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Features
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Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! | TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! | A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London! | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! |
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Interview with Jon Rundell
Reported by Alex Jackson
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Submitted 20-05-03 13:05
I’m sure that this is a familiar face and name to most of you – if you don’t know the name, then you should, or at least you may know the smiling, cheeky face that belongs to it. Jon has torn the industry apart in the last few years and made his unique mark amongst the elite of the hard house scene. As well as Djing, his production work is second-to-none, having gained much critical acclaim from every follower of dance music and somehow he still manages to find time to co-run the Retek label with Sam Reeve, as well as working closely with many other high calibre labels through his position at Amato Distribution.
If you mention this name to any of the key players of today’s scene, then they feel compelled to produce a torrent of praise fit for any royalty; the words quite often associated with Jon are enthusiasm, passion, knowledge, talent, dedication, drive, ambition, maturity and energy. But somehow he has managed to maintain a level head and find time to get out there and party like the rest of us. We thought it was about time we caught up with Jon and delved a little deeper…
Alex Jackson: So when did it all start for you and how?
Jon Rundell: A bit embarrassing really, I bought Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice when I was about 14, in the end I got so sick of the record I decided to try and scratch it like I’d seen Terminator X (Public Enemy) do on Top of The Pops, so I did it on my Dad’s record deck and ruined the stylus, 6 months later I bought my first pair of decks.
AJ: How would you describe your style of music and has it changed a great deal since you started playing because of course you need to move with the times, or lead the times.
JR: Yes, as music evolves so do I, as I grow older I look in other areas I may not have as a youngster. I was originally influenced by hardcore, but progressed through Jungle and Drum and Bass, House and Techno to now, where 5 years ago, the energy of Hard House had me hooked. These days I try to stay different by not playing what the majority do and blending more and more percussive techno elements into my sets. If the mood is right for a trance record I will play it as Djing to me is all about feeding off the energy from the room you are playing to, connecting to people on an emotional level. You should be able to play any type of record in any type of environment if you are totally connected to the way the crowd is feeling at any given point.”
AJ: Has turning your love into your fulltime career killed any of the passion for it?
JR: Never, I hear a lot of music from all types of genres. This is what helps keep things fresh and interesting. I’ve always been able to appreciate good music no matter what style it is. Music that makes you want to dance and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. That’s what makes it enjoyable to work with. I’m still as passionate today as I was about scratching that Vanilla Ice record all those years ago, that will never change”
AJ: Any disasters so far when Djing?
JR: Plenty, all the usual clichés of getting stuck in traffic, being half way there to be told the gig is cancelled, having the power on a generator keep cutting out whilst playing in a field. It’s all part of it but I’ve been quite lucky so far.”
AJ: You are now starting to break onto the international scene – what is going to be the first step?
JR: As the label grows, so does the potential to spread the music to as wider audience as possible. Tours of Australia and America will be happening later in the year as well as regular visits to Holland. This is just for starters as plans for following years will come into play as a result of what is happening now.”
AJ: You regularly guest at Tidy London and have now played at the Tidy Weekender – how did this come about?
JR: Through sending them regular mix CDs and pestering them to let me play. Coupled with generally having a laugh with everyone involved at Tidy whenever I saw them. Its important to me to try my best to get on with people and share a joke as well as just be business-minded.”
AJ: With your production work what is the intention behind it – are you creating music for yourself or for clubbers?
JR: I’m creating music I am passionate about, I’m trying to draw on non-traditional elements of music that are normally not associated with hard house. However you always have to remember that tracks need to work on a dancefloor to get good recognition with clubbers, it's for this reason that I will always implement a hook” that people’s minds can associate with as the part that will make them want to dance the most. So in essence I write music for myself and for the clubbers. It is also important to never forget what made you like a particular genre in the first place, as ultimately, as generations come through the scene, what you listened to five years ago will be new and fresh to them now.”
AJ: What are your current projects in the studio?
JR: I’ve just completed a track with Paul Maddox, due out on Tidy in the summer and one with Matt Williams due out on Nukleuz, also in the summer. I am now working on a remix for the Retek label and a remix for Kaktai. I have a few collaborations on the go but in the main for the rest of this year I will be concentrating on producing original solo material. There are also various projects on the go in different genres purely to explore and learn more about how to write music.”
AJ: Are there any plans for more boat parties this summer after the success of last year? If you can possibly find time for anything else!
JR: There are plenty of plans, my mind is always generating ideas, it’s part of my day job so it naturally spills into my general life. I’m not spilling the beans just yet however!”
AJ: Is there anyone in particular who has been an inspiration to you?
JR: In terms of Djing its Carl Cox, he has been my idol since I was 15 and listened to him on Radio1 playing hardcore. In terms of production I am a keen follower of Nick Sentience but of late Tomcraft and Marco V and Dave The Drummer have been amazing me. On a more personal level and helping to keep things in perspective then it’s the Red Eal, Bru Haslam, Nolan (the boss) and my best mate Jon. Without these people it just simply wouldn’t be the same. I’m also lucky in the fact that I have learnt a lot from people like Oz, Glazby, Farley, Pillsy and Bunter in recent years and for this I’m always in their debt. All of these people together keep me inspired.
AJ: How does it make you feel to have been given so much praise in the national mags recently and to really put you on the spot, do you think it’s fair?
JR: If people want to write about what we do then obviously it pleases me to get some recognition. It takes a lot of hard work to become good at something; Beckham isn’t Beckham because he didn’t always practice. Eddie Halliwell doesn’t scratch like he does without continually practising it and these are the guidelines I try to live by. You don’t achieve anything in life without working hard for it.”
AJ: Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
JR: Its hard to predict the future. Ideally I would like to experience as many things as I can with my music. This for me is what it comes down to. Experiences. For example playing music on a beach in South Africa or on a mountain in Tibet, playing in different countries and learning about their culture and experiencing their way of life. I'll be a pleased man if I can achieve these goals within ten years, it may take longer, it may happen quicker. You just can’t tell.”
Jon plays next at Riot! Welcomes Summer on Sunday 25th May - for full details click here. Share this :: : : : ![Delicious](/images/smiles/delicious.gif)
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Other Features By Alex Jackson: Feersum Records Interview with Dan Madams
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Craig Paxton on 20th May 2003 22:07.10 Nice one Rumble. Keep up the good work mate. You know its there for the taking.
From: Stevi D on 21st May 2003 10:26.36 Nice one Jon!!
From: Jo Bright on 21st May 2003 11:09.39 Bout time too, eh johnny rumble!........ Nice 1!.
From: Element7 on 21st May 2003 12:27.23 Its all those protein milkshakes Jon ;-)
From: maliksta on 22nd May 2003 03:42.42 dark mate dark...
Tee hee Miss ya bruv, and keep bangin.
From: Danny Gilligan on 22nd May 2003 09:39.31 Niceone Mr Rumble, u know what you want so go get it ;O)
From: Matt Smallwood on 22nd May 2003 16:06.19 Nice one Juninio Rumblino, keep rockin'!
From: LOULOU(umustdoya)LINES-SCRASE on 22nd May 2003 19:25.33 - "smiling cheeky face"- haha
long time no c m8- hope ur all good
take it easy ya giddy giddy
From: Janie Mac on 23rd May 2003 09:44.22 Oi Jon you TART!! You love it you slag!! ha ha ha ha NICE PHOTOS!!
From: Ali Wilson on 23rd May 2003 11:30.34 Nice 1 Ronny! ![Wink](/images/smiles/wink.gif)
From: Matt on 27th May 2003 21:10.25 I don't care what anyone says..
I think Jonny's GREAT!
From: FinLaden on 3rd Jun 2003 16:11.06 WELL DONE MUCCA, NOW ABOUT THAT DRINK???
From: CBR on 9th Jun 2003 16:48.09 Jon, looking forward to joining up with you on our side of the pond for a killer tour!
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