Five Minutes with Danny Rampling ahead of Tribal Gathering
FIVE MINUTES WITH DANNY RAMPLING
YOU'RE PART OF AN INCREDIBLE LINE-UP FOR TRIBAL GATHERING'S '20 YEARS OF HOUSE PARTY ON THURSDAY 20TH. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THAT?
First of all can I say how excited I am about coming up to Manchester on Thursday. I just can't wait to get behind those decks and use every second of that time to play some great music. I'm counting down the minutes.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING WITH JON CARTER AND FRANKIE KNUCKLES AGAIN?
What can I say, but Frankie is the house God. Without him and Larry Levin we wouldn't be doing this interview today. He is the purveyor of house and this is going to be one hell of party. Together with Jon Carter, Robert Owens and Justin Robertson this is an amazing line-up and I can't wait to party with everyone. Thursday can't come soon enough!
ARE YOU GOING TO PLAY CLASSICS OR NEW MUSIC?
A bit of both. I'll definitely play a few classics but there is such an abundance of fantastic new music I have to play some of that too. I have two hours to play and I'm going to make the most of them.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR FOND MEMORIES ON HOUSE?
I have hundreds but some that spring to mind include the early days of Shroom, the days of the free raves, Millennium Eve in Cape Town playing to 30,000 people are all very fond memories for me. The time when BBC took the lead form Pirate Radio stations and formed Radio 1 was also a monumental life experience.
HOW WOULD YOU CAREER HAVE PROGRESSED IF YOU HADN'T BECOME A DJ?
I was always going to have a career in music. It has always been my passion from a very young age and I had tried numerous times to break into the industry so if I hadn't have found the rave scene it would have been something else. Eventually I met the right people and started to create my own opportunities.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE TRYING TO MAKE A CAREER OUT OF DJING OR MUSIC TODAY
Have you heart set on it and don't give up. Be persistent. There is still space for talented musicians, DJs and producers to make a living you just have to work very hard. We had to create our opportunities but today it's just as tough as they are so many other people; but it's still possible . Try to you meet the right people and put all your energy into it. Getting yourself a mentor is also an invaluable thing you can do? Nicky Holloway was my mentor and really helped me get my foot on the ladder.
DO YOU THINK DJING IS ADDICTIVE. WHY WAS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GIVE IT UP FOREVER?
Music is part of me and that will never go away. The rush of adrenaline you get when playing your music to a packed club is the best form of high. It's also very challenging to keep it fresh and your audiences excited about it. Four years ago I felt I needed a break from it. I thought I wanted to give it up but really I just needed to recharge my batteries. Sometimes the DJ routine and the travelling can make you tired, but my advice to any DJ who feels this is to take six month sabbatical. You'll be itching to get back. That adrenaline it utterly addictive.
Danny Rampling will Join Frankie Knuckles, Jon Carter, Justin Robertson, Robert Owens, Greg Vickers, Dave Haslam and Ellesse at Tribal Gathering at Sankeys in Manchester, Maundy Thursday (20th March)
