FAC 51: THE HACIENDA | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Fri 26 Aug
Anyone who loved the dance music revolution of the late 80s and early 90s knows that the Hacienda was at the cutting edge of music. The Factory Records-run club, assigned the catalogue number FAC51, is still considered one of the most important clubs in the history of dance music culture. A superclub before the term even existed, it defined a scene and helped put dance music on the map in the UK. It finally closed it doors in 1997 and was demolished in 2002; New Order’s Peter Hook now owns the Haçienda and FAC51 trademarks.
Bringing us up to date, FAC51 The Haçienda tells us it is exporting its inimitable brand of musical hedonism through events across the UK and further afield. There have already been a string of dates this year for Haçienda Classical, where the music most strongly associated with their glory days is being performed by a full classical orchestra.
And so, embracing the legacy of the venue, FAC 51 The Haçienda kicked off the Bank Holiday weekend with its first ever Cardiff date: two of the original DJs who shaped the club’s sound alongside two of house music’s pioneers.
Having a long association with the Haçienda and being the resident DJ at the club night Hot in the late 80s, this evening’s opener Jon DaSilva was at the epicentre of the early days of UK dance music. what with the 7pm start, though, we unfortunately only caught the last of his set, his final track being the Radio Slave Remix of Slam’s Azure.
Then, with the slogan “Think about the future” as the backdrop, Graeme Park took to the decks. With a nine-year residency at the Hacienda, and hosting his night Nude, Park was there when it all started. He mixed up new releases such as Crackazat’s wonderful Universal Love with Tom Tom Club’s 1981 hit Wordy Rappinghood, to the dancefloor’s delight.
Faced with a buoyant room, Marshall Jefferson didn’t disappoint. One of the original innovators of Chicago house, he worked the mixer through his eclectic set, housing it up with Moonbootica’s heavily sampled Work Your Body, House Republic’s Nuggetz and Jax Jones’ House Work before dropping classic after classic from Derrick May, Alison Limerick and Frankie Knuckles.
We definitely moved our bodies and when Derrick Carter [pictured] closed the night, the crowd showed their appreciation. House legend Carter instilled more energy into the Tramshed for the final set of the evening: his diverse, fresh set moved from house sounds to moody techno with a continuous, dancefloor-delighting groove. Although the club may now hold a mythical status, the Haçienda brand lives on.
words EMMA JAYNE
