Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold, born in London in 1963, had built his name at the controls of other people's records before he got round to fronting an album of his own. As a producer and remixer he put his stamp on tracks for more than 100 artists, U2, Madonna, New Order, the Cure, the Stone Roses and the Rolling Stones among them, and a DJ Magazine poll named him the world's number-one DJ in 1998 and again in 1999.

Bunkka, released in 2002 on his own Perfecto Records, was the trance kingpin reaching for pop without letting go of the club. "Starry Eyed Surprise" is the friendliest thing on it: a breezy, strummed acoustic hook dropped on top of a big, bright beat, a summer single made for car radios rather than warehouses. "Ready Steady Go" went the other way, all revving riffs and pumping synths, loud enough to sit next to rock records. He has also been part of Electra, but it was Bunkka that got him onto the countdowns.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.