Essential Manchester mixtapes

Back in 1988, before he became an alternative rock icon, Kurt Cobain chanced his arm at mixtape-making and the results are, well, underwhelming. It's mostly babble recorded off the TV, interspersed with Simon and Garfunkel, William Shatner's cover of 'Wild Thing' and a bunch of cheesy rock songs. Funkmaster Flex it ain't.

Meanwhile, Manchester was busy teaching the world how to dance. From Northern Soul to House to Rave, this city has nurtured some of the best DJs on the planet. Here are a handful of their finest mixtapes.

A classic set from DJ duo Graeme Park and Mike Pickering's legendary Nude night. This was recorded live at the Hacienda in 1989, complete with whistles and cheers from the ecstatic clubbers. Taking in house, hip hop, disco, techno and more, this mix shows just how diverse the second Summer of Love really was.


By the mid 90s house had been surpassed by old skool rave, with people travelling from all over the country to Stu Allen's DJ sets at Bowlers. Defined by impossibly high BPMs, polished piano riffs and frenzied vocals, don't expect easy listening. More exhilarating than mainlining espresso.

But Manchester's about more than synthetic beats. In the late 60s, the Twisted Wheel brought Northern Soul to the masses before passing the torch a few miles down the road to Wigan Casino. You won't find any recorded mixes from this era, but pioneering DJ (and 'Tainted Love' discoverer) Richard Searling has collected some of his most-loved black American soul records here.

Often described as 'the best mix ever', ex-Eastern Bloc record shop clerk Justin Robertson's Journeys By DJ mixtape came as a free cassette with Select magazine in May 1995. This series treats the mix as a narrative artform rather than just a collection of songs, with this edition expertly welding together techno and breakbeat. It also features one of the first Chemical Brothers remixes, under their Dust Brothers handle, as well as rare tracks by Underworld, Orbital and New Order. 


Verdict, America's rainy city: 0. Britain's rainy city: 6.

Words: Ian Jones