DJ Randall, the stage name of Randall McNeil, was born in East London and became a central DJ and producer in the development of jungle and drum & bass. He began DJing after encountering acid house at Notting Hill Carnival in 1987, and by 1989 was playing pirate radio station Centreforce. In the mid-1980s, he had also been part of the Limited Edition sound system. Tape demos brought his first bookings, including Thursday and Saturday sets at Delirium in London, where he played warehouse events.
Randall’s radio work extended beyond Centreforce, with later shows on Rave FM and Pressure FM. He became a resident at AWOL and played Metalheadz nights at the Blue Note, where he was a key resident. Other residencies included Orange at the Rocket, Innersense and Together As 1. He recalled a two-hour set for about 10,000 people at the Living Dream event in the early 1990s as a standout gig. He described his musical development as moving from 1980s hip-hop and acid house into 1990s jungle and drum & bass.
Alongside Cool Hand Flex and Mike De Underground, Randall co-founded the De Underground record shop and label; the shop was in Forest Gate. Uncle 22 was also among the shop and label’s co-owners. As the shop neared its end, Randall and Cool Hand Flex started Mac II, which Randall founded as a record label in 1997. He released music on Reinforced Records and RAM Records, including the 1994 RAM Records track Sound Control, made with Andy C. Other collaborations included Turn It Loose with A-Sides, while Mystical Merlin was among his own tracks. His aliases included Randall & Flex and The Mysterons.
Randall moved from London to Bristol in the early 2000s. He later ran Stepback Sessions, a label associated with remix projects, and released the 2020 EP Time 4 Da Switch. Randall McNeil died on 31 July 2024.