've seen him live recently, and the last song is his very own floorfiller, 'out There.'

Disc 2 is more of the same, including club giants Sagitaire and Ralphie B, and Paul's own discovery, 'interference' by Connector, which has since become a staple of prog trance music. Blank and Jones's most recent cut spices things up towards the middle much like 'Rapture' on the first disc, which is topped only by 4 Strings' 'Into the Night' one of the best uplifting tunes of the year. 'Starchildren' is the clincher of the set, a beautiful and yet un-cheesy uplifting vocal trance song, another van Dyk favorite, and with good reason.

What more can i say? The sound is worth a million words. You will be glad you bought Paul van Dyk's first ever mixed release. 5 stars.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PvD Takes it to the Next Dimension, November 7, 2001

By 

David Falsberg (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Politics of Dancing (Audio CD)

I was a little wary of this album only because PvD's recent e.p. productions have lacked the ethereal depth that was Paul's signature in "Seven Ways" and "Out There..." It is too early to tell where this new CD stands on my all-time greatest list, but the "Politics of Dancing" is definitely one of the finest products I have heard in a very long time.

CD1 is PvD light. Paul remixing and composing, the best of which are his own "Autumn" and Subsky's "Four Days".
He shows what he can do with mainstream pop like U2's "Elevation", a brilliant remix but not half as engaging as many of the electronica pieces. CD2 is in the heavyweight dimension, though what's so captivating about PvD's work is that it never bludgeons you with its brilliance. The CD plays like a seamless soundtrack from another planet. Paul takes diverse pieces, remixes and compiles so everything has that precious PvD sound. It's hard to pick favorites when the mix is so seamless, just for right now I choose 4 String's "Into the Night."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two worlds, mixed together., November 9, 2001

By 

"trancefan" (Aurora, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Politics of Dancing (Audio CD)

Since the beginning of his producing career, PvD has had a split personality. He was either a standout DJ rocking clubs for hours, or a producer of the deepest, most meaningful trance music many (including myself) have ever heard. Paul has devoted time to both of these equally important fields, yet they are extremely different. Before anything else, let me set up the context for this cd.

PvD as a DJ:
As a DJ, he can make anyplace jump. He is known the world around for being able to hype up a crowd with non-stop beats until early morning. He commands precise power over the turntables that few have ever been able to match. I know this because last month he came to my state for the first time ever, and I had the unbelievable honor of getting to see him. So what if I was underage? It was definitely worth obtaining a fake ID to get in. The point is, those who are lucky enough to see him live, can truly appreciate the skill and talent he has in the booth. His is not a DJ set you will forget the next morning.

PvD as a producer:
As a producer, he can create depth to the music that in my opinion so many other artists lack. His music isn't just a catchy melody with a steady beat like so much of the genre has become. He can blend together sounds like the leader of a fine orchestra. The depth and feeling in his music produces a "wall" of sound that hits you with full force when you crank up the volume, and drift away...

Until now, both of these worlds were too far apart to compare. You can love him as a DJ, or love his music as a producer, but if someone asked me which was better, there would be no way I could answer. Apparently, Paul wanted to bridge the gap between two realms when he made this album. He has "produced" a DJ set. He has reworked tracks to make them his own, then mixed them all together. If ever both sides of his music could be compiled into one cd, this is it.

You hear his outstanding tracks like "Autumn" and you hear fabulous remixes of other songs. This album is definitely unlike any other album I have ever heard. If you are new to this genre of music, you will become a fan with this cd. But I especially recommend this cd to any true PvD fan, as you will understand its significance on a higher level. This is not an ordinary DJ mix cd. No, it is a Paul Van Dyk cd, in a category of its own.