High-voltage performer

Growing up in communist East Berlin during the 1980s before the fall of the Berlin Wall, pioneering German electronic artist-DJ Paul van Dyk relied solely on what he calls “the actual waveform of music which came through the radio” to discover and fall in love with bands like New Order and the Smiths.

But appreciating these artists strictly for their sound made him uninterested in and even uncomfortable with the idea that being a pop star today means becoming a visible celebrity as well as a musician.

“This whole pop star stuff -- I cannot really deal with that so much,” Van Dyk says. “When I met [New Order vocalist] Bernard Sumner -- I was a huge New Order fan -- I didn’t even ask for an autograph. I was just like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ -- sort of easygoing.”

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the restaurant in his New York City hotel, Van Dyk certainly doesn’t come across as someone who would spin tunes for fans later that evening at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, in conjunction with the release of his fourth artist album, “Reflections.” The 31-year-old wears an unassuming black long-sleeved shirt that matches his affable, down-to-earth attitude -- a manner typical of someone who automatically refills your water glass upon seeing it’s empty, as he does during conversation.

The only part of his demeanor that betrays his hectic, globe-trotting lifestyle is the fact that Van Dyk is perpetually in motion. Rejuvenated by a nap after flying in from Germany hours before, he emphasizes his words with animated hand gestures that underscore but don’t distract from his thoughts.

Yet this inability to sit still suggests not restlessness but the relentless ambition and tireless work ethic that helped him evolve into one of the world’s preeminent electronic artists over the last decade.

In the early 1990s, with Germany unified and hard-edged Detroit techno infiltrating Berlin clubs, Van Dyk began writing and recording his own music. He collaborated with German trance-master Cosmic Baby under the moniker the Visions of Shiva for his debut single, “Perfect Day,” which had an immediate effect upon its release in 1992.

“I always had this idea of what I really liked listening to,” Van Dyk says. “After I had the possibility of working in the studio, I knew, ‘OK, this is what I want to do.’ I started to learn everything. For me, it’s very important to actually have a creative say in every single process, from songwriting to producing and engineering.”

During the ensuing years, Van Dyk used his rapidly increasing technical knowledge to remix songs by BT, U2 and New Order and revolutionize trance and techno with his own tunes. Dance chart hits “For an Angel” and “Another Way” featured his trademark stomping beats and dreamy synth squiggles that ebbed and flowed with cathartic rushes of emotion.

He also became an extraordinary live DJ thanks to continuous continent-hopping, earning residencies on the glamorous Spanish island hot spot Ibiza, the Gatecrasher night at London’s Heaven and at now-defunct clubs like NYC’s Twilo and Berlin’s E-Werk.

“People don’t really believe you if you say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to Australia over the weekend.’ It’s just like, ‘Yeah sure,’ ” he says. “In Germany, people save their money to make their once-in-a-lifetime trip to America to have holiday. I’m coming to the States on a nearly monthly basis over the weekend. It’s very, very exhausting. To do what I do on the level that I’m doing it, it’s pretty much a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job.”

Still, “Reflections” arguably contains the most focused and energized songs of his career. Alongside typically melodic, brisk house anthems (such as “Homage,” a tribute to his wife), Van Dyk dabbles in pop-rock (“Time of Our Lives,” a collaboration with British rockers Vega 4) and works with soulful singer Jan Johnston on the down-tempo, chill-out cut “Like a Friend.”

Van Dyk became inspired to write “Friend” in particular after a DJ gig in Bombay, India, in late 2002, during which he saw firsthand the extreme poverty children face there. Now working closely with the Indian charity group Akanksha, which provides education and food to underprivileged youth, he says the experience matured and changed his music.

“I saw the responsibility of actually writing about issues, making people aware that there is something wrong,” Van Dyk says. “It moved me so much, and I always try to actually write music about issues that keep me up all night.”

Indeed, the knowledge that as an artist he is able to exert influence and make a difference is in part why Van Dyk tolerates the global spotlight, despite his self-effacing personality.”As much as I dislike being photographed, it is very important to make people understand that I want to actually bring something across,” he says. “Call it a message, call it whatever, but I hope that people actually reflect on my music and what my music says.”

Annie Zaleski can be contacted at weekend@latimes.com.

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DJ Paul van Dyk

What: Reflections tour

Where: Mayan Theater, 1038 S. Hill St., L.A .

When: Next Thursday, doors open at 9 p.m.

Cost: $30

Info: (323) 769-5628 or www.groovetickets.com