Raymundo Rodriguez Interview
Raymond Isaacs AKA Raymundo Rodriguez is the quintessential London underground House music DJ… Being an avid record collector of all kinds of music from a very young age helped him forge an acute understanding of what it takes to keep dance floors moving. The last decade has seen Ray move from hosting shows on pirate stations such as House FM and Push FM to slots on Ministry Of Sound Radio and Galaxy FM, twin residencies for London's now legendary Sunday morning after party Jaded (now residing at Cable), and Rome's state of the art music venue Room 26, as well as guest DJ slots in various clubs in the UK and all over Europe. Never one to rest on his laurels, Ray continues to maintain a strong and ever-growing presence in a very fast moving scene. Most recently, he has entered the world of music production, with initial releases winning praise from industry giants such as Nick Warren, Tony Humphries and Laurent Garnier. With a double mixed cd album (London Underground) out now on 1trax Records, a steady flow of remixes Ray is most definitely on the way up. I caught up with Ray after another long weekend with hardly any sleep!
You have had a few quality tracks out of recent what have you got in store for 2010?
A lot of remixes and hopefully I will have enough time to put out some more of my own stuff to.
You are the main resident for Jaded afterhours, what’s it been like?
It's been one of the best dj experiences of my career. Having a good residency means so much, especially these days, so i wear my Jaded residents badge with pride and honour.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I would love to be a lot more immersed in the production side of things, with 1 or 2 Artist albums under my belt, but mostly just the same as now, which is being happy giving quality music to the people.
Name me 5 tracks that are in your all time favorites’ list
In no particular order, and depending what mood I’m in..
- Michael Jackson - Off the wall
- Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
- Blue six - Music & Wine
- Barbara Steisand - Guilty
- Jeff Wayne - Forever Autumn
How do you think the closure of so many clubs has affected London’s scene?
I would say it has been quite damaging really, London has become less of a clubbing capital of the world, sure it has pushed more of the scene underground, with parties going off in new and interesting venues, however i can't help but feel that things were in more of a healthy state around 10 years ago.
Who are you going to vote for in the fourth-coming election?
If I was to vote, which i probably will not be doing, it would be labour, better the devil you know, who needs a devil who also has to learn the ropes before they stuff things up even more.
If you were not djing what would you be doing?
Politician, only joking, i can't imagine doing something not connected to music in some way, maybe a job in HMV would be good.
Name of thing you would change in the world if it was up to you?
Racism and Poverty in all it's forms.
What would be your dream line up if you were given a massive budget?
I would have Miguel Migs, the body & Soul djs (Francois Kevorkian, Danny Krivitt and Joe Claussell) Locodice, Luciano, Ralp Lawson, DJ Premiere, Kenny Dope and of course me to.
