The following is all a bit niche but here is what comes to mind -
Sam Rivers (he used to show up to play at my improv night and he would join us on stage to play horn, always a treat)
Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy)
Bon Harris (Nitzer Ebb)
John Tejada
Nick Batt
The entire crew from KMFDM
The entire crew from Sisters of Mercy
Lots of smaller IDM greats like Phoenecia, Proem, Kid606, Funkstorung, Lusine, Pole, Jan Jelinek, Thomas Fehlmann (one of the nicest of the bunch, just a brilliant guy)
Dieter Döpfer and Dave Smith get mention as they helped a lot of us do what we enjoy doing, plus they are/were swell guys all around.
I’ve met some famous musicians, but nothing really interesting happened. Like I met Phil Collins once, but whatever… it’s not like we’re friends. Haha
I do have a funny story: I keep running into Ed Rush – is he famous enough for this topic?
Anyhow, many years ago I was DJing and Ed Rush was playing the same venue that night. He was going to play on the main stage and I was just opening for some nobody in a smaller room in the same venue. Before he went on i met him, we chatted a bit and music and he seemed like a cool guy.
Over 10 years later I was at another club and he was playing and I talked to him after his set. I was like “hey, remember playing at the Asylum in like 2003? We met, blah blah blah” – he said he remembered, but I could tell he was just being polite. Why would he remember me? So I told him i enjoyed his set and left him alone. I don’t want to be that guy who tries to talk to the DJ.
A few years later I saw him again. This time I actually went to hear him play, but I even told myself I wasn’t going to talk to him, because he clearly wouldn’t remember me and I didn’t want to annoy him. Before the show he was at the bar and he started talking to me. Lol. Just random bar chat, it was loud, and he was just being nice to a stranger. He definitely didn’t remember me and I didn’t tell him we’d met before.
So yeah, I don’t think Ed Rush plays in the US that much, but when he does, apparently we talk
Worked for Grand Hustle around the time Tip got out of prison the second time. Also had a lot of early 808 mafia stuff done in my little studio apartment or my buddies house, as well as some Brick Squad stuff before there was an 808 mafia. Also worked for Zone 4 Ent. Between all of them I probably met and/or worked with 70%ish of the biggest rappers and producers in the south, as well as some people like Dr. Dre (amazing experience, I just got to watch, didn’t work). I was young and wild, and no longer work in music, and am happier for it, but there are some great memories. I had good connections from people I grew up with and my best friends older brother.
