Paul Oakenfold Album: «Swordfish»

- Customers rating: (4.0 of 5)
- Title:Swordfish
- Release date:2012-02-28
- Type:Audio CD
- Label:Rhino/London-Sire
- UPC:643443116923
- 1Swordfish (Intro) - Swordfish ST
- 2The Word (PMT Remix) - Dope Smugglaz (Explicit)
- 3Unafraid (Paul Oakenfold Mix) - Jan Johnston (Explicit)
- 4Dark Machine - Paul Oakenfold (Explicit)
- 5New Born (Paul Oakenfold Mix) - Muse (Explicit)
- 6Chase - Paul Oakenfold/Christopher Young
- 7Harry Houdini - Swordfish ST
- 8Kneel Before Your God - Lemon Jelly (Explicit)
- 9Lapdance (Paul Oakenfold Swordfish Mix) - Nerd
- 10Speed - Paul Oakenfold (Explicit)
- 11Planet Rock (Swordfish Mix) - Paul Oakenfold Vs Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force
- 12Stanley's Theme - Paul Oakenfold/Christopher Young
- 13Password - Paul Oakenfold (Explicit)
- 14On Your Mind (Omaha Mix) - Patient Saints (Explicit)
- 15Get Out Of My Life Now - Paul Oakenfold/Planet Perfection
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Headphones could well be the way to go on initial spins, simply because Oakenfold's mix is spiced with the sort of celluloid nuances and attentions that are big enough to make this different from, say, Perfecto Presents Another World, but smooth enough to be enjoyable once properly processed. It's stealthy, imaginative, and more varied than a single listen might suggest. --Steffan Chirazi
The song I was looking for is likely the one you're looking for, but they didn't include it here. It's the one when the main guy is writing the worm, staying up all night, with the sample "fifty thousand watts of funkin."
It's "High Voltage" by Frank Popp.
Motion picture soundtracks have certainly come a long way since piano players provided mood music live in theaters during the silent era. And before sound graced celluloid, forward-thinking musicians were plugging in new and experimental electronic instruments. The two worlds would unite in the late-1940's and 1950s, when the eerie sound of the Theremin was used to punctuate the scores of countless science fiction films. Fast-forward thirty years and a new revelation in soundtracks was heralded by "Saturday Night Fever", which eschewed traditional orchestrations in favor of contemporary disco selections. It was an immensely innovative and successful concept and remains one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time. Unfortunately, it also sparked a now commonplace practice in the industry - use of the soundtrack as a marketing tool. Far too often, songs which don't even appear in a movie are compiled together with those that are, so as to create a sellable 'product'. This greed-motivated ploy has thoroughly tainted the prestigious art of film composing.
If you can forgive the preceding lengthy tangent, my point is to clarify that "Swordfish" is not one of those annoying 'marketing tools'. Furthermore, it capitalizes almost entirely on modern musical technology to score the film, and most effectively. The guy in charge may be a newcomer to motion picture work, but he's certainly not unknown by any means. Paul Oakenfold is the biggest DJ on the planet. He's remixed and produced some of the most prominent names in music, and his Perfecto record label has been a goldmine, both musically and financially, for over a decade.
Oakenfold composed, performed, or remixed almost every track on this album, with the assistance of studio sideman Andy Gray and composer Christopher Young, with whom Oakey shares credit for the project. Anyone familiar with Oakenfold's work will not be disappointed. Six of the album's 15 tracks were composed by Oakenfold (with Young and Gray) specifically for the film, tracks 01 and 07 feature dialog from the movie (courtesy of the bloated, overrated, and overpaid John Travolta), the remaining selections are remixes of other artists' work. Worthy of mention are Oakey's overhauls of Afrika Bambaataa's electro classic, "Planet Rock", and a new composition from singer-songwriter Jan Johnston called "Unafraid". Perpetual Oakey favourites Salt Tank and the Space Brothers are behind "On Your Mind", credited to Patient Saints. Much of the album is fast-paced, trancey stuff, but there are are some darker, down-tempo pieces as well. The selections aren't mixed together, but there are a few track overlaps and tight segues.
...the soundtrack can stand on its own and is certainly worth purchasing. Oakenfold's studio production work often yields inconsistant results, but he was obviously quite focused when he took on this challenge. Hopefully, this endeavor will pay off and pave the way for future soundtrack work.
One thing I noticed in this album is sloppy editing at the end of some tracks. More than several tracks get cut off abruptly and it can be annoying for someone who was expecting this album to be a continous mix like his other albums. Oakenfold has picked quite a different array of music for this compilation. Don't expect it to be like his other albums like the GU series, Tranceport, Travelling or Another World. Swordfish is a nice compilation of progressive trance (vocal based and instrumental) and hard-rockin' break beats. The album is a bit similar to "The Saint," and "The Jackyl" sountracks. Overall,I thought it was pretty good. I feel it'll be one of those albums that'll get mixed reviews.
The movie was universally panned. That and the John Travolta intro were big turnoffs. Add in that this ISN'T another Oakie long mix and my expectations were pretty low. Turns out this CD just blows me away the more I listen to it. Let go of our Oakie/trance assumptions and let Paul take you on a journey around the entire world of electronica. You've got trance epics, hip hop, breakbeat. All mixed impeccably by the master. I think Paul's greatest skill may be in song selection, but there are plenty of his own tunes here as well. Outstanding!
I've listened to Oakenfold before, and believe me, this is HIS BEST. Not that the other albums are bad, but he remarkably scored an A+ on this one. It's perfectly made. Bytes and bits converted into beats and rhythm make this album a must, whether you watched the movie or not. Dark Machine, The Word and Chase are great tunes to keep you up.