Talking about Paul Oakenfold is like searching for that word on the tip of your tongue. You know you’ve heard of him before. You can explain his career without being too specific. Your non-clubkid friends do that thing where they nod and stare because they have no idea who you’re talking about. Then you drop a detail, say, “Starry Eyed Surprise,” and suddenly, everyone is right there with you.
He’s the biggest disc jockey in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records and the only DJ in Hard Rock Cafe’s Rock & Roll Museum, yet he isn’t doing it for the fame.
“The worst mistake you make is wanting to be a celebrity,” he says during a phone interview. “You should focus on what you’re good at and if for some reason you become a celebrity, then good.”
The 42-year-old king of the club scene has been mixing music since he was 16. He was one of the first to bring electronica to the socialite scene of Ibiza – a Spanish island in the Mediterranean known for its raunchy nightlife – after establishing himself in London. These earlier years also landed him a job as an Artists & Repertoire (A&R) representative at UK-famous Champion records, where he cemented his skills by signing Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, then followed up with Salt-N-Pepa.
These days, he combines his skills as an artist, DJ and producer. He owns his own label, Perfecto; he remixes songs for Madonna; and now, he’s about to release his second album, A Lively Mind, which follows the 2002 success of his artistic premier, Bunkka. Both these albums merely complement the success he has had with producing DJ-session and remix albums since the late ’80s.
“I play a lot of my own music and I make a lot of my own music so I don’t see that much of a difference between my artist work and my DJ work,” he explains.
But even if the only thing you know is his name or “Starry Eyed Surprise,” the rest of the world is certainly paying attention. In 2005, his music was seen in commercials for Coca-Cola, Toyota, Motorola and Saab. Recently he’s begun making music for films such as Swordfish – a movie more famous for exposing Halle Berry’s breasts than the featured music.
“I just spent time working hard and believing in who I was,” Oakenfold says in a way that a guidance counselor might speak to his promising students. “I never thought I’d be invited to score a $90 million film or doing any of these things. They weren’t even dreams, they were beyond dreams.”
On his new album, Oakenfold features both lesser- and well-known stars, choosing to use fewer high-profile personalities (and fulfilling more dreams) than he did on his previous album, which featured Ice Cube, Nelly Furtado and the last recorded performance by Hunter S. Thompson.
“I like the idea of finding new talent, or bringing new talent through and encouraging it,” he explains. “It really interests me.”
Vocalists for A Lively Mind include new faces like Spitfire and Ashley from Bad Apples among established performers like Pharrell Williams and one of Oakenfold’s “heroes,” Grandmaster Flash. Most surprisingly, however, is the use of actor Brittany Murphy in his first single, which will hit radios next month.
Oakenfold, who lives in Los Angeles, suggested that this album will be “much bigger” in England, but if you’re an American technophile or simply looking to dance alongside a famous DJ, you can see him April 10 at Wet, 209 W. Lake St., doing a set that will feature eight of the 12 songs from A Lively Mind. The album will follow, with a scheduled release date of June 6.
Medill sophomore Kurt Soller is a PLAY writer. He can be reached at [email protected].
