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.
If You're Gonna Jump
Paul Oakenfold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't sit around couch potato land
I want to do all kinds of stuff
Talking about it's not enough
I want to go to the extreme
I want to stretch my limousine
I want to take it way off road
Go where I'm not supposed to go
Life is music, play it louder
If you're gonna jump, then jump far, fly like a sky diver
If you're gonna be a singer, then you better be a rockstar
If you're gonna be a driver, then you better drive a race car
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chihuahua
I like my food with chili in
I like to laugh til it turns in
I want to stare fear in the face
I want to take it all the way
Life is music play it louder
If you're gonna jump, then jump far, fly like a sky diver
If you're gonna be a singer, then you better be a rockstar
If you're gonna be a driver, then you better drive a race car
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chihuahua
If you're gonna jump, then jump far,
If you're gonna
If you're gonna hit the high notes, you gotta be a diva
If you're gonna play a guitar, you gotta play til you blister
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog not buying a chihuahua
No happy apples for my tea
It's hot or cold no in between
If your gonna jump
If your gonna jump
If your gonna jump
If you're gonna jump, then jump far, fly like a sky diver
If you're gonna be a singer, then you better be a rockstar
If you're gonna be a driver, then you better drive a race car
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chihuahua
If you're gonna jump, then jump far,
If your gonna
If your want to hit the high notes, you gotta be a diva
If your gonna play a guitar, you gotta play til you blister
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog not buying a chihuahua
The lyrics of Paul Oakenfold's song "If You're Gonna Jump" talk about living life to the fullest and not settling for mediocrity. The singer expresses his desire to take risks, push boundaries, and challenge himself in all aspects of life, whether it's in music, sports or food choices. He celebrates the idea of going to the extreme and not being afraid to face fears. With lines like "Life is music, play it louder" and "If you're gonna jump, then jump far, fly like a skydiver," the song encourages listeners to step out of their comfort zones and chase their dreams, no matter how daunting they may be. The repeated phrase "looking for a guard dog, not buying a Chihuahua" further emphasizes the idea of wanting something strong and powerful, rather than something small and timid.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a short attention plan
I have a short attention span and cannot sit still for too long.
Can't sit around couch potato land
I cannot be idle and stay at home all day.
I want to do all kinds of stuff
I crave variety and want to experience different things.
Talking about it's not enough
Merely talking about things is not satisfying to me.
I want to go to the extreme
I desire to push myself to the limit.
I want to stretch my limousine
I want to see how far I can go with my resources and abilities.
I want to take it way off road
I want to explore beyond the expected and ordinary boundaries.
Go where I'm not supposed to go
I want to challenge societal norms and expectations.
Life is music, play it louder
Life is a never-ending dance, so enjoy it to the fullest.
If you're gonna jump, then jump far, fly like a sky diver
If you're going to take risks, take them boldly and with gusto.
If you're gonna be a singer, then you better be a rockstar
If you want to achieve greatness, you must be willing to exceed expectations.
If you're gonna be a driver, then you better drive a race car
If you want to be the best, you must always strive to improve.
'Cause I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chihuahua
I want tough and resilient things, not fragile ones.
I like my food with chili in
I enjoy bold and spicy flavors.
I like to laugh til it turns in
I enjoy lightheartedness, but can also push limits in humor.
I want to stare fear in the face
I want to confront my fears and overcome them.
I want to take it all the way
I want to go all in, with no holding back.
No happy apples for my tea
I prefer uncompromising, strong flavors and experiences.
It's hot or cold no in between
I want things to be clear and unambiguous, with no gray areas.
If your want to hit the high notes, you gotta be a diva
If you want to excel in your craft, you must be passionate and dedicated.
If your gonna play a guitar, you gotta play til you blister
If you want to be a master of your craft, you must put in the time and effort.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW FRAMPTON, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, STEPHEN KIPNER, WAYNE WILKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ThomasJeff1898
Here is a coincidence fact. Natasha Bedingfield also portrayed one of the two new Bond girls in the From Russia With Love video game which is released a year later after GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. I'll give you a brief profile of the character that Ms. Bedingfield plays in the former game (FRWL).
Name: Elizabeth Stark
Role: The British Prime Minister's daughter
Actress: Natasha Bedingfield
Game: From Russia With Love
Appearance in level(s): The London intro/prologue level (aka Mission 1: London in the game)
From what is shown in the game, Natasha did very well for her first acting role so far. Hope to see her in future films and TV shows. Of course if there is a character that is suitable for Bedingfield to portray.
@erikwaterson361
We NEED a remaster of this game. Absolute underated diamond in the rough. Imagine what they could do with 4K and the technical advancements
@dylanleraix3581
Totally agree with you, this game was incredible, non-stop action, iconic characters, beautiful and dark decor and a crazy soundtrack created by Paul. Oakenfold. keep it all, for the next generation of consoles its would have been extraordinary
@REIVAXMEELAS
with bot multiplayer, online multiplayer and splitscreen multiplayer
@user-sb7uy3up4c
I think so too
@captain_fruitcake101
The combat was one of the best aspects of the game and because of how fast it is and how many elements are in it, it still keeps it fun to this day
@safewing98
This game was so great, i agree with you, i love to play it once in a while in Dolphin,but we have to recognize its biggest sin, it used the GoldenEye name to advertise it as a game related to the N64 gem but it was something completely different to the n64 , don't get me wrong the game was and still is amazing but that thing about the name played against the title reputation
Also is kinda hard to get something new about this game like a remaster or something since it is made by EA and i think ea lost the 007 license to release games, but hey, hope is the last thing that dies🥲
Sorry if my English is bad😅
@SuperMrBentley
This game has the best aesthetic and the best music of any Bond game
@REIVAXMEELAS
Faxx
@wilbermaceo5760
Classic at this point
@REIVAXMEELAS
Faxx