Paul Van Dyk is one of the few trance DJs with a sure touch in the producer's chair as well as the DJ booth.
Reflections,
Van Dyk's first album of new productions in three years, illustrates that his long years of
Smiths/
New Order fandom left him with a good sense for a sublime hook. While not a pop album by any means,
Van Dyk did write songs for
Reflections, and collaborated with several artists, all of them obscure and strictly to type (
Vega 4 equals
Dirty Vegas,
Jan Johnston equals
Sarah Cracknell). "Like a Friend" is a standout: a sublime melody and an unencumbered backing track prove the perfect setup for
Johnston's sincere platitudes about friendship ("Be aware of the world/And be true to your conscience"). Most of the songs here are detached in their attempts at euphoria, always with a strong melody linked to a percussion line that sits back and waits for several minutes to elapse before fading away. [In 2004 Mute released a special edition featuring a bonus disc of eight remixes.] ~ John Bush