PAUL OAKENFOLD is one of the original superstar DJs and it was fitting that he was among the special guests on stage for the 30 years of Ministry Of Sound Classical at London’s O2 Arena on 13th November 2021.

Those on the bill –  including DJs Judge Jules, Brandon Block, Alex P, vocalist Kelli-Leigh and club co-founder Justin Berkmann – reflected the legendary history of Ministry Of Sound, the UK’s first house-music nightclub.

The Annual Classical celebrated the legendary dance music compilation The Annual, reimagining some of the biggest dance tracks from the Nineties including tracks from The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Dario G with a 50-piece classical orchestra.

It sold out two shows at London’s Royal Festival Hall and its debut UK tour in 2019 and the night at the 02 did not disappoint.

We caught up with Paul Oakenfold ahead of the event for The Sun newspaper and asked him to compile a forward thinking playlist for us. Listen and read what he had to say below about a selection of music from his iconic Perfecto label.

Paul Oakenfold – I’m In Love feat. Aloe Blacc 

This was a track that I wrote with Taio Cruz and I was a big fan of Aloe Blacc’s so I approached him to see if he’d be up for singing it. It’s my latest single and doing extremely well, I’m very happy with how it turned out.

 

Kamilo Sanclemente & Mauro Aguirre feat. Luli Diaz – Broken

This was a song I came across and really liked, a deep progressive vibe. It’s released on Perfecto Black and goes down really well with the crowd.

 

Paul Oakenfold –  Hypnotic feat Azealia Banks (Benny Benassi Remix) 

This is a track I did with Azealia Banks that works really well on the dancefloor, I love what Benny Benassi did with the remix.

 

Dirkie Coetzee – She Talks To My Angels

This was a track that I’ve been playing for awhile, it also works really well on the big shows that I’ve been playing lately (EDC Vegas, Dreamstate, Beyond Wonderland).

 

Rodrigo Kesovija – Voices of a Distant Star

This is a dance track from Argentina, there’s a very big underground scene there. One of my favorite places in the world to go and play. I often meet producers and DJs from there that want to sign to Perfecto Records, this is one of them

 

Paul Oakenfold – What’s Your Love Like feat. Eve 

I’ve known Eve for many years and always felt she’s one of the best rappers out there. I asked her if she’d be up for a collaboration and this is what we came up with. It’s definitely got hints of the 70s on the chorus but overall it’s a song about a one sided relationship.

 

Paul Sawyer & Lokka Vox – Journey

Paul Sawyer is an English producer who has released records before on Perfecto, I really like what he does. This has just come out on the label and is doing really well.

 

Edjo Laoch – Above The Clouds

This is a really interesting record, I have a weekly radio show that’s syndicated to over 30 million people worldwide, this is one of the biggest requests that I get asked to play on the show.

 

DJ Paul – Red Sky

This is one of my favourite tracks at the moment, getting a lot of support from my colleagues around the world.

 

Paul Hawcroft – Speechless

Another tune on Perfecto Black that’s doing really well in the underground scene. I played this out a few times and got a great reaction.