With Paul Oakenfold's first album of original material, Bunkka, set for release on June 18th, the DJ/producer is already planning to record a soundtrack to the upcoming film Psychoville (starring the real-life husband and wife team Jude Law and Sadie Frost) later this year. "It will be the first score I've done since Swordfish," Oakenfold says, "because I just turned everything down to focus on my new record."

Before he can get to work on creating music for the British thriller, Oakenfold will spend the summer touring in support of Bunkka. Crafted over the last two years, the twelve-track effort features a host of vocal contributors, including Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, Ice Cube, Crazy Town's Shifty Shellshock and Nelly Furtado and Tricky, who duet on "Harder They Come."

"I was really fortunate with Nelly," Oakenfold says. "I worked with Nelly really early on before she became this big star. She's an amazing vocalist and such a beautiful person. She's got a good spirit in her."

Oakenfold is currently debuting remixes of Bunkka's tracks by dance notables including Brits Layo and Bushwacka, Philly's Josh Wink and Dutchman DJ Tiesto on his U.S. DJ tour. The tour will include a July 19th stop at a U.S. military base in Thessaloniki, Greece. "They asked me to do it as kind of a morale boosting situation," he says. "I said 'Why not?' [The troops] wanna let their hair down and have a good time, and they must be into dance music because that's why they booked me. I'm gonna go there and give them a good time. I'm sure when they're not working they go to clubs just like everyone else."

It's this type of American interest in the dance music scene that has Oakenfold considering opening a branch of his Perfecto Records label in the U.S. "I'd like to have Perfecto USA and find young American DJs and producers and hopefully make a home from here," Oakenfold says. "It's a wonderful scene here. I think this is the most exciting place at the moment."

Paul Oakenfold tour dates:

6/4: Houston, Hyperia
6/5: Dallas, Area 51
6/7-8: Memphis, Jillians
6/9: Foxboro, MA, WBCN River Rave
6/11: Seattle, Showbox
6/14: Mountainview, CA Shoreline Amphitheater
6/15: Phoenix, Crowbar
6/17: Los Angeles, Mayan Theater
6/29: Montreal, Aria
6/30: Toronto, Guvernment
7/2: Boston, Avalon
7/3: Hampton Bay, NY, CPI
7/5: New York, Exit
7/6: Philadelphia, Electric Factory
7/8: Chicago, Excaliber
7/13: Denver, Red Rocks

JOLIE LASH
(June 4, 2002)