Paul Oakenfold is considered to be one of the best DJs and remixers in the world.  He was the A&R rep who signed DJ Jazzy Jeff, the Fresh Prince, and Salt-n-Pepa.  He’s scored top box office films, toured with Madonna, and remixed early records for legends such as U2.  He’s toured all over the world and DJ’d in countless places, including the Great Wall of China.  He continues to break the boundaries of conventional dance music and is known for his individualistic style that dates back to his days spent in the Ibiza club scene.

Saturday night the Music Box was graced with the presence of Paul Oakenfold, as he brought his Facelift Tour to Los Angeles after a three year touring hiatus.   Accompanying Paul were special guests like Netherlands mixing hero Chuckie who warmed up the stage for Paul’s 2:30am to 4:00am set.  With a new studio album on the 2011 horizon, Paul treated fans to a road test of potential new material and showed off his legendary mixing skills amidst a laser light show cascading from a giant headset stage set.

Before his set, ChinaShop kicked it with Paul in his dressing room to discuss hot off the press topics such as his current obsession with the word fugly, Vegas vs. Ibiza, how to cook a proper Sunday roast, and his guilty TiVo-ing habits.

So you originally wanted to be a chef.  I heard you went to culinary school and everything.  How did you transition into music?

Paul Oakenfold: I originally wanted to be in a band.  I was in a band.  I was 15 in a band.  And when you’re a 15 year old you think you’re great.

What did you play?

Paul Oakenfold: I played guitar and piano.

Were you great?

Paul Oakenfold: No!  We were terrible.  Try telling a 15 year old that they’re terrible.  So my mom said to me, “You can’t do this.  You’ve got to get a proper job.”  So I studied for four years to be a fully qualified chef, which I am.  And then of course when I was 19 and I look back at it, it was the best piece of advice I probably ever got.  So I was 19.  I passed. I was a chef.  I learned wines and French cuisine and then I thought I’m gonna try music and I’m gonna see if I like it and if it doesn’t happen I’m going to go back to cooking for you guys.

Do you still cook a lot?

Paul Oakenfold: Yeah

What is your favorite thing to cook?

Paul Oakenfold: Probably an English roast dinner because it’s a very social event.  It takes like two -two and a half hours to cook.  You have friends over.  It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon…bottles of wine.  You put it in the oven, whatever it is – chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork whatever.  And it’s fun.  It’s just if some of my friends get too drunk, none of them eat.  It’s a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon.  It’s a very traditional English approach to cooking – long dinners, flowing wine, good company.

Do you typically tend to approach artists that want to remix a song or is it the other way around?

Paul Oakenfold: The process is that the record company or the artist contacts you and asks you if you’d like to produce them or remix them and then they send it over.  If it’s a film, it’s a script and you’re writing to it, or if it’s a remix or production, you listen to it and then you decide if you really want to do it.

Have you turned a lot of projects down that you weren’t into?

Paul Oakenfold: Yeah.  Many that I didn’t think would work.  I think integrity is a really important part of what you do.  You could just do it for the money but my name’s on it and I want to do my best.  My father always told me to do the best at whatever you do.  I’m not going to take something that just won’t work for the sake of taking it.  You know you get a sense after being in the business a long time of what works and what doesn’t and that’s what I base it on.

I’ve read that your recent passion is film scoring.  Is that the direction that you are trying to take your career?

Paul Oakenfold: Well, I got asked to score this movie a few years ago – seven years ago, called Swordfish – John Travolta.  So I scored that movie and I really enjoyed the process.  I actually do more scoring – well I make more money in that world now more than DJ’ing.  But I keep my hand in DJ’ing.  I have a residency still doing Vegas.  This is my first tour in over three years.

How long is the Vegas residency for?

Paul Oakenfold: It’s been two years.  I do two to three Saturdays a month.  I just signed for a third year but I’m only going to play one or two Saturdays now because I’ve got my record coming and I want to get back out and play and tour America.  I really enjoy being on a tour bus with my friends and seeing America rather than being on an airplane and traveling and seeing just airports.

You gotta love Vegas…

Paul Oakenfold: I love Vegas.  I think Vegas is the pinnacle of entertainment.  Not just in America but in the world.  That’s why I chose Vegas for a residency.  I mean I’ve got 68 Cirque du Soleil performers.  We’ve got fire in the nightclub…snow.  You couldn’t ever do that here.  They would shut you down. There’s no club that holds 5,000.  You can sing in Vegas and say let’s fucking hire a lion to jump out of a fucking hot air balloon and they go, “Yeah let’s do it!”  I love the whole idea of challenging myself to put a show together to take what we’re all doing a step further.

Have you changed it up a lot over that past few years that you’ve been there?

Paul Oakenfold: Oh yeah.  There’s five major DJs all taking residencies next year.  Vegas is without a doubt the capitol of electronic music.  There’s more nightclubs in Vegas than anywhere.  Most of them are now playing electronic music.  Honestly, Vegas is 24 hours.  You can leave one club at 4:00, go across to the Rio and go till 12:00 and then we know this other club that goes till midnight.  Or you can go to four different pool parties and then you can go again. There’s more going on in Vegas now than Ibiza.

And you’ve spent years in Ibiza haven’t you?

Oh I’ve spent a few years in Ibiza.

Yeah Vegas is awesome.  I’m having withdrawals…

Paul Oakenfold: A lot of people in my country think ahh fucking Vegas.  You know what it is.  They haven’t fucking been.  In England we look to Vegas and so did America at certain stages where people like Elvis would go there and end their career…Frank Sinatra, etc.  Then it began a playground for young people…then families started going.  And now it’s that cheesy saying of what happens here stays here.  It’s an adult playground. And that’s why they’ve got all these great clubs playing all this great music.  Everyone wants to be there – best restaurants, shows.  You saw those performers at Love, right?  Well we hired 60 ex Cirque du Soleil performers.  They are trapezing off the fucking ceiling.  It’s not on the stage; it’s in the venue.  You’ve got fire.  We’ve got this woman who has got this saw and she grinds it against this piece of metal that’s there so sparks are flying out.

I’ll be there in December and will have to check it out.

Paul Oakenfold: I’m playing the first Saturday in December and New Years Eve.

Ohh New Year’s Eve.  I bet you’ve had some crazy New Year’s Eve gigs…

Paul Oakenfold: No. [Insert evil laughter and extremely guilty face]

What’s been your favorite movie that you’ve scored so far?

Paul Oakenfold: I start this movie in December.  I never knew what the word ‘fugly’ was.  In December I start scoring what’s called a dark comedy set in New York in the 70’s and 80’s called Fugly.  And I read the script and I really, really enjoyed it.  So maybe I haven’t scored my favorite film yet because I’m really looking forward to this and I start in December.

Can you tell us who the screenwriter is?

Paul Oakenfold: It’s John Luciano.  He wrote it and stars in it.  I think it’s gonna be really good.  Fugly. [Laughs] I’m naive.  I kept thinking what a stupid fucking title.  Why would they call a movie Fugly?  So I asked the director, “Is it me or what is wrong with this title?”  He’s like, “You don’t know what it means?” And then I was like OK Fucking Ugly.  I get it!

So you think it’s going to be great because of the actual music that you are scoring or because you are so impressed with the title?

Paul Oakenfold: I read the script and I haven’t started the music yet.  To answer your question though, I don’t think I have found the best movie I’ve scored yet.  Swordfish was great.  I did a big Japanese Animation movie. I worked on Matrix.  I worked on Collateral, Bourne Identity.  I worked on a few films.  But I like the idea of doing a dark independent comedy that’s edgy.  I think from my point of view it will be very creative because it is an independent cutting edge film rather than a big traditional studio picture.

And it’s got a great title!

Paul Oakenfold: Fugly! [Laughs]

Who has been your favorite artist that you’ve worked with so far?

It’s hard to say.  I’ve enjoyed working with established acts – very inspiring.  I’ve learned a lot from them and I’ve enjoyed working with fresh new artists that I just think are incredibly talented.

You’ve been an A&R Rep, an investor, a mixer, a DJ, a remixer…  What’s been your favorite hat that you’ve worn so far?

Paul Oakenfold: The great thing about being in the music business is that you can wear different hats.  If you are interested in A&R, producing, remixing, whatever side of the business…If you’re interested in it, and you’d like to then there’s no reason or no person stopping you in terms of wanting to open that door and go through it.  I enjoy the whole idea of going into different aspects of the business.  I think that it will help you to learn about all different sides of what goes on.  So I’ve kind of got involved in different areas.  And I’m great at all of them.  I don’t know why. [Laughs]

Tell me a little bit about your experiences working with U2 back in the day.  Do you consider that to be a big turning point in your career?

Paul Oakenfold: Yeah. I was very lucky to be asked to remix U2 and to tour with them.  I learned a lot from that band and am fortunate enough to stay friends with them.  They are just good people.  It’s strange but the more experienced you work with in terms of artists, they really have nothing to prove so you have to be on your game.  You really have to be good at what you do and really alert.  You don’t want to be the one to drop the ball.  You take a lot from that.  They’re just a great fucking band.  Just a great, great band and more importantly just wonderful people.

Any plans to do anything like that with them ever again?

Paul Oakenfold: They don’t like me. [Laughs] U2 is on tour.  I’m on tour.  I’m focusing on my record.  We’re friends.  We might do something together we may not.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Paul Oakenfold: I watch Dexter and want to kill you [Points at Dustin & Laughs].  Sons of Anarchy, Eastbound & Down and Mad Men are brilliant.  Dexter, Hung, Madmen… I TiVo it a lot.  When I come home I sit there with a few beers.  I have my buddy over staying at my house from England.  We sat there and watched four hours of Madmen the other day.  So that’s the dark side.

Words by Nicole Pajer.  Photos by Dustin Downing