So, Oakenfold has finally released arguably the most famous and best Radio 1 Essential Mix there has ever been. For those of you who don’t know the history, back in December 1994, Oakenfold did an award winning two-part Essential Mix for Radio 1 that became known as the Goa Mix due to the Goa trance style tracks on the mix.
The myth that this mix was done live in Goa on a beach is not true! It was a meticulously crafted studio mix. This was when Oakenfold REALLY cared about DJing and was a pioneer. The mix soon gathered “cult” status and was shrouded in a bit of mystery as all the track listings were so wrong it was unbelievable!
The reason for the avalanche of praise was due to the creativity and incredible variety in the track selection. It was a mixture of goa trance, trance, ambient and film soundtracks; the “rules” had been re-written. It was masterful, an absolute joy to listen to and was where the term “musical journey” originated. It went from full on energetic trance to the most laidback spiritual tune you could ever imagine in the blink of an eye, dragging your emotions with it. It was actually a high risk mix as some people probably didn’t “get it”, as it is as far removed from a standard DJ mix as you can get, but I think was the point, as Radio 1 were sick of the same old Essential Mixes.
I was lucky enough to get one of the few bootleg copies of the original double CD and the first time I put it on I couldn’t believe it. It was almost too much to take in, my brain hadn’t heard anything like it and almost exploded! It had the added bonus of getting me into Bladerunner, Dead Can Dance and film music too. To be honest, I haven’t heard anything like it since either, and that is with all the advances in modern technology over the past 16 years. Today we are hammered with DJ mixes done on computers focusing solely on perfectly beat matching tune after tune in the same old repetitive style, more concerned with PR and making money than anything else.
There are three types of mixing on this mix: beat matching, ambient mixing (or just the blending of music) and no mixing. People say the mixing on the original wasn’t great etc. By this, they are referring to the beat mixing and the old “Oakenfold can’t mix” argument.
A lot of the beat mixing was very quick, but had a real impact (the tune just seemed to appear out of nowhere with a bang) and sounded real i.e. not done on a computer, which is refreshing. This was Goa trance afterall, which is not the easiest thing to mix. Some of the tunes were in and out very quickly but for Oakenfold, this was what sounded best; mixing the tunes at the appropriate points to create the desired effect, whether it was 2 or 10 minutes into the track, it didn’t matter. This mix is a lesson in how to DJ. I think people forget that DJing is a whole lot more than beat matching.
Those who criticise the ambient mixing are just plain cuckoo and don’t appreciate it. For me it’s the best thing about it; it’s fantastic and a welcome relief from monotonous beat matching. The real beauty here was the attention to what key the music was in, I use the word music and not “tune” as it is packed with film scores. What you were left with was some perfect examples of how to alter the listener’s emotions with swirling pads, vocal samples and strings all intertwined. Some of this was very creative that took a lot of trial and error, practise and research (I think he said it took two months to programme the original mix). If you listen to the first two tracks on the original CD2 you cannot tell where one starts and one stops, in fact I had no idea it was two tracks for years!
There were also a lot of times where the mix would just stop and start or with minimal overlapping of an intro and outro (this is the no mixing part), which was again where the planning and trial and error came in. It was all about timing and what effect it created.
This SHOULD be a lesson to DJs everywhere. He didn’t even have to beat match to create an impact, simply letting a tune finish and another start was incredibly powerful, especially when the next tune started with a vocal sample or some strange noise! You were always kept on your toes. Those bits became the “cult” moments in the mix and the points you always listened out for.
Now, back to 2010 or 2011 as the mix is titled: why has this mix been released? Good question! Some say it was meant to come out years ago but couldn’t due to licensing issues, with Oakenfold adding that he wanted to update the mix as he felt there were elements missing originally (the romantic in me hopes that this is true). Some say that Oakenfold is simply cashing in on former glories and is now a fading DJ (not really fading, more through choice as he spends most of his time in the US and a lot of time working on soundtracks progressing beyond what most DJs can even dream of). Some say it is simply a good PR exercise for his Perfecto label (undoubtedly it is). Whatever the reason, it has been branded as a re-worked mix with new tracks and updates.
Reviewing this new mix wasn’t easy. I found it difficult to listen to it as I know the original so well, and what I was expecting to hear next. So, if you are in this position I recommend listening to it twice before judging it. If you haven’t heard the original then you are in for a treat.
The original two mixes were around the 50 minute mark which I suppose is a bit short for a full release so they have been extended. However, I think the original length of the mix was one of its strengths. Both CDs finished with full on Man With No Name (an absolute legend in the trance world) tracks and left you breathless wanting more! So much was packed into those 50 or so minutes. Also, the programming was incredible on the original and cutting some of the tracks short definitely added to the “journey”. However, there are a few tracks that are now played in their entirety that weren’t before, such as Voodoo People’s Coincidence and The Disco Evangelist’s De Niro, which are great to hear. So, you kind of lose a few elements but gain others with the new mix. The track order has been changed in a couple of places too but it doesn’t cause any problems after the 2nd listen. I now can’t remember the order of the original!
A lot of the mix points have changed due to the different order of the tracks, the additional tracks and maybe just to improve a couple here and there. The result is that a few glorious moments have been removed but again, a few more have been created.
Now to the additional tracks! There are 7 in total and it is a bit of a mixed bag. The Gird’s Flotation from 1990 is a good addition and perfectly justified. The Outro Mix of PPk’s Resurrection is fine too, a lovely spacey beatless remix. Adagio For Strings is one of the greatest pieces of music ever so no complaint there. The highlight of the additions is undoubtedly the Carmen Rizzo remix of Southern Sun; it’s beautiful. The weakest of the new additions are Oakenfold’s own MIA, Infected Mushroom’s Becoming Insane and Astrix’s Sex Style; they are ok tracks but nothing more. However, the latter two add a modern touch of psy trance to the mixes and create even more variety than was on the original mix. In fact, with each listen these tracks get better too.
One other new addition is the appearance of the Perfecto Symphony Orchestra who have re-recorded three of the original film scores. Not sure if this is due to licensing issues or not, but they are not as good as the originals. Again, they are ok and if you haven’t heard the original then you won’t bat an eyelid. For example, Rachel’s Song from Bladerunner, which is stunning and haunting and one of the best things you’ll ever hear, can never compete with the original.
Overall, it’s a close one to call. The original probably wins as the original is always best, right? You gain some elements and lose some elements with the new mix but it is still the best thing since sliced bread all these years later. Oh…and you now get the correct track listing!
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