Jon Rundell

A DJ since ‘96, beginning his career at many of the UK’s major dance events and one of the original Mixmag ‘Future Hero’s, Jon Rundell has been a regular at some of the most exciting clubs and events of the era.

A DJ since ‘96, beginning his career at many of the UK’s major dance events and one of the original Mixmag ‘Future Hero’s, Jon Rundell has been a regular at some of the most exciting clubs and events of the era. Fusing almost anything including Techno, House, Breaks and pumping Progressive House, Jon’s unique but diverse blend of sounds has won him many admirers globally. For a career that is just picking up pace Jon has certainly excelled having already played at many of the major dance festivals across the world including Dance Valley, Ultra Festival, Global Gathering, Sonar, Future Music and the Big Day Out festivals, as well as many of the most infamous clubs across the world.

This weekend he makes his debut appearance at The Arches as warm up for the legend that is Carl Cox. We caught up with him before the gig to find out what made him choose to become a DJ, what has been his proudest moment and what would be his last tune at his last ever gig.

Where did you wake up this morning?“
In New York and it was snowing. I’m out here as part of a tour leading up to the Miami Music Winter Conference.” 

Where was your last gig?“
Pacha, New York. Really good party and got to play some new tracks I’d been hoping to air.” 

How has 2009 been for you so far?
Really good, lots of traveling and away from the cold of London. I began the year in Indonesia, then onto Thailand and Australia before coming home for a few weeks and leaving to go to Canada and America again.

What was your highlight of 2008?
“SW4 Festival was amazing, a big personal goal and I was lucky enough to have some of my longest friends there to see it. Space in Ibiza was also really good and I was very happy to be asked to play there again.

What made you decide to become a DJ?
Terminator X out of Public Enemy because when I saw him scratching records on the TV I knew straight away I wanted to try it and drove my Dad mad with ruining his record collection.

Who were your inspirations when you started out DJ’ing?
“Some bloke called Carl Cox. I first saw him at a rave in a field down south, the combination of the music he was playing, his energy and the visuals I was watching blew me away. From then on it’s all I wanted to do. 

You’re playing The Arches on Easter Sunday as warm up to Carl Cox. You must be proud to play before one of the worlds best DJs?
It goes without saying really, I am lucky to be given the opportunity and I always look forward to it. To be able to play with someone you have looked up to from day one is a very proud feeling.

Do you get to play often with Carl?
I hop on and off of tours with him through out the year for when he feels it’s most appropriate for me to be there. Outside of this I travel around by myself to places outside of this as this side of things is just as important to me.”  

Are looking forward to your first gig in Glasgow for a while?
Absolutely, the last one was with you guys at the festival in Loch Lomond when it was raining all day and I met some really cool people. The crowd were so up for it too, despite the weather which made it all the more of an experience.”  

Any fond memories of gigs in Scotland?
Taking the boat across the loch to the festival site and nearly falling in as it poured down with rain because I was so tired I wasn’t looking at what I was doing. The crowd soon picked me up though and I felt much better as soon as I put on the first record.

Any new releases that we should be aware of?
New releases currently out are Don’t Lose Your Head and Departure on Baroque, and a track called Mind Games on Teggno. 

Who are your hot tips for 2009? 
Carlo Lio from Canada is making some great music in the last few years, and Joe Brunning a DJ from London is technically brilliant, expect to see more of both this and next year for sure.

What has been your proudest moment to date as a DJ?
DJing with Coxy for the first time, I still can’t believe he asked me. I rang up all my mates at work with the news and ended up nearly getting them all the sack by demanding they all leave work and join me on our local to celebrate.

What annoys you most when you are at a gig?
Bad monitors, as without good ones it makes life really difficult to give the crowd the best possible experience.

What was the last non-dance music album you purchased?
Oasis’s latest album, I’ve been into them since I was a school. I think it was their raw energy that drew me to them, much the same as with dance music.” 

If you weren’t involved in dance music, what job would you have done? 
Professional Football Player, I played for Wimbledon as a kid for a few years and nearly got to final cut for the YTS’s, but realistically I’d probably still be parking cars for a hotel most likely.

Which is your favourite country to play in? 
UK, it’s where it all began for me. It’s become more and more diverse over the years which means you always get to see people coming into and discovering the scene for the first time, the look of pure joy in their faces can’t be beaten.

If you were playing your last ever gig, what would be your last tune of the night?
Frank Sinatra – I Did It My Way. A classic record fitting for such an occasion.

What do you do on your days off?
Watch football, play football, see friends in our local or jot down some ideas for tracks and tricks for DJing. 

Finally, what can the crowd expect from you on Easter Sunday?
A nice groovy and deeper set to warm them up ready for Coxy to come on and give them a memorable night out. It’ll be good to end the weekend with you.

See you all down the front!