In the sweltering Summer of 1987 three youngsters named Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold and Nicky Holloway found themselves in a dusty farmhouse among a cosmopolitan mix of hedonists all gyrating to an eclectic mix of music – from European pop to New Wave to Afrobeat, all expertly blended by a DJ by the name of Alfredo Fiorito. The three men were transfixed.
Rampling’s journey from that Ibizan epiphany to becoming a founding father of UK dance music is the stuff of legend. His London club night, Shoom, became the epicentre of the acid house explosion, introducing a generation to a new world of sound and sensation. The scene quickly migrated from the club to fields, warehouses and forests across the UK — the acid house explosion. In short it is hard to overstate Rampling’s influence on music and dance culture, not just in the UK but worldwide.
This was just the beginning of course — Rampling went on to DJ on then-pirate radio station Kiss FM in London, before being poached by Radio 1. He continued to DJ in Ibiza and was a fixture at legendary clubs like Pacha and Amnesia. Through the nineties, his DJ style evolved and he played harder, trance-influenced sets at clubs like the Zap in Brighton and he turned out a slew of original productions and remixes many of which have become evergreen classics like his blissed out version of The Beloved’s The Sun Rising or his epic remix of Palatial by Love Corporation.
He’s sold over a million compilation albums making him a household name and has picked up many awards as well as regularly appearing on TV documentaries for the likes of National Geographic, the BBC, Channel 4, and MTV.
35 some years on from that seminal trip to Ibiza and he’s still as passionate about the music and the scene as ever — which is why we’re hugely excited that on Saturday 14 September, the legendary clubland trailblazer will be setting up behind the decks at Karma Beach, Karma Kandara for a one-of-a-kind sunset session from 3pm-6pm.
These days, it’s rare for Danny Rampling to be seen behind the decks so this is an incredible opportunity to witness his masterful mixing and tune selection skills garnered across nearly 40 years — all in one of the best beach clubs on the planet!
