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I've been an Oakie fan since Tranceport. I own all of his albums and he has inspired me into owning my own decks! A friend once asked me if I would like to meet Paul and I answered, "I don't know...I think I would be too 'starstruck' to take the experience in". Paul is the reason why I follow Tiesto, Armin and anyone who he has chosen to be in his albums. On Dj magazine's top 100, I chose Paul as number one. Oakey's new album, Perfecto Vegas, is a look back to what made me obsess over his music in the first place. Anyone who knows me, knows that they will only hear Oakey's music in my car and they may get converted into the Electronica/Trance music religion; of which I am faithfully a part of. So, logically, I thought that Halloween "Freakbeat" would be nothing less than another great Oakey moment, but I was sadly mistaken. Paul's mixing was very lacking. I, being the Oakey fan that I am, toughed it out as much as I could. Paul threw in some good tracks but the "flow" just wasn't there. Paul didn't engage the crowd at all and the atmosphere was disorienting. I toughed it out for almost two hours and finally left when he played the track, "Seven Cities" by Solarstone. I caught a glimpse of him looking back my way and I nodded my head and proceeded to leave. I was not alone. Maybe someday I will see Paul have another great moment and then I will tell everyone around me that this is the reason why there is Electronica/Trance music in the United States. I will hold my head up high and know that Oakenfold is the reason why there is such a genre called, "Dance Music". Maybe someday I will be face to face with him and tell this to him personally. Oakenfold is the dance movement but you would never know it if you were there that fateful Friday night.
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- Message Qohelet (Joined 11/02/09, 3 posts)
RE: Halloween San Francisco, Ca.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 11:51 AM by DjgrinchTribethe regency ballroom was my first time going to san francisco. you say youve been a fan sense tranceport. well yes maybe your older then me i felt me age 21 i was really young in that crowd . the level i was on was very spritual and emotional. i learned alot about art that night and i can never explain the feeling i go through in these deep stages of meditation. seeing paul up there brought tears to my eyes maybe i was star struck well i do have a picture with him and an autograph. i met him at club saachi or maybe as i become more devoted to my craft i really start to appericate it all the hardwork and time it takes to perfect a piece. i really felt a spritual bond through the music with oakie i felt as if oakie seeing a young brother at one of his shows with some of the most energy hes ever seen because im always front row rather it be a rave in california or starting to follow his circut. bringing a tear to my struggling eyes, letting him see that his music really is so universial it caught a young ghetto voice. ITS SAVED ME! im not putting down races. im just saying i dont see alot of my people reach the enlightment oakie has offered. they are to busy killing each other off in the streets. im honored to be apart of oakenfold as a psytribe because the enlightment that show offered to a young struggling DJ was UNREAL. maybe im tripping! but i know what sounds good especially the ear as far as keeping the music rounded and flowing like water the drumming the melodies oakies got my attetion.in my head everything oakie plays is so powerful. that man has given me sight beyond sight. overall going to heaven and becomming one with his angels was beautiful sorry you had to leave. some expeirence this as a place to visit and play with reality =) i to am loyal to oakie everything else just sounds....ehh wehh bleh meh not as deep the journey oakenfold takes you on is the voyage you want to embark on. i had an interesting time
DJ Grinch
RE: Halloween San Francisco, Ca.
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 9:55 PM by QoheletI give you much credit for being able to meditate to such musical volume!
I went to a show at the Warfield a few years back. This was the last time I saw Paul interact with an audience. The decks sat on what seemed like leg rests for a couch and Paul was keen to let us know how he felt. Paul approached the edge of the stage and put out his hands as if to try and feel what we were feeling. We were all in sync and moved as wheat moves right before a storm. The tune that made us all erupt in joy was, "Seven Cities" by Solarstone. The IRONY, right? We were all riding high on a cloud of melody and unity. I've never felt the same from any other Dj since.
I've been disappointed by his every show ever since. It's like Djing has taken a back seat to what he is dabbing in now. I've seen YouTube videos of his performances at the RAIN in Vegas and they are not very promising. There's a portion where the decks are left by themselves and he is nowhere to be seen. I don't see or feel the same passion that he had for his mixes as he did when he was first starting to be known.
Maybe I set my expectations too high, but it's only because Paul has set them there. I would probably visit his club in Vegas, the RAIN that is, but I'm afraid that I will be disappointed yet again. Maybe one day he will go back to his "roots" and give us one good show to remember.
RE: Halloween San Francisco, Ca.
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 6:58 PM by Chandler MeadeBeing 17 i've never experienced a show by a live DJ so i couldn't really compare to most. But one thing that i know is that Oakenfold is trying to break out and bring something new to the table. Yes his older compilations are legendary but at least give him some credit for being the artist that he is. You may not take my opinion because i am such a young age, and i'm from a city that's not really trance savvy, but i listen to trance music so often now that i can spot the differences Oakie has in his beats compared to others. There is more instrumental rhythms, and the sounds are so uplifting you just drift into a different state of mind. I hope one day to experience his mastery of the turntables myself and feel the sounds of a true trance legend.
DJC - Trance Life Vol. 1 out on iTunes! (^_^)
"We aren't here for a long time, we are here for a good time."
RE: Halloween San Francisco, Ca.
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 8:01 PM by TariqHey Chandler. Hope its all good yourside. I work with Paul & Perfecto. Just wanna say 1 thing to you, Respect Buddy. Its exactly how you said it. I just didnt expect it to be put so Perfectly by a 17 year old. Well spoken my friend. You keep it locked & one day hopefully we will see you in your town & have a drink during a Oakey show. Peace !
RE: Halloween San Francisco, Ca.
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 7:56 PM by QoheletIf I had a moment of Paul's time I would share the following... My opinion is that Djs come from the inspired dozens that grace the dancefloors of the world. Much like myself, they experienced a set that moved them so much that they had no other choice than to try and evoke their own emotion on the wheels of steel. Ever since Grandmaster Flash made the turntables into an instrument, many have used them to convey different experiences and moods. Here in California, way back when, many spun hip hop, R&B and rap. "Tranceport" gave me a voice and a direction. If it weren't for that album, I don't think I would have any interest in Djing. I respect the fact that you are always looking towards the future, shrug off negative criticism and have a short memory for the past. An enduring figure, like yourself, should always keep an ear to the ground. I believe that an audience is the meter by which an artist is measured. You have played with a band, artists and symphonies! All with varying degrees of success. As I've said before, you are my inspiration and I would love nothing more than to see you grace the platters with nothing less than vinyl emotion.