Paul Oakenfold on EDM’s Growth: ‘We Built the Foundations Up’
With EDM’s growing global dominance, one of dance music’s forefathers and biggest names, Paul Oakenfold, sat down in Rolling Stone‘s Rock Room to talk about where the movement’s been and where it’s going.
“I’ve been coming to America for a long time and playing in underground clubs, but now it’s mainstream,” Oakenfold said. “Three, four years ago, I literally parked myself in Vegas. I did a residency every week for two, three years . . . We built the foundations up. I felt that’s what America needed.”
Coachella 2013: Rolling Stone’s Complete Coverage
Oakenfold went on to discuss some of his favorite up-and-comers such as Danny Howard and Robert Vadney – a Greek producer who brings his unique background in classical piano to the world of electronic music – as well as some of the artists he’d like to collaborate with, like Grimes and Dr. Dre.
“I think in music there’s no boundaries,” Oakenfold said. “I understand that house music is pop music now. Everything you’re listening to on Top 40 radio has a house beat to it. But I still like the challenge of moving out of the obvious realm.”
Interview by Steve Baltin; text by Jon Blistein.