Along with Tiesto, the UK’s Paul Oakenfold was one of the first DJs to truly break it big in the US in the past decade, with his high-profile Las Vegas residency in particular endearing him to stateside fans. While he was briefly seduced by movie and soundtrack work in Los Angeles, last year he made a high-profile move to refocus on DJing and progressive trance.

Forming an alliance between his longstanding Perfecto Records stable and the Armada Records juggernaut, last year he launched the ‘We Are Planet Perfecto’ mix series to showcase his recommitment to the more adventurous sides of trance, and now we have a second volume on the way for those keen to see what Oakey’s next move is.

Jumping into the first disc, Oakey doesn’t hold back and quickly jumps into the heavy trance grind of Pistol Whip from California’s Norin & Rad; from here it’s a pretty straight-up journey into the more energetic, house-influenced side of the trance genre. Ripping electro basslines, a smattering of vocals, a fair swag of his own recent adventures into the studio, plus a few classics remixed. Longtime Oakenfold fans will get a kick in particular out of the new mix of the Perfecto All Stars classic ‘Reach Up’.

Jumping to the second disc, and he’s not messing around here either, and it’s a mix that has plenty in common with the big-room sounds of Swedish House Mafia, who are themselves famous for embracing the melodic side of trance when they united to take over the world. It’s stacked with tracks from production heavies like Dirty South, Hardwell, Tommy Trash, Nicky Romero and more, with the seminal Robert Miles classic Children this time getting a remix.

‘We Are Planet Perfecto Vol. 2’ affirms Paul Oakenfold’s reputation for being an ‘everyman’ entertainer, who can draw upon a wide variety of genres and sounds in his sets. It also confirms that this dance veteran has plenty of life left in him yet.