WMC 09: A different shade of Oakenfold

WMC 09 - March 27

British superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold -- who arrived in Miami on Thursday and spun that night till 5 a.m. at Mokai -- had a night off from behind the decks Friday. But instead of going off and doing his own thing, Oakie decided to do something a little different.

He teamed up with 944 magazine and Jose Cuervo's "Live Notoriously Well'' campaign for an event to help kick off the Platino Penthouse at the Sagamore Hotel.

The entourage stormed into Love/Hate in Miami Beach (the joint made famous by the Miami Ink crew) and randomly picked out two guys for a night of VIP treatment. They scored a limo ride to the Sagamore with Oakenfold for free table and bottle service all night.

The suite at the Sagamore was beautiful, with sultry blue lighting, tasty hors d'oeuvres, friendly hostesses in sparkly blue mini-dresses, sheer white curtains and even plush white carpeting (hate to clean those the next morning).

Turntable wizard DJ Enferno spun sleek house music and posed for photos with Oakenfold and the VIP guys. Oakenfold clearly enjoyed himself, grinning sincerely all night and chatting, hugging and clowning with his new friends. And the Jose Cuervo Platino tequila? Top-notch.

"Tonight's gonna be a good night - I wanted to do something that was different," Oakenfold told me earlier in the day. "The idea is to have fun. It's good to be back in Miami. Any excuse to come to Miami ..."

Oakenfold's fans can catch him Saturday night, where he'll play "more underground" tracks at the Perfecto party at SoHo Studios along with Hernan Cattaneo and Infected Mushroom.

After WMC, Oakenfold -- who provided the lively soundtrack to "Swordfish" in 2001 -- will head back to L.A. to finish scoring a British gangster movie called "The Heavies," then hit the road for two months on tour with Madonna.

What a life.

-- MICHAEL HAMERSLY