Ray Keith is a British drum and bass DJ and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. He is one of the genre's most well known producers and DJs and is regarded as one of the pivotal figures in the early jungle/drum and bass scene.

Biography

Ray had an interest for

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, funk and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

music which led him to buy turntables. He began DJing as a teenager in the 1980s around his native

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and Suffolk. This was before he got his break DJing on the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

acid house and rave scene. He started working as a recording artist and producer for his own style of music and other genres in 1990. One of his early remixes was a bootleg mix of Orbital's Chime in 1990, which was then officially released in 1992. He found his niche with drum and bass music. He is famed for producing bass heavy yet soulful tunes and has made classics such as the jungle anthems "Terrorist" and "Chopper". Ray set up Dread Recordings in 1994 and has produced numerous albums. He has also remixed Moby, Shades of Rhythm and

Moving Shadow Moving Shadow is an English breakbeat hardcore, jungle and drum and bass record label which was founded in 1990 by Rob Playford. History The label began in 1990, operating from Playford's Stevenage home. Playford had become a focal point for ...

. His nephew, Peter O'Grady aka

Joy Orbison Peter O'Grady, better known as Joy Orbison or Joy O, is an English electronic musician. His style is a coalescence of house, dubstep, UK funky, UK garage and oldschool jungle. O'Grady achieved underground success with his debut single "Hyph Mn ...

, is also a DJ and producer. Ray is a keen supporter of Manchester United football team

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Contact'' (UFO, 1999) * ''Vintage Dread'' (Dread Recordings, 2000) * ''Alien Encounter'' (UFO, 2001) * ''Twisted Anger - Mothership'' (Dread Recordings, 2002) * ''Blade Runner - Analog Bass'' (Dread Recordings, 2009) * ''Dread Digital Volume 1'' and ''Volume 2'' (Dread Recordings, 2010) * ''I Am Renegade'' (Dread Recordings, 2012) * ''Ray Keith vs Bladerunner - Dubplate Clash Dub Dread 4'' (Dread Recordings, 2012) * ''The Golden Years: Back to '94'' (Kniteforce Records, 2021)

References

External links

Discogs.com - Ray Keith
English DJs English record producers English drum and bass musicians Club DJs Remixers Living people Electronic dance music DJs Musicians from Essex Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-electronic-musician-stub