Superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold's recent album "Bunkka" is shot through with streaks of the maverick genius we've come to expect from him. However, in terms of culling singles, he's playing rather safe.
In fairness, "Starry-Eyed Surprise" is an improvement on the previous "Southern Sun", which to these ears was drab and undistinguished. It's also got an infectious groove and a sun-kissed cyclical (sampled) guitar spangle that can send tingles down your spine if you give it a couple of chances. So you could say it's an effective party record after a fact.
Unfortunately, the end result is spoiled somewhat by a hectoring vocal from Shifty Shellshock (from US band CRAZY TOWN). His over-zealous homeboy tendencies fall on stony ground around here, I'm afraid, and kill the record's poise in the process.
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Also included are a selection of remixes from the likes of JOSH WINK and OLIVER LEIB, which could be labelled either "generous" or "tedious" depending on your tolerance levels. On a more positive level, LAYO AND BUSHWACKA turn in a cool remix of "Ready Steady Go", which claws back lost ground by employing ghostly atmospherics, heavily-reverbed snare pulses and almost entirely dropping the ASHER D vocal.
All told, a score draw in the dying seconds for Oakie.
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