GRAEME PARK SETS

The story of DJ Graeme Park really mirrors the story of the evolution of dance music and club culture itself. Graeme found himself working in a Nottingham record shop called Selectadisc in the early 1980s, when the very first house records began to filter through from Chicago, Detroit and New York. When the shop’s owner also opened a nightclub, it was only natural he should turn to Graeme to select the discs. Determined to showcase this new style of music, his reputation as a house pioneer soon brought him to the attention of Mike Pickering at the Haçienda in Manchester, who asked him to cover for him whilst he went on holiday in 1988.  Simply put, there was no-one else in the country who could do the job. The Summer of Lovefollowed, and Parky quickly became one of the biggest names on the emerging dance scene. Aside from his eight-year residency at The Haç, he was one of the first British DJs to play places like Australia, South America, the USA, Asia and beyond as well as producing and remixing tracks for the dancefloor.

The Haçienda was a club without a purpose until house music filled its cathedral-sized dimensions. It undeniably defined Graeme as a DJ, but in 2012, that can only be seen as one chapter in an on-going tale: ‘Yeah it was a very big chapter,’ says Graeme.  ‘I guess the first was when I discovered I could DJ and discovered house music from the US. The Haçienda was chapter 2, then chapter 3 was when it re-opened after closing for a couple of months in 1992. Chapter 4 was when it closed not long after I left and I played all around the world. I suppose Chapter 5 is where we are now.’

As far as Graeme’s concerned, things are as fab as ever. But where is dance music and club culture headed? Well, who better to ask directions than the man who wrote the disco A-Z? ‘I started doing it purely by accident,’ he details. ‘And then realised I was actually pretty good at it. But I never thought I’d end up doing it for over 25 years. And I see no need to stop at the moment. I still love playing fantastic tunes in a variety of different clubs all over the place and people still want me to do it too.’

And where we are now is a very interesting place to be with regular gigs around the UK, Europe and beyond playing a selection of classic house cuts as well as new and current tunes too. There’s also a variety of productions under various guises including the single ‘Shady’ by Gooden & Park with legendary Ten Cityvocalist Byron Stingily on vocals and his ongoing Yellow & Black project which includes original tracks, remixes and collaborations.  Although keen not to be bracketed as purely a ‘classics’ DJ, Graeme regularly delves into the thousands upon thousands of tunes he has collected on vinyl over the years: “House music has made people channel their tastes, so I went back to my roots and pulled out some forgotten classics,” he grins, still in love with process of mining those rich seams of vinyl. “I love seeing a crowd go wild to a tune they haven’t heard for years or playing something really obscure from 20 years ago that people think is new.”

Celebrating over 15 years on the radio with shows on Kiss, Galaxy, Key 103, Radio City, Juice FM, Forth One and more, Graeme’s years of experience help him understand the specialist skills required by a radio DJ: ‘A lot of radio shows or DJs just play the same big tunes. You can’t simply pretend you’re in a club, you have to talk to the audience and put your personality and knowledge across without sounding like an idiot.’ His weekly Graeme Park Radio Show airs on scores of radio stations both in the UK and overseas and brings in a big audience with his mix of new and older tunes mixed together like only he knows how.

Graeme Park - British Classics '95 A.mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?cfwjljc51ba

Graeme Park - British Classics '95 B.mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?2a16tgbwyo3

Graeme Park - Cork, Ireland, 8 June '91 A.mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?j7s7dq1oodz

Graeme Park - Cork, Ireland, 8 June '91 B.mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?5hdxwdtsocx

Graeme Park - Live @ Expresso Bongo, Liverpool, 1993 [a].mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?0qobyb9wso2dgna

Graeme Park - Live @ Expresso Bongo, Liverpool, 1993 [b].mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?qtatud24urtetu0

Graeme Park - Live @ Juliets, Hull, 1991-09-28 [a].mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?xnzmvwv0mjo

Graeme Park - Live @ Juliets, Hull, 1991-09-28 [b].mp3 http://www.mediafire.com/?dmdt1edmpqh

Graeme Park - Live @ Renaissance, Mansfield, 1992-11-14 [a].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?m24cctwmrw1

Graeme Park - Live @ Renaissance, Mansfield, 1992-11-14 [b].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?ephyettvzqy

Graeme Park - Live @ Sir Henrys, Cork, Ireland, 1991-06-08 [a].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?twgm2xmyytb

Graeme Park - Live @ Southport Weekender, On Site Radio, Ainsdale, 1990-11-07 [a].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?jqco94encm2

Graeme Park - Live @ Southport Weekender, On Site Radio, Ainsdale, 1990-11-07 [b].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?qyy95rxbjwe

Graeme Park - Live @ Space, Uruguay, February 1992 [a].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?489eqrzb6rz54lc

Graeme Park - Live @ Space, Uruguay, February 1992 [b].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?19r14p085bj7hd6

Graeme Park - Live @ Up Yer Ronson, Leeds, August 1992 [a].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?3rlbci62b2dl3k3

Graeme Park - Live @ Up Yer Ronson, Leeds, August 1992 [b].mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?259mz7zh0mvw4m4

Graeme Park - On Tap, March(ish) '93 Tape 1 A.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?ozz4ttzvsh6

Graeme Park - On Tap, March(ish) '93 Tape 1 B.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?70r421jt3ck

Graeme Park - On Tap, March(ish) '93 Tape 2 A.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?8buzreq7ef3

Graeme Park - On Tap, March(ish) '93 Tape 2 B.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?lvu13048vj9

Graeme Park @ Syndicate Part 1 21-04-07.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?9nco3cmkcai

Graeme Park @ Syndicate Part 2 21-04-07.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?9in8jsxry1i

Graeme Parks' Vinyl Fixation vol.1.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?kjg3a2v98inz8j4

graeme park_hacienda_05_12_91.mp3
http://www.mediafire.com/?a9eii5js2rs293k