Recent Future Music Festival Trance supremo Paul Van Dyk is a towering figure in the history of dance music. Known as one of the original champions of the hard-hitting yet emotive European trance genre it might come a surprise that the German DJ/producer is just about to release his first album in five years. The aptly named "Evolution," is a study in light and dark. Love and pain with track names ranging from "Heart Stops Beating" to "A Wonderful Day,"

"For me, electronic music is about sketching a vibe, an atmosphere," he tells Billboard.com. "I think something we all share and experience at one time or another is being crazy in love, and feeling the pain of it; being in an amazing friendship, and also feeling let down by friends."

PvD collaborates freely on "Evolution," enlisting the partnership of longtime studio buddy, Florida-based DJ/producer Austin Leeds ("We're a really cool mishmash of Miami and Berlin!"), singer/songwriter Plumb, young Russian DJ/producer Arty, and Owl City singer Adam Young, on album stand-out and first single "Eternity."

The duality isn't always lyrical, says van Dyk: It exists between the beats and the words too. "Take [album track] 'Everywhere': The lyrics are quiet and sensitive, rather than straight in your face, but you have this really tough techno sound that drives the whole thing. These are the things that interest me; developing those soundscapes, and to some extent, elements that might not fit together. Those are the textures that make a track really interesting."

"I don't really believe in those marketing-driven, organized by the manager collaborations that are good for the checkbook," he says. "I'm a freak when it comes down to music, especially electronic music. I'm really passionate about it, so the people I work with have to share that passion or it's not going to work. It's not about someone sending a vocal file; it's about developing a piece of music together. This is how I choose the people I work with; vocalists, cowriters, and producers ."