Fresh Air Mark Ronson On DJing In The '90s
Sep 30, 2025
Mark Ronson, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning producer and author of the memoir Night People, shares his passion for DJing in 1990s New York. He reflects on the exhilarating power of creating moments that unite crowds and his journey into the nightlife scene. Ronson discusses the influence of legendary artists like Pete Rock and the challenges of mastering vinyl in a pre-digital era. He also reveals the joy of returning to vinyl, the significance of being part of hip-hop as a Jewish outsider, and the artistry of reading the room like a comedian.
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First Rush At A Wedding
- At age 10 Mark Ronson first felt the power of controlling music when he cued Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight at his stepfather's wedding.
- He remembers that moment as his earliest visceral memory of doing something right and connected to music.
Turning Point With A Sample
- Hearing Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's I Reminisce Over You at 17 made Ronson decide to live inside such songs and become a DJ.
- He replayed the cassette obsessively to chase the ache and pivoted away from struggling in bands.
Digging For Samples By Any Means
- Ronson hunted obscure records and relied on friends to access rare vinyl like the Tom Scott record behind Pete Rock's sax sample.
- He sat outside a collector's dorm room to earn trust and listen because there was no streaming or easy lookup then.
