Paul Oakenfold Albums (24)
What The Critics Say
With credits and credentials stretching back to the genesis of the U.K. rave scene of the late '80s, few DJs have had as much impact on the overall mainstreaming of electronic dance music as Paul Oakenfold. Under his shepherding in the late '90s, the formerly underground genres trance and progressive house, became electronica's default pop crossover styles. While the club music landscape of the late 2000s evolved into a far more eclectic arena -- with the resurgent disco movement and electro house finding favor, once again -- Oakenfold basically stuck to guns, plying his trade across perfectly mixed, progressive-flavored dance fare, stepping out of the DJ booth only occasionally to pen a mere three artist albums. While the days of spearheading musical revolutions are well past for this veteran DJ, he has, proven his mettle as a savvy artist-marketer with numerous film, TV, and video game credits, even launching a full-on Ibizan-styled club experience at Las Vegas' Palms Hotel & Casino, a venture that's been commemorated with the release of his 2009 double-CD mix set Perfecto: Vegas. Despite its nakedly commercial origins and too-obvious lifestyle-targeted marketing, there isn't much here to dissuade die-hard fans or even newcomers, as the mixing, track selection, and programming are as tight as anything the DJ was releasing during his late-'90s prime. ~ Dave Shim, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's trite, but Paul Oakenfold's 2006 effort could be a contender for dance album of the year, if the year were 1997. That may be fine for his hardcore fan base, but it's strange to think the man who was on the edge of mainstream dance music for so long isn't offering the next big thing anymore. Making this even more frustrating is the fact that albums of new productions are rare from the man -- mix CDs make up most of his discography -- so one would think A Lively Mind would be a grander statement, especially with its "you get to look inside my busy head" title. Dropping these expectations, and the expectation that the star-studded and smart guest list is going to bring the innovation, the album is satisfactory, and even exciting in parts. Two electro stompers -- one with actress Brittany Murphy on sex kitten vocals -- pass by before the album loosens up and finds an exciting groove with the disco-fabulous "Sex 'n' Money," featuring vocals from Pharrell Williams. Williams' minimal vocals might as well have been a sample of anyone with a cool falsetto, but unbelievably, the legendary Grandmaster Flash's contribution is even smaller. The two other tracks of note are instrumentals. "Praise the Lord" gets campy and offers a Latin-flavored beat with a Duane Eddy-styled guitar, while "Save the Last Trance for Me" is an epic track that builds to a shuddering climax, something Oakie excels at. Some serene, wide-angle numbers toward the end help a lot, making this safe album easier to recommend to the longtime trance addict. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Perfecto Presents...The Club'
Release Date 1/25/2005
Tracks 13
Label Thrive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Presents...The Club is a "main room" affair. In other words, big tunes to move the masses. This means folks like the Doors, Justin Timberlake, the Flaming Lips, and U2 figure into the mix, along with an amazing amount of guitars for a Perfecto album. There's also surprisingly less of what you could call "trance" on the disc, but that doesn't mean Oakenfold isn't going for the epic and grand sounds. Mixing the Doors in a way they become a dance act may be sacrilegious, but on the other hand, it's campy fun, something the disc is filled with. Oakenfold isn't "working the wheels of steel" as much as just sequencing the songs in an order that makes dramatic sense, but he does blend a couple of the tracks rather nicely. The one-disc format is actually beneficial to the collection, seeing as much more of this grandeur would be cumbersome. Not a giant leap forward for the DJ; rather, it's a fun collection that's huge, rousing, and perfect for taking the top down on beautiful days. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
People who graze on CDs at the record store by strapping on the headphones and checking a couple tracks are going to pass on Creamfields, Paul Oakenfold's two-CD mix dedicated to the touring party it's named after. Disc one gets off to such a drab start you'll have to look twice at the cover to make sure this is Oakie and not some generic rip-off trance compilation. It's a hectic but drop-dead-dull start, but come "Clear Blue," things get much better. Markus Schulz's "Clear Blue" is as vivid as its name and the following Carlos Vives track is a delicious combination of worldbeat chant and dancefloor drama. Things go back to safe for a little bit till our DJ gets quirky again and ends the first disc with some excitement. Front to back, disc two is much more successful. Oakenfold discovers breaks, bleeps, and bloops for the first part of the set, works steadily up to his epic U2 remix, and exits with a couple reliable stompers. There are thrills but few surprises from this one-time maverick, but if Oakie is trying to sonically reproduce the massive size of a Creamfields' event, he's done it. Skip past the lackluster kickoff and think film composer John Williams as a DJ with a wicked haircut. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Perfecto Presents: Paul Oakenfold - Great Wall'
Release Date 9/30/2003
Tracks 19
Label Reprise
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Oakenfold a producer? Well, he may not release much other than mix albums (exceptions being the Swordfish soundtrack and scattered singles), but Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne once formed one of the most highly touted remixing teams in dance music -- though Perfecto is now known to British teenagers strictly as a label, not a sound aesthetic. So when a man who's not only the biggest DJ on earth but the producer of one of the greatest LPs of the '90s (Happy Mondays' Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches) finally decides to turn in a full production LP, notice must be paid. Unfortunately, Oakenfold isn't much of a pioneer any more, and though it's clear his ear for a solid production hasn't deserted him, Bunkka sees him following the trends instead of pushing them. With a new partner, Andy Gray, Oakenfold shows often that he has the production gloss all taken care of, but track after track here tries, and fails, to capitalize on a familiar sound or a style, from stylish big-beat pastiche ("Ready Steady Go") to robotic experimentalism à la Radiohead ("Motion," with Grant Lee Phillips) to evocative female singer/songwriter electronica ("Southern Sun," "Hypnotised," "Hold Your Hand"). A pair of hip-hop tracks, the sublime "Starry-Eyed Surprise" and Ice Cube's hardcore "Get Em Up," are great productions, but "Zoo York" and the Hunter S. Thompson spoken-word feature "Nixon's Spirit" are potted examples of the very blandest ethnic fusion. With so much attention being paid to the production, the songs, unfortunately, just can't compete. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
