Oakey’s downward trajectory was really quite something.

1997: Absolutely untouchable king of (arguably) the best room in the best club in the country, always had the best upfront tunes and had dropped the Goa Mixes and Perfecto Fluoro. Mixing always a bit shoddy and God poses questionable, but apart from that…
2000: Badly thought out attempt to transplant trance into an area of the capital where the main nightlife was antipodeans snogging each other in Zoo Bar. Treading water on the tunes front for three years. Massively shown up by what Craig Richards and Tezza Francis were doing in their rival launched around the same time.

    You forgot 2022 - churning out Marshmellow tracks with the Dalai Lama sans oxygen at 24′000ft.

    bosstrabs Travelling was in 2000, and I still rate that mix comp. But yeah, it was over by then probably. Never saw him live. He came to Helsinki in 2004, but at that point it would’ve been a really bad night.

      Had some decent night’s when he was MOS resident and Colchester Uni in 96….Park & Wilson stole the show that night. Soundsystem borrowed off Leftfield.

      He went from pioneer to astute business man.

      I went to Home a few times in 1999 and Oakenfold was brilliant, but it was all over by the Millennium. To this day I can still not understand how he could play so many great tracks in 1999 only to put so many shit mix cd’s in 1999/2000

      I like this one because I was there

      …and i’m trying to think of a time when I actually saw Oakie play after this and I can’t.

      He was down as headlining a Clockwork Orange event down here in Devon next month but he’s pulled out…. to be replaced by….. drumroll please……. Gok Wan

        Tried to go to the opening night of Home, only to be greeted by the longest lime for anything I’ve ever seen. It snaked around the block and back into Leicester Square . Dunno why the doormen didn’t just tell half the queue not to bother. Ended up going to the tourist nightclub next door just to get a drink. Never did make it to Home in its short stint there

        Saw Tenaglia there a few times. Great sets but always found the place quite clinical, poncey and devoid of atmosphere or pills 😂

          alistair devoid of pills

          They were everywhere, Alistair. People walking through the crowds with buckets of them. How you missed them I don’t know…

            I remember reading about it when it opened in the music/DJ mags I used to buy and thinking the lineups looked immense. I was gutted at the time I was too young to go.

            • Dan replied to this.

              Hank_Solo You fucked up that night. Sasha, Zabiela and Burridge were supposed to play the Courtyard at Cream. Burridge didn’t turn up, so we had 2 hours of Zabiela and 4 of Sasha, it was a fantastic night.

                Oakenfolds Sessions and JDJ CD’s were boss at the time. Did some decent remixes too, Mondays, U2 etc…

                As was the Goa Mix.

                Pretty sure he just rode that and Bullet in the Gun after that, Cream residencies more hype than substance.

                Guess it’s all about timing

                  hugopal You didn’t miss much.

                  Luckily Fabric survived.

                    Mad_Cyril He produced that Mondays album. In all fairness he did a great job. We booked Nancy Noise years ago, and we asked her at the afters about him and she said he’s a top bloke. Just knows his way around a pound note.

                      I’d like to have seen him at Cream in its heyday.

                      Mad_Cyril
                      His sets at Home were brilliant. There was none of that caricature Oakenfold,
                      playing the big anthems. it was pretty much over by 2000 though.