Maybe you were born in the wrong decade or country to be part of the legendary Haçienda dance club (1982-1997) and its attendant “Madchester” scene in Manchester, England in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Our own Paul Gallagher described the much-missed club, owned by Factory Records and New Order, as the ”night club where you could see Madonna one night and William Burroughs the next…The mix of who played there reads like an A & R man’s wet dream and included, New Order, The Happy Mondays, The Smiths, OMD, The Birthday Party, Husker Du, The Stone Roses, Oasis, James, Echo and The Bunnymen, A Certain Ratio, and Divine, amongst others. Mike Pickering, Graeme Park and Dave Haslam were host DJ’s, and in the late 1980s and 1990s, the club was the catalyst for Madchester - the music and drug fueled Second Summer of Love.” 
 

 
Original photos and videos of that time period are somewhat rare and, well, hazy. Anyone who was even close to a regular there can be counted on for an arsenal of entertaining war stories. However, now original playlists from Hacienda DJ’s like Graeme Park, Daniele Davoli, Lil Louis, and Sasha are available at Mixcloud and, for now, Old Skool Raver’s YouTube Channel.
 

 
More at MixCloud.

Pioneers,The Haçienda:

 
Here’s a walk-through video of the entire Ben Kelly-designed club shot by Ikon Films: