11/05/2026
Community Manchester - Here’s my reflection after our Community party with London’s wholly unique, authentic, Black underground House DJ ‘Johnny Reckless ‘.
When I started this party 19 years ago I thought to myself let’s go back to the v small clubs of the 80s that I first attended, 50-100 people, and only play the music that you really really love, forget about pleasing people and attempt to make your own mark on what you think is the coolest yet most artistic deep / spiritual dance music you know.
And tbh I don’t know how we have lasted so long in today’s scene now dominated by insta Mickey Mouse clown people performing to the even worse no vibe clown audiences. But thankfully we have survived. And we have had large audiences trom 1200 people but the smallest ones are ThE best of all.
So bringing Johnny to The Peer Hat, I call it the CBGB of my home city was my ‘ I don’t give a F’about shiny, £15 cocktail, glitzy clubs - let’s do in a real alternative basement that v few non - white people frequent, bring your multicultural people cause it’s the old Manchester that I know and it’s still hidden away so the weekend tourists are not gonna find it & f**k it up by spilling pints on the dancefloor. The venue being the same spot that I hosted Chicago’s Vick Lavender.
I told Johnny that we’re gonna do it differently i’m both plate an hour each from 11 pm and then go back to back at 3am. And Johnny played a set of music that most DJs of our old school generation ( 80s Chicago Trax Records era ) would be aware or dare to go there. It’s dark, deep, Afro - Electronic ( not the cheesy Afro ‘ Ibeefa ‘ bo****ks that has taken over South Africa / Europe ) but there’s also a soul jazz infused conscious lyrics flavour too. Think about what Cultural Vibe’s song ‘ Mafoombey ‘ could evolve into in 2026 and add Carl Craig’s ‘ Sandstorms ‘ to get the vibe. Thankfully our mixed aged range 25-60 years old crowd lapped it up. Johnny, most importantly, didn’t force it, he grooved it all night long at 120 bpm, he knows I hate House Music played too fast. This also allowed to me play a lighter and more upbeat music to contrast with Johnny’s darker tracks.
