[6] A trance producer starting in the early 1990s, van Dyk quickly achieved popularity with his remix of "Love Stimulation" by Humate on the record label MFS in 1993[7] and with his hit single "For an Angel".

[8] He indicated in an interview that he ended up giving himself the Belgian-sounding stage name because he used to incorporate many Belgian dance records into his DJ sets in the early 1990s.

"[14] Shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, van Dyk and his mother were given permission to leave East Germany and moved to Hamburg to live with his aunt.

[15] After several more dates, he was given the chance to perform at Andre'Hoche's Dubmission parties in the Turbine club[clarification needed], together with the young resident DJ Kid Paul.

[18] Their single "Perfect Day" was released by the Berlin independent label MFS, run by English expatriate producer Mark Reeder and manager Torsten Jurk.

By late summer, Paul released his first DJ-mix compilation "X-Mix-1 – the MFS Trip" and remixed Humate's trance hymn "Love Stimulation".

[20] MFS label owner Mark Reeder's close friendship with artists such as New Order[21] gave van Dyk the opportunity to mix the track "Spooky" from the Republic album.

The singles "Forbidden Fruit" and "Beautiful Place" did not cause a great impact at first but, with the release of Seven Ways and "Words" appearing at the height of the British superclub phenomenon, van Dyk's own material began to attract attention.

Van Dyk took up a residency at Sheffield's Gatecrasher and declared himself anti-drugs,[25] which led to home-made "No E, Pure PvD" T-shirts,[26] also a sly note to journalists that his surname contained no "E".

In 2000, van Dyk flexed his skills with his melodic, dancefloor-friendly Out There and Back, which included the hit single "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)", a collaboration with Saint Etienne.

[28] Reflections (2003) inspired by van Dyk's trips to India, was a more melancholy affair,[29] and includes the single "Nothing But You", a collaboration with Hemstock & Jennings.

The mix album The Politics of Dancing 2 (2005) was preceded by a single "The Other Side," featuring Wayne Jackson; a song dedicated to the victims, and their families, of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that struck Thailand on 26 December 2004.

His original productions from Reflections have been synced into major motion pictures such as Into the Blue, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, television's Entertainment Tonight and MTV Cribs, and international ad campaigns for Motorola, HBO, Land Rover, Ski Vail and most recently for Jeep.

[31] The album was produced primarily by Paul van Dyk himself, and features a wide range of collaborators including David Byrne of Talking Heads, Jessica Sutta of the Pussycat Dolls, Ashley Tomberlin from Luminary, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Lo Fi Sugar, Rea Garvey of Reamonn, Ryan Merchant and Wayne Jackson.

[32] Van Dyk's work with EA Games has resulted in multiple releases featuring his music in Mirror's Edge, Need for Speed: Underground 2 and Grand Slam Tennis.

[33] The song was released on the film's soundtrack, and helped the album win a Grammy Award[34] that Paul van Dyk shares with his collaborators.

On 9 November 2009, van Dyk performed alongside Northern Ireland vocalist Johnny McDaid at the Berlin Wall 20th Anniversary Memorial.

On 29 February 2016, during the A State of Trance Festival in Utrecht, van Dyk fell through a concealed gap in the stage during his performance, and was transported to a local hospital.

[41][42][43][44] Van Dyk began a light touring schedule mid-June 2016, including Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Cream at Amnesia in Ibiza, and Luminosity Festival in the Netherlands.

[49] On 29 February 2024, van Dyk disclosed on social media that due to the fall incident in 2016, he has suffered life long consequences and he is still not well.

[50] He also stated that even though the Nederlands high court had awarded him damages against ALDA, he had not yet been paid anything and that they even tried to stop his insurance from paying him the hospital bills.