Paul Oakenfold among DJs spinning during Love Festival at Palms

Many moons ago, British DJs Paul Oakenfold and Pete Tong were riding down the Vegas Strip when they saw an advertisement for Sheena Easton.

"That will be us someday," Oakenfold joked. "That's where we'll all end up."

But that was no joke. In 2008, Oakenfold, the world's most famous DJ, took up a regular residency gig at the Palms' Rain nightclub.

That led to Vegas club residencies by Tong, Tiesto, Kaskade and nearly every top DJ in the world -- all in their prime.

Plus, this weekend, the Palms hosts the return of the Love Festival, three days of international DJs spinning at Rain and the pool. It's a phenomenal billing of Oakenfold, the amazing Paul van Dyk, Morgan Page, Felix da Housecat and a full house of artists.

Anyway, it was Oakenfold who sparked all this -- Vegas' rising up into the Ibiza of the West.

Tong says when Oakenfold's Palms residency was announced in Europe, "there was a bit of sniggering: 'What is he doing now?' "

"But it was a real gateway," Tong says. "He was a pioneering DJ. Now everyone wants to do it."

Oakenfold remembers the skepticism coming from, in particular, Euro music magazines, which have about-faced and are now onboard the Vegas shuttle.

"Against a lot of people's advice -- I've got to be honest -- I felt Vegas was the right move," Oakenfold says.

"A lot of people were saying, 'It's the wrong move,' " he says. "They just didn't know Vegas. You've got a lot of hard-core fans among local fans. They're the ones that deserve the pat on the back, really."

At the time he chose the Palms, Oakenfold had offers to take resident gigs in New York and Los Angeles. Each of those cities presented obstacles.

"In L.A., you've got the fire marshals trying to shut you down. In New York, the mayor doesn't want any clubs going on," he says.

Vegas was an obvious choice.

"It wasn't hard to see," he says. "It's a 24-hour city. It's a great city. A lot of people want to come and hang out and have fun."

He especially praises Palms owners the Maloofs, Michael Morton (co-founder of N9NE Group) and Michael Fuller (DJ and club executive) for understanding how to make leeway for creativity, in staging the spectacle and vibes of Perfecto at the Palms.

"Everyone brings something to the table," Oakenfold says. "It was always a great team. You don't get that in many places," including England and Ibiza, Spain.

As for that Sheena Easton joke?

"We all know that Vegas at one time or another was somewhere where stars would go and, in some respects, end their careers," he says.

"But Vegas is without a doubt the capital of electronic music in America," he says. "You've got more clubs than in Ibiza, certainly more than in New York -- major clubs."

Aside from the clubs and Love Fest, Vegas hosts this summer's Electric Daisy Carnival, June 24-26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"Vegas is really the flagship," he says. "It's the forefront of what's going on in electronic music now."

When he's not working, Oakenfold takes in the town -- experiencing downtown, Cirque du Soleil shows and getting suits customized at Stitched at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where, he advises, tailors make suits he usually gets only on Savile Row in London and in Italy.

Last year, he ran into Caesars headliner Matt Goss at the Palms, and the Brits decided to remix Goss' "Firefly" into a dance hit.

"Have you seen his show?" Oakenfold asks. "It's a great, edgy show."

Oakenfold is undoubtedly busy. He spent this week wrapping up recording a new album. He plans to mix singles at the Studio at the Palms and release the album early next year.

He's been scoring music for the comedy "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas," some music for "Captain America: The First Avenger" and an upcoming comedy named "Fugly."

"I didn't even know what 'fugly' meant," he says with a laugh. "The director sent me the script. I said, 'I don't mean to be horrible, but what kind of title is this?' And when he told me, I burst out laughing (and said), 'Great, count me in.' "

His advice for enjoying Love Fest?

"Just hang out and see what's going on. That's more of what it's all about, rather than seeing any individual DJs.

"Paul (van Dyk) is obviously really good," he says. "For me, I just like to hang out and go to the pool, and in the evenings wander around and meet people. That, for me, is what makes it really special."

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.