**1/2 Paul Oakenfold

PERFECTO PRESENTS ANOTHER WORLD

(Sire/Perfecto)

With the double CD Another World, DJ Paul Oakenfold delivers the rare continuous trance mix collection that succeeds at being hypnotic without putting people to bed for the night. The first disc sounds like what music from another world ought to. Misterioso melodies and way-out sounds that have no easy earthly referent dominate an array of eerie transmissions, which utilize more in the way of disembodied voices-not-vocals -- a random weather report; Robert Plant moaning, "Baby, I'm gonna leave you"; Batty's devastating monologue from Blade Runner; an unnamed girl asking, "Are you going to see Oakenfold?" -- than is the trance-dance norm. Elsewhere, a healthy dose of Dead Can Dance's ethno-medieval orchestrations brings things down to Earth circa AD 1000.

Unfortunately, disc two is typical overkill from a DJ who frequently micromanages. In choosing two slabs of 12-inch vinyl that will interlock flawlessly, Oakenfold doesn't just look for the perfect beat; he pays musicianly attention to key and even locates the perfect measure for the next track to enter the mix. But he gets so caught up in technical matters that he doesn't realize how much soul he's bleeding out of his program in the process.

-- Kevin John