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DJ Danny Rampling: We All Need To Dance

December 26, 2019|UK & Europe

Danny Rampling's will be forever connected with dance music. From pioneering and being an integral part of the foundation of British club culture, to a successful radio and production career, to constant DJ appearances at some of the world’s most successful nights; We owe Danny Rampling a lot; arguably more than any of his UK peers from his generation. As he prepares to come to Australia, he once again shows us how his passion for performing has never diminished and just what it means to be one of the few that can lay claim to be a foundation artist for House Music.

It all started off quite innocently at the tender age of nine when Danny realised his musical inclinations and started his first record collection. He left school early to follow what was to become a lifelong career. He began by carrying record boxes and playing hip hop, funk and soul at bars and clubs in and around London, 

In 1986 Danny, Paul Oakenfold and Nicky Holloway visited Ibiza on that famous holiday and discovered an intoxicating Balearic sound that fuelled their collective imagination. Spiritually inspired by the music, the group all ventured out to replicate that infectious groove and it is their creativeness  and vision which became the touchstone that inspired the beginnings of dance culture in the UK and beyond.

In 1987 Danny opened the doors to Shoom in London. It soon achieved mythical status and was 'the ‘place to be’ as the capital become infused with a sound and lifestyle that changed the very fabric of British society. From breaking acid house at Shoom, Danny then began a journey that has seen him create many defining moments in club history and which forever altered the weekend and how people would interact with it. 

Besides playing clubs, Danny was determined to spread the music to a wider audience through the airwaves at Kiss FM. It was through spinning alongside Kiss FM founder Gordon Mac that Danny discovered a home for his personal style and began a weekly residency at the station. Through sustained success at KISS, he eventually migrated to the national BBC1 broadcaster and became the soundtrack to every clubbers’ Saturday night with the ‘Lovegroove Dance Party’. 

He has sold over a million compilation albums and has picked up many awards as well as regularly being on TV documentaries for National Geographic, BBC, MTV and many others. He has held residences at clubs in Ibiza such as Pacha, Amnesia, and Privilege.

His legacy cannot be understated nor what he continues to deliver as a performer. His story is one that cannot be denied and so it is with an absolute sense of gratitude and awe that one of the few people that originally broke the ground that others now tread has decided to join the Switched On family and tell us his journey.

So, Danny. It’s been a while. How you have been? 

Yes, outstanding thank you.

Let’s start off by taking you way back. Pre Ibiza. You were born In London? 

Yes, I am a Londoner. Not a cockney though as I wasn’t born within the sound of Bow Bells. Before becoming a professional DJ, life was very different for many years. I did many jobs back then that I disliked but I have a strong work ethic. My work ethic began at a very young age. I’d help clean, run errands and had a paper round at 10 years-old which would bring in money and savings. I am not one to sit around doing nothing; life can be short so I have learnt to maximise time and value and respect it. 

When I was younger, like many, I had periods of unemployment which was at an all-time high in the early to mid-80s in Britain. I have always kept myself fit and back then when I didn’t have work, I’d spend my days at Crystal Palace Sports Centre working on fitness; swimming, running and gym work. 

What sort of family did you grow up in? 

I grew up in working class family; cash was tight at times with four children. My Mother worked two jobs plus family duties and made the best within family means. My Father worked in the Fleet Street newspapers on night shift and was a very difficult, post-war generation type of character. Thankfully I didn’t see much of him as he was out working and slept until the afternoon. He wasn’t a pleasant person to be around as a teenager. My Mother always had the radio on in the family home and that influenced my appreciation and passion for music and radio at a young age.

What were you listening to in your bedroom? 

In my childhood years I’d listen to my small pocket radio late into the night when I should have been going to sleep early for school. As a kid I started out listening to pop music, glam rock and Motown and into my teens Disco Reggae, Soul music and Punk which was a complete teenage rebellion. I used to leave the street-facing first-floor bedroom window open in all kinds of weather and play the music loud on the one record deck so people walking past could hear; early leanings of a DJ.

Who encouraged you to follow your dreams? 

I’d say my greatest influence was my Grand Father; he’d been a long serving Military Man and I have so much respect for him and where he’d been across the world as part of the Army. He survived being wounded at Dunkirk in WW2 and his stories of India and Burma inspired and influenced me to travel. I wanted to follow his career path into the Army. I would love to sit down and have one of our chats again.

Did you have what your parents would call a proper job before you started deejaying? 

Yes, I started my working life as an apprentice carpenter in the City of London and decided that was not for me. When I started college, combined with the job, it became so tedious and was like being back at school. I had left school at 15 before my exams to go to work and earn a wage. Back then it was totally acceptable for 15-year olds to leave school early and go to work. By going to work I could buy more records, fashionable clothes and become an adult despite the fact I looked about 12 years old at 15. 

You were playing out before you went to Ibiza. What sort of music were you playing then and where were you playing it? You were already playing on KISS FM back then, how did that happen? 

Pre Ibiza I mainly played in ‘fun pubs’ as they were known in Bermondsey SE London which were glitzy and had DJS . The style at that time was the Salsoul Prelude, US imports sounds and UK soul/funk. During a holiday to Ibiza I met Nicky Holloway who was a leading London promoter and DJ at the time. Nicky also introduced me to Kiss FM station boss Gordon Mac who gave me an opportunity to host a late-night radio show on the station. 

I became good friends with Nicky and helped him with promotion and logistics at his events and carried his record boxes as this was a way into the Soul mafia scene which was a closed shop for young aspiring DJs. Through my experiences with Nicky I learned a great deal about the music business.

Where were you hanging out? 

The London clubs I frequented were Nicky Holloways clubs and Jazz funk/ soul weekenders all-dayers, Dirtbox warehouse parties and the bars that I worked in. We also used to go to the Wag club and Raw club in the London’s West End which were cooler trendy clubs. 

Describe the atmosphere of why London pirate radio station KISS FM was needed and what made it so popular in London town. Where did you broadcast from? 

There was a strong demand and need for pirate radio stations in the 80s playing black music as the commercial FM radio would only have one show per week from radio stars like Greg Edwards, Robbie Vincent DavidRodigan who played the music many of us loved. Music-loving DJs created pirate stations in London; JFM, Horizon, Solar, LWR, Kiss all played underground music to an increasingly hungry audience of clubbers music lovers. 

My favourite pirate radio DJ was Froggy who was the master mixer playing US imports blended perfectly; Froggy was a great presenter and had great influence. The stations created an output of music 24 hours a day. This truly was an exciting time for specialist underground radio and young London. Many of today’s leading DJs carved out careers on pirate radio stations. 

Kiss started out broadcasting in Charlton SE London; one of the highest points in the Capital for transmitting clear signal out across London. From there we moved as a station from time to time and to Reggae Dub DJ Nick Mannasseh’s flat in East London and the late great Techno DJ Colin Faver’s place in West London. I am forever grateful that Gordon Mac at Kiss gave me that opportunity as a young aspiring DJ to break into radio. It led to a 20-year broadcasting career that went from unknown pirate to prime-time BBC Radio 1 radio host.

Your trip to Amnesia and introduction to DJ Alfredo was a ‘Jesus on the road to Damascus’ type experience for you. 

The holiday to Ibiza was a complete revelation to us all; life-changing. We immediately laid down plans to emulate and share the magic we found on the dance floor by creating our own club nights influenced by all that we had experienced at Amnesia. We became pioneers ourselves.

I personally stood outside Shoom for ages trying to get in. It became pretty popular very quickly. How did you ride the wave? 

Sorry that you stood outside for ages and hope you did get in (We did). Shoom did become popular very quickly and virally people were telling their friends to come and experience this new party which attracted a diverse mix of people. There were never any problems with the establishment. We were a professionally run underground party; 300 people at that time. Both Jenni and I, plus Jim and Jackie the owners of the fitness centre and the security guys Eric and Roger, looked after our guests on the night. Shoom wasn’t about the politics that came with the large Rave scene. We were too busy having the time of our lives. It was all about positivity and freedom to express and dance; forge new friendships, partnerships, opportunity and a wave of optimism. It was a complete breath of fresh air.

Carl Cox famously used to drive up from Brighton with his own gear and bumped in (initially playing for free,) what did he teach you about deejaying? 

Carl came and played on the first official Shoom party at the Fitness centre and he installed his sound system and gave me mixing tips on BPM of records on the night on the fly. I can remember the scene vividly behind the decks which I greatly appreciate.

What got the joint jumping? 

Future Acid tracks and Kenny Jammin Jason ‘Can You Dance’ and of course the Night Writers ‘Let The Music Use You’ produced by Frankie Knuckles. Also DJ Pierre ‘Dream Girl’; I used to play 2 copies mixing the intro back to back repeating the loop.

Raving changed British culture forever. How do you feel about being one of the few that started the entire country on that journey? 

Without our vision and foresight things may have turned out very differently. At Shoom we set the benchmark and collectively created a movement of positive change. I take pride in my role in the sequence of events.

Moving forward from those halcyon days, how do you see your career now? 

I see my career in a very good place right now. I’ve had one of the best busy summers this year on the circuit playing so many great gigs every week at festivals clubs in the UK, Ibiza, Holland, Portugal and the return of my original club Shoom. We just hosted a Shoom party at The Electric Brixton London venue with Inner City Live and Original Shoom DJs Pete Heller & Terry Farley and new wave Techno DJ ILONA. There will be more Shoom parties in 2020 featuring the greats alongside new wave talent and the Shoom vibe.

I’ve also co-produced an acid track ‘Space Girl’ with Steve Mac and the mysterious German pioneer Klaus Blatter on Sunday Best records. Another high point this year working with Todd Terry one of my all-time House Music heroes; Todd Terry and Danny Rampling - The Underground World. I have provided the spoken word vocal all about Ibiza and an honour to work with Todd.

I have a number of other productions close to completion working with studio production partner Aidan Lavelle which are leaning towards a more techno sound.

As with most people you are multi-dimensional. You are a tremendous Tabber -hiker and raise a lot of money for the Parachute Regiment. How did you become involved in that? 

Having interests outside of music I enjoy an endurance challenge which keeps my fitness on point, motivated and I therefore have a goal to work towards. Health and fitness are highly important to me. I served with the Regiments Reserve Battalion in the early 80’s so it’s a part of my personal history and forms the fabric of who I am. I am proud to be part of that brotherhood. 

(To be part of that) is a challenge and is earned with great determination and strength. It shows what one is capable of accomplishing as a young man. That experience really taught me about resilience, motivation and the capacity to succeed; life skills in general. It is a part of my life that shaped who I am today. I totally appreciate and take pride in this part of my life’s journey and in the past decade have reconnected with lifelong friends and will continue to raise funds for the associated charities.

What’s it like living out of a suitcase? 

I wouldn’t change that as I am grateful for being a DJ for over the past 30 years. I continue travelling the world to wonderful locations. Packing kit up and moving onto the next stop is second nature and part of touring. It can be easy to lose sight of how blessed doing what we do when workloads are intense and unforgiving. My view and process are gratitude, assomebody else would give their all to be in my position.

You are coming down under in 2020 and have been a regular visitor over the years. What draws you back and what can we expect this time? 

I am so looking forward to playing Sydney and Perth; always a great vibe. My last visit a couple of years ago, I played Space NYD party hosted by the late Paul Strange we watched the firework display together for NYE on the harbour. Sadly, so very difficult to comprehend that he’s gone. Paul was the guiding light of the Sydney music scene; a great guy with a good heart a true diamond of a man, sadly we won’t get to meet again.

What draws me back the music scene is he summer sunshine, the cool people, the beaches, the outdoor life and the great food. I love the Bondi Icebergs saltwater lap pool and will be back there for a good swim during the week that I plan to stay. Also look forward to visiting my chef buddy Emile Avramides restaurant Clove Lane in Randwick. 

How has the role of the DJ changed? 

Technology has changed the role of the DJ in the booth for the better as you can be far more creative with the tools of the trade. Social media is important and at the same time if you have no IT support, highly time consuming. Sadly, there’s a part of the industry where a DJ’s success is driven by social media popularity. It’s all integral to the present dynamic.

What’s your rider like these days? Anything extravagant? 

Water, wine, beer. That’s about it. No bowls of exotic fruit organic goji berries, wheat grass shots or hampers from Harrods nonsense. 

What do you say to those people who have divided dance music into ever more exclusive sub genres? 

Not much we can do about that unfortunately. Dance music journalists in the 90s created the sub genres in the quest for attention and uncovering new musical trends and that’s just how it is. I come from the generation of crossing genres in a DJ set and is still how I play in the present. Good music is good music.

What’s your favourite bit of kit?

The Roland 303. That machine is the Acid sound and was the kit that revolutionised music and created Acid house.

Vinyl vs Digital? 

Whatever one chooses to use as their medium is fine by me. Coming from the analogue generation of course we feel analogue vinyl recording sounds better than digital. Vinyl has a warmer, grittier sound whereas digital has a crisp, clear, sharp sound. As I said previously, the thing is with modern technology that there is so much more creativity for the DJ with built-in FX on mixers, outboard kit, CDJ turntables functionality and precision. It all creates a better performance.

I use vinyl at home and the occasional party close to home. Travelling internationally with vinyl can be challenging at the best of times. To younger DJs I continue to encourage them to learn DJ skills with vinyl alongside digital to understand the craft of the DJ. At the end of the day use whatever you feel works for you and what you feel comfortable with as the medium.

Favourite headphones? 

Sennheiser HD 25; I have used the headphones for many, many years. They are the best in my opinion and FYI I am not sponsored by the company 😊. I share a genuine love of the product. The headphones aren’t cumbersome; just lightweight, practical design and great sound.

What’s most important to you these days? 

My health and fitness. I attend gym cardio hit circuit classes most days in the week; health and fitness is of paramount importance - fit body, fit mind. My family are equally important plus my close friends. 

There has been a lot of focus on mental illness in the industry over the past couple of years. How have you managed to stay stable over such a sustained period of time? 

We are all different people and I’ve had my ups and downs over the years. One needs a thick skin in the industry, plenty of energy and to not get caught up comparing yourself to others’ successes. Sometimes just saying no to people, work and anything that doesn’t serve you well and depletes energy and distracts focus; is what works. If mental health is being compromised, take the steps to seek professional support. Do not suffer in silence.

What lesson did you learn from back in the day that you still hold dear today? 

Treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself. Keep business plans private until they manifest themselves and do your own thing in your style. Do not follow trends; stay true to one’s passion and personal values.

What’s the future for dance music? 

Dance music is forever evolving and expanding across the globe. Will it be replaced by something completely different? Who knows? There will always be a human need to dance in some form. The next ground-breaking music scene could be led by augmented reality and AI. 

How do you approach producing your own music? What are you like in the studio and who do you bounce ideas off?

I find inspiration from many sources; film, books, beats, samples and often start with an idea which becomes something completely different. I am enjoying producing music again and there’s more to come in the near future.

What else do you have in the pipeline? 

Films, Docs books etc. Working on a film project which is about the trip to Ibiza and our story with a script written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh. I have been writing parts of my book at a slow pace as there’s no hurry to get a book out of one’s life story. I have much more to accomplish and achieve in this lifetime.

When you look out over a sea of faces when you play, what are you thinking or feeling? 

This is what each and every DJ aims to achieve every time we step into the booth; connection, audience rapport, participation. I’m thinking about which track is coming up next and maybe 2 or 3 tracks time and watching the floor reaction. The rapport and connection are a massive high and delivering great sets with energy is what drives me allowing people to go home in a state of joy. This comes through the music and dancing to it  is a very rewarding experience and long may that continue.

What makes for a great night out these days? 

A great night out is about fun and if you’re not in the mood to go out and have fun then stay home is the best option. A great night out in a club event or festival is about great music played by great DJs (established or break through) on a quality sound system and friendly positive fun vibes. 

We all have a need to dance and just recently I went out and danced to see long-time friend Andrew Weatherall’s DJ set. I danced for 3-4 hours to his unique sounds. I hadn’t danced like that in quite some time and that was a good release of positive endorphins. Can you imagine a world without music and dancing?

Danny Rampling Sydney
Danny Rampling Sydney

Danny Rampling Perth
Danny Rampling Perth

 https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyrampling/stream/ 

 https://dannyrampling.com/ 

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