Post by #cake on Sept 22, 2005 8:09:35 GMT
An interview with DR:
One of the pioneering DJs on the British dance music scene, he went to Ibiza discovered a sound and took it back home. After nearly 20 years as a DJ he is retiring, we got to talk to him about it all.
You`ve been a major player in House Music circles for nearly 20 years. What will you miss most about it?
That buzz – the buzz that`s part of the addiction to being a DJ.
So you`re decision to retire from Dance Music can`t have come lightly, was there anything significant that prompted this decision?
Many things, there hasn`t been anything in particular that has made me do this. It is something I have been thinking about for a while now, it hasn`t been an easy decision to come to terms with but life changes and you change with it. The birth of my son 18 months ago, the desire to follow a new career, and the need to take on a new challenge.
Am I right in thinking that you are now planning on opening a restaurant? Would you like to tell us about it?
Well I am opening a restaurant, with a business partner of mine. It is going to be colourful, we are going to be using colours, and there will be a lot of influences from Ibiza in the restaurant.
The obvious question for Danny Rampling, is how did it all start?
Well fortunately house music arrived in my life in the late 80`s that`s when it became complete and it shaped my future through listening to it and then struggling to make it as a DJ.
As many people know it began on the island of Ibiza, it`s come to this point that we are in today and it goes back every summer to the island.
You are playing at Sankeys in Manchester on the 24th September, then Basics on October 1st as these will be your final dates in the cities do you have anything special planned?
Well it`s mainly down to the clubber really I`ve had some interaction with the people on my discussion page on my own website, so it`s really going to depend on the suggestions put forward by the people. So what I can say is to the people of Manchester or Leeds, log on to my site and put some suggestions my way. Just go to www.dannyrampling.co.uk
We`ll have a good night in Sankeys, it’s a great club and it always has an amazing and warm atmosphere, so I am looking forward to it. Basics in Leeds, I played at the opening of Basics some 12 years ago so again there`s a strong connection between myself and Leeds over the years. Through the days of Hard Timez, Back to Basics and now Basics.
You`ve seen the House scene go through many trends and changes. How do you see it at the moment?
How do I see the House scene at the moment? Well I feel that there is a positive change at the moment. There’s a lot of new music coming through, especially a lot of electronic edged music, and a great new wave of young DJs coming through as well. And I wish them all luck because they are the future of house.
It`s down to these guys to continue the movement and take it forward. Of course the house scene in the UK has taken a hit, it did peak, and at the moment it’s just in a transition point. People are a lot more selective about where they attend, it`s just selected dates, maybe once a month or twice a month, not really every week. But there`s still a great deal of energy on the scene. The dance clubs of England are places that are very dear to my heart, because the energy that you find on the dance floors is second to none.
We should take great pride in that, there have been too many cynical and pessimistic comments made, this scene was fuelled on optimism, positivism and hope. And that was and should be the philosophy of this scene.
People go out on the weekend to experience a positive release, to get lost in the music played by great DJs, and have the time of their lives.
What are the things that you will miss most when you retire?
Sex, drugs, money (laughs) 5 star hotels, business class travel, all the obvious things really (laughs)
And similarly what will you be happy to never see again?
Ryan Air and Easy Jet. And hotel rooms when you are just stuck in the middle of no where alone, dodgy hotel rooms, dull hotel rooms, but especially low cost airlines.
OK to be fair these airlines get you from A to B and sometimes you have to travel. But that guy Stelios, he’s just getting larger, and every time you see him on the TV again he’s just inflated. There`s so much cash in his pockets, he can’t get more in his pockets, people will realise soon enough. But yeah the poor standard of those airlines, and fleecing the British public. One day we’ll look back on it and say ‘how did we tolerate those low standards in air travel?’
In your career what would you say have been your most significant highlight?
Making a significant contribution to shaping the UK house scene, from 87 to now, contributing to the change in youth culture since that date.
Britain before Acid House was generally a difficult place to live the mid 80’s were generally a difficult time, there was a lot of unemployment, really if you haven`t experienced that it was a dread full time, it was a difficult time to be working class in Britain. Acid House came along, de constructed the whole lot and created a DIY attitude, and the Acid House scene was born out of it, and it gave so many people opportunities, that otherwise they would not have had those opportunities. The way that the political climate was back then, it was very very similar to the 60`s with so much political oppression, but I don`t really want to go into a political rant now.
Lowest point in your career?
Departing from Radio 1, losing something that I really loved.
Weirdest thing you`ve ever seen?
Jesus Christ re incarnated
Where was that?
Spectrum…
Best club you have ever played at?
Without a doubt the early Shoom parties, over whelming atmospheres, nothing has ever rivalled them for me, there have been thousands of good clubs, but it was so new and fresh, and it was really a party every week it wasn’t a club night.
Do you think anything could compare to those parties then?
No, it was a unique period in time and it`ll never be able to repeat itself. There`ll be other great clubs that’s for sure, but it was just a product of that time and it was a collection of like minded souls that came together though out the whole of that scene in a few different clubs across the UK. 200 people, it was very illegal, it was underground, and it was in an area of London that was not trendy.
Apart from Shroom what’s been your most memorable gig?
There`s been thousands, I try to make every gig memorable, but there`s 1 out 100 where you have a bad one, every DJ has them, and it`s disappointing when it happens. But so many of my gigs stand out, there`s the Millennium gig in Cape Town in the open air with 30 000 people going wild, transmitted on radio around the world it`s just something that will stay with me forever. I’m not a stadium DJ so that was probably the biggest crowd I ever played to.
There was such a positive vibe that night, and then looking at the party they had at the Dome in England with Tony Blair and the Queen holding hands and singing Aulg Langsyne, how exciting, how modern of Britain! (laughs) The End, one of my final dates in London, I loved that. SW4 which took place on Clapham Common, there was so much positive energy in the air, there was a lovely atmosphere, and a sea of hands and faces in a rather large arena, there must have been 4000 people in that tent and gathered outside the tent even more. It was a really rip roaring atmosphere there. Last year We Love Sundays, for me that’s been one of the best gigs I ever played at Space, just the whole atmosphere was amazing. The final Shroom night. All the gigs at Pacha in Ibiza, I`ve loved them.
Worst club you have played?
There`s been a few, over the years there have been a few. I try to erase all the bad ones from memory though, Of course a DJ never returns to those clubs. But as you can probably imagine in the early years there were a lot of bad clubs. People didn’t have any idea about the concept of a DJ.
How do you think you`ll feel when you play your final record and on your final set before your retirement?
Emotional, yep emotional. I`ve been putting together a CD The Break for Love CD for Defected for the last 3 weeks, and that’s been emotional.
Will this be your last CD as well?
It’ll be the last House CD I do. There’s 2 House CDs one is 87 to 90 and then there’s 90 to 2002. And then CD 3 is Soul, Funky, more of a back to mine style, another side of my DJing. So I think that I am going through an emotional time, some of the records on the CDs are records I haven`t heard for a while, and they have brought up a lot of emotion in me. And some of those records have poigniant memories, moments that have touched my life, music that has touched millions of people.
So yeah I’m sure that there’s going to be a Gazza moment when I play that final gig, which there could be a possibility of it being at a club called Casa Nui in Thailand, so it would be the icing on the cake to go out in paradise.
Where will your last gig in England be?
In December. My last London date is December 3rd and I am being supported by Frankie Knuckles and some of my favourite DJs new and old in the second room. It’ll be a very special night, I am going on at 3 and I’ll be playing until the final person leaves.
So you’ll be there til the following week?
Well if it’s going to be a case of playing all day then so be it, we’ll go for as long as it takes.
What are your thoughts on the following quote from Nic Fanciulli in DJ magazine?
"Now that Danny's done it, other DJs can say `You know what? It's probably time for me to retire as well'" - Nic Fanciulli
Well I haven't done this to prompt other people to make a similar decision, it's long term, I've made this decision and it’s not lightly. I'm still going into a business that involves bringing pleasure to people it`s just a case of shifting gears
If what I am doing gives other DJs, other people the idea to make a similar kind of decision, then I guess so be it. I guess something like that is only good for everyone concerned, I’m sure that there will be other people that will follow, but I have not set out to create a trend in people, or force others to do similar. I think that this job is in your blood, it’s in your vanes, and it all depends on your lifestyle. There guys in there forties, even in their fifties that continue to deliver top quality sets and that is something, because with the age comes experience and that is something that people should respect. Nic is a great DJ, and in 20 years time he will be an amazing DJ.
It`s one thing that I find happens a lot in England, people like to criticise others on their age, they build people up and then enjoy knocking them down. So we should all be careful of that, because it`s a great British tradition, and the British take great pride in that. I`m happy I`ve made this decision, It`s a new period in my life, I’ve enjoyed every moment of the past 18 years, it`s been amazing, it’s been one big long party really. This has been a party to me it hasn`t been a business, I`ve been fortunate enough to be doing something coupled with a passion.
So you`re going to finally get a real job then?
You got it I’m doing it the other way round retiring to a job.
Check out Danny Ramplings`s web site for more information on his final gigs - www.dannyrampling.co.uk
One of the pioneering DJs on the British dance music scene, he went to Ibiza discovered a sound and took it back home. After nearly 20 years as a DJ he is retiring, we got to talk to him about it all.
You`ve been a major player in House Music circles for nearly 20 years. What will you miss most about it?
That buzz – the buzz that`s part of the addiction to being a DJ.
So you`re decision to retire from Dance Music can`t have come lightly, was there anything significant that prompted this decision?
Many things, there hasn`t been anything in particular that has made me do this. It is something I have been thinking about for a while now, it hasn`t been an easy decision to come to terms with but life changes and you change with it. The birth of my son 18 months ago, the desire to follow a new career, and the need to take on a new challenge.
Am I right in thinking that you are now planning on opening a restaurant? Would you like to tell us about it?
Well I am opening a restaurant, with a business partner of mine. It is going to be colourful, we are going to be using colours, and there will be a lot of influences from Ibiza in the restaurant.
The obvious question for Danny Rampling, is how did it all start?
Well fortunately house music arrived in my life in the late 80`s that`s when it became complete and it shaped my future through listening to it and then struggling to make it as a DJ.
As many people know it began on the island of Ibiza, it`s come to this point that we are in today and it goes back every summer to the island.
You are playing at Sankeys in Manchester on the 24th September, then Basics on October 1st as these will be your final dates in the cities do you have anything special planned?
Well it`s mainly down to the clubber really I`ve had some interaction with the people on my discussion page on my own website, so it`s really going to depend on the suggestions put forward by the people. So what I can say is to the people of Manchester or Leeds, log on to my site and put some suggestions my way. Just go to www.dannyrampling.co.uk
We`ll have a good night in Sankeys, it’s a great club and it always has an amazing and warm atmosphere, so I am looking forward to it. Basics in Leeds, I played at the opening of Basics some 12 years ago so again there`s a strong connection between myself and Leeds over the years. Through the days of Hard Timez, Back to Basics and now Basics.
You`ve seen the House scene go through many trends and changes. How do you see it at the moment?
How do I see the House scene at the moment? Well I feel that there is a positive change at the moment. There’s a lot of new music coming through, especially a lot of electronic edged music, and a great new wave of young DJs coming through as well. And I wish them all luck because they are the future of house.
It`s down to these guys to continue the movement and take it forward. Of course the house scene in the UK has taken a hit, it did peak, and at the moment it’s just in a transition point. People are a lot more selective about where they attend, it`s just selected dates, maybe once a month or twice a month, not really every week. But there`s still a great deal of energy on the scene. The dance clubs of England are places that are very dear to my heart, because the energy that you find on the dance floors is second to none.
We should take great pride in that, there have been too many cynical and pessimistic comments made, this scene was fuelled on optimism, positivism and hope. And that was and should be the philosophy of this scene.
People go out on the weekend to experience a positive release, to get lost in the music played by great DJs, and have the time of their lives.
What are the things that you will miss most when you retire?
Sex, drugs, money (laughs) 5 star hotels, business class travel, all the obvious things really (laughs)
And similarly what will you be happy to never see again?
Ryan Air and Easy Jet. And hotel rooms when you are just stuck in the middle of no where alone, dodgy hotel rooms, dull hotel rooms, but especially low cost airlines.
OK to be fair these airlines get you from A to B and sometimes you have to travel. But that guy Stelios, he’s just getting larger, and every time you see him on the TV again he’s just inflated. There`s so much cash in his pockets, he can’t get more in his pockets, people will realise soon enough. But yeah the poor standard of those airlines, and fleecing the British public. One day we’ll look back on it and say ‘how did we tolerate those low standards in air travel?’
In your career what would you say have been your most significant highlight?
Making a significant contribution to shaping the UK house scene, from 87 to now, contributing to the change in youth culture since that date.
Britain before Acid House was generally a difficult place to live the mid 80’s were generally a difficult time, there was a lot of unemployment, really if you haven`t experienced that it was a dread full time, it was a difficult time to be working class in Britain. Acid House came along, de constructed the whole lot and created a DIY attitude, and the Acid House scene was born out of it, and it gave so many people opportunities, that otherwise they would not have had those opportunities. The way that the political climate was back then, it was very very similar to the 60`s with so much political oppression, but I don`t really want to go into a political rant now.
Lowest point in your career?
Departing from Radio 1, losing something that I really loved.
Weirdest thing you`ve ever seen?
Jesus Christ re incarnated
Where was that?
Spectrum…
Best club you have ever played at?
Without a doubt the early Shoom parties, over whelming atmospheres, nothing has ever rivalled them for me, there have been thousands of good clubs, but it was so new and fresh, and it was really a party every week it wasn’t a club night.
Do you think anything could compare to those parties then?
No, it was a unique period in time and it`ll never be able to repeat itself. There`ll be other great clubs that’s for sure, but it was just a product of that time and it was a collection of like minded souls that came together though out the whole of that scene in a few different clubs across the UK. 200 people, it was very illegal, it was underground, and it was in an area of London that was not trendy.
Apart from Shroom what’s been your most memorable gig?
There`s been thousands, I try to make every gig memorable, but there`s 1 out 100 where you have a bad one, every DJ has them, and it`s disappointing when it happens. But so many of my gigs stand out, there`s the Millennium gig in Cape Town in the open air with 30 000 people going wild, transmitted on radio around the world it`s just something that will stay with me forever. I’m not a stadium DJ so that was probably the biggest crowd I ever played to.
There was such a positive vibe that night, and then looking at the party they had at the Dome in England with Tony Blair and the Queen holding hands and singing Aulg Langsyne, how exciting, how modern of Britain! (laughs) The End, one of my final dates in London, I loved that. SW4 which took place on Clapham Common, there was so much positive energy in the air, there was a lovely atmosphere, and a sea of hands and faces in a rather large arena, there must have been 4000 people in that tent and gathered outside the tent even more. It was a really rip roaring atmosphere there. Last year We Love Sundays, for me that’s been one of the best gigs I ever played at Space, just the whole atmosphere was amazing. The final Shroom night. All the gigs at Pacha in Ibiza, I`ve loved them.
Worst club you have played?
There`s been a few, over the years there have been a few. I try to erase all the bad ones from memory though, Of course a DJ never returns to those clubs. But as you can probably imagine in the early years there were a lot of bad clubs. People didn’t have any idea about the concept of a DJ.
How do you think you`ll feel when you play your final record and on your final set before your retirement?
Emotional, yep emotional. I`ve been putting together a CD The Break for Love CD for Defected for the last 3 weeks, and that’s been emotional.
Will this be your last CD as well?
It’ll be the last House CD I do. There’s 2 House CDs one is 87 to 90 and then there’s 90 to 2002. And then CD 3 is Soul, Funky, more of a back to mine style, another side of my DJing. So I think that I am going through an emotional time, some of the records on the CDs are records I haven`t heard for a while, and they have brought up a lot of emotion in me. And some of those records have poigniant memories, moments that have touched my life, music that has touched millions of people.
So yeah I’m sure that there’s going to be a Gazza moment when I play that final gig, which there could be a possibility of it being at a club called Casa Nui in Thailand, so it would be the icing on the cake to go out in paradise.
Where will your last gig in England be?
In December. My last London date is December 3rd and I am being supported by Frankie Knuckles and some of my favourite DJs new and old in the second room. It’ll be a very special night, I am going on at 3 and I’ll be playing until the final person leaves.
So you’ll be there til the following week?
Well if it’s going to be a case of playing all day then so be it, we’ll go for as long as it takes.
What are your thoughts on the following quote from Nic Fanciulli in DJ magazine?
"Now that Danny's done it, other DJs can say `You know what? It's probably time for me to retire as well'" - Nic Fanciulli
Well I haven't done this to prompt other people to make a similar decision, it's long term, I've made this decision and it’s not lightly. I'm still going into a business that involves bringing pleasure to people it`s just a case of shifting gears
If what I am doing gives other DJs, other people the idea to make a similar kind of decision, then I guess so be it. I guess something like that is only good for everyone concerned, I’m sure that there will be other people that will follow, but I have not set out to create a trend in people, or force others to do similar. I think that this job is in your blood, it’s in your vanes, and it all depends on your lifestyle. There guys in there forties, even in their fifties that continue to deliver top quality sets and that is something, because with the age comes experience and that is something that people should respect. Nic is a great DJ, and in 20 years time he will be an amazing DJ.
It`s one thing that I find happens a lot in England, people like to criticise others on their age, they build people up and then enjoy knocking them down. So we should all be careful of that, because it`s a great British tradition, and the British take great pride in that. I`m happy I`ve made this decision, It`s a new period in my life, I’ve enjoyed every moment of the past 18 years, it`s been amazing, it’s been one big long party really. This has been a party to me it hasn`t been a business, I`ve been fortunate enough to be doing something coupled with a passion.
So you`re going to finally get a real job then?
You got it I’m doing it the other way round retiring to a job.
Check out Danny Ramplings`s web site for more information on his final gigs - www.dannyrampling.co.uk
