Thanks to Nick Grayson for transcribing this. He notes some bits are missing, but you get a feel for what the article is about.
"Think Manchester DJ and you'll say Graeme Park and Mike Pickering. But there are others out there who can spin as well as they do; Jon da Silva, Nick
from Eastern Bloc, Justin Roberts, they're all up and coming, and ready to stand in their booth.
The DJ cult of personality has never been as strong as in Manchester and the north as it is in London; perhaps the punters are more aggressive and insist on hearing what they want to dance to, instead of some obscure delated import that will show that their man behind the decks spends an unnatural amount of time in the second hand shop.
Jon da Silva is already working at the Hacienda. He doesn't really fit into the res.1 of the scene, and his uncompromising attitude (what ruder people would call arrogance); this means that he's hated as much as he's loved. And he plays what he damn well wants. "I always play what I think is good. but my tastes change. It's also what the crowd are into. I think that things are getting less drug orientated, snd so things that I've always been into, stuff like garage, more soulful stuff, I can now get away with - more beaty stuff instead of heavy rhythm tracks. I'm really unpopular with the scallies, I thought those guys would never get into garage, but they are. I find that the soft soul stuff is as irritating as the freestyle stuff that was just as bad. Anything that moves me, physically, or emotionally.'
The great debate: to techno or not to techno. John technos. "Derek May's techno. it really has got some fashion to it. Ha spreads his
There's a different crowd: I love the way it's purpose built, it's not a handbag club that's been turned into a rave club. The punters come to it from all around, and if you move it to another town. it just wouldn't work, Glasgow doesn't have as much of an identity. They tend to copy Manchester and London, in varying degrees."
Jon is going to Berlin with the Hacienda this week and may also go to New/ York when 'Madchester Square Gardens' hits the USA (we all say Madchester up here, don't we-...?) "I work at Konspiracy every now and again. but I'm not that popular in Manchestar. Basically. I'm not a rave DJ. and I don't get asked to some of the rave nights." Jon now has management (it's happening to everyone Brain, Solaris, and maybe Land Of Oz. But he's typically cool; "I'm not particularly interested in London. The Boys Own attitude gets on my nerves, it really does..... it's an inverted snobbery. It's so counter-productive, so rare groove end rare house. The records are good though." Does he snottily discard records when they cross-over? "it's great. Once it's been in the charts for a couple of weeks, then everyone gets sick of it anyway, I play stuff because it's good. There's no point in putting a sticker over the label. If I had my way rd have one of those computer boards over the DJ box saying 'Rare groove record coming up now!' and give the cataloguer number." So the arrogant one is human after all, and cares about his public. A pleasant
vary successful. My favourite night is Spice." a relaxing Sunday evening in a very posh club Richfields. But Justin is just mellow; "Manchester is dominated completely by hard house, house, house, all the ...We started trying to slow things down - we were quite influenced by Balearic beats." The idea of playing The Thrashing Doves never really caught on up here.... "and we played a mixture of things, anything really good and danceable with a bit of house thrown in as well. You know, Talk Talk, The Waterboys and the best American imports, but we try to steer clear of heavy house, basically. I know Greg (his partner] has a real loathing for techno." Was this a big decision? "The scene had gone mainstream, you could go into Top Man and buy your rave gear"
grimaces Justin "It was trying to get away from that whole mainstream rave scene, meet some like-minded people." Justin won't be buggered if the hacienda closes. "Spice is the main thing," His playlist? "Frazier Chorus. Life Is What You Make It by Talk Talk - we like to dig out old classics like that. The odd house thing, like Jamie Principle and an Italian track: Piano Negro. We try to combine the best of lots of different things." Justin is interested in the approach of many London DJ's'. He feels they aren't afraid to experiment, and like his Southern workmates has also entered the world of remix, twisting tracks for local guitar band Mad Jacks and soul Jazz band Yargo.
Nick the next upstart works at the same record shop as Justin; the notorious, infamous and dangerous Eastern Bloc. He also works at Konspiracy, Heartlands and Trafford, and a few nights in Burnley and Blackburn and has
been promised illegal parties in Birmingham, which is just as well because there surely aren't any in Manchester at the moment.
Nick started in youth clubs; "Then I covered for the Spin Masters; they came in less because of their commitments with 809 State. I kept on covering and covering and than they wanted me instead of them." Techno is his trademark; "I got branded with this Acid Rock business.' but it's a smart record to be lumbered with.....Yeah, but it followed me around, it's my crack and everyone expects to hear it. I play the more hard stuff people can really get down and have a good time to."
Conveniently, Eastern Bloc is behind the new import licensing label FRO (F**k Right Off...) and so Nick can test the records, play them as soon as they come in and then see if FRO might want to licence it, and guess what; they've licensed AcidRock. Nick has worked in London, and has been promised work in future. Is it different outside Manchester? "Yeah. Manchester's mellowing out at the moment" thanks to comrade Justin 'they like the harder stuff outside Manchester. But like the Burnley's and the Blackburn's, they want hard tunes. You've got to provide them. or they'll lynch you. You'll be on a lamp post somewhere." Never let this happen."
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