DJ Randall, the influential UK drum’n’bass DJ and producer, has died, Mixmag reports, citing his representatives. He was 54 years old.
Born in east London, Randall became a fixture of the UK dance scene in the late 1980s and early ’90s, helping shepherd acid house towards breakbeat, hardcore, and jungle in warehouse venues and on pirate radio. Mixtapes capturing his jungle sets—and his occasional standalone singles—became formative documents of the era, while sets at venues like London’s Blue Note further incubated the dominant underground dance sounds of the ’90s. He founded his own label, Mac2 Recordings, with Cool Hand Flex in 1996, and continued to DJ at major dance festivals until his death.
Metalheadz, the label of another Blue Note staple, Goldie, said on social media: “Everyone at Metalheadz is absolutely devastated to learn of the passing of one of our own. A uniquely loveable character with a heart of gold, we will miss you very much Randall.” Nia Archives, Paul Woolford, and DJ Zinc were also among those to pay tribute.