A generation has passed since Paul Oakenfold developed his style of Balearic trance that awed millions in the electronic dance music universe and led to the first wave of EDM’s global mainstream popularity. Much has changed since his humble beginnings in the early 1980s. The money is larger, the sounds are deeper, and in general, the size, scope and influence of electronic dance music has penetrated much further than anyone could have likely ever imagined. Nearing 50, Oakenfold doesn’t need to tour or record new music. He’s a master, rich beyond his wildest dreams, but it’s in the name of developing permanence for mainstream electronic dance music that he set off on the enormous Facelift tour with new school “dirty” Dutch house master DJ Chuckie, a tour which stopped at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday night to mixed results. Yes, there was dancing, and yes there were revelers having another night consistent with having the time of their lives. However, in pockets of the venue the 30+ crowd, likely out of touch with modern developments in dance music sat stunned and dismayed by how hard, strong, percussive and yes, mainstream Chuckie’s set was. A facelift is both indicative of a desire to attain beauty or have a painful result. Thus was the nature of this event.
It’s not that Chuckie’s set was bad. Playing after opener Nervo, it didn’t take Chuckie long to pilot control of the crowd with 2009 superstar making banger “Moombah,” which to ears not in tune with current trends sounds like someone tripped the alarm on an SUV in the middle of an electro rave party. It’s familiar cry of “turn up the bass” was met, and then Chuckie proceeded to run through the Clear Channel radio playlists of the past year, highlights of David Guetta’s “One Love” album alongside a plethora of Chuckie’s own top 40 remixes. The marriage between traditional dance sounds and top 40 hitmakers is either beauty to your ears or an unholy cacophony played on the seventh circle of hell. I was glad to hear Chuckie knows his market well in playing an edit of LMFAO’s “Shots,” as this was a crowd filled with people that are commonly lampooned as “wannabe Jersey Shore douchebags,” so any track that advocated Jagerbombs and vodka and Red Bull combinations is a peak hour anthem. Fitting in a mini-set of big room club crushers of yore, including but not limited to personal favorites like Modjo’s “Lady” unified this set in being squarely aimed at the populist history and future of electronic dance music. In that, it it was truly a success.
Paul Oakenfold looked like a man filled with unrepentant glee as he assumed the decks in a nearly sold out room. The first man to truly find the soaring yet penetrating rhythms of trance music, Oakenfold’s set was entirely inclusive of everything from his 2002 debut artist album Bunka to tracks from the yet to be released Pop Killer. It was intriguing to watch a crowd that was muted by Chuckie’s bassline assault become unglued when Oakenfold began to spin. Trance has had just as populist a recent history, as well, Oakenfold himself has served as one of Madonna’s principal remixers throughout the late era of her career. Relatedly if you told me ten years ago that Tiesto would produce a track by sizzurp sippin’ Three Six Mafia, I’d have you committed. However, Oakenfold playing tonight in the role of steward played it straight, and gave the crowd of revelers exactly what they wanted. Somewhere within the terrific light show and ten foot tall by 30 feet wide LCD screen there was a beating heart to these proceedings. Paul Oakenfold was one of the legends who begat the nature of popular music today, and now, he was giving that a facelift. It wasn’t as much time passing him by as it was a realization that he was a success.
In final, this was truly a fun evening. As someone who is a major proponent of the concussive depth of the Dutch house sound, doesn’t hate top 40 electro at all, and who listens to a steady diet of trance, all often in the same day, the night was a study in comfort. However, if top 40 electro, skull splattering bass and blips that sound like faulty car alarms turn you off, this was likely not the night for you. However, we can all agree that Paul Oakenfold is amazing. In that realization, the night was ultimately worthwhile.
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