Perfecto Presents...The Club

Paul Oakenfold | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thrive
• ASIN: B0006UEVO0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,434 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The latest disc from dance music's most well-known DJ goes for the mass-appeal jugular, offering a collection of main-room beats and remixes. Melding tracks from artists like U2, The Doors, and Justin Timberlake with his own work (credited here as "Perfecto Allstarz"), Oakenfold tries to replicate the sound of a specific type of Club, the kind that caters to beginners, where every third track is something everyone knows. It's a safe tactic for a man who has long since given up the mantle of a truly progressive artist in favor of a more ambassador/recruiter-type role. He's not lagging that far behind, though; there are touches of electro around the edges here, especially in "LA Woman" (though electro isn't exactly cutting-edge anymore to be sure). And while it would have been nice to hear a more radical reworking of "Rock Your Body," Oakenfold's choice to keep Timberlake's heavily airbrushed vocal intact gives the song an almost surreal smoothness. The unabashed populism of this mix prevents it from having any staying power, but it's immediate impact, while brief, should only further expand Oakenfold's empire. –Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Oakenfold's "Club" is a small one, February 10, 2005

By 

Mark Emanuel (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Perfecto Presents...The Club (Audio CD)

Superstar DJs are supposed to be on the cutting edge, discovering and dropping tracks designed to wow the crowd on the dance floor. It's why globetrotter DJs get paid the big bucks, and exactly why Paul Oakenfold has secured a spot as one of the world's most popular. "The Club", however, will lead many to scratch their heads wondering what is wrong with the former DJ juggernaut.

Every mix album has to succeed in three areas: song selection, sequencing, and mixing. Oakenfold with this release seems to have given up on all three counts. Upon listening to this mix for the first time, I was checking my CD player to make sure I didn't have it set to shuffle play. The songs were disjointed, lacking in context, and seemed to be cut and pasted out of some random MP3 playlist. Many of the tracks, in particular the bumpers at the beginning and end by Oakenfold's own "Perfecto Allstars", are of low production quality. There are fleeting moments of dancefloor joy: Natasha Bedingfield really ups the energy level midway through the set, and "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake, albeit cheesy, is good for a couple laughs and manages to get most uninitiated clubbers on the floor. Yet the few good moments of the mix are not enough to redeem it as a whole. For example, a good chunk of the songs are overplayed hits from the past 5 years and appear on older, forgettable Oakenfold mixes. PPKs "Resurrection" and the Perfecto remix of U2's "Beautiful Day" show no innovation whatsoever, and the Oakenfold remix of the Doors sounds tired and dull.

The near total lack of mixing and beatmatching is a surprise, given Oakenfold's trend the past couple of years to put out quality albums (check out his "Creamfields" or "Great Wall"- two underrated and enjoyable mixes). It sounds like Paul just gave up on the whole beatmatching aspect of DJing; indeed, your CD player on shuffle mode can equal the quality of this album. Since Oakenfold has a name for himself, this album won't ruin his career- but it does provide another black mark on his long resume. Let's hope this "club" shuts its doors in time for his next mix.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LIKE this album, November 15, 2005

By 

Launfal (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfecto Presents...The Club (Audio CD)

One positive review in 11? That seems a little harsh...

All the people who gave such bad reviews seem to forget that Oaky has done this kind of thing before. Anyone remember Perfection? Bunkka? And even his more recent mixes Great Wall and Creamfields began to trend away from his "purist" trance mixes and towards a more mainstream approach to his work. This album isn't exactly unprecedented in his career.

That said, I can see where this might not appeal to all of Oaky's fans. But reviews of "over the hill" and "sellout" are unwarranted, IMO.

You don't like the album on its own merits? Fair enough. But at least give it a fair trial before you decide. The mixes are well enough done, and while some tracks are better than others, [I'm not sure about the "LA Woman" remix myself, frankly) all in all, this album is by no means an embarrassment.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted it to be good... really!, June 21, 2005

By 

MR Stuart J Matthews "tiger_stu" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfecto Presents...The Club (Audio CD)

Oh dear,
I have always been a huge Paul Oakenfold fan, and even got to see him live in his Goa prime.... but i have to agree that he is on the decline.
His old albums.. Fluoro, resident etc etc are all classics that have stood the test of time, and that I have listened to literally hundreds of times....
but this, well, this got boring after about 4 listenings, the first it was new, the second time i was unimpressed and by 4 i had decided it was just bad...
too commercial and lacking in the kind of quality that we expect from Oakenfold. Don't underestimate the man... I still believe he has the ability to be the best DJ in the world.. he has skill a plenty. But it just seems like he doesn't care anymore..
just as Tiesto is rockin right now.. that was oakey 10 years ago...
I just hope Tiesto doesn't follow the same sell-out path..

Now release Perfecto Fluoro 2 and prove me wrong!