Oakenfold: "Perfecto Vegas"
TobiasI suppose we can dispense with any examination of what criteria big-deal DJ Paul Oakenfold stuck to during the selection of this 2-CD’s worth of, oh, what’s the word, awesome, progressive trance, although just to clarify where you are on the map when checking this out, we should say that all the songs were culled from albums released by artists signed to Perfecto Records.
Yes, belay that nonsense – it ain’t rocket science when regular non-big-city Joes are hunting good workout music; the question is, is it, you know, crazy-good workout music? Toward that, the answer is yes, Oakenfold is back, although this stuff doesn’t come at you from the same angles as the shrill, lust-lorn supernovae Armin van Buuren prefers (not that that’s bad). More in tune with your Above & Beyonds, this collection caresses and cajoles the divine, a state that transcends the fitful yearning the big Europeans do. Hibernate’s “Left Alone” begins things, more than organically enough, with a restrained pulmonary rhythm perfect for your warm-ups (or your closed-mouth-kissing opening move, whatever you use this stuff for), leaving it up to The Fraction to start the hard-pumping in the middle of their “Awaken.”
From there it’s melody by the metric ton and otherworldly segues by your DJ. No James Bond stuff or (thank God) Brittany Murphy either.
By Eric Saeger
Homepage: Paul Oakenfold
Homepage: Perfecto Records