This is my rave tape! A retrospective look into my UK rave culture roots.

I remember vividly when I heard my first ever rave tape. It was 1992 & my friend gave me the cassette to play in my walkman after school. When I put it on my whole world changed. I'd never heard anything like it before & instantly was hooked. That tape was DJ Seduction & Jumping Jack Frost at Perception Wonderland July '92. It's still one of my favourites.

My school friends & I used to collect all the rave tape packs when they came out, getting the bus to Swindon & going to the 'rave shop' as we called it. At this time we weren't old enough to go to the actual parties. Our favourites were from the Universe parties which were happening quite closer to where I grew up in Wiltshire. We had others from Dreamscape, Fantasia, Obsession, Amnesia House & Helter Skelter. The walls of my bedroom were covered in rave flyer. I’d often drift off to sleep & dream about going to some of them. 

When I got a bit older, but probably not old enough, I was able to go to the parties myself. I used to regularly go to Devotion at Golddiggers, Fusion in Bath, The Brunel Rooms where D.I.Y hosted a room, Helter Skelter at The Sanctuary, United Dance, Slammin' Vinyl & free parties like Spiral Tribe. These were some of the best days & had a huge influence on my musical taste & style. I'd always say to myself 'one day that will be me on the decks up there'.

My first ever gig was at a club called The Depot in Bristol which hosted a night called Death Row Techno. At the time I was playing what we'd now call jungle techno. It was a little before UK rave music split into happy hardcore & jungle/DnB. The night I played was a rave (I can’t remember the name of the event) that had Bristol’s own jungle legend Ronnie Size & one of the scenes best hardcore DJs Brisk playing. So you could say that rave is in my blood.

For years I've been saying I'm going to make my own rave tape. A collection of all the tunes that, when I hear them, I can recall exactly where I was, who I was with & where we were in the crowd. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

For a full track listing of what I played on the mix please visit the mix page on my website: www.dfunk.com.au/mixes/myravetape

I've made a playlist of a load of the rave tape I'm talking about so you can hear them for yourself: soundcloud.com/d-funk/sets/rave-tapes-raves-i-went-to

Website: www.dfunk.com.au
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My Rave Tape!

Sydney-based, British born DJ, D-Funk has amassed a fair few achievements in his 25-years on the decks. Making his club debut at The Depot in Bristol in 1995, he’s gone on to DJ all over the world, playing notable sets at Space Ibiza and Ministry Of Sound and released on labels including Sunday Best and Bombstrikes. 

Getting his first set of decks at 14, Doug initially fell for the sounds of jungle and techno before a night dancing to house icon Tony De Vit in 1997 turned him towards the slinkier sounds of house music. 

His DJ career began to take off during his time at university in Wolverhampton where he started to pick up gigs at the Canal Club and Mezzanine, playing alongside DJs including Joey Negro, Mr Fingers, Scott Bond and Lisa Lashes, before a move to the South-Coast town of Bournemouth led him to eventually start his own night ‘Break Da House’ in 2004. 

The night took off, attracting big names including The Stanton Warriors and Plump DJs and eventually led to D-Funk’s first release, the ‘Electrotek’ EP after Dub Pistols headlined one night and Barry Ashworth from the band decided to release Doug’s music on his Westway label. The track found its way onto a TV ad in Portugal, as well as becoming a mainstay on Kiss FM’s breakbeat chart and gave Doug the confidence to pursue a career as a producer as well as a DJ, eventually leading to releases on Adapted Records and Ghetto Funk among countless other labels over the next 15 years. 

Moving to Sydney Australia in 2009, Doug started his label Upstart Music, releasing his own productions alongside tracks from the likes of Crackerz & Jam, Niko & Lyall and Rogue Robot and later started the funk label Grits N Gravy alongside friend and funk producer Philly Blunt, with the label winning the ‘Best Label’ award at Perth Dance Music Awards in 2010. 

Since living in Sydney, Doug has held down residencies at The World Bar and The Standard/Middlebar for the best part of a decade, as well as regular slots at Sash, Ivy, Goros, Hugos and many others. He’s played events for high profile companies such as Blackberry, Telstra, Jagermeister,  Sydney Cricket Ground & Saatchi & Saatchi. But there was still demand for him back on the side of the world and he regularly returned to Europe to play at Space Ibiza (including a set at the penultimate night of Carl Cox’s Revolution party) as well as touring in the UK, Europe, Asia and Canada. 

Now 25 years into his career, Doug is about to mark the 10th anniversary of his label Grits ‘N’ Gravy, with a compilation due this year mixed by himself and Philly Blunt, and has been busy producing house, hip hop and nu-disco with his current production partner Mr Doris.

Website: http://www.dfunk.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfunkbreaks
Insta: https://www.instagram/dfunkbreaks
Bandcamp: https://d-funk.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/6ZUH9yUJI74EASFVjviNVg