Five Miles Out. Mike Oldfield. Version by Jellis.

Five Miles Out. Mike Oldfield. Version by Jellis. This monumental Mike Oldfield song takes me straight back to my childhood. I used to play this album over and over while doing my homework. I don’t know whether Oldfield produced the track with the mix I’ve put together here, almost certainly not. What we can hear, though, are the essential parts as I perceive them, with the rhythmic foundation standing out: Graham Broad’s processed drums and Oldfield’s bass. There are actually more tracks that I’ve left out so as not to overcrowd the mix (minimal arrangements, small melodic figures, extra percussion, and another processed-drum part). As you’ll see, I’ve blended elements from the album version with the demo — which is absolutely fabulous. All the parts are MIDI, built with professional sound libraries — except those electronic toms, the vocals and the electric guitars, which were generated with ACE-Step. It’s a laborious version. I’ll put the song aside for a while until these last two weeks fade from my memory. I hope it proves worthwhile for anyone curious about everything that has to do with Oldfield’s music.