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The Hacienda Discotheque/Gut ****

The story of Manchester's musical machinations may be well known, but what about a fascinating subplot played out in former yacht showrooms on Whitworth Street? In this desolate downtown area, a New York-style club would play just as important a role in Manchester's musical development as any bunch of baggy chancers or mawkish miserabilists. From 1982 to 1997, the Hacienda's DJs were hugely adventurous in what they would spin, with electropop, hip-hop, acid house tracks, Detroit techno groovers, piano-house anthems and vocal boom tunes all holding sway. What's so splendid about this compilation is how well everything fits together, with the post-punk soundclash of ImpLOG's Holland Tunnel Drive and the seminal Break Dance (Electric Boogie) from Westside Mob sounding every jot as timeless as De'Lacy's Hideaway or A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray.www.discothequeclassics.com  Jim Carroll