Ibiza

by John Bush Perfecto's third feature for world master-mixer (and Perfecto label boss) Paul Oakenfold delves into the same cold, clinical, nearly spiritless tracks that fans and non-fans alike expect from the dean of sleek progressive trance. Compared to several of his previous mixes, though, Ibiza is practically a barnstormer, featuring Oakenfold working through tighter techno (a Plump DJs remix of Elektronauts' "Bumper"), spooky house (Perfecto favorite Timo Maas), a stray track from Radiohead's Kid A that works well in context, and remixes of Depeche Mode (by Danny Tenaglia) and longtime friends U2 (his own version of "Beautiful Day"). It's clear Oakenfold is slowly yet surely attempting to budge the large, immobile trance masses with a few songs outside their normal range (could the track titled "This Is Not a Breakdown" be a small joke?). Yes, he's largely content to trawl through his acreage of A&R white labels and construct yet another two-disc journey through the chilly realms of trance, but he also expands his grasp on the larger world of electronic dance.