Paul Oakenfold- There is truly no bigger buzz than DJing
Author: Michelle Pirovich
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
On the Great Wall Tour
"Over the last 16-17 months I have focused on doing unusual shows, from going up to Alaska, Nevada, Hollywood Bowl and Great Wall. I have been touring China for six years, so when they approached me to do Great Wall I was really excited because I was up for the challenge of taking DJing from beyond the usual realms of a nightclub - and it was a wonderful experience."
"You need to get government permission to perform on the Great Wall of China, so it took a year to organise and set up. The party started at sunset and went to sunrise and was quite strange in many respects- the army security, we had to bring in generators for light and sound and half way through the night it started raining and we panicked because we thought people might get electric shocks. The Chinese loved it though, the rain means good luck and as we were all covering up; they were dancing and looking up into the sky."
"The average wage in China is 10-15 pound a month, the promoter was charging 5 pound which is still a lot of money. So the crowd was people who had more money, who probably were a bit more educated, travelled and receptive to change and influences in music."
On making albums
"Great Wall is my first mix album in years, my first album which I was very proud of sold half a million in America and went gold in the UK, so I wanted to go back to grass roots and do a DJ mix, no studio effects just two turntables and a mixer, its very straight to the point."
"It's a lot harder to make your own album and I'm very proud of Bunkka. It took me a couple of years to make and the idea was to represent musically the experiences I have had from working with rappers to rock vocalists. Being a fan of Hunter S Thompson I managed to talk him into a collaboration which was difficult because he isn't a singer, but we managed to figure something out that would work. It's hard to make your own record; it really is, just saying that though I'm making another one now."
On working in LA
"In LA I arrive, work and come home. I rarely go out in LA; I'm a workaholic. Honestly the level of professionalism in Los Angeles is unbelievable, only the strongest survive there; you're given a chance and if you don't cut it then forget it. There is so much pressure and so much money involved with what you do there, that you don't want to be going out and partying."
On remixing Elvis
"When they asked me to do it, I didn't know if I wanted to go down that road, I had never even heard of 'Rubbernecking'. They had asked Timberland to do a remix also so I took it on as a challenge. Could I take this record and give it a contemporary feel and keep the integrity of the artist and make it a pop hit worldwide. It was a really big challenge for me just to see if I could do it."
On the music business
"It's a wonderful business to be in cos you can wear so many different hats; I never thought I would see the world through a box of records and be given the opportunity to work with so many talented people. I have been very lucky, I love making music and I work very selfishly by making music for myself. I'm just very lucky that people like what I do."
On what being a DJ is all about
"Honestly, I think first and foremost the most enjoyment I get is playing music to people. I only realized 6 years ago that maybe that's what I have been put on earth to do. I was an A&R man, I ran a record company, I was producing, remixing and DJing was always a hobby, it was last on the list but it was what I loved the most. I don't necessarily like the travel; I don't like anything else that comes with the DJing other than the turntables, mixer and crowd. There is truly no bigger buzz than performing in front of people and seeing the response on their faces."
"On the decks you are in dire Tags