Berlin, Germany · trance

Paul van Dyk pres Essence Of Acid

1 upcoming festival

One of trance's founding figures, three decades in and still building sets around momentum rather than drops. The Essence of Acid project digs back into the 303.

Paul van Dyk is a Berlin-based DJ and producer who has been a central figure in trance since the 1990s, when the city's post-reunification club scene shaped his approach to melodic, long-form electronic music. He has released records for decades and worked steadily as a touring DJ, generally favouring extended arrangements and gradual builds over the shorter, more abrupt structures common in contemporary dance music.

Essence Of Acid is a strand of his work that focuses on the acid sound rooted in the Roland TB-303, drawing on the squelching, filter-swept basslines that connect Chicago acid house to European trance. Sets under the name lean harder on that texture than his standard shows.

trance