The North At Its Heights

Darren Partington

Scott Hallam (DJ Rhythm) 19/09/2025 No Comments

Daz 808 State

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you and Andrew several times over the years, DJing at some of the same nights and back in 1996 I was on your show where you played a couple of tracks off a DAT I brought in.

Both you and Andrew were such an important part of life back in the 1990s as DJs on radio, in clubs and as members of 808 State. Not only were you a huge inspiration to many but you shaped the record collections of so many people in and around Manchester and further afield back then.

SH: When Sunset Radio launched in October 1989, how did you come to be a part of it, were you asked or did you have to apply to be presenters?

DP: We already knew Mike Shaft from going to a lot of the nights he put on and when he asked if we’d be interested in doing a show on Sunset, we said yeah OK we’ll give it a go. Initially it was Martin Price, Graham Massey and Andrew and myself but the dynamic wasn’t quite right and it soon became just me and Andrew as we seemed to bounce off each other much better.

SH: Tuesday nights 9-12 was the original time slot and you managed to pack the show full of incredible music with the 808 State & Eastern Bloc charts and some of the funniest moments ever witnessed on radio – the home made listener jingles, the shouts, the problems, the club guide, dating agency and the banter between the music and of course Andy’s laughing monster! Those STA Travel adverts were absolutey class as well.

SH: I loved the way you would support local talent, featuring them on your show as either brand new artists or people that were already on the scene but needed a bit of a push. Two that come to mind are M.V.I.T.A. (Manchester Vibes In The Area) who had a four track EP that sadly never saw a release and Neukleotide – Hybrid that I heard you helped them get a vinyl release of that back in 1991 is that correct?

DP: Yeah I financed Nuekloetide as I really liked their sound and what they (Shak & Mick Edge) were about – using live drums and incorporating samples, synths and drum machines too.

SH: It must have been great having a platform to broadcast weekly with the emerging music from the US and Europe which made up a large part of the show via Eastern Bloc and the ability to plug The Soundgarden which I have to say was one of THE best clubs in Manchester (I remember how hot it was in there with the black tar dripping from the ceiling) before those big industrial fans were installed!

SH: The all-nighters were incredible with some really nice slower tracks getting dropped such as Dr Alban – No Coke and Y.B.U. – Keep It Up.

SH: Djing on Radio or in Clubs – which did you prefer?

DP: Clubs as you got to see all the immediate reactions. Radio to us was funny as we weren’t really proper presenters you know, we just had a laugh and played great tunes each week.

OK, some quick fire questions

SH: Favourite track of all time?

DP: C.O.D. – In The Bottle

SH: Favourite club you’ve DJ’d at?

DP: The Soundgarden

SH: Best club you’ve been to as a punter?

DP: Fabric, London

SH: What’s your favourite food?

DP: Jamaican

SH: What’s your favourite tipple?

DP: Corona

SH: Where did you and Andrew first meet?

DP: At Youth Clubs in the early 80s

Spinmasters in action at the Salvation Army in Ancoats, 1985.

SH: How has life changed for you since Andrew passed away?

DP: It’s been hard as he was my best mate and dealing with it in my own way, I just think of him being in the next room and that helps me get through.

SH: What’s next for you?

DP: Continue Djing wherever I get the chance to play and hopefully creating some new music in a different direction.

SH: Thanks again for taking the time out to do this, all the best and big love and respect for everything you’ve done over the years x

You can book Darren for DJ sets at this link.

Artists

Orbital – Belfast

Scott Hallam (DJ Rhythm) 31/08/2025 No Comments

This is my favourite track of all time.

Orbital – III
Released on FFRR (FX 149) on 07/01/1991

A1 Satan
A2 LC1
B1 Belfast

As you can see from the tracklist above, Belfast was tucked away on this release as a B side track with many DJs at the time preferring the harder Satan.

What hit me when I first heard Belfast was just how pure it sounded and like nothing else at that time. The same feeling is still with me all these years later and it’s a track that I never get sick of hearing and having experienced it played in Ibiza at Mambo’s as the sun set one evening which made it even more of a magical aural delight and evoked a lot of emotions.

Many years ago when MySpace was a thing (remember that?) I asked Phil Hartnoll what was used to create the bassline for Belfast and he kindly told me it was a Roland SH-09.

So, what is there to say about such a masterpiece? Well, let’s see what Paul said about it some ten years back and there’s also a chance to hear the very first incarnation of it before the vocal sample was added on the released track!

Paul Hartnoll wrote the following on his blog back on 06/09/2015:

“I’ve been trying to remember exactly when I recorded it. It comes from the era between my first ever release on the House Sound Of London under the name ‘DS Building Contractors’ and buying our first Orbital D.A.T. after getting a proper record deal with Pete Tong at FFRR. I know it was recorded after Chime because the track on the tape before it is a more typical House track that has elements of Chime and Belfast in it.”

“I think it was probably winter 1990 and in the months between Jazzy M putting out Chime on Oh-Zone and its release on FFRR. Because it was influenced by the wave of Ambient House spearheaded by The Orb and their A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (EP) that came out early 1990 I believe.”

“It must have been then as Chime was out and the Orbital name was already launched because the simple truth is I wouldn’t have called Orbital – Orbital if id seen The Orb first, that would have been mad right? Far too confusing having Orbital, Orbit and The Orb around at the same time. Funnily enough someone asked me if I’d written Little Fluffy Clouds just the other day at Solfest. That’s been happening for 25 years. I wonder if Alex Paterson gets asked if he wrote Chime?”

“Anyway so there I was just finished an early shift at Pizza Piazza in Sevenoaks. I decided to make an Ambient song, it was a rainy melancholy mid-week kind of afternoon. I got the chords first and just went from there. Got it all in place as a drumless Ambient piece, but I just couldn’t resist the call of the TR-909 drum machine.

So in went the drums. Much better! So what you hear here is the Jam I did on a rainy afternoon, after work and before catching up with my friends for the evening. At the time I remember thinking, it was ok but I wasn’t over impressed. This was all recorded in my parents living room in the stairs alcove studio, that all the early stuff was written in, up to and including the first Green album.”

“So, months latter after the success of Chime in March 1990, I got a call from David Holmes, DJ, club runner and hairdresser from Belfast. Would Orbital like to play at the Art College in Belfast? Yes! So after the gig, in Davids Mum’s house’s spare bedroom David asked if we had any Demo’s. I gave him a tape with two tracks on. Two weeks later David rings up and tells me that him and his friends all love the second track on the tape . We called it Belfast after the brilliant time we had there. So the track was named after, and dedicated to, David and all his friends.”

“Where is the vocal?”

“Well, when we were making the Orbital EP III, we decided to put a version of Belfast on it, while I was re-recording it with all the lovely new gear we had bought from the record deal, Phil was making a birthing tape for the imminent arrival of his second child. So he was at my Dad’s hi-fi with the headphones on, while I was at the computer and sampler playing through the track. He popped the headphones off and said listen to this, it sounds brilliant. So he turned the speakers up and hey presto! Hildegard Of Bingen ‘O Euchari’ burst through, in tune, in time, Job done!”

“I met up with David this May, he’d just won the Ivor Novello for best film score for 71. We were in the pub afterwards and he spoke about our trip to Belfast and the tape and how much it all meant to him and his mates at the time. I asked him if he still had it, as I thought it was the only one and had been quite curious to hear the other track. But alas, he said he had no idea where it went. So imagine how pleased I was when i discovered the original recording on Wednesday as I was setting up and listening to the old tapes and realised I’d only give him a copy, not the original after all.”

“Here it is, all these years later. The Original Belfast”

The magnificent vocal which was added to the released track:
Hildegard Von Bingen’s – O Euchari

Orbital are still creating incredible music and to date have released 10 studio albums, plus live albums, compilations and soundtracks. They continue to play live – see their official website for upcoming tour dates:

https://www.orbitalofficial.com/

Artists DJs

M.V.I.T.A

Scott Hallam (DJ Rhythm) 21/08/2025 No Comments

M.V.I.T.A – Manchester Vibes In The Area

Formed at the Midland in West Didsbury at the start of 1988 after being inspired by the Reno club, Moss Side’s legendary late-night soul and funk club which was demolished in 1987.

“The Midland was a pub in West Didsbury we turned into our own night club playing on Thursday and Saturday night’s, the landlord was great because he’d let us do what we wanted so we’d get the curtains shut blocking the day light out, turn all the lights off, cover the pool table then bring in our own gear, put our flag up and we were away, it was just absolutely mind blowing really, it was brilliant.”

M.V.I.T.A was a sound system but later wrote their own music and they comprised of;

Alfonso Buller (MC)
Himat Singh (Percussionist)
Anton Behrendt (Keyboards/Bass Guitar)

M.V.I.T.A DJs were;

Darren Green
Stefan Juniper

They played a lot of after parties for the Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, New Order and 808 State which saw them soon get a name for themselves and they went on to play at Spike Island sharing the stage with JAM MCs and then Glastonbury for 6 years consecutively.

Their roots were mostly Reggae, Soul and Funk and they embraced the explosion of Madchester and the differing types of Dance Music that were emerging at the time, preferring the more House and Garage styles and incorporating those records into their sets.

Photographer, Ian Tilton cited Alfonso Buller as the first guy with the Manchester swag/cool which later became an influence on Ian Brown and Liam Gallagher who has in very recent times started saying “Manchester Vibes In The Area”. Let’s not forget that it was Alfonso that coined that phrase as translated from M.V.I.T.A.

M.V.I.T.A featured on the 808 State show several times and on one date they showcased 4 tracks from an EP that was meant to get a release on Graham Massey’s Cut Deep label, sadly this never happened as the label folded.

You can hear the tracks and the interview in full here:

808 State show on 4th September 1990 (right click and choose save as to download)

The details and tracks scheduled for the EP were to be:

M.V.I.T.A – Pyramid Sun EP (CUT 90 12008) for an October 1990 release

M.V.I.T.A – Pyramid Sun
M.V.I.T.A – Movin’
M.V.I.T.A – More House
M.V.I.T.A – Dance

One of the very best gigs they did was with 808 State (DJ Set) K-Klass and Evolution at King George’s Hall, Blackburn in 1990.

M.V.I.T.A continue to fly the flag of the pyramid sun and are still active today.

M.V.I.T.A on YouTube:

Interviews DJs

DJ Mark XTC

Scott Hallam (DJ Rhythm) 19/07/2025 No Comments

DJ Mark XTC (real name Mark Mckinley)

I’ve known Mark since 1990 when I first met him at Spin Inn Disc Centre where he worked behind the counter of what I still consider the friendliest record shop. He would always treat everyone the same and have a stack of records that he’d play you – often just 10 seconds would be enough for you to decide “yes please!” and with each visit he got to know his customers tastes very well. Always aproachable and not at all elitist unlike some of the other shops at the time where they would hold back certain records unless you were part of some special inner circle! We shared a love of Hip Hop and scratching (we’d both entered the DMC Mixing Championships) and he would often practice some routines in the shop, always wowing customers with his incredible skills.

Being a key taste maker and having access to the right records went hand in hand with his work in the clubs and radio shows which saw him progress very quickly, playing all over the UK and then later as part of Mix Factory.

Here’s a link to his official bio.

I spoke to Mark about his journey over the last 35 years and after all that time he is still one of the nicest down to earth DJs and still as passionate as ever…

SH: Growing up, who were the first bands or artists you liked?

MM: I liked Level 42, The Specials, Tears For Fears – ‘Shout’ was the first 12” record I bought from Golden Disc in Oldham, but then I found Hip Hop with the likes of Jazzy Jeff, Tuff Crew, EPMD, LL Cool J etc.

SH: Where did you used to shop for your records before you worked at Spin Inn?

MM: I bought all my records from Spin Inn when it was on Cross Street, at first I went to Golden Disc, then BPM Records in Oldham, but unfortunately they didn’t have the tunes Stu Allan was playing on his Bus Diss show, Eastern Bloc when it was in Aflecks as well.

SH: What was your favourite record shop?

MM: Eastern Bloc when I worked there of course, because of all the things we accomplished when we worked there, but have a soft spot for Spin Inn, changed a lot of things when I went there.

SH: Apart from me always mithering you for records you didn’t have in stock but always managed to find for me (thanks!) did you have any other annoying customers haha and can you elaborate on life on the other side of the counter?

MM: Hahaha great question, erm, a few customers were difficult at times haha one of my favourite people who came into both shops was James Masters, he knew exactly what he was looking for and was particularly hard to please, but when you found the style of tunes he wanted, like others, he came back every week looking for something new.

SH: Ahead of landing the Mix Factory show on a Sunday night, you played on Sunset Radio originally filling in for 808 State on Tuesday nights when they were away – how did that come about?

MM: We were all close friends from the DJ circuit, mainly Darren & Andy, so when they were touring they asked Paul if we could cover them, the rest as they say is history.

SH: DJing in clubs or producing – which do you prefer and why?

MM: DJing over producing, I love making music, but mainly to make people dance or go sick to it, so it still boils down to DJing.

SH: If you hadn’t got into DJing and music, what would you have done?

MM: In school I always wanted to be a teacher, always loved maths, thanks Mrs Pickles (old maths teacher), it was in my school reports, so I think I naturally gravitated to that after I left the record shops.

SH: Favourite scratch DJs of all time other than our mutual hero, the GOAT aka The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff?

MM: DJ Craze, what he did with two turntables and a mixer showed why DJing is an art-form.

DJ Mark XTC (Xtra Tuff Cutta) @ DMC Mixing Championships, The Hacienda 1990

SH: What would you say is the best record to scratch with?

MM: Blapps Posse – Don’t Hold Back

OK, some quick fire questions;

SH: When you’re at home, what do you listen to?

MM: Everything really, from 60s to present day Dance Music, different genres of music, more often than not Dancehall, Reggae, Hip Hop and R&B.

SH: Favourite track of all time?

MM: I’ve got a few;

Tuff Crew – What You Don’t Know
Asmo – Jam The Dance
The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
T-Coy – Carino

I could keep going haha!

SH: Favourite club you’ve DJd at?

MM: The Banshee Manchester

SH: Best club you’ve been to as a punter?

MM: Fabric

SH: What’s your favourite food?

MM: Chinese

SH: What’s your favourite tipple?

MM: Vodka & Red Bull

SH: What’s next for you?

MM: Keep pushing music, my students, and myself. Make more music, work with people from different genres and play in as many countries as I can playing Oldskool, Jungle and Drum & Bass.

SH: Thanks again for taking the time out to do this, all the best and big love and respect for everything you’ve done over the years x

Check out Mark’s most recent vinyl release on the mighty Suburban Base Records.

You can also catch DJ Mark XTC playing at the following events.

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DJ Mark XTC (real name Mark Mckinley)

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