To read part one of our conversation with DJ Paulette, please visit this page.
Memories from the golden age of clubbing
What are your fondest memories of playing at the club back in the day?
"In the '90s when I first played at Amnesia, it used to have a courtyard with a tree growing through the middle! I played there various times with Phat Phil Cooper, Andy Carroll and Norman Jay in that courtyard area, while Judge Jules and Luke Neville played the main floor.
Back then, I did the publicity for Manifesto Records.
One time, we did a Manifesto Records party there. Because the label wouldn’t give us the money to take everyone out, we took a load of merchandise out with us to sell to pay for the trio. I think it was a Cream party we bolted onto."
"Anyway, we took a load of merch and sold it so that we could take the entire department, everyone from international to press to A&R to club promotions and brought all of them out to Ibiza for a week."
Did you manage to cover the costs?
"Yeah, I think so. I remember us taking loads of CDs, vinyl, t-shirts, record bags, slip mats and selling everything that wasn’t nailed down. Our luggage allowance was ridiculously over on the way. That is a very fond memory of Amnesia.
I also played in the main room at Jade Jagger’s Jezebel party with DJ Lottie and Hannah Holland. I've got loads of memories of this magical place. I have danced and partied hard there too. I think I was a punter there more than I was a DJ to be fair."
I might not be a DJ myself, but even as a clubber first-and-foremost and a writer second, for me it's still about being on the dancefloor. Of course it's nice to occasionally be backstage or in the VIP, but the dancefloor is the holy land.
"Yeah, I’m always all about the dancefloor. I think that’s the Haçienda spirit: you will see all of the DJs that party out on the dancefloor at some point in the night."
Is there much camaraderie between you all?
"Absolutely, yeah."
Are you in a WhatsApp group together?
"Nooooo. I do not like them. Never put me in a WhatsApp group. I bounce out of them faster than a pinball! I don't like the over pinging."
"There’s always somebody who takes something the wrong way and then people invariably fall out. Why do we even do this to ourselves? It’s too painful. So, no, I am not in any FAC 51 WhatsApp groups, but I do have everyone’s phone number.
I call, drop WhatsApps and voice notes, ask for recommendations, share photos and have some lovely lunches or ask ‘have you got a wav of XXX?’
Graeme’s the best for things like that."
The Haçienda's cultural footprint
Back in the day when The Haç was at the height of its powers - or even towards the end of its run - when you were in the thick of it, did you realise how huge its cultural impact was?
"No. I don't think anybody ever does in the moment. I never thought like that. I don't think it's possible to be in the present and think about what this thing is going to be in the future. That legend comes with time. That legend comes with journalists writing about it.
I was just going to Flesh playing a few records for my mates and having the best time ever in the Haçienda, which was a playground to me regardless.
I'm sure James Dean didn't stand on set and think 'I'm a legend'.
"Like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, part of the legend is that the Haçienda club isn't here anymore. But the Haçienda vibe and the Haçienda ethos and the legend lives on and continues to grow. You know, the Haçienda was more than a club.
It was also a hairdressers, for a start. It used to have a hairdressers in the basement and it had a great café. We saw art exhibits, fashion shows and live bands there. But we never thought for one minute that it would be legendary."
That’s interesting what you just mentioned, about it being a multi-purpose space.
We know that nightlife in the UK is going through the wringer at the moment. Do you think trying to go back to that community hub model, where it operates as a café or a record store in the day, could that be a way to stay financially viable?
"Yeah. I just saw a news story about somewhere in London that's opened and they've got a fashion store upstairs, a community hub downstairs and a café, so it can be used in the day. Then at night, it turns into a nightclub and a live music space.
I think that’s one option for how to advance this culture and how we keep it moving.
It's a bit different, with The Haçienda now, because we haven't got a physical club anymore. We haven't got the worry of what to do with the space 24/7, but we do have to think about what kind of space our community needs and would like to enjoy.
That’s why Amnesia is such a great fit."
If there's one track that takes you back, what would it be?
“It might seem a bit cheeky, but Inner City’s Pennies From Heaven. I remixed it because it's one of the first tracks that got me into playing House music.”
“When I started to DJ,I was playing a mix of absolutely everything from Disco to Hip Hop, Soul to Funk. Little-by-little, the more I played the Haçienda, the early set fell off and I started to concentrate on playing House.
Inner City, Kevin Saunderson and The Reese Project were three of the things that informed that transition."
Inner City DJing at Amnesia in July. For FAC 51: The Haçienda, they perform live
"It's all the same people really, but they're three of the groups that inspired me to play House. Todd Terry was the other one, so it could also be Can You Party by Royal House. When it comes to lyrics, it's Inner City.
I danced to it when I was on a podium at the Number 1 Club and it stuck in my head. I asked the DJ Tim Lennox what the track was and he told me it was Inner City. I bought it, played it, then hammered it. Hammered it, hammered it, hammered it.
Now, all these years later, I've remixed it."
"I remixed it because there was that personal link for me. Plus, I thought, I could make it tighter. So that’s the story.
It's a great remix and it's a great record. The sentiment is right, particularly at this time when it's talking about looking to the light and sharing love. It's a song about unity and we're all for that. Peace, love, unity and respect - the four tenets of House music."
What can we expect from The Haçienda’s takeover of Amnesia?
"To be moved and uplifted and to feel House music played by Haçienda Classical in a powerful way, with real instruments and singers. It's a great show. I saw it at Castlefield in July for the tenth anniversary."
To be continued...
Stay tuned for the third and final part coming soon.
DJ Paulette’s In For A Pennies remix of Inner City’s Pennies From Heaven is out now on Armada and is available to stream and download at all reputable online platforms.
You can catch her playing at Amnesia on Saturday 19 September alongside David Morales, her friends Graeme Park and Mike Pickering, her heroes and influences Inner City and Todd Terry, Alison Limerick and Haçienda Classical (live).
Both general admission and balcony-access tickets for FAC51: The Haçienda are on sale now and available to buy below or via our party calendar.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by La Skimal
