Original Hacienda DJ Paulette is writing a tell-all book about her 30-year career
Welcome to the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ will detail the highs and lows of DJ Paulette's career, from the Hacienda to Homoelectric
In a complete first for Manchester music legend DJ Paulette, she has revealed she is writing a new tell-all book – detailing her amazing 30-year career and shining a light on discrimination within the dance music world.
Titled Welcome To The Club: The Life And Lessons Of A Black Woman DJ, Paulette says it will tell the ‘candid story’ of her hugely successful DJ career, which has seen her hold high profile residencies at some of the best parties in the world, including the Hacienda, Ministry of Sound and Queen Club in Paris.
But as well as detailing the many highs of her career, it will also examine the lows in a ‘candid’ fashion – with Paulette promising to confront “the exclusion, misogyny, racism, and classism which still sadly characterise the dance music world and the broader industry” within its pages.
DJ Paulette pictured with Drag Race winner Krystal Versace at the 2021 BBC finale, which she soundtracked / Image: Dj Paulette
Described as both a memoir and a “call to arms”, Welcome To The Club will feature contributions from some of her fellow UK DJs including Dave Haslam, Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova, Sonique, Smokin Jo, Norman Jay and Jaguar.
It’s sure to be filled with some amazing stories. She is, after all, a true dance music icon and has been at the heart of the global house scene for many years.
A young DJ Paulette plays Flesh at The Hacienda / Image; DJ Paulette via The British Culture Archive. Original image by @jonshard.
Whilst still in her twenties Paulette made history as the Hacienda’s first female DJ resident, first coming on board to play the club’s gay night, Flesh Nites, with organizers bringing her in after seeing just one DJ set – which happened to be her debut.
She stayed for four and a half years, progressing to resident along the way, then moved down to London to play at the Garage club nights at Heaven, followed by residencies at Brighton’s The Zap Club and the Ministry of Sound.
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Later, in 2004, she lived in Paris for some time and has also done some stints in Ibiza, but today she can be found in her hometown of Manchester – the place where she was born and raised.
Speaking about her upcoming book, due to be published in 2023, she said: “I tell my story with authenticity and humour, gathering together a stellar array of the electronic music industry’s icons, gatekeepers and fierce future forces who have joined me in this fantastic voyage to put the wider, underlying issues into perspective.
DJ Paulette and Jenna G pictured together backstage at Manchester International Festival 2021 / Image: DJ Paulette
“It’s an epic and inspirational journey that I am excited to share with the world.”
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Sharing the news to Twitter, Paulette later added: “So the cat’s out the bag – I have been commissioned to write a book for Manchester University Press the title is Welcome To The Club – writing for 2022, published in 2023.
“Not ambitious at all for a first book.”
Tom Dark, the senior commissioning editor for Manchester University Press, was quick to snap up the book and has acquired world all language rights directly from the author for publication in 2023.
Dark said on the upcoming book: “I’m delighted to be publishing Paulette’s book. This is a real project of passion for her, and a chance to pass on her learnings to the next generation of creative women.”
According to Manchester University Press, preorders will not go live for another six to nine months – so if you want to get your hands on a copy early, they say that the best way to keep track of developments is to join the MUP newsletter here.
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Georgina Pellant -
11th January 2022 
