Danny Rampling is an English house music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK’s rave/club scene.

His long career began in the early 1980s playing hip-hop, soul and funk around numerous bars and clubs in London. Rampling was the first winner of the No 1 DJ in the World Award by DJ Magazine in 1991 and is a three-time DJ Awards recipient. He has reportedly sold over 1 million compilation albums.

During a holiday in Ibiza in 1987, Rampling, along with fellow DJs Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway and Johnny Walker, attended Amnesia, a then open air nightclub in San Rafael. At the club the group were introduced to the unique eclectic style of DJ Alfredo, playing, among other genres, the new house music that had been exported from the USA. The group also discovered the music’s powerful combination with the drug Ecstasy (MDMA) that reduced inhibitions and created a sense of oneness on the dance floor.

Upon his return to England, Rampling, along with his then wife, Jenni, attempted to recreate the Ibiza experience by promoting what is regarded as the UK’s first Balearic rave club, Shoom ran for three years, starting out at a gym in Southwark, London. It was a launching point for acid house culture, while contributing to worldwide dance culture.

Danny ‘Happy’ Rampling played for the original pirate Kiss (UK radio station) with the main Saturday night slot from 7 until 9 pm in the early nineties, setting many people up for a great night out with the “Love Groove Dance Party”. He, along with others such as Judge Jules, were poached by BBC Radio 1.

In the following years, Rampling continued his career in music as a DJ and producer, while forming a band, The Millionaire Hippies. In November 1994 he joined the BBC, presenting the “Love Groove Dance Party” on BBC Radio 1 until March 2002, making it the second longest running dance music show in radio after Pete Tong’s “Essential Selection”.

The mid-1990s also saw Rampling’s DJing style diversify. While still playing house and garage sets, Rampling also began to headline at harder, trancier parties, e.g. ‘South’, at The Zap Club, in Brighton. Rampling himself referred to his newer style as ‘Euro’, and at this time showcased new Euro tracks, during the final thirty-minute weekly mix of his Radio 1 Show. Additionally, Rampling’s Double CD Love Groove Dance Mix featured house and garage on the first CD, and ‘Euro’ on the second.