Customer Reviews

Perfecto Presents: Paul Oakenfold - Great Wall

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Reading the reviews for this CD I felt it my obligation to write one myself to clear up some obvious misconceptions a lot of you seem to have about Oakenfold and his music.

For those of you who rant and rave about how this 2CD can never compare to Tranceport, you're missing the point. First of all, Tranceport was not the first or the most well planned of Oakey's Dj-ing career; Flouro takes those honors, and if you have never heard it, then i suggest you invest 40 $ and revamp your idea about who Oakenfold is. Second, Tranceport was a product of the late nineties trance scene where it was but a reflection of the trance in its prime years when so much quality was being put out that making a classic mix like tranceport almost seems easy in retrospect. 1998 was a year in trance the like of which will never be seen again, and Tranceport was but a reflection of this fact.

But now we're in late 2003/early 2004 and the trance scene has evolved greatly. No longer do epic buildups and classic sequences rule the scene; Matt Darey and Space Brothers have been supplanted in popularity (in large part) by gabriel & dresden and others. If you're expecting another Tranceport out of Oakey, i assure you it will never come. Instead, the Great Wall seems to reflect where trance is going in future years; smooth, melodic loops and chilling vocals seem to be the order of the day. Oakenfold guides the listener through a mix that has been thoroughly combed to include enough big names to be bought by fringe trance listeners but incorporates enough prog to keep his own fans happy. It is a mastermind of self promotion, very well thought out, and well delivered. It is a publicity stunt much like Bunkka but much more subtle and tasteful. But that is another rant for another time.

To sum it up, trance has evolved, and oakenfold with it. Try to listen to the mix without reminiscing to the Tranceport days, but with an open mind and you will see where trance is going.

Paul Oakenfold was the founder of the Tranceport series, a ground breaking cd collection dedicated to foward thinking progressive trance. At one point, people associated his remixes with Goa tracks because of the techy production mixed with repetitive melodies. Nowadays however, it seems that the formula to selling more mixes is including more mainstream tracks, a la this mix session.

Of course all the blends are flawless, as are any dj's mix cd released comercially. There are programs like mix meister that can do all the beatmaching for you these days, so putting out a mix cd with perfect beatmatching skills isn't that impressive (unless the mix is recorded live, which I doubt this was).

So what makes a good dj mix? Selection of songs, flow of the order they're put together, and freshness of the sound. I gave this cd two stars because a few tracks on this cd (Infusion-Legacy) are quite good on their own and can stand the test of time of being a good remix. As a mix as a whole though, there's nothing new or inventive. If I'm going to a store and buying a mix cd, I want to buy something that I don't own at least half the tracks alreday, otherwise I'd mix it myself in my bedroom. A good mix cd will include tracks that aren't available yet, to give the feel of going out to a live DJ set at a club, having to guess track titles, and just being moved by the music itself, not the name of the artist.

If you're not a DJ, you don't go out clubbing at all, and you generally don't buy that much electronica at all, this cd might apeal to you. For any seasoned veteran of the trance/rave/electronica movements this will just be another trance cd to go next to all the other trance compliations at your local cd store.

If for one reason Oakenfold is a pioneer then that is that he is not afraid to experiment. That has lead him in a few bumps on the road. However this album is far from a bump. More like a classic smooth house collection. Big mid tempo beats that fit better in indoor spaces.
As with all compilations who want to become classics a good step would be not to focus on individual songs. Still, one cannot neglect that Great Wall features the best mix of Motorcycle's As The Rush Comes, Deepsky's fantastic mix on Oakie's Hypnotised and another fantastic mix on Dave Gahan's Dirty Sticky Floors. I have no problem whatsoever with Cry Me A River. In fact it fits in just perfect!
I would agree with other reviews that the new release by Perfecto (The Club) was a mediocre work and should never have reached the stores. But Great Wall is a whole different story. It gave me fantastic times during the 2003-2004 winter and now some one and a half year later I can't but recommend it! A winter mix classic!

This album is good, and i do listen to it... but it just doesn't have the same flair that 'another world' has, for example. like others have said, this album is not groundbreaking. but it does have the oakey feel to it, which is most of the reason it is worth listening to (how the guy can possibly pull off such a unique sound is amazing). so it's worth the money if you liked tranceport or another world, but it's probably not going to be one of your favorites in the long run... track 4 on disc one is good stuff.

My boyfriend who loves trance bought this Paul Oakenfold cd a while back and played it for me. I loved it, the songs are full of mesmerizing beats and synthesizers. Oakenfold puts together a cool set of dance tunes that are as good as his "Traveling" and "Ibiza" cd's. Other reviewers say he's sold out and gone too commercial. Well I don't agree with any of you, I mean just cause he includes Madonna's "Hollywood" that means he's gone commercial? His trance remix of "Hollywood" is excellent. So maybe he's changed his style slightly, it doesn't bother me any. The other songs on "Great Wall" like Another Day by Skip Raiders, Eclipse by Little Wonder, Hypnotised by Oakenfold, Release by Solar Stone, Dirty Sticky Floors by Dave Gahan and As The Rush Comes by Motorcycle are all excellent and are hardly commercial. And Oakenfold is still one of the best d.j.'s on the planet. My suggestion? Buy this cd and enjoy this great Oakenfold cd and don't listen to the other reviewers who say he's sold out.

A lot of people have criticized oakey as of late for some of the paths he's chosen as an artist. Since 2000, fans haven't really seen albums like Another World or Travelling, or previous unbreakable, unbeatable mixes that showcase what oakey does best as a performer. Ibiza had some excellent tracks on it, but a majority of those songs were aimed in a new direction, stepping out of traditional dance music that we know oakey to use. He tried playing with new things like radiohead's track, etc etc. There were also albums like the swordfish soundtrack and bunka that weren't what oakey fans were looking for. Those were not mix cds, nor were they intended to be, which is why a lot of oakey fans criticized. But its important to respect oakey for taking the directions he chooses.
This latest album however returns oakey the dj back to us, as the performer we know him to be. As times change, sound changes, and this time around, he plays with some progressive tracks that have the oakenfold flavour to them. Fans will glance at this album quickly and question its quality at first, even i was reluctant to purchase it considering his previous few albums which i tried to judge as mix cds. But this is exactly the mix album that oakey fans have been starving for, for several years now. Its not a soundtrack, its not an independent project like bunka, its a mix cd showcasing his fantastic ability as a performer, and thats exactly what fans will receive with this purchase.

This is the album to buy if your still listening to another world and travelling.

Some of you here on Amazon.com may have read how I lambasted Oakey's latest mix album before this one (Perfecto Presents Ibiza)... and I still stand by that review. It was power pop laden hogwash, and to some extent, this new mix falls in the same category. Almost. Oakey has done some cool things here on this CD and that's what saves it from the possible quaqmire.

So, you may be asking yourself, what the hell is this guy talking about??? I shall enlighten you...

The first CD is classic Oakey... Starts a bit progressive and gradually builds into a fine example of melodic trance. Solarstone gives another timeless track, Gahan's "floors" may be "sticky," but Junkie XL unsticks the tune with a fantastic remix, even Madonna's "Hollywood" is masterfully re-worked by Oakey to be an instant trance banger for this year.

The second CD however leaves much to be desired. Besides Ian Brown's "Fear" and the Patient Saints "Imperpetuem Mobila," the rest of what's being offered isn't very much... I like melody, especially with my "superstar" djs. There isn't much "good" melody on the second disc.

Overall, I wish I could give Oakey a little more credit... but taking pop songs to another level is one thing, and making them fuse into a dance ensemble is another. Oakey misses the boat this time around, but hopefully he can bounce back and create more of the euphoric offerings we are used to. Melodic trance is back, and the godfather of melodic trance should know that... here it just doesn't seem like he notices or cares.
3 1/2 STARS

I was compelled to write this review after having read some other reviews and finally after listening to Oakenfold's New York mix, his live mix at the Rojan in Shanghai China, his Fluoro mix...

To me, this mix has more immediate appeal than "Another World", the greateness of the tracks lies within the tracks themselves, not the listener.

The mix starts with a very dark, faced paced, bass & fx driven track, seemingly a prelude to a mix by Trendroid or Satoshi Tommie. Nugen exploits synths and sfx to their best potential, and together with the hypnotisying bassline, the tracks becomes a fit reflecion of its title. Definetly a track to remember.

The next memorable track is the remix of Justin's "Cry Me A River". Though rather plain and not as powerful as "Darksides" the song also bears a dark, mysterious nature with great bass and strings, accompanying the beautifully re-mastered, reverbed vocals.

Leama's track follows, somehow instilling feelings of nostalgia. Like "Cry Me A River" this track is quite suddle, not utilizing the cliche wind-ups and loud crashes. Unlike previous tracks, or at least to a higher degree, this track is melodic, remining the listener of the roots of Paul Oakenfold (New York Live, China, Ibiza...) but on the other hand it seems almost as a closing track, portraying his departure from pure and simple euphoria of the underground.

Who can ever forget "Seven Cities" or "Solarcoaster"? Perhaps that is a facet of this song that influenced me to propose it as a "memorable" track. Who knows... The track retains the trademark solarstone "touch" and I can't help hearing "Seven Cities" in the back of my head when I hear this song. Conversely, this song has an un-orthodox chord sequence, as if Solarstone accidently enetered E# instead of E in the sequencers...but, ethereal pads, euphoric vocals in the masterful hands of Solarstone...floats my boat.

Casa Flava produced a gem, definatly a stand out, perhaps due to its middle eastern flavor. A hypnotic, feebly tribal, well sequenced beat, carefully selected samples, catchy bass and middle eastern vocals, what else can you ask for?

"Mercury Skies" is a wonderful closing track, akin to Any Grey's "Piledriver". Beautiful vocals, acoustic guitar sequence amidst trance beats...ecstacy and euphoria, very uplifting!

CD 2 is more of the same, standouts are:

"Legacy", "Deep South", "Loveless", and "As The Rush Comes"

I guess the not-so-memorable tracks are there to develop a contrast. I guess Oakey mixes according to the pillars of Lao Tsu. Overall, great trance mix, with a pop/house flavor...

Despite the hardcore undergrounders who think Oakenfold went soft, try again. I shall sum this album up for you into two words...GOOD STUFF. Notice I didn't say great stuff because this album isn't great, it's good. Despite appearances from pop icons (usually a rarety on an oakenfold album) oakenfold mixed them up well enough so that you can't really tell you're listening to pop music. It is true however that this album is clearly not for the true underground....but anyone else who deems it worthy for their CD deck, "Party on Wayne!!"(Wayne's World)

What an amazing compilation of trance(?) My first impression would be to call it trance because the mixes are so beautiful. But there is so much depth here that it really falls into something much more progressive. This music will grow on you and before you know it, 3 months will pass and you'll still be discovering another great track. You'll find big sound, crisp rythms, celestial melodies, and dark mind-bending bass.