DJ Randall, a pioneer of jungle and drum ‘n’ bass, passed away at the age of 54. A spokesperson confirmed his death to Mixmag on July 31st, but the cause of his death has not been disclosed. Born in East London, Randall started learning how to DJ in the late ’80s. He first experienced acid house during Notting Hill Carnival in 1987. He gained attention from operators at Centreforce Radio pirate station, later receiving recognition for his skillful hand at breakbeat hardcore sets on the airwaves for Rinse FM and Rave FM.
DJ Randall credits Rave FM’s Living Dream in 1990 as his big break, which saw him performing in front of 10,000 individuals at Leyton’s Eastway Speed Stadium. He was given an extended set length of three hours due to Colin Faver’s no-show. He then proceeded to become a resident at the legendary Orange at Rocket Club, Holloway, where he played early jungle cuts alongside Fabio, Grooverider, and DJ Hype.
In 1991, Randall opened a record shop and imprint with Cool Hand Flex and Mike DeUnderground called DeUnderground. This shop became the meeting point of the early ’90s jungle scene in London. Dj Randall worked for AWOL and Metalheadz, though he was mostly recognized as a DJ. He collaborated with the likes of Flava, A-Sides, and Tek-9 on releases from the ’90s to present day, notably co-producing Andy C’s Sound Control in 1995, which debuted on RAM Records.
Randall continued to perform regularly behind decks throughout Europe until his death, where he recently appeared at Glastonbury’s Shangri-La and Outlook Origins festival last weekend in Croatia. Though scheduled to appear alongside Fish56Octogon, DJ Hype, Dillinga, and more at Boomtown and Valve Sound System’s street party on Thursday, August 8, 2014, he will no longer be able to.
DJ Zinc, Paul Woolford, Nia Archives, and DJ Fresh are among those who shared tributes to DJ Randall on social media
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