Paul Oakenfold plays Clapham Common

Paul Oakenfold plays Clapham Common, originally uploaded by Craig Grobler.

In August 2001 Paul Oakenfold played a free gig on Clapham Common. The event went down in history as one of the most memorable nights of 2001.

He had pretty much created the concept of the superstar DJ and knew it would work in the States if he put in enough hard graft. Meanwhile his status in the UK couldn't have been bigger, as proved one hot summer's night in London. An extract from Paul Oakenfold: The Authorised Biography by Richard Norris, we recount a memorable free gig at the height of Paul's popularity as a DJ.

“It was f***ing phenomenal,” says Marc Marot. “It was one of the most gobsmacking moments. Channel 4 were completely caught on the hop. By the time there were seventy thousand people there, this supposedly giant screen they’d put up looked like a telly. Paul’s playing to a crowd the size of Glastonbury, and there’s this little screen with a DJ set-up beside it with a small sound system. It was a riot.”