Club

DJ John Digweed

John Digweed always wanted to be a DJ, never really wanted to do anything else. When his mates in hometown Hastings were down the amusements trying to cop of with girls John was hiding away in clubs, picking up mixing tips. He worked two years as a gardener saving for his first decks, his first gig was at a hotel. Then he visited Delirium at Heaven in London, fell hook line and sinker for this thing called Acid House and that was it. First he started his own Bedrock night in Hastings, then the legendary Storm whose first night featured, get this for a line-up, Derrick May, Harvey and Grooverider. Played at Fabio and Groovrider's proto-jungle weekly rage, then got the Renaissance residence that finally propelled him into the DJ Top Ten and then launched his own Babelicious and Northern Exposure nights. Renaissance resident Sasha was blown away by his unique choice of music, a harder, trancier style than the garage-inflicted style of the time that still funked like a monkey. The two have DJ'ed together extensively since, mixing two 'Northern Exposure' CD's, touring worldwide. But while there sounds dovetail nicely, Sash and Digweed are quite different. (Global Underground 006, Sidney)

Paul Oakenfold

"When I started DJ'ing it was no big thing. There was no money in DJ'ing, and you did it purely for the love of playing music and being able to express yourself 'cause all you really are is an extension of the crowd, working the crowd and getting involved with what is going on . I've always DJ'ed for the love of it and still do, and I don't know if I will ever lose that love ..... I doubt it " Paul Oakenfold"

As a DJ he has crossed underground club culture from the massive Biology and Sunrise parties, opening for the Stone Roses at Spike island and the Mondays at Glastonbury before going round the world for U2. As a remixer he created indie dance with his Happy Monday's 'Wrote for Luck' remix and then crossed the audience interest the other way round for Bono and the boys and even the Rolling Stones and that's besides selling ½ a million records on his own Perfecto label last year : and yet he still sees it as though he has it all to do ! Ask Oakenfold where else he would like to go and he will tell you that there isn't that many places left in the world left to explore. Both through his music and his life Oakenfold is a spiritual traveller feeding of the culture and influences of the people he has met and the places he has been. It was his time in Goa and India that turned him onto his current love , trance music. It's an insatiable, exploratory spirit that powers Paul's life and then filters through to his work. 'People settle for things they don't have to settle for.' Explains Paul, 'I'm not one of those. That the problem with me. I always take things to extremes. I am not interested in the past. I just try to push the boundaries. When they say I can't do it - it's always a challenge. Like travelling up the Amazon, living in the jungle and sleeping in a hammock it's a sense of achievement, you feel brilliant when you've done it.' (Tranceport, Global Underground 1&2, Live in Oslo)