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Gut-Active Records release the first volume in a new series of 'definitive' compilations which aims to bring the tracks played in the world's greatest clubs to your stereo.

Discotheque Volume 1: The Haçienda

The world-famous Hacienda club racks up another first several years after it closed - as the debut release of a new club-comp. chooses the seminal northern venue for insopiration.

Endorsed by Manchesters' Haçienda founders Anthony Wilson and New Order this new compilation of 'as played at' classics also has the support of resident DJs from throughout the club’s existence. These include Greg Wilson, Mike Pickering, Dave Haslam (M People) and Graeme Park, who each contribute to the selection of music across the release.

Influenced and inspired by the sounds of late seventies/early eighties New York and clubs such as Danceteria and Paradise Garage, New Order returned back home from their US tour along with Factory boss Tony Wilson in 1981. Armed with a bunch of records and a dream of opening a New York-style club in Manchester, they set out on a hunt for the venue that would host their vision.

Late in 1981 a lease was taken on an old yacht showroom on Whitworth Street West in what had by that time become a semi-derelict part of the town. Making full use of the warehouse layout – the industrial grinders, iron pillars and high ceiling – interior design architect, Ben Kelly set about designing the ground breaking Hacienda, a very different place to most clubs in Britain.

The first resident DJ at The Hacienda was Hewan Clarke who initially played a selection of songs popular on the New York gay disco scene such as Peech Boys Don’t Make Me Wait (included on this album), D Train You’re The One For Me, Q The Voice of Q etc. It soon became clear that in order to get the old Factory indie crowd dancing he had to incorporate the experimental, emerging electro funk sounds of Grandmaster Flash’s White Lines (also on this compilation) and Malcolm McLaren’s Buffalo Girls.

As a self confessed ‘crowd pleaser’, Clarke also turned to electro pop by Yazoo, Heaven 17, Culture Club and last but not least New Order’s Blue Monday which was guaranteed to fill the floor like no other – thanks to Blue Monday (appearing in it’s instrumental version The Beach on this compilation) the straight goths of Manchester could shrug off their trench coats and hit the dancefloor!

Live gigs were always a significant part of The Hacienda and within the first few months of its operation the club staged gigs (booked by Mike Pickering) that included Cabaret Voltaire, Orange Juice, A Certain Ratio, Yazoo, The Smiths, Grandmaster Flash, Echo & The Bunnymen, Culture Club and Curtis Mayfield amongst many others.

The Smiths

From that point onwards the aim of the musical policy for The Hacienda was to play music that would attract the black crowd but would also appeal to the white indie scene. Mike Pickering envisioned a repertoire that would have The Peech Boys next to The Smiths and New Order. Therefore instead of having one DJ playing 6 nights a week he introduced Greg Wilson who pioneered the electro-funk New York sound with tracks like SOS Band’s Just Be Good To Me and Shannon’s Let The Music Play as well as John Tracey who played a mad mix of Simple Minds, Iggy Pop, Sharon Redd and Willi Hutch!

Eventually Mike Pickering took on the decks himself and launched his own night, Nude, mixing everything from soul, hip hop, electro, pop and indie. The night took off immediately and by 1986-87, Pickering’s selections aligned with the shift in sounds, incorporating the first early Chicago house with home grown tracks by A Guy Called Gerald (aka Gerald Simpson) with Voodoo Ray and Pickering’s own project T’Coy’s Carino.

The northern house scene picked up momentum and by 1988 The Hacienda brought Graeme Park on board along Paul Cons who launched Ibiza style parties inspired by Shoom and Hedonism in London. Ecstacy started to flow and the atmosphere at the club changed completely – dancers, podiums, hands in the air and a fully packed Hacienda were experiencing their first ‘Summer of Love’.

Second Summer of Love

By 1989 everyone was a slave to the beat. Future DJ names such as Laurent Garnier, Justin Robertson and Sasha were Hacienda regulars and the club became an inspiration for house music producers as well as a platform for new house records to be tested out. Tracks such as 808 States’ Pacific State, Sueno Latino’s Sueno Latino, Rob Base & Ez Rock Get On The Dancefloor and 128th Sreet Crew I Need A Rhythm were a fixture in Mike Pickering’s and Graeme Park’s sets.

At the height of The Hacienda in the late eighties, Liam and Noel Gallagher (soon to be attracting national and international attention with Oasis) had just started hanging out at the club. Mark E Smith of The Fall would also be there, nursing a pint and the Happy Mondays and their mates would be underneath the balcony surrounded by girls. The Charlatans and Inspiral Carpets were also hanging out at the club.

Eventually the drug gangs moved in and after a series of violent incidents and troubles with the police, Tony Wilson decided to close the club down in 1990. The Hacienda reopened with an airport style detector in May 1991 and continued to do business until 1997. During this period the club celebrated its tenth anniversary with guest DJ Frankie Knuckles and David Morales; survived Factory Records going into receivership; and bid farewell to Mike Pickering in May 1994. Following a series of annual losses the venue went into liquidation on June 1997. The last record played was the Salt City Orchestra Remix of Post Modern Sleaze by Sneaker Pimps.

Amatuerism

The Hacienda was run with endearing, exasperating, punk amateurism. Most nights it opened money was lost. Peter Hook once claimed that New Order would have been better off if they’d given ten pounds to every one that came to the Hacienda and sent them home.

The Hacienda will be remembered primarily for its first seven years. During that period and way ahead of Ministry of Sound and Renaissance the Hacienda became the UK’s first ‘superclub’ even though it missed the opportunity to capitalise on the new dance market by either developing its own label or marketing the brand in ways other than just a club venue. Deconstruction records used the Hacienda as an experimental ground during their success years. They employed one of the club’s resident DJs, Mike Pickering who informed them about future dance hits and they went on to release compilations featuring the best of northern house, including Carino and Voodoo Ray and a selection of other home grown acts that had their roots at The Hacienda.

Most of the stories on The Hacienda are mostly focused on the ‘mental’, ecstasy crazed summers of 1988/1989 and the parallel rise of Manchester bands such as the Happy Monday’s and the Stone Roses. The lead-up period of 1982 – 1988 and the role of bands such as New Order and A Certain Ratio is more compelling. During this time The Hacienda became a ground where white and black music cultures co-existed, a place where indie met dance and moved into more experimental areas previously unexplored. This music is reflected on the track selections on this album which plot the transition from post-punk and American electro to Northern house. This perhaps is the most important legacy of The Hacienda.

This double CD compilation takes the listener on a trip through the most influential club tracks from the 80s through to the mid 90s. With 12” versions of 23 tracks, many of which are rare and appearing for the first time on CD, this is the definitive collection for all the music purists out there be they young or old, if you weren’t there you still can be.

We take a boogie through the tracks on CD 1 of this new collection:

1. Holland Tunnel Dive

This is the Original 12" Mix 7.25 (1980). The original opening track to the Hacienda early days from first Hacienda DJ Hewan Clarke’s era. The slow, sinister groove provided a suitably surreal vibe to the cavernous Hacienda and would have appealed to the early uneasy mix of Indie kids, musicians, students and groovers around town. Incredibly obscure and impossible to find on an original 12” these days.

2. (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thing – Heaven 17 (Original 12” Mix 4.53 from 1981)

Custom made for the early Hacienda crowd, this storming fusion of early UK electro pop and fast-funk once again appealed to the early Hacienda audience and managed to pack the dance-floor with a variety of different musical factions – quite a coup for any record in the Hacienda’s early days!

3. Don’t Make Me Wait by Peech Boys (Original 12” Dub Mix 5.52 circa 1982)

The beginning of the Hacienda’s fascination with New York’s club sounds. An all-time classic from Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan and one that easily translated to the Hacienda’s manifesto. The furious full 12” dub mix would have echoed around the Hacienda and startled anyone who had just walked in. One of the great early 1980’s classics!

4. Situation by Yazoo (Original FK 12” Dub Mix 5.40 from 1982)

Another perfect fusion of brilliant UK early electro pop but with a scintillating 12” mix from top-of-his-game New York mixer Francois Kevorkian, this is truly one of the greatest 12” mixes ever recorded. Once again Situation bridged the gap with the Hacienda’s early eclectic audience proving equally popular with all factions.

5. Dirty Talk by Klein & MBO (Original 12” Mix 6.30, 1982)

This Italian electro classic became an anthem throughout the world but perhaps really found its audience at the Hacienda when it was pioneered by new addition to the Hacienda, DJ Greg Wilson. The full 12” mix of Dirty Talk is difficult to find these days but is still guaranteed to fill a dance-floor in 2006.

6. The Beach by New Order (Original 12” Mix 7.19 1983)

As a nice slant on things we’re proud to present the original full 12” instrumental mix of Blue Monday by Hacienda founders New Order – The Beach. Showing all the influences of the early Hacienda playlists, The Beach was New Order’s brilliant attempt to fuse the New York electro sound with a harsher Independent ethic. A monster record in every way and a timeless classic that is difficult to find these days, especially on CD.

7. Clear by Cybotron (Original 12” Mix 4.52 1983)

In many people’s opinion, Clear was the first-ever techno record and the Hacienda was one of the first clubs to pick up on this early Juan Atkins Detroit techno classic presented here in the original full 12” mix. A piece of rare history!

8. Break Dancin’ – Electric Boogie by the West St Mob (Original 12” Mix 5.02 1983)

At the same time as the up tempo electro tunes were finding an audience at the Hacienda, early Hip-Hop started making an appearance and the eclectic fusion of the Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache with the Sugarhill groove provided another early Hacienda 12” classic from DJ Greg Wilson.

9. White Lines by Grandmaster Flash/Melle Mel (Original 12” Mix 7.32 1983)

This brilliant rhythmic re-working of Cavern’s Liquid Liquid together with Melle Mel’s ode to the dangers of cocaine useage provided another irresistible Hacienda classic which went on to become a huge hit following the Hacienda’s championing of the track. One again, here is the full 12” version.

10. Bassline by Mantronix (Original 12” Mix 6.00 1986)

As the early Rap era was drawing to a close, the almost brutal electronic beats of Kurtis Mantronik with MC Tee’s almost hysterical rapping found a massive audience at the Hacienda which was now becoming a lot more popular with a larger ‘club’ audience. Bassline is an electronic rap masterpiece and is here in the full 12” mix in its glory.

11. 2 Hype by Kid N’ Play (Original House Inst 12” Mix 5.00 1988)

The rarest of the rare of Hacienda classics, the 2 Hype House Instrumental 12” Mix was only ever issued as a UK promotional 12” and is now worth £40-60 to Hacienda collectors. Dancin’ Danny D’s brilliant remix of the Kid N’ Play classic ushered in the beginning of the House era at the Hacienda which was shortly to provide the club with a spiritual rebirth.

12. Get On The Dance-floor by Rob Base/EZ R (Original 12” Remix 6.55 1989)

The New York influence never waned at the Hacienda and the Gayle ‘Sky’ King 12” remix which utilised parts of the Jackson’s Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) was one of the biggest records on the Hacienda dance-floor at the tail end of the 1980’s. Available for the first time ever on CD, this rare and truly brilliant mix is worth the cost of the album alone!

Discotheque is the definitive album series brought to you by Gut-Active Records, showcasing the most influential and culturally relevant clubs from around the world - clubs that had a massive impact on the development of music and club culture as we’ve come to know it.

The project was lovingly put together by dance music connoisseur Ian Dewhirst (Mastercuts, Salsoul) and researched by acclaimed author Tim Lawrence (Love Saves the Day) for a definitive package that not only presents the music from these clubs but also documents the history and the impact these institutions left. Volume 1:The Hacienda which will be followed up by Volume 2:Paradise Garage.

Discotheque Volume 1: The Haçienda is released by Gut Active 22 May.

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