Interview with Paul Oakenfold

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 Pin It

First off, let me start by complimenting you that your set at ASOT 500 was full of impeccable IDs that brought the old school trance memories right back. How was it playing at Den Bosch and what were your thoughts while preparing the set?

I really enjoyed playing at ASOT 500 Den Bosch. When preparing my set, I wanted to feature a lot of new music and fresh new remixes of classic Perfecto tracks.

They say, in the last decade, crowds controlled the DJs… today the DJs control the crowd, what are your views on the proliferation of dance music?

I always felt that it’s very important to control the crowd, and when I say that I mean I have a vision of where I want to take them musically and affect how they feel. Someone has to and everyone looks toward the DJ to do that.

You’ve single-handedly created several party destinations like Ibiza and Las Vegas. If you were to put a finger on an Asian country/region you think has great potential, which would it be and why?

The Asian country/region would be any of the islands in Thailand county or of-course GOA in India. I find them entrancing, no pun intended.

You’ve done all kinds of music – Progressive, Psy, Pop, Hip-Hop & Films too. What do you have to say about these newer breed of artists who are rigid and want to stick to a particular genre?

I would tell them not to stick to a certain genre of music. Electronic music is not meant to be about one sound. You should be more open-minded, don’t limit your creativity.

Now that film music production takes majority of your time, how was the evolution for you as an EDM producer? And who’s your favourite music producer (films)?

My favorite music composers are Harry Gregson-Williams, Clint Mansell and Hans Zimmer.

It’s common to ask a legend like you that who according to you are the future of Trance, but we thought let’s ask you, if you were to remix some of the newer tracks, which one’s would they be? And why?

I wouldn’t remix newer tracks. I’m very near to completing my artist album and I’ll be using a lot of young DJs/producers to do remixes on my own work which is the direction I am going in for now with remix talents like Robert Vadney, Kenneth Thomas, Adam White, Nat Monday and Kid DJ.

You were a chef. So how did the transition from cooking on a pan to spinning on the decks happen?

I was young I needed a job and I was interested in the Culinary Arts. My father was a musician so I was trained young and always had that in my heart but the two are very independent of each other career wise and didn’t really influence each other.

If there was one tune that made Paul Oakenfold THE "Paul Oakenfold", which one would it be? And why? Also tell us the story behind it?

I suppose the biggest hits that I had today all contributed to my success. And that I sold over a million records all off of my first artist album ‘Bunkka’. The story behind it is that I found it very hard to make because it was based on songs, full vocals. Something most electronic music artists don’t do.

Was there ever a saturation point in your career? The time you actually thought of doing something new and bring before your fans a new aspect of electronica?

I’ve always strived to bring very different and varied aspects of the electronic world to my fans. Some of the fans will like what you do and some won’t. As an artist you always have to push yourself to the next step and follow your instincts or we would never evolve.

You are part of this massive 5 disc compilation titled ‘A State Of Trance 500′. What journey are you taking us Trance fans to, in your compilation?

On the compilation, I was asked to represent some of my classics and some of my new material which is what I’ve done. I think it’s great when I can revisit some of my older material, remaster it and serve up to new fans that never had the chance to experience the original release years ago. Some of which was only available on vinyl.

Now that Perfecto Recordings is part of Armada Music, how do you think this partnership will evolve?

Perfecto is distributed by Armada and I honestly believe that they are the best at what they do so I think our partnership will work really well. We are a powerful team together and it helps Perfecto’s music reach more fans worldwide.

What do we have to do to get you back to play in India?

I’ve actually been to India 5 times; I’ve also played in GOA, Mumbai, and Delhi. I’ve always had great parties and good times there. I’ve also have very good friends in India and they will see me again.

Message for your fans.

Thank you for everyone’s support, I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

For more info related to Paul Oakenfold check out the following links:
www.pauloakenfold.com
www.twitter.com/pauloakenfold
www.facebook.com/Oakenfold
www.myspace.com/pauloakenfold

Written by: Apoorv & Nikhil
Compiled by: Priyank

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