Paul Oakenfold has released an updated version of his award-winning Radio 1 two hour Goa Mix which became the UK station’s most requested broadcast after it was first aired in 1994.
The newly tweaked mix includes tracks from Vangelis’ seminal sci-fi classic Bladerunner, Marmion’s proto-trance classic Schöneberg and Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic’s take on Adagio for Strings plus a smattering of new tracks and re-edits.
“I've been asked to released it hundreds of times before but it wasn't till now that it seemed right to do so,” the definitive superstar DJ said in a statement explaining why he’s released it now, “I've re-crafted it so it's all in key and much tighter,” he added.
The release was greeted with cautious enthusiasm by top Indian DJ Arjun Vagale from Jalabee Cartel.
“I remember a Paul Oakenfold underground Goa mix floating around years ago and at the time the mix was legendary just like the man. He was at the peak of his career and honestly was an inspiration to us all,” Arjun told Skrufff.
“Looking at this mix, and its tracks, a lot of familiar names come up and it prompts lots of old memories of the Goa rave scene which exists no more . .
. Wow, I can’t believe he's finally releasing it,” he said.
underground: we can only wish so,” he said.
Sunburn Festival director and DJ Nikhil Chinapa was less excited about the belated release of the mix, admitting he’d paid little attention to both DJs and track titles when he first started partying in the 90s.
“The songs are from an era where all I was bothered about was dancing and I never tried to find out the names of songs being played,” Nikhil explained.
“To borrow from a good friend of mine who said (speaking about vinyl Vs CDs), "It’s not about the medium, it's about the music. I felt at the time, that the music mattered more than who was making it. Personally, I still feel this is true,” he added.
Despite his assertions, Nikhil’s been closely involved in bringing out international DJs including Armin Van Buuren and Roger Sanchez to Sunburn and has booked headliners including Ferry Corsten and BT fort this December’s Sunburn event.
Both Indian DJs also noted the legacy Goa’s original trance scene continues to have in India with psy-trance still a force to be reckoned with amongst clubbers.
“The psy scene is still very big in India and we always have DJs coming and playing. The outdoor raves have moved into smaller cubs, but Goa still has its legendary New Years Eve outdoor parties and the occasional word-of-mouth raves,” said Arjun.
“For clubbers and old school DJs, psychedelic trance is almost in our DNA, we grew up with it all around us and even today in our techno productions, you might just find hints of it,” he suggested.
“Psy still has a strong following in India and it's actually growing steadily. The energy in the music is something the youth can strongly relate to and vibe with. As you get more involved with the music too, its multiple sounds, layers and moods create powerful associations with the genre,” he enthused.
“Goa has been and always will be the home of psychedelic music globally.