EDITORIAL:
MUSIC
Been There, Done
DJ god Paul Oakenfold wanted to try something new -- he fronts
his own band
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by gerald poindexter
 Some
people dislike Paul Oakenfold enough to have made him the centerpiece
of an unflattering Internet game: Slap A Superstar DJ.
That’s right, simply point-and-click on a conveniently supplied
headshot of the bespectacled one. You’ll then hear a cartoonish
“thwack” followed by his facial features distorting
from the force of the blow. Literally, before you can say “Three
Stooges,” you’ve become an Oakenfold-basher, a Web-enabled
Moe to his Curly.
As arguably the world’s most visible disc-spinner, Oakenfold,
39, will forever be linked with the current era of the Superstar
DJ – an in-demand, globetrotting, obscenely-paid (his rumored
fee: $140,000 for a large festival gig) icon – in the same
way Cindy Crawford embodied the early-to mid-‘90s zenith of
the supermodel.
Those critical of him revile his fame and fortune, and probably,
his straightforward turntable technique. Certainly, he’s no
three-deck virtuoso like Carl Cox (ironically, another “Slap”
target) or a new breed, X-Ecutioners-type acrobat. However, Oakenfold
seemingly gives dance and electronic music fans more reasons to
pucker up than sucker punch him in the kisser. At his best, he delivers
a solid trance set – beautiful and ballistic, multi-layered
and polyrhythmic. Judging from the countless emotional plateaus
and climaxes among blissed-out dancers, he merits the superstar
tag, even if he finds it curious.
“Superstar DJ? That’s just a media brand,” Oakenfold
remarked recently from Miami. “What does it mean and does
anyone really care?”
His strained tone reflects his arrival from Brazil hours earlier.
It also suggests exhaustion with his own brand. Sure, Oakenfold
is the talent behind mix CD sales in the millions and the force
that helped transform a sleepy Spanish Island named Ibiza into Party
Central. Despite those credentials, he’ll tell you he’s
got more to offer – if anyone (friends and foes, alike) are
open to listening.
ANOTHER ASPECT
“I’m a bit nervous. Hopefully, they’ll appreciate
it and go along with it,” he says before that night’s
Miami show.
Instead of the headline performer, Oakenfold sounds more like the
humbled, self-professed “little DJ from South London”
– the one U2 tapped as the opening act for 1992’s 18-month
“Zoo TV” global trek. Back then, he had to win over
30,000-plus U2 fans packing stadiums. Now, he’s headlining
his first-ever tour with his own band.
It’s all part of a new career phase corresponding with “Bunkka”
the 11-song collection released last July, that Oakenfold feels
absolutely had to happen.
“I need to grow
as an artist,” he said, emphasizing his desire to
forego another mix CD. “There’s not point in that. I’ve
done that. ‘Grow, develop and move on.’ I wanted to
do something that represented my experiences in the music industry.
I’ve been involved in dance music, hip hop, rock…”
“Bunkka” is a slickly-produced (by Oakenfold and longtime
collaborator Steve Osborne), cameo-filled album. Lyrically, it offers
little personal insight, but musically, it reveals an Oakenfold
not everyone knows. The trance and techno anthems for which he’s
normally associated are curtailed in favor of songs like the bombastic,
rock n’ rap flavored “Get Em Up” featuring Ice
Cube and the radio-friendly single “Starry Eyed Surprise”
featuring Crazytown’s Shifty Shellshock. Each reflects the
boyish, mid-‘80s Oakenfold who was a talent rep signing commercially
flavored rap acts Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and Salt N Pepa
to UK album deals.
Would anyone still want to slap him if they knew that he also worked
for edgier hip-hop stalwarts Profile and Def Jam? Or that his house
and techno label Perfecto is about to celebrate it’s 10th
anniversary?
Probably not, but likable sides of
Oakenfold turn up on this album – just like he planned.
“I also wanted the album to reflect my growing up listening
to songs on the radio. That’s all I listened to as a kid.”
Consequently, Euro-fluffy “Southern Sun” and trip hop-ish
“Hold Your Hand” are accessible kernels with pop and
car commercial potential; “Zoo York,” an instrumental,
and “Nixon’s Spirit, a spoken-word trip by gonzo journalist
Hunter S. Thompson, stoke Oakenfold’s darker recesses; and
“Motion” and “Time of Your Life” featuring
Perry Farrell, elicit the dance-rock vibe that Oakenfold and Osborne
crafted in the early ‘90s (as producers/remixers for New Order,
Happy Mondays and Stone Roses).
“If I was ever going to do my own artist album,” he
reflects, “it needed to be truly based on what I was about,
while adding another aspect to what I do.”
Now, with the album off
and running, comes the challenge that had him stressed in Miami
– balancing his DJ and artist persona. In concert, he’ll
be diplomatic, spinning a one-hour DJ set, with seven songs from
“Bunkka” and one from his score to the film Swordfish
(which, sorry Paul, is only memorable for Halle Berry’s poolside
adventure).
Onstage, Oakenfold keeps it real, plus adds a strong dose of virtual
appeal. He’ll replicate his “Bunkka” studio –
keyboards, programming, computer-generated noises, while being joined
by guitarist Tim Hutton (Groove Armada) and drummer John Tonks (Tricky).
Behind them will be filmed and computer enhanced images of the guest
vocalists from the album.
Overall, while possibly still nervous, he’s Oakenfold sounds
confident.
“I realize that
I’m fortunate. I can turn up with a box of records and DJ.
I can turn up with my DJ/production show (console, screen and a
movie). Or I can turn up with my band. I’m very lucky to be
in this position and it’s something I’ve strived to
do. Hopefully, everyone will like it.”
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