"Basic bitches?" inquires Paul Oakenfold regarding a term thrown out by a staffer. "What exactly is a 'basic bitch'?"
The DJ and producer, like many, finds it tough to keep afloat in the sea of popular jargon, which a swells of trending slang frequently rocks. Oakenfold also discovered during the same conversation that the casual verb "chillax" has fallen from grace, at least on the East Coast.
Unlike his difficulty with fluctuations in informal language, Oakenfold has ridden high on the waves of electronic dance music, whose trends fluctuate almost as rapidly as pop culture lingo.
Oakenfold has been in the electronic music business for more than 30 years, and has managed to remain relevant throughout, unlike many shorter-lived careers. He was at the fore of pushing Ibiza to the center of the EDM world, using setlists centered around acid house. He became the biggest name in the trance scene during its most popular period, earning the title of Top DJ in the world during 1998 and 1999. He finally began releasing studio albums under his own name when he reached the new millennium, going platinum with 2002's Bunkka.
The DJ was in New York City with his "Trance Mission" tour, scheduled to play the renowned Pacha nightclub with Brass Knuckles as well as his friend and cohort Danny Howard. Trance remains popular within EDM, but Oakenfold acknowledged his classics within the subgenre could use a facelift to stay current. Thus the "Trance Mission" ,and its accompanying album, features Oakenfold covering himself-literally remaking his own work with current production techniques, versus simply remixing the original track.
"What if we take these old trance classics that young American audiences aren't familiar with, and give it the 2014 treatment?" he proposed rhetorically. "Hopefully they go with it. Or leave."
Given his success rate across 30 years of change, Oakenfold can afford to go with his intuition.
Howard, another UK DJ, approaches the Pacha show from the opposite side of the career spectrum. He first came to prominence after winning the BBC Radio 1 Superstar DJ competition, earning himself a slot at the broadcaster's 2011 Ibiza Weekend showcase. Less than five months later, Howard began hosting his own program on Radio 1—"Dance Anthems with Danny Howard,"—and now curates "Nothing Else Matters" on SiriusXM's BPM station as well. He mixed the annual Clubbers Guide for the venerated Ministry of Sound label for 2013.
Howard isn't a small fish, but he appreciates having Oakenfold swimming along as an advisor. Trying to find a new sound in an industry that values what's popular here-and-now proves daunting. Oakenfold sympathizes. He recalled his own New York debut at Twilo, a warehouse venue formerly housed in the Chelsea neighborhood, during 1997. (LEFT: Howard performs at Pacha. PHOTO: Bryan Kwan)
"I was nervous, because I was playing a different sound to what was going on. New York at the time was house music," he said. "The crowd was a tough crowd. It was that period where New Yorkers were tough and fierce...'it's our way or no way.'"
The attitude of Oakenfold's stereotypical New Yorker serves as the antithesis for his "management" style with Howard and others. The producer served as an A&R man for Champion Records during the early '80s, but he doesn't make demands. He gladly offers his opinions when asked, but doesn't take offense if the inquirer doesn't heed it.
That sounds like a philosophy easier said than done. So who steers the ship when Oakenfold pairs with one of his mentees for a single? The duo collaborated for the track "Ready For Love," which was released during November as a Thanksgiving treat. The song pairs Spitfire (a vocalist on Oakenfold's Perfecto label) with bits of trance, hints of house, and a bass-drop that makes arguing about genres seem trivial. The final product hits the mark, but with so many elements in play, surely there was some disagreement between the duo?
"No," Howard said, before pausing and coming back with British deadpan. "Well, we hate each other now."
Neither Howard nor Oakenfold would volunteer an example of dispute during the track's creation, nor would either claim credit for any particular element within the track. Suggesting that the two men approached the song from different angles created by differences in age or experiences is overly simplistic. Rather, both performers approach the same challenge of remaining creative in a market dominated by mimicry. Oakenfold must aim to stay fresh, and Howard must aim to rise above the tide of performers trying to sound like Oakenfold. The elder DJ estimates that a new sound has two months before it gets burnt out by the scores of performers who replicate it.
"It's the impossible question," Howard said of establishing one's own sound in a scene that thrives on imitation. "I'm sure if Paul knew the answer himself, he'd use it as well. Quite often you stumble across sounds you like by accident. It's just experimenting in the studio."
Oakenfold interjects to clarify that more importantly, the sound must work.
He's been discussing Pop Killer-his forthcoming third album scheduled for release during 2014-for years. Creating such an album needed to be approached from a song-based perspective he said, as the technology and styles used to produce it could be outdated by the time the record hits shelves. The producer came up with the title in 2009, when he had grown frustrated with the conformity within popular house music. Even that complaint became outdated, as Oakenfold acknowledged the subgenre has since branched out ("Now I just like the name Pop Killer").
Listeners got a first taste of the album during July when Oakenfold dropped "Venus," a track featuring vocals from rapper Azealia Banks.
The producer didn't have any issues working with the firecracker emcee, and seemed genuinely surprised to hear she had gone on a Twitter-rampage against acclaimed electronic duo Disclosure. Howard brought up an incident when the otherwise chummy Oakenfold himself lashed out at a young DJ , allegedly for filming the icon's Ibiza set from behind the DJ booth.
That DJ was, of course, Howard.
Ten minutes after receiving a "tirade" from the trance legend, Howard claims Oakenfold did an about-face and offered his assistance with future projects. He "claims" because Oakenfold doesn't remember it happening quite like that. Still, he chuckles when the incident comes up a second time, and glances sideways at the younger DJ on the other end of the couch.
"I thought it would be good PR," Howard says, shrugging.
Two DJs, separated by decades in age, eras of music, and perhaps even the use of slang. But, more importantly, united in the drive to produce something exciting for tomorrow's EDM scene.
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