Playlist: Graeme Park – Hacienda, Manchester 28.3.92

Put together a legendary club, Manchester’s Hacienda (a club I frequented albeit somewhat infrequently around this time), famously owned by Tony Wilson and Factory Records and propped up almost exclusively by New Orders money, and a DJ – Graeme Park, who was in the midst of his nine year residency at the club, at the height of his powers and you it all adds up to something special.

The tracklisting is taken from Peter Hooks brilliant book on the club, titled The Hacienda: How not to run a club and features a set list which veers from piano house, to elements of funk and hip-hop, all (needless to say) dancefloor heavy.

We’ve recreated the playlist for your delectation, you’re getting ready on a friday, your cooking dinner accompaniment, your journey to work or elsewhere, as much as we can, with the constraints of YouTube and Spotify, and sadly without the brilliant (and I mean really, really brilliant) mixing, slicing and coercing of Graeme Park. He’s out and about and as brilliant as ever, and you can check his podcast and listings over at his website.

Late March 1992 saw the UK in the midst of General Election campaigning, with Labour under the leadership of Neil Kinnock narrowly ahead in the polls at this stage, although April saw the country elect John Major as its next prime minister. Entertainer Roy Castle announced he had lung cancer just a couple of days before the set, and on the day both Manchester clubs earned 0-0 draws – United away at QPR, and Peter Reids City at home to Chelsea.

Setlist

Bump – I’m rushin’ (acapella) We couldn’t get hold of this one, so imagine you’re just hanging your coat up, or queuing to get past those security guards..

Shawn Christopher – Don’t lost the magic (Morales Mix) It’s a mid-tempo piano led thing, with plenty of strings and a killer hook to get things moving
Little Louie Vega and Marc Anthony – Ride on the rhythm Piano led house from the masters of work man. It has this urgency about the vocals in the chorus set against the warmth of the strings which interject and the verses – both sung and rapped, which seems to sit back a little.
Sounds of Blackness – The Pressure House classic. bona-fide. Cracking gospel soul cut up set against this franjly gorgeous house shuffle.
Frankie Knuckles – workout (workin’ dub) Frankie cuts and pastes this almost to death at the start, to give it this dizzying, but soulful house feel. These blocky synths lay down the rhythms as the pull of the dancefloor becomes too much.
Sinnamon – I need to know (disco brothers remix) Disco Brothers kick this funk track (check the original out on the spotify playlist, just because its good) through piano house and throw in some great vocals and this bubbling synth line.
Todd Terry – I’ll do anything Vocal house which Todd Terry strips back to a little (but only a little) more minimal. He does throw in some great electronic swoops though and this rather insistent rhythm.
C M Toni – Illusion Hooky has this listed as Double FM, but I reckon thats the label. Anyway it’s got this sort of afro-vocal over these alomst static strings, that repeat to give you this almost psychedelic feel. You can almost feel the turning spots….great little electro-melody in the middle as well.
Fire Island – In your bones A great record, that passes through bubbling house, a little whiff of acid, and alternates raps and sung verses to brilliant effect.
Double FM – Illusion Harder than most of the rest of the set, its got these rather muscular electro sounds, that really sound like acid house, complete with 808 claps and cut up vocals.
Queen Latifah – How do I love thee (extended club mix), The Queen not so much raps, but coos out to her loyal subjects, over a piano led house track with a good dose of brass, and a saxophone solo (yeah, really) with some barely concealed drug references there to wind the crowd into a frenzy, albeit
Daisy Dee – Pump it up all the way (pumped up mix) More acidey sounds purvey Daisy Dee’s Pump it all the way, but the bubbling percussion and cut up yeahs pull you along, and the chorus line is a killer. Check that bass.
P.M. Dawn – Watcher’s point of view (Todd Terry melody remix) todd Terry works his magic with laid back rapper P.M. Dawn injecting some funk into proceedings and then pulling gloriously out of shape and onto the dancefloor.
Eleanore Mills – Mr. Right (The superb Parkside mix) ‘Now I’m looking for a good man, but not just any man’ Mills cooes over this house beat, punctured by these bell like melodies. Any time at this rate Eleanore…..
Kathy Sledge – Take me back to love again (shelter me mix) I could live for weeks on the opening piano alone, never mind Kathy Sledge’s vocal. If you can’t get on this, there’s something wrong with you.
Bump – I’m rushin’ (big bump mix) Park sends the punters home with the payoff from his beginning, arcing the set neatly and finishing with this twisting, turning, morphing house banger.