Paul Oakenfold has said his DJ set at nearly 18,000 feet on Mount Everest was a “personal success”.
The three-time Grammy-nominated musician hiked to Everest Base Camp to throw the “highest party on Earth” and raise funds for survivors of the Nepalese earthquake and other charities.
Oakenfold, 53, said that despite a “few technical problems” the four-hour show was a triumph.He told the Press Association: “It was very interesting because we never knew if we could pull it off.“There was a lot of moving parts – for instance, the equipment. No-one knew if the equipment would work at 18,000 feet.“It was a personal success and I think a success for the right reasons.“We respected the community, we respected the mountain and the climbers. It wasn’t a rave on Everest – it was an event to raise awareness for the right causes.”Oakenfold was speaking on Thursday at the Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of What We Started, a documentary about electronic dance music featuring the DJ as well as Carl Cox.The DJ, from Mile End, east London, described the “very difficult” experience and the conditions, including temperatures of minus 12C, that he endured to complete the gig on April 11.“I never hiked before, I never climbed anything, I’m born and bred in a city,” he said.
“The elements are against you up there, breathing, food, the sun, the wind, I mean everything.”
He said a documentary about the mission, which took two years to plan, would come out early next year.
Oakenfold said it was part of a series of fund raisers called SoundTrek, where he would play in unlikely places.
But he wanted to remain tight-lipped about where else the journey would lead him.
