Not only does Paul Oakenfold produce records, but he also mixes them. In 1987 he spent several months in Ibiza with a few friends and fell in love with dance club music. Oakenfold produced "Happy Mondays' Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches" before producing for U2, Massive Attack, Simply Red and New Order (to name a few).
In 1999 after building an American fanbase he released "Tranceport" which was widely accepted by American trance fans.
After "Tranceport" came "Perfecto Presents Another World" which was arguably his most successful album, as it introduced millions more to his style.
His popularity grew as many of his works were inclulded in movie soundtracks such as Swordfish, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Die Another Day (where he remixed the James Bond theme before later going to work on the videogame Goldeneye: Rogue Agent in 2004) and Collateral.
In 2002 he released Bunkka, which featured the hit single 'Starry-Eyed Surprise'. In the same year, Oakenfold was listed in Q's "50 Bands to see Before you Die" compilition.
2004 brought about the double album 'Creamfields', but it was in 2005 that he released the Perfecto Album entitled 'Perfecto Presents The Club'.
He also released the album Great Wall, recorded live at the Great Wall of China.
2006 saw the release of 'A Lively Mind' where he colloborated with, amongst others, Brittany Murphy (for the single Faster Kill Pussycat) and Pharrell Williams. 'A Lively Mind' is an edgier, more club-based album, as opposed to his calmer album Bunkka.
Paul Oakenfold's musical career started from admirably humble beginnings, playing soul and rare groove cuts in a Covent Garden wine bar in the late 'seventies with mate Trevor Fung. By the early 'eighties, having decided that NYC was the place, Paul decamped there armed only with the chutzpah to blag his way into a courier's job in West Harlem. At that time, more than any other, New York was bursting with musical invention: hip-hop was the freshest street sound around, and Larry Levan - arguably the first ever superstar DJ, inspiring a frenzy in the crowd that some guy playing records had never inspired before - was packing out the Paradise Garage every week with the revolutionary, hypnotic mixing style that would become the acid house DJ's stock in trade.
Returning to London, Paul became one of the UK's leading authorities on hip-hop. During his stint as an A&R man for Champion he signed the as-then unknowns Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and Salt N'Pepa. Oh yeah, and he appeared on Blue Peter with a breakdancing crew who he was looking after at the time.
In 1985 young Paul spent the summer on a beautiful Balearic island called Ibiza. Ever heard of it? Oakey is as much responsible as anyone for making it the clubber's paradise it is today, as two years after that first trip he, alongside mates Trevor Fung, Nicky Holloway, Ian St Paul, Danny Rampling and Johnny Walker, went there for a week to celebrate his birthday. If the first visit had been good, this one changed their lives forever. Dancing in the warm night air beneath stars at the then open-air Amnesia to the oddest mix of music any of them had ever heard, courtesy of island legend Alfredo, Paul's urge to import this incredible experience - and the Balearic sound - back to England became too great to resist.
Prior to his Ibiza trip, Paul had been running a successful soul/jazz night at The Project in Streatham. On his return from the white island he persuaded the owner to let him run an after-hours 'Ibiza reunion' party. An attempt at a Balearic music policy had failed Paul one year earlier: the crowd just hadn't been ready to hear so many musical styles mixed together in one night, let alone in one DJ's set, but by 1987, and coupled with Paul's sheer enthusiasm and showman's talent for setting a musical mood, attitudes were changing. The night was a complete success, and led to what was to be - alongside Danny Rampling's Shoom - one of London's, and England's, first major acid house nights: Spectrum at Heaven in Charing Cross.
Spectrum grew out of Future, a night held in The Sanctuary, which annexed the much bigger Heaven club. Many never thought Spectrum (suitably subtitled 'Theatre Of Madness') would succeed: a 1500+ capacity club on a Monday night? Forget about it. And at first they looked to be right. For the first few weeks, attendance was low, leaving Paul and co-promoter Ian St Paul in dire financial straits. Then, suddenly, the vibe was out and the queues were literally going around the block. And a new phase in club culture had begun.
Spectrum continued for a couple of years, changing its name along the way to Land Of Oz. New initiates to the scene (as almost everybody was) marvelled at the full-on atmosphere of the place: hands reaching up into the sweat hazed air, laser lights pulsing and washing over the smiling crowd. Alex Paterson (later of The Orb) DJed in the VIP chillout area (the White Room), while Paul created his now trademark fervour in the cavernous main room.
Alongside running a seminal club night, Paul's production career had also begun by 1988 under the name Electra, working with long-time collaborator Steve Osborne. By 1990, with his work on The Happy Mondays' frugadelic Wrote For Luck and then Hallelujah (on the Madchester Rave On EP), Paul had created two of the cornerstone records of the indie-dance scene, a hybrid that demystified acid house for kids who'd been raised on a musical diet of guitar, bass, and drums. Paul was one of the guest DJs at The Stone Roses' legendary Spike Island gig, and his work with Osborne on The Happy Mondays' classic Pills, Thrills And Bellyaches LP (NME's 1990 Album Of The Year) won the pair the 1991 Brit Award for Best Producer.
Remix galore followed, for Mondays labelmates New Order; Massive Attack; The Shamen, and Arrested Development among others, as Paul and Steve began trading under the name Perfecto. If the name was little known at first that soon changed with the 1992 Perfecto mix of U2's Even Better Than The Real Thing. The track, with delicious irony, attained a higher chart position on release than the original song, thus signalling a watershed in the history and growth of dance music.
1993 saw Paul hired to provide the warm-up sonics on U2's Zoo TV world tour, and as a result the de facto arrival of the superstar DJ. The past decade has seen Paul rack up a dizzying blur of firsts and foremosts, including, not least, his being voted the number one DJ in the world by the readers of DJ magazine, and has heard the name "Oakey!" yelled hoarsely from clubs, fields (including an epoch-making set on the main stage at Glastonbury Festival, no less) and arenas in every corner of the globe.
On the production front Paul began to release his own tracks as well as continuing to turn in remixes, while Perfecto expanded into a fully-fledged label. Its offshoot, Perfecto Fluoro, became the label of choice in the mid-'nineties for the harder, trippier Goa trance sound. Today Perfecto boasts artists as diverse as Arthur Baker, Harry 'Choo Choo' Romero, and Timo Maas on its roster, and has gone from strength to strength by refusing to pander to only one style of dance music. Alongside the building of the Perfecto brand, Paul released a string of superlative mix CD's, amongst them his awesome New York set for Global Underground - still the series' biggest seller to date. And who else would have been commissioned to write the theme for what was certain to be the biggest TV show of all time? How did you guess? Paul wrote and produced the Big Brother theme, as Element 4, with Andy Gray.
On the club front, well, time for a deep breath...Ready? OK, here we go: Paul undertook a legendary two-year residence at Liverpool's Cream that took residencies in general to another level, from the personally designed DJ booth to die-hard fans (dubbed 'the Oakenfolk' in the press) who would travel the length and breadth of the country week in, week out to hear him whip up a magical musical storm, that would still be ringing in the ears and exciting the mind in the office or the lecture hall on Monday morning. Ever keen to push himself further and harder, Paul decamped in 1999 to become Director of Music at home, the multi-million pound superclub built defiantly - and, as it turned out, problematically - in Leicester Square, the heart of London's West End. That club's immediate downturn in popularity after Paul's departure goes to show the extent of his impact and following. There are but a handful of DJ's in the world who attract the fervour and create the excitement that he is capable of provoking in a crowd. You only have to be there when he plays to feel the electric charge in the atmosphere, more akin to the devotional than the merely appreciative.
Leaving home was a difficult decision for Paul, but he risked his UK and European profile, not to mention turning down the certainty of serious amounts of cash, to decamp to America, one of the few places in the world - ironically, given that it all started there - where dance music is yet to be championed and grasped in the way in which it is elsewhere around the globe. But this was a move typical of the man: where others would sit on their laurels and bathe in their hard-won glory, he has always taken the tougher option, sustained by his belief that greater effort means greater rewards. It's this attitude that saw him leave a huge fanbase in Britain to start all over again in the U.S.; that has seen him play to crowds in the low hundreds in isolated Alaska; and that led him to take a pair of Technics with him when he went on holiday to Cuba, and organise a free, unpromoted and not strictly legal party, purely to spread the word of great, life-affirming music and good, good times. This man lives, breathes and eats his art.
So what now for a man at the pinnacle of his profession, the world's premiere DJ? Why, upward, ever upward of course. 2001 has seen Paul score the Joel Silver-produced and John Travolta-starring Swordfish, remix the theme to Tim Burton's Planet Of The Apes, DJ on Moby's Arena:One U.S. tour, and make a triumphal return to his home shores with a free gig that left tens of thousands sweat-soaked and grinning like Cheshire Cats on London's Clapham Common. We can only expect that the best is yet to come, so stay tuned and prepare to be amazed.
Faster Kill Pussycat
Paul Oakenfold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't stand to see you cry
Honey, you know where the world is at
Get what you want with your lucky eyes
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
Better wake up this sleepy head
Big old world pass us by
So many things we could do instead
Get what you want with your lucky eyes
Faster kill faster still pussycat
Those high heels are not your friends
Honey, you know where the world is at
Come home with me when the party ends
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
(Pussycat)
(Pussycat) heaven knows I tried to let you go
I can't help myself, you know I'm out of control
Heaven knows I tried to let you go
I can't help myself, I think I'm losing control
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
The lyrics of Paul Oakenfold feat. Brittany Murphy's song Faster Kill Pussycat speak to the seductive power of a woman with "lucky eyes" who can get what she wants with little effort. The first verse is a call for the woman to embrace her power and not allow herself to be reduced to tears, as she has the ability to control her own destiny. The chorus repeats the phrase "Faster kill faster still pussycat" which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the woman's drive to succeed, to keep moving faster and further, and to not let anyone stop her. The repetition of the line "You turn me on" suggests that the woman's confidence and power is highly attractive to the singer.
The second verse is a warning to not let the world pass by without making the most of one's opportunities. The singer suggests that there is so much to do besides wearing high heels and partying, and that the woman's "lucky eyes" could help her achieve her goals. The repeated reference to "pussycat" reinforces the idea that the woman is in control, but also suggests a playful, flirtatious tone to the song.
The bridge of the song acknowledges the singer's struggle with the woman's power, admitting that they have tried to resist her but can't help being drawn in. The repetition of "You turn me on" at the end of the song reinforces this idea of irresistible attraction.
Overall, the song is an ode to the power of women and the seductive allure of confidence and self-assurance. It suggests that those with "lucky eyes" can achieve their goals and control their own destiny, but also acknowledges the challenge that comes with resisting such power.
Line by Line Meaning
Faster kill faster still pussycat
Encouraging the 'pussycat' to move quickly and efficiently towards their desired goal.
I can't stand to see you cry
The singer is sensitive to the emotions of the 'pussycat'.
Honey, you know where the world is at
The 'pussycat' knows how to navigate the world and achieve success.
Get what you want with your lucky eyes
The 'pussycat' has a certain charm that can help them get what they want.
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
The 'pussycat' is attractive and captivating to the artist.
Better wake up this sleepy head
The singer is urging the 'pussycat' to take action and not waste time.
Big old world pass us by
Time is passing quickly and the 'pussycat' needs to take advantage of the present moment.
So many things we could do instead
There are many opportunities available to the 'pussycat', and they should take advantage of them.
Those high heels are not your friends
Wearing high heels may look good, but they are not practical and can hinder the 'pussycat's progress.
Come home with me when the party ends
The artist is inviting the 'pussycat' to spend more time with them once the event is over.
(Pussycat)
Referring to the subject of the song.
Heaven knows I tried to let you go
The artist has attempted to distance themselves from the 'pussycat' but has been unsuccessful.
I can't help myself, you know I'm out of control
The singer is irresistibly drawn to the 'pussycat' and cannot resist their charm.
You turn me on (yeah, you turn me, yeah, you turn me on)
Reiterating the effect that the 'pussycat' has on the singer.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: Paul Oakenfold, Ian Green, Anthony Crawford, Kelli Ali
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GaymingAndStuff
RIP Brtitany Murphy.
This song is still a banger in 2023.
@govetter
I still miss her! Just think of what coulda been? Soo sad.
@sierra6936
🙌🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🎶✨✨💋
@user-hp5nc2gn6p
Brittany Murphy one love. F
@robevans5507
not a patch though on rogue traders - voodoo child
@vetterburns1048
Bangin' in '24 Baby! nice.
@SpencerLevey
10 years later and I still miss her big eyes and smile. RIP Brittany.
@TheLULUTOMAS
Me too ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
@zekegarzaiii2012
I had a major crush on her. I saw her husband. I said to myself HELL I had a shot !
@goldenlamb777
I miss her so much. And now I find out she was also a singer. She did « somebody to love » by Freddy Mercury, fn amazing!