Paul Oakenfold en el Hipódromo de las Américas

Mis estimados cero lectores, he tenido un poco [¿un poco? dirá alguno de ustedes] abandonado el blog. El hecho de tener que ganarse la vida a veces obliga a dedicarle más tiempo del que uno quisiera a estos espacios. En fin, hasta aquí la disculpa. Hoy reproduzco una reseña que escribí a raíz de la visita del DJ inglés, radicado ahora en Los Ángeles, California, Paul Oakenfold, a quien muchos, incluido este servidor, consideran el mejor DJ sobre el planeta. La reseña apareció en inglés, en un foro de música electrónica, entendida no en su sentido académica, apolínea, sino en su sentido dionisiaco [acuérdense del largo ensayo que escribí al respecto en un post de hace ya tiempo]. La razón para ello es que el foro es en inglés, y ocasionalmente algunos participantes lo hacen en alemán. Hay un subforo para discusiones en español, pero la verdad, conociendo el nivel de los foros en español, he procurado evitarlo. Como sea, necesitarán saber un mínimo de inglés para leer el resto del post, pero estoy seguro que ninguno de ustedes es un iletrado. Así, pues, si desean leer la reseña en su contexto original, pueden ir directamente al enlace siguiente:

http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=444790&forumid=6&s=

Paul Oakenfold live at Hipodromo de las Americas, Mexico, November 1st 2007

I'm sorry, but I don't think this set it will be avialable on the net. But its pretty sure that very soon we have a Perfecto on Tour Live in Mexico. Date tour its still not confirm. Great Oakey it will be support by Sandra Collins and Kenneth Thomas, so stay tune for the real deal.

I decide to write a review of the set played by Paul Oakenfold last thursday (in fact was in friday), here, at Mexico city. I have never seen or read a good review of a DJ set, even in forums or threads like this. Also, I have seen very often people speak very cheap about Oakey's craftmanship behind decks... So, those f***ing morons it will be better to shut up if they aren't able to speak or write like someone with a very little knowledge about what mixing its about and at least with some respect for the DJ that make possible the state of affairs at have arrived world clubbing scene today. I'm gonna speak about other things related with all this, and I hope some of this people, that I call anti-Oakey people, could speak with a little coherence and intelligence when the write or speak, because I ussually see the don't (I'm sure that BloodlustShaman it will be agree with me).

In a recent thread open by myself [http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...=6&pagenumber=1] a poor little monkey says that he can mix better than Oakey. I really don't think that this poor ego can do it. Nobody knows who the hell he is, and nobody matter what he's doing. And its important to underline that Oakenfold have an almost 30 years career than few DJs in fact have.

I'm not the only one who really love Oakenfold craftmanship, and the first thing I can say is that its very important to underline that its not the same thing to hear him in concert, among other thousends of people dancing and screaming and jumping, that hear a set with your fat or skinny ass in your living room or bedroom or wathever you are. Nomatter what you say, its not the same at all. Worst if you only watch a poor video in YouTube, taked with a little videocamera. I repeat, its not the same. So those poor little monkeys that only hear sets at their homes or offices and argues with passion and fury doesn't know what reaaly its to be in a DJ set alive, even if the audio it was taken directly from the decks, as happens with many DJs like Sasha, John Digweed (Bonnaroo set is simply amazing, but I wasn't there, so when I say its amazing, its really in the poor sense of the word), Cattaneo, Paul van Dyk, and many others.

One other thing, concerning with tracklistings. I think that tracklisting its some kind of a guidance of what DJ make on stage or in studio, but for itself, tracklisting doesn't mean anything at all if you really doesn't hear the set, and evaluates the way DJ mix this tracks. Because, at least for me, this is the real deal, meaning the very important thing: how the DJ put the songs or tunes one after another and create a very sound fabric, as a one whole unit of continuous music. If you only judge the set for his tracklisting its like judge a book for his cover. This is so evident, that I don't know how can be morons that still do it, once and another, with no shame at all. This is musical ignorance at its higher level, and even a real monkey do some better than that.

So, starting with great Oakey and his past set in Mexico, I must say that his last visit to our country was two years and a half, during a very accidented Creamfields festival, supported by Hernan Cattanneo. Both Cattanneo and Oakenfold play very short sets, Cattanneo play one hour, and Oakenfold one hour and a half, because the place was a whole mess; nevertheless, Cattanneo and Oakenfold both played amazingly, and people went absolutely crazy. I have to make a special mention to the fact, really amazing, that Oakenfold not only make that night amazing mixes and transitions between one tune and another, but the fact that he improvise at least two mixes at the moment: first, he make an incredible mix at the heat of the moment (as sey Asias's song) of Quenn's We will rock you, an after that he mix four albums at the same time to create a new one and amazing tune [sorry, I don't remember what tune it was]. That was the last visit of Oakenfold to Mexico (2005), and this two years an a half we are waiting for him. So I cannot exagerate when I say thay many of us in Mexico have a very deep hunger for Oakenfold's absolute mastery behind decks.

So, Oakenfold presents his show in Mexico as never before. First of all, it wasn't in a club, where conditions are allways under control. He played in central courtyard of Hipodromo de las Americas, a very strange place to play music, where never before has played nobody. So this is the very and absolute firts time that someone played there. And I'm must say that was absolutely amazing. When we get into the courtyard, from one side of the track where horses run, you can see the stage and the screens, far as from 200 meters, more or less. And from this very moment we all know that this its gonna be a great, great show. 3 local DJs warm up with not allways good skills, and as ussually happens with mexicans DJs, playing old music and only what they like (they never have new tunes or albums, they never make people really dance, and they never show care for his job), not what people wold like to hear and dance.

And here is the difference between this DJs (and many others) and Oakenfold. Because Oakenfold really cares about what people wants to hear and dance. He cares a lot. And he acts accordingly. He not only play what he likes, but he want to make people feel good, happy and warm by music. Andf he have a very special and close relationtship with his audience, dancing, claping, sending regards, posings for photos and making many things while he mix. This is something that all Oakeys fans we know, and we love he gives not only music, but his interact with us. This make every set a special occasion to share emotions. You know that Oakey is watching his audience, and he love to interact with her.

The night was absolutely perfect for a DJ set. The sky was absolutely clear, with no clouds threaten the concert, airplanes passing by really near (3 or 4 miles away every 5 minutes), a beautiful moon avobe, and the crowd really expectating. The lights and lassers surrounding the whole place created a very strange atmosphere, crossing the night and close to the airplanes that surely asked whats happen down there. And finnaly, a very inspired Oakenfold playing at his best, knowing what people really wants.

He started exactly at 0:32 AM, Mexico hour (central time US, I think) and finished at 3:59. I was in first lane, about 2 meters close to the stage, and about 3 meters about the decks, a little left where Oakenfold was mixing, so I have that night many eye contact with him, and he send me at least 3 times regards, specially when almost at the end he play Teleport, as first a capella, and I start to jump the most I can when I immediatly identified this absolute classic and he clearly see me.

Nevertheless cold of the night, he really warm all of us reunited there, only to hear him, and for at least all these almost 4 hours, he really warm up the whole place and take the night down for all of us. People are really happy to see him and hear him, and it was obvious that he were really happy to share the night with us. He played old and new tunes, as a kind of tour for his career, or at least about his last seven years. Right from the start he make people went crazy with his edit of Miserere-Rush Hour, following for his new classic, Faster Kill Pussycat, combinig new tunes that I can't recognize, with some absolutely classic that make us really happy to hear again. But the most amazing thing that night its not only was the tunes he played, but the way he play, or must say, the way he mixed one tune after another. Perfectly, and I really say perfectly blended tunes one with another, and differently from other DJs, headphones times in Oakeys head it was every time really short (less than 30 seconds), and not only once but two times, he made the mixing absolutely without headphones at all!! I never seen someone make that and with the absloute perfection that Oakey mixed that night. Thats speaks about the level of abslutely mastery in his craftmanship behind decks, and this puts him in a diferent kind of world, far away of all the most DJs. When I say that I mean that if you only hear the set, or look the tracklisting, you really don't have a clue about what he really do in Mexico this November 2nd. Tracks between 8, 9 and 10, and between 15 and 16 were mixed that way, and was absolutely amazing watch him mixing with that mastery. Really was impressive to hear the way he blend tunes with that kind of perfection (its not in vane that his record label calls its Perfecto).

When he mixed songs like Faster Kill pussycat, Californication, Children, Southern sun, and The world is mine, it was simple amazing to see and hear 4 or 5 thousend people singing and choiring and dancing and jumping all together, screaming like a mad bunch of happy people ready to stay the night with the best DJ in the world. All the time Oakey not only made superb mixings, but dance along and send regards to the crowd, and specially send me regards at least 3 times, and he probably reminds me very well whe he played, as I say, Teleport, and I start to jump and clapping and screaming like hell almost in front of him, and he happilly see me, with a smile in his face. This is what make to stay with him a very special event, because you know sooner or later he will see you and let you know that he has just seen you.

You wheren't there? Its a shame, or as we say in México Láaaaaastima. Because it was simply amazing, the best show of the year, and a real close encounter with an Oakenfold playing at his best and really inspired behind the decks. It was worth to wait almost two years and a half to hear him again, this time with a whole set. I can only say that the other two amazing concerts of this amazing level of mastery I see in Mexico city was the only time Pink Floyd came to play (1997) and when italian progressive rock band Banco del Mutuo Soccorso came for the first time.

You wanna have some very distant idea of what Oakey play in Mexico? Here it is a tracklisting that includes all the tunes I can recognize that night. If you where there that night and recognize another, you can upgrade. But if you don't, but attend that night, you can confirm that was an amazing night, full of Oakey tunes and Oakey atmosphere, and you will be thankfull with him for one of the best nights in the last 3 or 4 years in Mexico.

Enjoy!!!

01. Armin van Buuuren - Miserere-Rush Hour [Oakey special edit]

02. Oakenfold feat. Brittany Murphy - Fasterkill Pussycat

03. ID

04. ID

05. Mark Norman - Blikken Machine

06. Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication (ID mix)

07. ID

08. ID

This track and next two following tracks where mixed without headphones, and mixed perfectly, flawless!!!

09. ID

10. The Doors - This is the end (ID mix, I think was a Corsten mix)

11. Solarstone - Seven cities (Original mix)

12. ID

13. ID

14. ID

15. Kyau vs. Albert - Falling Anywhere (Original mix)

This track and the next was mixed flawless without headphones

16. ID

17. Nalin & Kane - Open Your Eyes (New mix, Oakenfold 2008 mix? Maybe)

18. Planet Perfecto feat. Grace - It's Not Over Yet (Oakenfold 2008 mix)

19. Robert Miles - Children (New mix, Oakenfold 2008 mix?)

20. ID

21. ID

22. Oakenfold - Southern sun (Oakenfold 2008 mix) [singing by almost 4 thousend people]

23. ID

24. ID

25. Planet Perfecto - Bullet in the Gun (Oakenfold 2008 mix?)

26. ID

27. ID

28. ID (some amazing psycho-trance tune)

29. ID

End of set

A capellas, mixed 30 and 31

30. Teleport - Man with no name

31. Greece 2000 - Three drives on a vinyl (New mix, Oakenfold 2008 mix?)

Pause

32. Josh Wink - Higher State Of Consciousnes (Marco V Remix)

A capellas, mixed one after another

33. Underworld - Born sleepy (New mix, Oakenfold 2008 mix?)

34. ID

35. David Guetta - The world is mine (Original mix) [sunged by the whole crowd]

At the end, you can see a very moved Paul Oakenfold offering thanks to the crowd, who doesn't want to let go, but finnaly the concert comes to its end, and we let the place happy, in the middle of dawn, and some with office job waiting in a very few hours. Me? I go home to sleep and rest, tired of so much screaming and singing, happy to see again best DJ in the world. I don't regret, and I think all who came to hear him, doesn't at all.