Essential Selection, Vol. 1

Amazon.com
Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold, two of the most famous DJs in the world and kings of big beat and house, respectively, are supremely showcased in this double-CD collection. The Essential Selection, Vol. 1 glorifies each mixmaster's equal, yet mutually exclusive talents in roof raising. The back-to-back discs are an enlightening example of the yin and yang of club music; Fatboy Slim's grounded, drier, giddier expressions of overlapping funk and disco juxtapose Oakenfold's spatial, entrancing continuum supplemented with buzzing, flatulent bass lines, and celestial synths. Both DJs are experts in flow, building beats seamlessly into climactic moments of frenzied, adrenaline-fueled euphoria, then swinging the vibe down again with the subtlety and patience of a free-falling feather. No doubt Fatboy Slim is known for his deliberate lack of subtlety stylistically, but when placed in this context, immediately compared to Oakenfold's ethereal grooves, it's evident that Stormin' Norman possesses copious finesse. Because of their stylistic polarity, like platinum and gold, these DJs shine with matched but multihued brilliance, and like soil and sun, are indispensable components of a diverse dance music ecology. --Beth Massa

Tracks:

Walter Wanderley - Summer Samba
Armand Van Helden - Necessary Evil
Alan Braxe - Vertigo (Virgo Edit)
Hardy Hard - Funky Music
Major Force - Return of the Original Art Form
Ceasefire V. Deadly Avenger - Evil Knievel
Art of Noise - Metaforce
Size 9 - I'm Ready
Fatboy Slim - Everybody Loves a Carnival
Fatboy Slim - Jack it Up (DJ Delite)
The Chemical Brothers - The Private Psychedelic Reel
Soul of a Man - Beween the Eyes
DJ Stew Feat. The Buddha Monks - Funky Fresh
Mr. Spring - Blaxxtraxx3 (Funky Nassau)
Mr X & Mr Y - 1956
Scanty Sandwich - Because of You
Underworld - Born Slippy
Groove Armada - At the River

Tracks:

Jaya - Precession (Subterranean EP)
Luzon - The Baguio Track
The Unknown - The Spirit
Mono Culture - Free (Extended Vocal Mix)
Perfect State - Perfect State (Original Mix)
Brainchild - Symmetry C (Lange Breakbeat Remix)
Skip Raider Featuring Jada - Another Day
Jan Johnston - Flesh (Tilt Mix)
Solar Stone - Seven Cities
Z2 - I Want You
Philippe Van Mullem - Secret Folder (Pt. 1 & 2)
Moogwai - Viola (Original Mix)

Amazon.com

Fatboy Slim and Paul Oakenfold, two of the most famous DJs in the world and kings of big beat and house, respectively, are supremely showcased in this double-CD collection. The Essential Selection, Vol. 1 glorifies each mixmaster's equal, yet mutually exclusive talents in roof raising. The back-to-back discs are an enlightening example of the yin and yang of club music; Fatboy Slim's grounded, drier, giddier expressions of overlapping funk and disco juxtapose Oakenfold's spatial, entrancing continuum supplemented with buzzing, flatulent bass lines, and celestial synths. Both DJs are experts in flow, building beats seamlessly into climactic moments of frenzied, adrenaline-fueled euphoria, then swinging the vibe down again with the subtlety and patience of a free-falling feather. No doubt Fatboy Slim is known for his deliberate lack of subtlety stylistically, but when placed in this context, immediately compared to Oakenfold's ethereal grooves, it's evident that Stormin' Norman possesses copious finesse. Because of their stylistic polarity, like platinum and gold, these DJs shine with matched but multihued brilliance, and like soil and sun, are indispensable components of a diverse dance music ecology. --Beth Massa

Customer Reviews:

Oakenfold's finest trance.......2006-04-24

The Oakenfold disc of this set is the epitome of trance.

Certainly Oakenfold's finest trance CD, with Tranceport in second place. The track transitions are seemless [like in Tranceport], so you can just put the CD in and go into, for lack of a better word, a trance. Soothing but with a lot of energy.

You can't call yourself a fan of trance and not hear this.

Only half good..........2006-04-14

Fatboy just makes a lot of rhythmic noise! Very bad for your heart if you'd ask me. Oakenfield way more melodic. So definitely don't go for the new, but choose the cheaper used

I'm sure you've heard it all...........2004-12-02

Yes yes you've heard it all about Oakenfold being a sell out and everything from A to Z.. and how most techno is all dated and there is always something wrong with mixes, and true to this also, but it's still good music, Fatboy's mix is really housey ( kindof in a Fast paced 1-2 min song Housy kinda way, not like a digweed house way ) Fatboy does tear it up though, his cd is really up beat and great for driving to, although it does leave the listener wanting more,, maybe something deeper.... oh yea there is an Oakenfold cd to.... I really didn't think to much of oakie's mix for a couple of years.. Now it's almost 2005 and i've heard tons of different mixes, and when i went back and heard his cd it really amazed me. the song selection stuck in my head and i couldn't forget the tune of the songs. it's progressive and has a different vibe than any of his other cds. Of course there are a few boring and too long songs on here, but when you listen all through, it really is worth owning. the last 4 songs on the cd are truly incredible 5/5 stars with nothing wrong there, and the first like 6 songs are probly 3-4/5 . sure you can call him what you want but this cd is good.

This is Comical!!!.......2002-10-25

Boy, do I love this. Fatboy Slim tears it up on his CD, Oakenfold continues to put me to sleep!!! All I have to say is, if you have the extra money to drop on these CDs, buy it for Fatboy Slim's Disc. Truely one of his better...

Two genres, two discs, two different moods.......2002-09-28

First of all, if you've never been exposed to electronic music, buy this double CD set. It is a rarity among dance mix compilations since it includes two popular but very different styles of dance mixed by two of the biggest DJs in the world. Almost all other dance mix sets contain one style exclusively, so this album is truly a 2-for-1 deal.
If you happen to be an electronica guru, this compilation may not whet your thirst for innovation. The first CD, Fatboy Slim's big beat mix, sounds dated, despite being fairly high energy. True, there are it's fine points, such as the few tracks in the middle of the mix that create an enjoyable climax, but as a whole the mix sounds old and worn. Unless you're a truly big Fatboy Slim fan, his mix probably will have you hitting the "skip" button on your CD player over and over again to escape the repetition of annoying beats.
As for the Oakenfold mix, it's the reason I gave the album 4 stars. Stand-alone, this CD is one of the best trance mixes to come out just before the trance genre began to flood with exhausted, overplayed, producer driven stagnation. Some critics have panned the Oakenfold mix claiming the song selection was second rate. I could not disagree more. Most of the songs are wonderful selections on their own right, utilizing pure emotion. The CD begins with a surrealistic soundbyte of a New York Thanksgiving day television weathercast, which quickly builds into an energetic hill with the likes of "The Spirit" and "Free". The 3 song climax is among the best I've ever heard, and one that can't be missed. Of note is Solarstone's "Seven Cities", which literally makes the listener feel as if he/she is truly on an emotional ride. The closing two songs on the mix are a wonderful cool-down, of note is "Viola" which is one of the best late night driving songs ever.
Overall I think it's a ...investment well worth the cost.

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