Goa Mix

"This article is about DJ Paul Oakenfold's Goa Mix, an Essential Mix broadcast on the BBC in 1994.

As the most requested broadcast on BBC Radio One, Paul Oakenfold's Essential Mix can only be described as pioneering. First broadcast on the early morning of December 18, 1994, this unique two-hour DJ set quickly got landed with the name, "the Goa Mix". The sound was predominantly influenced by the Trance parties taking place on the hippie beaches of Goa, India at that time. These Full Moon parties involved European travelers dancing the night away to a sound distinguished by the heavy use of melodies and synthesizers in its structure. This was opposed to the bass lines and groove foundations of House Music that was prevalent in UK night clubs. Goa Trance, as it was termed, also had a faster beat per minute (BPM) than other genres of dance music. However, Oakenfold lightened the harsh, dark sounds of Goa Trance by incorporating European records into this broadcast.

Another thing that set the Goa Mix apart from previous Essential Mixes or DJ Sets was how Paul Oakenfold programmed and produced the set. He merged movie soundtracks and audio samples along with international dance records. This provided more of an audio experience, and a recording that could be played over and over again. While current big-name DJs are doing this as a matter of course now, this was something very new at the time.

The two-hour broadcast was split into two halves. Subsequently these have been referred to as the Silver Mix (first hour) and Gold Mix (second hour). The Silver Mix begins with the eerie vocals of Mr. V’s "Give Me Life" and the solid groove of Grace’s "Skin On Skin", the first of several tracks from the fledgling Perfecto label. When you reach the conclusion of the frenetic, bleak piano of Virtual Symmetry’s "Vaporize" from Sven Vath’s Eye Q label, you’re treated to the first of many soundtrack pieces – this one from Vangelis’ "Blade Runner", an excerpt of replicant Roy Batty’s lament of memories lost, "like tears in rain". After the sonic washing-over of Salt Tank’s "Eugina", the Goa Mix begins in earnest, with the classic "LSD" by Hallucinogen. Peaks and valleys continue with a strings composition from the Dracula soundtrack, which segues into the Arabic tones of "Alcatraz" by Electrotete. Rounding off the first hour is a trio of works from Man With No Name: "Floor Essence", his remix of Scorpio Rising’s "Dubcatcher", and "Evolution", a powerful conclusion to the first half of the mix.

The Gold Mix begins with Metalheads' "Inner City Life", and leads the listener into a more fevered pace – a full-on day-glo flecked trance session. There’s the squelch of The Infinity Project’s "Stimuli", Marmion’s seminal "Schöneberg", and in a shadow of the great tracks to come from Man With No Name, "Deliverance". The otherworldly vocals of Lisa Gerrard in Dead Can Dance’s "Sanvean" lull the listener before the conclusion with 4 Voice’s "Eternal Spirit", and finally the Raw Cane mix of Man With No Name’s delirious "Sugar Rush".

Almost a decade-and-a-half on from its creation the Goa Mix is still viewed by DJs, clubbers and general music enthusiasts as a hallmark of the genre. Paul Oakenfold has gone on to become one of the world's top DJs as well as a renowned producer.

Track listing

1-01: Mr. V - Give Me Life
1-02: Grace - Skin On Skin (Orange Mix)
1-03: Li Kwan - Point Zero
1-04: The Disco Evangelists - De Niro (Spaceflight Mix)
1-05: Virtual Symmetry - The V.S.
1-06: Vangelis - Tears In Rain
1-07: Salt Tank - Eugina (Pacific Diva)
1-08: Hallucinogen (featuring Ben Kempton) - LSD
1-09: Saint Etienne (featuring Moira Lambert) - Only Love Can Break Your Heart
1-10: Wojciech Kilar - Vampire Hunters
1-11: Electrotete - Alcatraz
1-12: Vangelis - Main Titles
1-13: Man With No Name - Floor Essence
1-14: Scorpio Rising (3) - Dubcatcher
1-15: Man With No Name - Evolution
2-01: Metalheads - Inner City Life
2-02: Wojciech Kilar - Love Remembered
2-03: Voodoo People - Co-Incidence
2-04: The Infinity Project - Stimuli
2-05: Trance Team - Wake Up! (Trance Mix)
2-06: V-Tracks - Heretic Voices (Angeles Mix)
2-07: Marmion - Schöneberg (Marmion Remix)
2-08: Karl Biscuit - Hierophone
2-09: Vangelis - Rachel's Song
2-10: Virus - Sun (Oakenfold & Osborne Mix)
2-11: Man With No Name - Deliverance
2-12: Perfecto Allstarz - Reach Up! (Indian Summer Mix)- Remix - Man With No Name
2-13: Para-Dizer - Song Of Liberation
2-14: Dead Can Dance - Sanvean
2-15: 4Voice - Eternal Spirit (Northern Mix)
2-16: Man With No Name - Sugar Rush

"See also:" Paul Oakenfold, Essential Mix, Goa Trance

External links

* [http://www.selectdj.com/paul_oakenfold_goa_mix.html Goa Mix on Internet Radio]
* [http://www.discogs.com/release/201325 Discogs Tracklisting]
* [http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature_view.asp?id=542 10 years on - Paul Oakenfold's Goa mix still sounds fresh]