Amazon.co.uk Review
A self-confessed "filmaholic" who often spends afternoons before sets in cinemas the world over, Paul Oakenfold has gone about capturing the sinister, malevolent mood of Dominic Sena's action-crime thriller with careful attention to both art and audience. His weave of cuts such as
Dope Smugglaz dark and tense "The Word (PMT Remix)",
Lemon Jelly's sunrise chill-out "Kneel Before Your God" and his own retro-electro collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force, "Planet Rock (Swordfish Mix)" is smart and evocative, a glistening picture of LA's high-tech underbelly in 2001. Indeed, it's hard not to hear beautiful, wealthy people at gorgeous raves in bathroom stalls somewhere off the Sunset Strip as Oakenfold segues the sleazy "Stanley's Tune" into the neon techno of "Password". Headphones could well be the way to go on initial spins, simply because Oakenfold's mix is spiced with the sort of celluloid nuances and attentions that are big enough to make this different from, say,
Perfecto Presents Another World but smooth enough to be enjoyable once properly processed. It's stealthy, imaginative and more varied than a single listen might suggest. --
Steffan Chirazi
CD Description
Trance master Paul Oakenfold takes a stab at film composingwith the soundtrack to this John Travolta cyber-espionage thriller. In creating music (and remixing other artists) for a film about computer hacking and international intrigue, Oakenfold keeps the tempo for SWORDFISH moving along at a fairly quick pace. The best remixes here include the slamming beats and undulating house vibe permeating Jan Johnston's "Unafraid" and the swooshing synths and jackhammer beats that find the British-born DJ exposing his inner Giorgio Moroder onMuse's "New Born". Elsewhere, the Kraftwerk samples found in Afrika Bambaataa's classic "Planet Rock" get beefed up andOakenfold's dalliance with hip-hop extends to the Outkast-flavoured remix of "Lapdance", featuring Nerd, Lee Harvey andVita. Other highlights include the fusion of ambient swathsof sound and breakneck beats on the Planet Perfecto team-up"Get Out Of My Life Now" and the hard-driving Christopher Young collaboration "On Your Mind" featuring dialogue snippets of Travolta and Halle Berry from the film.