Every year from 1997 – 2004 he was top 10 in the DJ Mag poll, twice at #1 and twice at #2. From 2005-2008 he remained in the top 15. He currently sits at #23. Paul Oakenfold just might be the most consistent trance DJ ever. He is a legend. He was there when it all started and he is still here, still tearing up dance floors across the world, still pumping bass from Thailand to South Africa. Without Paul Oakenfold there might not be an Armin van Buuren, ATB, Ferry Corsten, or trance as we know it. Paul Oakenfold, along with artists like Johan Gielen, Robert Miles and M.I.K.E. took early styles of trance and molded them to what many refer to today as ‘epic’ or ‘uplifting’ trance.

Paul Oakenfold’s roots as a music pioneer run far deeper than just trance. At the age of 21 he was sneaking into Studio 54, posing as a journalist and interviewing the stars. As A&R for Champion Records in the 80’s, Paul was responsible for signing The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff as well as Salt-n-Pepa. He was also a promoter and the British agent for the Beastie Boys and Run DMC.

In the mid-late 80’s, Oakey traveled to Ibiza and was enamored by the Balearic beats. He would go on to mold the sound Ibiza is now known for. In 1992, under the name Perfecto (after his record label), Paul’s remix of U2’s “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” reached a higher chart position than… the real thing! U2 hired him the next year to be their opening act. 2 years later he was the first DJ to play the main stage at Glastonbury.

He’s remixed for U2, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, shall we keep going? He’s done the music for Saab, Toyota and Pepsi commercials. He worked on the scores to The Matrix Reloaded, Swordfish, The Bourne Identity, Shrek 2 and many others.

We didn’t need an event description for Paul Oakenfold, just a short recap of his illustrious career. To this day he remains one of DJ Mag’s top 25. If you don’t come to see Paul Oakenfold at Lima Lounge this Thursday… then you’re dumb.