Jesus where to begin.
He was possibly the greatest influence on my life outside of my own family. For decades a presence in my life - and many others in the Manchester area - and so much a part of it. Until 87 I’d been a fan of rock music, then it all changed after hearing his shows.
I first heard him on some ridiculous 1am - 4am slot on Piccadilly/Key 103 and he was playing at the Millionaire’s Club in town then - and met him in Spin Inn.
Of course he then get his famous Sunday show Bus Dis hip hop, Souled Out for soul, and then the Garage & House Hour. Oh yes. My favourite ever recordings and I would suggest his crowning glory were his best of one hour mega mixes, from 1989 to 1992, though he did one in 93 too (In fact I’ve got the 89 mix but I’ve not seen it online so I might upload it).
I remember him playing at all sorts of places; Key 103 mad night out at Libertys Washway Road in Sale. Bloody crazy for a Tuesday night, fucking nuts. Also Kinetic in Stoke at Longton LeisureBowl, Life at Bowlers, Quest in Wolves and loads of other places. I even saw him in Chester once.
His radio shows continued; Don’t Touch that Dial - at his peak Key 103 had him on 4 of 5 nights a week (David Dunne Isometric Dance Class was the other night I think - it was ok, but it wasn’t Stu).
We then had the Saturday Night Mastermix 8-12 Saturday which was always funny cos he’d be advertising his gigs but also on air (tape) at the same time.
After the peak years I think he went down to broadcast for a station out of Reading run by Tim Grundy, before resurfacing on an online station, which I discovered as a radio channel via Sky tv of all places, Hardcore Nation. Of course the gigs continued.
In later years he’d established his own station OSN (old skool nation radio) with a Friday night show which was fabulous. He also went back to his first love, early 80s electro, which he played monthly. Fortunately all his OSN shows are out there as a legacy, and hopefully will long stay there.
He had an odd relationship with “mainstream dance” music which I felt was unduly snobby toward him - he once said he’d never played at Cream cos they wouldn’t book him cos they “thought he was a hardcore DJ”. Funnily enough I did see him many times in Liverpool though, but at the 051 club.
He once got on to the Essential Selection however - but not under his own name - it was classed a Media Records mix in 93, and he was given 30 mins under the name Clock. It’s still out there and great Italo tunes.
Like others, I can remember writing in for his mix lists before taking them down to Eastern and Spin Inn and trying to appear ‘in the know’ ;-) And the excitement of getting a name check when you wrote in, or winning an album on air as I did once.
In terms of issuing his own tunes Clock with Peter Pritchard was his most commercially successful brand, but I remember earlier tunes under the names Visa and Catch before that.
I can’t agree with the OPs negative comments about the path his career took. His did play hardcore in his later years - since mid 90s actually - but he did it because he wanted to, and liked the music, - as did I - and he still took bookings for both house sets and hardcore sets. Some of the hard stuff was just as good and exciting, just different, and he would still exercise the same quality control over the tunes - he could still pick out the gems.
It was his tune selection rather than his mixing skills which made him special. That, and he could master so many genres, as shown by his wonderful, generous lockdown shows where he kept us all in great spirits when we were stuck at home, be it trance, italo, garage, hip hop, hardcore.
Oh, and the fact that he was a genuinely really nice bloke.
I’m heartbroken we have lost him, and have lost a massive part of my life. No one will ever come close.
RIP and love to you up there Stu, x
