Out There and Back is the third studio album by Paul van Dyk. It was released in 2000 and is the first album released on his own Vanditrecord label. It can be seen as Paul van Dyk's breakthrough album. Several editions include a bonus CD.
The album is partially inspired by the science fiction film Contact (1997). The track "Another Way" would later be featured during a chase sequence of an episode from What's New, Scooby-Doo? while its B-side, "Avenue", would be used in the soundtrack of Wipeout 3.
^Alternative Press (10/00, p.78) - 4 out of 5 - "...In its orchestration of (dancefloor) highs and lows, OUT THERE... is as functional as wheels."
^Mixmag (6/00, p.168) - 5 out of 5 - "...A sleek, gleaming behemoth of an album, precision-tooled to deliver the most delirious highs imaginable but intent on finding new ways to do it..."
^NME (Magazine) (6/17/00, p.42) - 8 out of 10 - "...If you've ever been within rump-shaking distance of a dancefloor, you'll know why this demands your respect..."
^Q (8/00, p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A crisp, precision-tooled work, which draws a line under ATB, Alice Deejay and similar evils done in the name of trance and starts afresh..."
^Rolling Stone (8/3/00, pp.52,54) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A soulful, perfectly sculpted work of epic trance..."