Jamie S23 talks exclusively to RAM Records label marketing manager Ray ‘Rampage’ Smith on the delights of their 2015 release schedule, old jungle raves and how to fly the flag for drum & bass.
Working at such a legendary label certainly isn’t for the weak hearted and certainly not a position you would see advertised at the local job centre. How did it all happen?
“I never fully knew that I wanted to work in the music industry although I’ve always been involved in some form. I firmly believe it’s in your blood.
Like many I started out buying vinyl and at 16 years old I was lucky enough to obtain a work experience placement at my local record shop – Vinyl Frontier. My motive for those two golden weeks was just that I thought it would be a cool thing to do but little did I know then that it would take me on a massive journey in life.
As payment for my hard work they gave me my first rave ticket and a tape pack and ever since then I’ve been smitten with music and instantly became an avid vinyl collector. It wasn’t long before I got into event promoting then being a DJ. I used to book the RAM crew at my events and ring Scott to blag vinyl promos for my DJ sets.
Aside from Vinyl Frontier I also worked with my good friend Ben Clark (DJ Flex) at his record shop DNB Source in Hastings. This was around the 2005- 2010 era, a time when many stores had started to close although Ben and I certainly made the venture work for a considerable amount of time both online and in the high street. Prior to the closure of DNB Source I moved to RAM full time although I kept a close working relationship with Ben, arranging white label, promo and full release distribution.
I had a dabble as such with production, mainly by downloading sample CDs and thinking of the best ways I would use them in my own tracks. Ironically I suggested some of the samples used on Sub Focus’ ‘Frozen Solid’. That’s as far as producing for me goes at the moment though.
Looking back I became multifaceted, I would make event posters and flyers, produce promotional mixtapes and design HTML coding for my Myspace pages. I remember showing Scott my designs and he asked me to manage and update the Ram MySpace page. A lot has changed since those days!
I would say networking has been a key factor in the success of my employment with RAM.”
What’s a typical day like in the RAM office?
“This all depends on the project at hand, being as I head up marketing a lot of my work is now becoming more administration based. As an independant label we are very hands on, always working to ever changing and growing deadlines. It can be quite a fast paced job where we all muck in to get the best results and certainly use everyone’s skills to the fullest.
We’re still a small team , there’s always banter going on and some drum & bass lashing out the speakers. Our offices are based above a pub so often on a Friday afternoon we will venture downstairs for a drink and a catch up. It’s important we all still find time to get together outside of the RAM office.”
Our team is made up of:
Scott Managing Director
Andy Managing Director
Jim Label manager
John Marketing Assistant
Hanna Press Office
Katie Events
Sarah Product Assistant
Laura Office Manager
Signing Bensley through a Soundcloud demo was a big thing, is your inbox even more full of eager artists wishing to have a place in the RAM rosta?
“Yeah man, that was great find. We’re really excited about Bensley, he is so talented and really brings a great deal to RAM.
We are always inundated with promos, I just wish some people would do their research and send their music to the correct labels. If you’re a budding producer looking to get our attention then please make sure your music is suitable for the label, We see so much blanket spamming you would not believe.
I know we are all for opening our ears and searching for the next big thing or just a good tune but sending country and western music to a drum and bass label isn’t really suitable!
Look at this way, would you apply for a job without doing your research? That’s the key to successful promotion along with a natural talent.”
To really stand a chance of getting past the initial demo stage what impresses you?
“Honestly, it sounds like a cliche, but just make good music.
We’re very neutral when listening to demos, and won’t let a long arse email, socials stats or previous productions affect our opinion. Personally I tend to use Soundcloud’s waveform in the same way we would have used a needle in a record shop back in the 90’s, it makes things so much easier.
Send us something great and we will potentially sign it.”
Have you been sent many bootlegs of RAM’s back catalogue? Any stories to tell?
“These always pop up now and then. We had some joker send some funny one via Soundcloud the other day. It was actually a piss take – people do some odd things!”
What’s the best way of sending tunes to RAM?
“We actively check our Soundcloud every Friday and we also have music sent to our email, given away via CDs at clubs and artists sometimes message me direct on Facebook, Twitter and Skype. We find good ones come to us directly but there really is no set standard for how it’s delivered, it can come from anywhere.
Generally me and Jim will shortlist demos, live with them for a few days and then fire them over in batches to Andy and the rest of the team. Sometimes we’ll instantly sign a track and other times we might live with it for a while, Andy might road test it before we work out if we have a winner.
It does helps to be social and we try to get back to everyone with feedback, but sometimes it can be hard. If we can hear something in an artist’s production, we tend to reach out and keep a constant line of dialogue. Sometimes artists need encouragement, and that one email or message might be the tipping point for them making a future classic.”
Have any of your producers thought of hosting a ‘production masterclass’?
“Yeah, a few of our artists have done this via YouTube uploads recently. Chords Lust tutorial on the Ram YouTube channel and Hamilton uploaded tutorials for his track ‘Feel The Fury’.
It’s certainly an avenue we would like to branch out in though, maybe even in a classroom style environment.”
RAM as a brand has always stood head and shoulders over many of the other labels in drum and bass, do you find your sound has to constantly evolve to remain relevant?
“Absolutely and I think it’s essential for the evolution of the scene, our artists and the music we release. There’s always going to be a pool of eclectic artists pioneering that underground sound too which is great. Drum and bass has always been a cycle of styles although it seems to come round far quicker these days.
We really do love drum and bass here at Ram – our style can be anything from a massive vocal release from Wilkinson suited for the Radio One playlist to some filthy underground bass faced roller from Audio. I’m biased here, but Ram has never been so multi functional musically.”
Compilation albums have always featured RAM tracks, how do you feel about the state of play with these in today’s market?
“It’s a massive platform for anyone in the music industry to be featured on a popular compilation album, the reach they have is incredible and no doubt gets into far more homes that we could ever imagine. Being a relatively small label in the grand scheme of things we welcome this opportunity.
We have had some funny requests in the past, I think the strangest was probably a license request from a company producing a Davina McCall workout DVD. From memory I think the tune was ‘Eastern Jam’ by Chase and Status.
The most requested tracks from producers of compilation albums is either ‘Valley of the Shadows’ or ‘Afterglow’.”
It’s been said countless times that some labels in the drum & bass scene deliberately focus on the more commercial side of scene in order to hit chart success. This can be seen as an obvious move revenue wise and for some producers this has only aided their credibility but for others it’s had the opposite effect. What’s your opinion on this?
“We always give our producers artistic freedom in whatever direction they want to pursue, and we always have and always will support that. Whether that translates into them making underground bangers like Audio, or chart hits like Wilkinson, we champion diversity.
Drum and bass has always been a very underground movement, however, we should be happy that it’s receiving more recognition worldwide. It grows the scene and makes it more inclusive and much more accessible to a wider range of listeners.There isn’t a guideline for commercial success, look at the vast difference between Rene LaVice’s ‘The Calling’ and Wilkinson’s ‘Afterglow’ for example.
Just because an artist has been played on daytime radio or has featured in the charts shouldn’t determine their credibility, just because drum and bass was once recognised as an underground genre.
Music is always so subjective and people are entitled to their own opinion, although artists should never be judged on the music rather over the fact that they have reached a mainstream audience. To disregard a track just because it’s been played on radio is ludicrous! Good music is good music and you can’t say that daytime radio listeners don’t recognise that too.”
What’s next from RAM, any news on anything from Frankee? ‘Snarl’ has to be my tune of this year so far.
“Loads of releases, and some great albums to come. 2015 could be called the year of Ram – all of our the guys are all on fire right now. For example, Frankee actually delivered 33 working projects the other day! I think he will have a release fairly shortly.
Events wise over the summer and beyond we have have a stage at SW4 and I am really excited about that as it’s our biggest London showcase to date. We also have festival takeovers at Parklife, Sundown and Frequency festival.”
RAM will always be somewhat of a household name for old school junglists and new ravers alike but if you could name one tune that defined the RAM sound what would it be and why?
“Man that’s like asking me to pick on of my favorite children! It’s got to be ‘Valley Of the Shadows’, ‘Titan’ or ‘Truly One’. I really can’t choose just the one.”
If you could sign a retired (as such) producer from the 90’s jungle scene who would it be and why?
“I would of loved to work with Rob Playford, Austin Reynolds (producer and engineer for Suburban Base Records), OMNI TRIO, Dillinja (who is obviously not yet retired), Boymerang and loads more.
Austin Reynolds is certainly one of the drum and bass scenes unsung heros and he would certainly be at the top of my list.The guy is so talented.”
I’m assuming you were one of the 90’s ravers? If so, what event would you travel back in time for and why?
“I heard great things about World Dance at Lydd Airport, I wish I could of gone to any of the those events although I was lucky enough the attend the last ever event at The Sanctuary in Milton Keynes – Slammin’ Vinyl put on one hell of a party that night!
If you look back at the scale of those events I really don’t see that anymore, especially with the amount of artists they had on the flyer, the amount of money that would cost these days would be crazy!
Heat on Hastings Pier will always hold good memories for me, not forgetting Heat and Jungle Fever at London Astoria. The last ever Ram at The End was obviously a mad party or more recently the last ever Ram at Matter.”
As a DJ, what’s always in your record box as a go to track? Old or new.
“The latest Ram dubs are always to hand although I do find it’s a tricky balancing act sometimes in terms of getting to love a tune, mainly due to the fact that in today’s scene I’m constantly armed with the latest beats. That said though, when I do come across something I love it’s easy to place those tunes in the mix, even better when you drop something that the crowd appreciate just as much as I do.
Old track wise I tend to rotate some classics and you will usually hear something from the archives in my sets.”
Where can we catch you next event wise and what coming up on RAM?
I’ve just got back from Prague where I was playing at NEUROFUNK will NEVER DIE, it was an absolute pleasure to play for them, especially as I got to play a full on hour of tech!
Radio wise I’m starting my own show on Rough Tempo. This started on 26th May and continues every four week – everything kicks off at 7pm.
Out now and forthcoming on RAM
Wilkinson – Hopelessly Coping ft Thabo – out now
Culture Shock – City Lights ft. Bryn Christopher, instrumental and remixes – out now
DC Breaks – If This Is Love it out now
Calyx & TeeBee – Long Gone / Sawn Off – 8th June
June Miller – Chain Of Strength / Last Night On Earth – 15th June
June Miller Robots & Romans LP – 22nd June