PAUL OAKENFOLD
May 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Stacia Monteith
Paul Oakenfold peeks around the corner of Amoeba Music in Hollywood, obviously eager to get inside. He politely finishes with the photographer while passers-by pretend not to ogle the “World's Biggest DJ” (according to the Guinness Book of World Records, among others). Oakenfold is in the neighborhood, holed up at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset while programming for the successor to his artist debut Bunkka (Maverick, 2002) and scoring music for Matrix, Reloaded. “You tend to have more access to film scores — obviously — being in Hollywood and in Los Angeles than we do in England, where it's quite hard to source these kinds of music,” he admits.
Rather than perusing the usual mono-focused DJ shop, Oakenfold has chosen a wider angle in Amoeba, a three-store California indie chain with a comprehensive stock that feeds his current research into film scores and diverse genre resources. “I'm very privileged in the position I am to get a lot of promos and acetates,” he says. “I do go to vinyl shops. I think it's very important because there are records that slip through the net. And I've got sources at record stores all over the world who send me records on a regular basis. I just feel that this would be a lot more interesting to the readers. We'll probably have more fun, and there's nothing like going into a huge record store and hunting for records that I'd never find at home.”
A DJ since the late '70s, Oakenfold has remixed and produced everyone from the Happy Mondays and U2 to Massive Attack and this year's Grammy-nominated Dirty Vegas, not to mention Snoop Dogg and Madonna. In between, he has worked seminal stints in A&R (for Champion and Def Jam), has started his own label (Perfecto) and has been a constant force in all-out dance-culture promotion, starting with the Madchester scene in the late '80s. He's not bad at working the crowds, either.
The sun is shining on his cap, and Oakenfold is just happy to be here. His ever-ready-to-absorb antennae are primed to all things California at the moment. “Because I'm writing songs, I've been listening to a lot of really old stuff, like the Beach Boys,” he says. “The melodies that the Beach Boys came up with were incredible. In dance music, you don't have to write songs exactly, but a strong melodic line is what I've always been a big fan of, even with my music as a DJ. I'm just trying to get back to melody. It all went to the dark and cold, and it ended up with no one selling records. What I think people want is an uplifting sound.”
Oakenfold, whose first record as a kid was T. Rex's Twentieth First Century, grew up listening to the boundary-free playlists of English radio. “I think it's very strange here how everything is very regimented,” he says. “If you want rock, you listen to a rock station. I like being educated in all kinds of music. Here, I find that if I'm in the car, I'm constantly flicking through stations.” However, he adds that the repeat exposure does, by default, force the listener to closely look at a song before making a judgment.
Like a kid in a candy store, Oakenfold digs into Amoeba's music section. But before getting started, he explains: “I was taken into Amoeba the last time I was in L.A. This store is a godsend for DJs and producers. Samplewise, you can find great stuff in here. So I got here a little bit early and had a walk-around. I know three that I'm after, but I don't know if I'll get all of them.”
By the time he wraps up, Oakenfold proves himself to be an avid film buff, extolling the virtues of everything from Scarface to The Insider to The Hours. His reaction to facile “rave drama” Groove is definitive, as well: “I'll have to throw that one away,” he says with a sideways look and a mischievous gleam in his eye. Here's what he didn't throw away:
LIL' KIM
“Came Back for You” (Atlantic)
The first one I'm after is the new Lil' Kim album. I've only heard the single on the radio. It's on Power 106 all of the time. Brilliant. I think the production is amazing. What Timbaland has done with the sounds is very similar to Missy Elliott. But, obviously, they're his sounds. I think it's an extremely clever record, so I'm after that. It's just come out, and I've been trying to get it for two weeks. [It turns out that the album is not out yet, so Oakenfold takes the single.] Well, at least it's on vinyl.
MASSIVE ATTACK
100th Window (Virgin)
I'll be after a record by a bunch of friends of mine called Massive Attack. I believe their album's just come out. And it'll be pretty interesting to see what the record's like, obviously, with one of them leaving. Also, the band has been working with Sinéad O'Connor. I love Sinéad O'Connor. The sound of her vocal is amazing.
BURT BACHARACH
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (A&M)
The third one I'm after is the soundtrack from an old Paul Newman and Robert Redford movie called Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I saw the movie on an old movie channel over the weekend. I hadn't seen that film in years. I didn't realize how good that film was. It's just a real classic. The soundtrack is really good. Because I'm doing more music for film now, I take a lot more notice of the score. I tend to do a lot of research: watching old movies and listening to old soundtracks.
STEVIE WONDER
The Definitive Collection (Universal)
We're all a fan of Stevie. It's always nice when they do these collections of the greatest hits, just to have access to this CD rather than look at home through 30,000 records. Now I have that on vinyl, but when all of my friends have a big party, they pull everything out, and they don't put them back in the right places. It drives me mad. So every time a collection or a greatest hits comes out, it's much easier to buy on CD and have the access to these tunes.
SNOOP DOGG
Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss (Priority/Capitol)
A couple of tunes on this have been produced by The Neptunes, and they worked on the first single. But I've always been a fan of Snoop. I love his lazy style; it's very, very unique. A very distinctive voice. It sounds like he's nearly asleep. His last couple of albums were so-so. But he's back on it now. And some of the collaborators on here — you have Jay-Z, Redman, Warren G, in addition to The Neptunes.
EAZY E
Eazy-Duz-It (Priority)
I've always been a big fan of NWA. Again, I've got this on vinyl. But I really like his tone when it comes to rapping. It's very loose and very free, and his style, to me, is one of the best. He's just got this, like, kind of lil' squeaky voice. It just really worked well.
CLASH
London Calling (Sony)
I was always a fan of The Clash. I have all of The Clash releases on vinyl. And now, they're on CD. I love them live. I ended up touring with Big Audio Dynamite, which is Mick's [Jones] band. So I kind of got to know those guys quite well. It was always a case of the whole South London vibe. The Clash were, like, “the band.” And that is probably one of the best photos. [He points to a CD cover featuring an upside-down Joe Strummer wielding his guitar.] London Calling sums up the whole essence of what was going on in that city at that time. It was very rebellious, and, musicwise, it was very cutting-edge.
JOSÉ PADILLA
Café del Mar, Vol. 6 (Del Mar Music/Mercury)
Picture a small island off of mainland Spain with a bar called Café del Mar, a bar at the wrong end of the island. The bar is at the back of this little town because that's where the sun sets. This bar has probably become the most recognizable bar in dance culture. Every evening, people go there and have cocktails, play backgammon, relax to chill-out music. This is what started this whole genre of chill-out music. It came from this bar 10 years ago.
Amoeba; 6400 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028; tel. (323) 245-6400; Web www.amoebamusic.com
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