DJ Randy Webb Interview

October 19, 2004 10:33 AM
by

Any DJ who goes on after an artist like Christopher Lawrence has a hard act to follow, but this artist kept the night going. Ruby Skye, after 4:00am, had to turn the lights on to get him to stop and the crowd to leave.

I've been going to Ruby Skye since I moved to the city many times and after I talked to talk to this DJ and found out that he was a techno pioneer in San Francisco, I just had to interview him:

CJ: Name?
RW: Randy Webb

CJ: Age?
RW: Young at heart! Really, I perform for very young audiences especially in the Rave scene…O.K., 37.

CJ: Profession?
RW: DJ, Recording Artist, Producer, Remixer, I also own and operate a recording studio and record label, ON! Records.

CJ: Education?
RW: Oberlin Conservatory of Music

CJ: City lived?
RW: San Francisco

CJ: Country?
RW: United States of America

CJ: How does Music influence your work?
RW: I used to never listen to music unless it was in a club environment. It almost felt like working when I would listen to music at home. Still, when I am involved deeply in a record or recording project, I will avoid listening to lots of outside influences.

I don’t want anything to interfere with my creative process. One big difference is that now when I am not in the studio, I listen to music when I am driving (in my beloved Ford Mustang) and also in clubs.

CJ: What is the most common mistake made in the Trance music industry?
RW: Only giving breaks to really successful DJs and overlooking younger artists. So often in the Trance world everyone books the big names without realizing that there are some really talented younger DJs who are really incredible.

CJ: Your affiliation to the Electronic music industry?
RW: I own an American Trance label, ON! Records, I am on the roster of Torres Entertainment in San Francisco, and I am a Ruby Skye DJ.

CJ: What is your approach to remixing?
RW: First I get an idea of what the artist or label is looking for in terms of what the want me to do…trance, techno, or house remix; then, I work with the track and try and create something NEW and exciting. I ALWAYS try and throw in a big surprise in the remix or do something completely unexpected. The only thing I really care about is the original artist LOVING the track, bottom line.

CJ: Trance music rookie of the year?
RW: Andy Hunter

CJ: First record you ever bought?
RW: Sound Track to Hee-Haw

CJ: Last record you ever bought?
RW: Christopher Lawrence, “All Or Nothing”

CJ:Top 5 clubs in your area?
RW: 1. Spundae at 1015 Folsom
2. Skills, 5,000-10,000 person rave events at many locations around the Bay Area
3. Ruby Skye, any night
4. Cool World, 15,000-50,000 person rave events at many locations around the Bay Area
5. The End-Up, any day or night ( The End-Up is open 24 hours on weekends and great all weekend.)

CJ: Top 5 record stores in your area?
RW: 1. Skills DJ Workshop, Berkeley
2. F-8, Frequency-8, San Francisco, MY FAVORITE RECORD STORE IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
3. Soundworks, San Francisco
4. Tweekin’ Records, Haight Street San Francisco
5. Virgin Megastore, San Francisco, they have a separate area in San Francisco for dance music and I buy lots of CDs there…not for Djing but for listening.

CJ: Define Trance music for those that don’t know?
RW: Trance is a child of Techno and Rave that features a complex rhythmic and chordal backbone overlaid with cutting edge sounds and melodies as the main compositional elements. Trance often uses big overproduced melodic voices called “Hoovers” named for the Hoover vacuum cleaner because that is what they sound like. These melody lines are most often out of tune and dissonant. Trance is often very complicated compositionally, rhythmically, and structurally.

CJ: When where you first introduced to Trance music?
RW: When I bought my first Paul Oakenfold CD in 1999!

CJ: What clubs did you frequent when you first joined the scene?
RW: Spundae, Spundae, Spundae, and lots and lots of Raves!

CJ: Crystallize your contribution to Trance music in one sentence?
RW: I WROTE THE WORLD’S FIRST TRANCE OPERA! IT WAS WRITTEN FOR AND PERFORMED WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ON MAY 20TH 2004 AT 1:15 A.M. I can’t say enough about the opera.

It was called “The Spirit King, Lo!” and was commissioned by The San Francisco Opera. We used full size moving opera sets with working water fountains, an incredible sound system and it starred myself, Noah Brooks, and opera star Kevin Gibbs. It was one of the most magical nights of my life.

CJ: Describe your style?
RW:Futuristic Crushing Hard TRANCE! I also play a lot of intellectual, dramatic, and complex tracks.

CJ: What nightclub has a special place in your heart and why?
RW: TUNE TOWN San Francisco, 1992. It was the first big American Rave event that drew audiences of 10,000-20,000. It gave birth to the Rave scene in San Francisco and helped to launch my career as a recording artist. It was so magical and beyond cutting edge.

We would have 20,000 people there and not a single fight with EVERYONE having a good time. We knew it was something special. I loved both going there and performing there. There has never been anything like it in terms of love and spirituality, and the music…CUTTING EDGE RAVE, RAVE, BANGIN’, BANGIN’, RAVE!!!!!

CJ: What separates a good DJ from a great one?
RW: Production skills, bottom line. I believe the clear separation of talent and skill is in the studio. You can be the best DJ in the world but if you don’t have skills in the studio the big boys will not accept you as an equal anymore.

CJ: What advice would you give to someone coming up in the scene?
RW: It’s THE MUSIC, not THE DRUGS!

CJ: How would you describe your own personality?
RW: Behind the decks? I am a Futuristic Techno Conductor. Onstage? A madman. At home: the nicest, sweetest, most generous guy on the planet…until you hurt me, and then I am a monster!

CJ: What are your future goals?
RW: To perform on David Letterman.

CJ: Hobbies?
RW: 1. Riding roller coasters and traveling around the world to amusement parks. I have been on T.V. on rollercoaster specials and even my Mom and Dad take me on trips to ride roller coasters.
2. Video games, I have a Nintendo Gamecube, Gameboy, and an X-Box! I am pretty fanatical about my video games.

CJ: Favorite books?
RW: The Lord of The Rings

CJ: Favorite entertainer
RW: Michael Jackson. The first time I met Michael Jackson was in Las Vegas. He was the nicest most generous and sweetest superstar in the world. He singed every autograph and said “Hello” to every fan there. I thought, “Wow, this guy doesn’t have to do this!”

Actually, I was locked in Virgin Megastore with Michael, Fred Durst, and Chris Tucker for about an hour. We were all shopping there together after-hours…no joke!

CJ: Favorite foods?
RW:Steak and lobster with a baked potato and all the trimmings, salad, and a good ole’ American Coke, followed by cookies and ice cream!

CJ: When I retire I’d like to?
RW: Move to Orlando Florida to be near Disneyworld, Universal Studios and all the amusement parks. I might consider living on the beach in Miami and driving to the parks.

CJ: What does dance music mean to you?
RW: I gave up a successful career in Classical music to become a Techno Artist and DJ. That says it all.

CJ: When people look back at your life how do you want to be remembered?
RW: I want to be remembered as the first DJ to perform on David Letterman.

CJ: What does love and unity mean to you?
RW: San Francisco Rave Scene 1990-1996. It was the most beautiful time in the history of mankind! : )

CJ: Randy thanks for meeting with me today, good luck on the David Letterman show, let me know when it airs. I see that happening real soon.