Random Movement is Mike Richards, an American drum and bass producer whose music draws heavily on soul, funk and jazz. An upright bass player by background, he brings those influences into melodies, samples and rolling low end, often keeping a warm musical centre even when the drums become more intricate.
The project began as a duo in 2001 with Mister Shifter and became Richards’ solo work in 2006. Releases on DJ Marky’s Innerground Records helped establish the name, followed by music for labels including V Recordings, Integral Records and Hospital Records.
His album Lost On Purpose arrived on his own Flight Pattern Records in 2019. Unlike the earlier Lucky Guess, assembled with Marky from a collection of tracks, it was written with a connected album in mind. Small textures and musical links run between the pieces, while live playing and studio work with bands fed into the recording.
Flight Pattern also gives other producers a place to develop. Richards has described wanting the label to help good artists reach a wider audience and move forward, rather than keeping them tied to one home. His DJ work and long-running radio and podcast output sit beside that support for new music, carrying the same interest in soulful drum and bass beyond his own releases.
