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Danny Rampling: A Lesson In House

The term legend is often overused in the DJ industry. For that truth to be attained, a DJ must be a visionary, establish a legacy that cannot be ignored and be considered a person who has influenced beyond measure. In the case of Danny ampling, all of this is true and more. !e, along with "ic#y !olloway and $aul %a#enfold, are regarded as the men responsible for starting the rave and dance phenomena in the &' and giving to the world their vision of dance music. ( birthday holiday to Ibi)a *+ years ago sowed the seed of an idea. ( short time later, in a disused gymnasium in ,outh -ondon, that seed blossomed into a night called ,hoom. (nd the rest, as they say, is history. /efore Danny ampling there was no !ouse ,cene in the &'. There did e0ist the more conservative soul and northern soul nights. They were the descendants of the original sounds of ,ta0 and 1otown but the wild abandon of disco had long since gone and these children of soul were but a mere blip on the ,aturday night landscape. The drab suburban and inner city nightclubs were stifled by bland pop music and a new generation of thrill see#ers were loo#ing to e0press their feelings in fits of boundless hedonism. ,o when ,hoom started, the nightlife was ripe for the pic#ing. Danny ampling repac#aged an obscure ,panish nightclub and turned it into his scene and his night. !e brought the party and -ondon, followed by the rest of the planet, went along for the ride. Fast forward to the present day and his idea has become an industry. The music that he promoted has become the beat by which people live their lives and on 2 th December at 3oldfish 'ings 4ross, ,ydneysiders will have the chance to e0perience the music of a man dripping with dance music fol#lore. %riginally though Danny ampling aspired only to have his own radio show.

5I wanted to be a radio DJ first as that is what influenced me with hearing music at a young age and I was fascinated by radio broadcasting. ( career as an international DJ flourished partly through radio wor#. $irate radio is still close to my heart and pirate radio is where mine and many DJ careers began. It is still alive and #ic#ing in the &' and #eeps flying the flag for underground music forms.6 7hilst radio inspired him, it is as a founding member of the &' dance movement that he has cemented his place in history. 5/asically we sprin#led a touch of Ibi)a8s colour and magic into our parties in -ondon and that was the blue print for the ave ,cene. It was a very uni9ue time for youth culture and a revolution in new music called !ouse Techno. The spirit of that movement still lives on in many peoples lives with unity through music. ,o the rave scene made its mar# and influenced many. It has now become the

festival scene as we #now it and is a progression of those early raves, mi0ing live acts with DJs and performers.6 This leads us into how he sees :D1 and its e0plosion in recent times. 5:D1 is a great thing to happen in the &,( as electronic music is now recognised commercially and a new generation of clubbers have embraced and created a scene which hasnt happened in the &, since oc# n oll and ap. The roots of :D1 are in house and trance music. The sound has uplifting songs and lyrics which helps with radio play. ,wedish !ouse 1afia sold + million copies worldwide of Don8t ;ou 7orry 4hild. That is incredible.6 5The :lectric Daisy Festival in &,( had over <==,=== #ids going nuts to electronic music peacefully and having the time of their lives. The scene is so fresh and new to young (merica. Its only going to get bigger and bigger and when (merica does something it is always on a grand scale. Its an e0citing time for dance music on a commercial level.6 5The underground will always be with us though and many #ids who have been introduced to :D1 will see# and be influenced by underground sounds as tastes develop further.6 !e himself has not stood still in developing his performance style. !e utilises digital technology because of its versatility and now performs with his wife Ilona ampling. 5It wor#s really well. 7e have great synergy together and Ilona is very talented. ,he has been d>ing for ?* years. It happened very naturally, playing sets together at -ondon club :ast /loc#. 7e are d>iing together on this current tour of (sia. 7e are also writing songs and have produced trac#s to be released in *=?@.6 Danny ampling certainly does not rest on his laurels. !e always loo#s to the future. 5Theres no point dwelling on the past. Its done. ;esterday is history and I feel very blessed to have been at the forefront.6 7ith that in mind, he recognises what he is #nown for and what is e0pected of him in ,ydney. 5I will be playing uplifting melodic house music with maybe a couple of classics thrown in. "othing dull. I8m not into plodding music. I find much of the new wave of fashionable deep house uninspiring. Flat sounds waiting for something to happen. The music stays linear.6 5I am loo#ing forward to the party at 3oldfish. I hear great reports about the style of the club and the great DJs that get boo#ed to play there.6 (s he cites artists such as 4arl 4o0, Tony !umphries, David 1orales, Fran#ie 'nuc#les and /alearic founder DJ (lfredo as early influences, we have much to be e0cited about. !elping 3oldfish celebrate its +th (nniversary is a watershed moment in ,ydney. %ver the years the club has opened its doors to some true masters of the craft

but this time we have a legend whose legacy surely surpasses all of them. This event will definitely be, a lesson in house.

J B McCauley is the author of The King of Sunday Morning A fictional journey into the world of Australian Gangsters, DJs and ouse Music! A"aila#le at A$a%on! &K Boo' De(ository and Angus ) *o#ertson!

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