Randall - The Jungle DJ's favourite DJ

Tape Pack #08 is dedicated to DJ Randall, and this Tape Pack is a showcase of live DJ mixes that trace the evolution of his sound from the early jungle days to recent times.

Randall was one of the first DJs to revolutionize the jungle sound in the early ‘90s alongside the likes of Fabio and Grooverider. Having been introduced to acid house in the late ‘80s at Notting Hill Carnival, he learned to mix soon after and quickly developed his own style of spinning breakbeat hardcore records and was instrumental in pioneering the style of mixing called “Double Drop” to devastating effect.

Back in the day, getting your hands on a Randall tape was like reaching the final boss; you always knew you were in for a right treat - unreleased dubs and specials galore, out-of-this-world mixing which gave you a sense that you were there even though you weren't, and you're listening back on a cassette tape which was copied off a friend of a friend of a friend.

Fast forward to more recent times, and every DJ I know or had the pleasure of meeting all had the same or similar opinion - Randall is the don! He was literally the DJ's favorite DJ.

Randall's sound transcended genres, introducing me to styles I'd previously ignored. His approach made genre boundaries irrelevant, and you would literally hear it in every one of his sets. It didn't matter whether it was a radio show, festival, or club night, he'd always turn up the energy level to 11 and deliver a set to blow you away. Hence the phrase uttered by every MC and raver ever - "Too hot to handle!"

My personal favorite set is from Amnesia House Bank Holiday May 1994; all the words I've written above apply to this recording. My brother and I know every tune, every blend, all of Bassman's lyrics, the lot. The reason for this is at that time in my life, jungle was fast becoming the soundtrack to my life. I was only 14 at the time, and this particular set was so fresh, mixing was pinpoint accurate, and every double drop was completely devastating. I'd never heard anyone DJ like that before. Yes, there were a bunch of DJs pushing a similar sound around the time, but Randall had the gems and was able to deliver them in a way the others just didn't.

For every Tape Pack I purchased with my hard-earned pocket money after that point, the very first tape to get played would be the Randall tape, without exception!

So with that, what's your favourite Randall mix? What rave or event did he blow you away?

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