Jon Rundell

Origin: None

An international DJ, acclaimed producer, in-demand remixer and record label boss, Jon is now a far cry from where he started out; saving money from part time jobs to buy his first set of decks at the age of 15. DJing and organizing his own club nights across Brighton before leaving the South Coast to cut his teeth on the London Club scene, Jon met Carl Cox.

‘I shouldn’t have been in there, as I was under age,’ says Jon, on his first meeting with Carl in Brighton’s Zap Club back in 1996. “He was pounding out the Techno and I managed to speak to him after his set. We bonded over a story on how my gran had actually seen him play before me, at a rave at The Brighton Conference Centre.’

After striking up the friendship with Carl, Carl soon became a staunch purveyor and strong supporter of both Jon’s production work and DJ ability, and in 2006 asked him to join Intec as A&R and Label Manager. While working on the label, Jon travelled the world Djing, and was responsible for the re-launch of the historic label in digital form. 

Three years later and Intec is going stronger than ever. ‘It’s been a full on job,’ says Jon. ‘So much had changed during the time in between. We have had to really build things up from scratch, it’s been a pure labour of love.’ 

Whilst overseeing Intec, Jon has also been prolific in his production work. His output has been unique and interesting right from the start. Experimental at times, but always matured and versatile, he has remained a highly consistent producer and DJ across almost any strand of electronic music for the last eight years. Constantly adapting and evolving, Jon has never been afraid of experimenting, making music sealed with a stamp entirely of his own. Aside to releases through Intec, he’s put music out on Intec, Pornographic, Suara, MB Elektronics and Rawthentic, whilst continuing to release on his own label – Etch, launched in 2012. 

Every EP Jon has released has gone Top20 on the Beatport Chart, whilst in 2011, his track ‘Knick Knack’ climbed to Number 1 in the main Beatport releases Chart, knocking off Mark Knight’s mix of Florence & The Machine’s ‘You Got The Love,’ and staying there for six weeks. A career defining moment, says Jon. ‘One in the eye for EDM and a great moment for the underground scene.’ 

Jon’s music has won wide support across the dance world, being played by stalwarts of the scene like Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice, Adam Beyer, Dubfire, Nic Fancuilli and Joris Vorn. He’s also been in huge demand for his remixing skills, working with everyone from Moby (‘Walk With Me’), Carl’s last album (‘All Roads Lead To The Dancefloor’) Paul van Dyk (‘In Between’) and Fatboy Slim & Riva Star Jon has even turned in a Latin Gilles Peterson remix, whilst his other reworks have appeared on the likes of Bush, for whom Jon’s remix of ‘Man Alive’ by Devilfish helped the track reach the No1 spot in Beatport’s Techno chart for eight weeks and a hugely impressive No2 in the main chart. Another fine moment for the underground productions of Jon’s. 

Alongside all this, Jon still wins acclaim for his DJ sets. Throughout his career he’s stuck to only playing music that he truly believes in, a decision that has worked in his favour, enabling him to play to more and more people each year. Equally at home in intimate venues as he is in large main rooms, Jon has performed at Matter in London, Koko, Air, Sankeys, Privilege and Space in Ibiza, Guvernment in Toronto, LeShowcase in Paris, Fabrik in Madrid, F135 in Fraga and Cielo in New York, in addition to tours of the US and Australia. Whilst festival appearances include Global Gathering, Dancevalley, Big Day Out, Future Music Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Sonar, Creamfields, South West Four, EH1, Zurich’s Street Parade and Belgium’s huge Tommorowlands, in addition to a mini residency at Space. 

Whether it’s been an early Sunday afternoon residency at The End, or a headline set at Space Ibiza, Jon has always understood how to get a crowd going. ‘I think it’s because I’m adjustable and adaptable,’ says Jon. ‘I don’t like to ram it down people’s necks in a contrived way. I let the music to do the talking and just make sure people have a great time, as well as getting a little bit of education.’

2013 and Jon is busier than ever. There’s new EP’s coming on his label Etch, lots of stellar releases planned with Intec, and also much more with each label to oversee. Coinciding with his mix of the ‘Pure Intec 2’, the new night will be launching at one of London’s coolest venues, giving Intec the opportunity to showcase their talent, roster, and musical ethos in the capital, and to help firmly cement their place in dance.

Share