Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's Paul Oakenfold

Self-described as a "two-fingered salute to all industry politics," Never Mind the Bollocks Here's Paul Oakenfold is perhaps the trance pioneer's least commercial mix compilation since 2004's Creamfields, with only Grace's 1995's Top Ten hit "Not Over Yet" (featured here in a Jonas Hornblad remix) likely to be recognizable to those outside his loyal hardcore fan base. Instead, reinvigorated by both his rediscovered passion for the Goa sound he perfected in the '90s and the relaunch of his Perfecto Records imprint, Perfecto Fluoro, the follow-up to 2009's Perfecto: Vegas features 41 progressive trance anthems past, present, and future, with original productions from Zyce ("Basic"), Liquid Soul ("Adrenaline"), and Cold Blue ("Lucidity") nestling alongside remixes from the likes of Belocca (DJ Danila's "Let the Music"), Cabal (Audiomatic's "Think Twice"), and Neelix (Rocky & NOK's "Green Sector"). Those dance aficionados who feel that his soundtrack work and collaborations with Madonna have diluted his floor-filling capabilities should be pleased to learn that other than the indie-electro of Infected Mushroom team-up "I'm Alive," his four contributions are free from the star-studded guest vocals and chart-friendly hooks that have littered his recent career, with the pulsing instrumentals "Groove Machine," "Full Moon Party," and "Tokyo" just as euphoric as the club anthems from his heyday. Elsewhere, his Perfecto label's contributions to the dance music scene are represented by new remixes of classics cuts from Goa trance producer Man with No Name ("Floor Essence," "Sugar Rush," "Teleport") and tracks from new signings Maguire ("Face Yesterday"), Tom Colontonio ("Vertical Drop"), and Federation ("Synchronized") alongside a vocal-led number from Senadee ("Life Support Machine"). With an apparent lack of any commercial aspirations, Never Mind the Bollocks lives up to Oakenfold's rather emphatic statement of intent, but while it might be a little too obscure for the casual clubber, it's a return to form that might just silence those who thought his best days were behind him.