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Thoughts about Oakies Essental Mix 1999 World Tour

First of all. Hi to everyone. It's been ages since I posted here.
I hope you are all doing well in this difficult times.

Due to the Covid-19 virus I've been driving alot of long distance trips instead of train.
For nostalgia reason I've been going through all of Oakenfolds Essential Mix 1999 tour. Here are some thoughts of them 20 years after I last listened to them.

1. Oakies track selection is excellent. He seemed to have a great selection of tracks few other djs had in their crate. Just the fact that he had access to Tastexperience - Highlangder three years before it was released says alot.

2. Did Oakie really mix this sets himself? The mixing skills is far better than his skills later on. How did his skills become worse? Too much coke?

3. "OIL UP those rollerblades and FLEX THOSE PECS!" is the greatest intro to any set!

4. The sets have stood the test of time. They are highly enjoyable to listen to 20 years later.

5. The Space Brothers are great producers. Love that their tracks returns throughout the entire tour.

Re: Thoughts about Oakies Essental Mix 1999 World Tour

quote:

Originally posted by RebeL9 Too much coke?

Perhaps. I was at Gatecrasher in late 99 and while I didn't see him up close my mate said he saw him before his set and he could barely put one foot in front of the other he was so off it

They do stand the test of time. It�s always fun to go back and listen. Each track was so unique and diverse you�re always waiting to hear what�s coming next.

I agree, the Miami intro from Tong is classic.

1999 was Oakey at his peak. I'm pretty sure he did his own mixing and in all the times I saw him he never looked out of it. I still believe that his set at Gatecrasher at Lotherton Hall is the best live set of trance you will ever hear.

You might be surprised by how many studio Essential Mixes were done in ProTools rather than on turntables. Even by DJs who could mix perfectly well. If you listen closely it's usually quite easy to tell.

I'd say most of essential mixes are not mixed live turntables. The Goa Mix definitely wasn't mixed in one go.

Definitely stand the test of time! I actually made a 20 year fan mix late last year because I was feeling nostalgic as well.

If you listen to the mixes you can definitely hear some "mess-ups" so I'd have to imagine yes he did mix them. I think I remember hearing that one of them was a studio mix? Can't remember now TBH so don't hold me to that.

Obviously music distribution was different back then, but Oakey was at the top and producers I presume would love to get their tracks played by him for the promotion/getting their name on the map. There's stories of some stashing their single in his record bag without him looking so he'd hear it. I'm sure also having your own music label helped get producer's attention to get them to send you their new stuff to get signed. But yes, music came out much slower back then and exclusives were indeed that for way longer than they are now. Nowadays some promos come out like 1 week before their actual release.

Hate him or love him, you can't deny he has blazed quite the trail for dance music around the globe!

This is a good thread Rebel9. Glad to see you back! I have the feeling I am going to be checking some of the usual haunts for some of these sets and tracklists.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J You might be surprised by how many studio Essential Mixes were done in ProTools rather than on turntables. Even by DJs who could mix perfectly well. If you listen closely it's usually quite easy to tell.

This is something I always wondered about. For the sake of "argument"...if you have the skills/chops to mix well on turntables, but you're just churning out a mixcomp for a paycheck, do you do it all analog style, with all its warts...or do you go digital and, presumably, the "safer" route with less chance of little analog issues along the way? The flip side of me says that are probably just as many ways, although different, to "screw up" a digital mix. Fun stuff to consider and debate. I know that anecdotal evidence is, well, anecdotal, but I'll say this based on personal experience: I learned to mix on a set of Nurmark direct drive turntables with vinyl. I later sold all the kit to a friend and picked up a Numark Pro digital deck/mixer combo, and I replaced about 90% of my vinyl with the equivalent mp3s from Beatport, mostly. Holy.fookin.hell. I could not mix for shit on the Numark Mixtrack Pro. I know it's different and like starting over in some ways...but I could NOT achieve the subtle tactile response from the digital decks that I could on the vinyl. I knew my turntables and my reocrds, and I knew just how much to speed something up or slow it down or drag or push the platter for a split second. I was all over the fucking place with the digital. God, I need to drag the Mixtrack Pro out, get over my frustration, and just make a real, concerted effort to try again. The bottom line: I miss the fuck out of mixing.

His track selection was impeccable and some of the mixes were an absolute masterclass in how to programme a set imo.

The Havannah, Cuba EM has soooo many great tracks on it.
First time I heard Alena and The Auranaut.


Alena - Turn It Round [Basic Beat]
[Love] Tattoo - History Of Disco Part 2 (Oh I Love Your Disco) [Essential]
Angel Moon - He's All I Want (Cappery Mix) [Black Moon]
Antidote - Eclipse (Kamasutra's Old School Mix) [Glow]
Karen Ramirez - Lies (Tilt's Trinity Mix) [Manifesto]
Tilt - Invisible (Tilt's Human Mix) [Hooj Choons]
Prism - Innerscape [Limbo]
The Auranaut - People Want To Be Needed [Barracuda]
V-Tracks - Heretic Voices (Angeles Mix) [Flammable]
The Sneaker - Scatterbomb (String Mix) [Flammable]
The Sneaker - Scatterbomb (Trance Mix) [Flammable]
Underworld - Push Upstairs [Junior Boys Own]
New Order - Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction) [London]
Amoeba Assasin - Piledriver [BPM]
Lex - Vertical Horizon [Barracuda]
Salt Tank - Dimension (Salt Tank's Voices of Reason Mix) [Hooj Choons]
Mike Oldfield - Far Above The Clouds (Jam & Spoon's Deep Inside The Club Remix) [WEA]
Gouryella - Gouryella [Blackhole]
The Source - Fly Away [Perfecto]

It was pretty bad IMO

Yeah love that set.

Btw. Why is Jan Johnston - Am I on Pause (Original mix) still unreleased?

quote:

Originally posted by RebeL9 Yeah love that set. Btw. Why is Jan Johnston - Am I on Pause (Original mix) still unreleased?

"Unfortunately the full length original mix has been lost to time..."

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...&type=3&theater

Damn that's sad

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