Talking about the background to ‘Music Rescues Me’, Paul said: “though it might have been its seed, this new album is not about music bringing one person back from the brink. Its theme reaches beyond that. This is about music’s ability to open us up, to stimulate mental imagery, to unlock or bring back memories. It’s about its often hard-to-fathom capacity to support us, to get us through our tougher or more challenging times, as well as soundtracking the good ones, and making them even better. This, to me, goes beyond the mere ‘inspirational’. This is something else. That music can ‘unlock’ us, allow us to access emotions and places our mind might not otherwise go to is nothing less than extraordinary. It’s both force and a gift. I feel that’s a big part of what keeps it so magical for me - indeed for all of us. So this album is a celebration of this most mysterious, impalpable and wonderful aspects of music’s nature”.
Equally though you’re going to be hearing co-productions with artists Paul’s in studio partnership with for the first time. “Alan Wyse, Steve Deekay, Saad Ayub, Rafael Osmo, Project 8, Lostly - these are musicians from around the world who, week-in, week-out, we see lighting up the VONYC forums, he says. The producers who’ve really risen in estimation for me. Sound-wise, each one has their own area and represents a different sub-style within our shared field. It’s these shades, grades & tones, meshed with my own, that open up a whole world of new musical angles for this, my ninth album”.
CONGRATULATIONS 🍾— VANDIT Records (@vanditrecords) 8 Δεκεμβρίου 2018
to @PAULVANDYK and the #MusicRescuesMe collab partners! pic.twitter.com/joimxW0swG
With the album on full release, Paul offered a final reading on ‘Music Rescues Me’s title. “The ‘Me’, he clarifies refers to ‘you, me, us - everyone’. ‘Rescue’ means less ‘save’, but more ‘liberate’ or ‘free’. My greatest aspiration for this release is that people - either now, or in years to come – listening to ‘Music Rescues Me’ will find that one of its tracks elevates, alleviates, opens them up, or takes them out of themselves. That’s the point at which I’ll consider it a success”.
paulvandyk.com