Paul Oakenfold Review - Still The Master

I attended Paul Oakenfold last night at The Palace in Calgary.  I went in with low expectations , as I tend to do these days. After all, I am an old jaded DJ who’s seen everything good and bad. It’s been said now that I hate everything. True? Well, I dunno hate is a strong word…But 

 

So the opening DJ was discouraging. Not off to a great start, he played it as though we were all 16 year olds at the EDM festival. Boo! I did not expect such a mis-read of the crowd from such an experienced veteran. oh well, doesn’t matter. Which as an aside, brings up a point for aspiring DJ’s. If you’re an opener in the local scene, stop bragging about it. Your still nobody. Honestly who remembers the openers? Nothing worse than reading the young DJ’s bio and all you see is other DJ’s names…”opened for”, “shared the stage with”.  LOL! All those DJ’s are thanking you for the free promo. What was your name again? 

 

OK back to Oakenfold. 

 

Pleasantly surprise #1. Not a whiff of EDM. Turns out he’s stuck to his integrity and not sold out. He’s still a man who takes the music seriously. Real Trance and Progressive played properly (no mashups) so we can hear each track and experience it in full before mixing smoothly in to the next. Old school. Set the mood and take us on a journey.  Mixed right and not perfect. Tiny mixing flaws proved he’s mixing live, which now I WANT to hear. Give me the ugly and prove your mixing! Make it feel real, and prove you are reacting and adapting to the crowd. Yup old school. Oakenfold check! 

 

Pleasant surprise #2. Back to the future!  That’s right,  it’s like we climbed on board the Oakenfold Delorean, fired up the Flux Capacitor, set the time circuits for 2001, and hit the gas! 88mph later we were awash in classics and there was nothing but smiles around the room. He mixed the old with the new so that it ALL felt fresh. Can a DJ really read a crowd so well that he knows exactly when to drop a classic? Yes Oakey can!

 

Pleasant surprise #3. Sandstorm.  Yes that’s right the Darude classic that became the cheesy sports arena anthem that became the track no one EVER wanted hear again.  So just recently I had a conversation with my buddy Rich, who’s a music enthusiast like me. He suggested that enough time had passed and “whats old is new” had come back such that a DJ could now drop Sandstorm and it would work. I said no, its still cheese and has no place.  In fact it jumped that shark on itself back in 2001 when its own popularity and overplayed hype made us witness Darude himself, in an elaborate setup (live PA), subject us to 2 hours of him playing Sandstorm, with remixes and variations and “new” tracks that all sounded curiously just like Sandstorm, over and over. 2 Hours ouch! Ironically in the very same room, the Palace. I know this because it just so happened that Darude’s opener that night was none other than yours truly.  (Not that anyone would remember the opener. As I said who cares! But I digress)

 

So Sandstorm ”happened”, but heres what happened. It went off!! And HUGE! Again nothing but smiles in the entire place. I shared a look with Rich and we both nodded. Yup. Oakenfold is the master. I’m not sure another DJ could nail the timing and slip it in so seemingly out of nowhere. It worked.  OK yes,  I’ve seen other DJ’s try this very thing at other shows and festivals lately. But it never worked. It always came across as cheese and felt forced. 

 

This was different. Why? It’s all about timing and acceptance. You see a master DJ can take you on a journey and build a set in such a way that you trust him wherever he goes. Trust. With Oakey we were there. He brought us into this journey and with the most expert timing I’ve maybe ever witnessed, he showed us the magic.  Sandstorm done right. We believed! 

 

Leaving the room and heading home. We felt satisfied and knew we had just experience something special. I had just experienced the “magic” of a great DJ show that I hadn’t felt for years. Oakenfold was great, the music was great and I left feeling great. Isn’t this the whole point of the music and the DJ experience? Sure is. Thank you to Paul Oakenfold for taking us on the journey like no other.  All the respect in the world. Paul Oakenfold is still THE Master. 

Oakenfold_2018.MOV 

 

 

As always I want to hear your thoughts. If you where there, what did you think of the show?  Got an Oakenfold experience you’d like to share, lets hear it. Something you want to say, say it.  Lets enjoy the discussion and sharing of ideas. 

 

Thanks for listening. 

 

Earl Von Bye

 

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