Paul Oakenfold’s playlist

Paul Oakenfold is an icon.

The British DJ and producer was named the most successful DJ on the planet by the Guinness World Records, and that big old book has a point.

Paul rose to fame the minute he laid his hands on the trance genre and pulled it into the mainstream by way of BBC Radio 1 with a two-hour set, dubbed the Goa Mix.

Twenty-one years later the mix still stands to be the most requested broadcast on BBC Radio.

Today, Paul is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his record label Perfecto with a world tour.

“It means a lot to be embraced by the scene over the years,” Paul says. “And I’m happy that I’ve been able to reach such a broad scope of people with my music.”

Paul’s 3-decade career has been packed with international tours, glorious residencies, millions of album sales, Grammy nominations and collaborations with music’s elite from U2 to Justin Timberlake.

The DJ has also worked closely with the Queen of Pop. Not only has Paul remixed a few of Madonna’s hits, he gave her a big hand in coming up with her dance anthem “Celebration,” and joined her on tour.

“Everyone involved with Madonna’s productions is at the top of their game and they maintain an extreme standard of excellence. You have to step up if you’re going to be part of it and the challenge is exciting for me,” he says looking back at his experience with the legend.

With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, and now a legend himself, the dance-music icon undoubtedly has invaluable insight like his personal golden rule. When it comes to producing hit remixes, he is all about the timeless notion: less is more.

“When you have a great piece of music to start with, you don’t need to alter it very much,” the DJ says. “I always try to take the most from the song and add elements that I feel will bring the track to its fullest potential in the clubs.”

Here’s a playlist of old hits that Paul couldn’t help but put his spin on.

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Rubberneckin’ – Elvis

Everything in Its Right Place – Radiohead

Sorry – Madonna

Even Better Than the Real Thing – U2

Perfect – The Smashing Pumpkins

Missing – Everything but the Girl

Close to Me – The Cure

Paul takes the stage at the Ottawa Blues Festival on Thursday, July 16. For more info and the full artist line-up, click here.

Keep tabs on the DJ through facebook and twitter and find more tour dates here.

Get Paul’s 25 Years of Perfecto celebratory album on iTunes now.

Posted by Marc Andrew on Jun 30 2015. Filed under Celebrity Playlist. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.