Richard Grey
Richard Grey
Richard Grey, born Richard Christian Rene Jacquin, grew up in Cannes, a small, sparkling, sunny town on the French Riviera with a big reputation as a Summer destination for the rich and fabulous, famous for it’s film festival and well known in the music biz for the annual Midem event, a coming together of label bosses an d artists from all over the world.
The twelve year old Richard, already hooked on the club music he was hearing on late night radio, would sneak in to the Midem trade show through one of the back doors of the conference centre, and blag vinyl promos from the unsuspecting label bosses.
“I remember Kevin from Nervous Records to be amazed to see a little boy like me asking for promos, I remember him especially as he was the coolest guy over there to share promos to a person who will not promote his brand. Every year I was there to get those gold records, and the funny thing is that when I entered the business years later, the people recognised me from the old days and were like – You still here? Yes and now I’m doing records under the name Richard Grey and here is my promo… hehehe!”
His first clubbing experience was, appropriately, a rave on a beach in Cannes in 1993. And the tune of the night – I Like To Move it by Reel 2 Real, a project put together by his mentor-to-be Erick Morillo.
Three years later, after practising DJing and working on his production skills using the cutting edge tec hnology of the time – an Atari computer and an Akai sampler – Richard had his first record released.
De Trini by Elacosa on Basic Trax was a start. But it was another two years before the first tune using the Richard Grey Name appeared. He made a tune called The Beginning on the Air French Label, but the beginning was also nearly the end for Mr Grey.
Thanks to his early influences he had developed an American sounding style of production that was just not hitting with the French labels and he was close to jacking it all in and getting a proper job. Then came the fairy tale break that turned it all around.