When you think of Manchester music, you probably think Oasis, The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and not quite the pop and Clubland-style bangers of the 90s and 00s. And really, we wouldn’t blame you.
But there are a ton or artists to come out of our great city, aside from the bucket hat wearing Madchester crowd, too with pop, dance, garage and house tracks from back in the day that are still played now.
So, here’s a selection of oldies, goldies and a couple of newbies to unlock the nostalgia of those forgotten nights and festival moments. Scroll to the playlist at the bottom to listen to them all.
LMC vs. U2 – Take Me to the Clouds Above
Forever a summer anthem in our eyes, the 2004 hit ‘Take Me to The Clouds Above’ by Manchester trio LMC was the most played track on UK radio at the time of its release. It peaked at number one in the UK charts for two consecutive weeks.
The song is actually a mash up of Whitney Houston’s 1986 hit ‘How Will I Know’ with a sample of U2’s ‘With or Without You’, which most people don’t know. Nor Whitney Houston or U2 were ever present when the song was recorded, but U2 are still listed as one of the song’s artists.
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it became LMC’s most popular track of their own. But they’ve since produced for the likes of Avicii, Jessie J, New Order, Craig David and Jackson 5 – a seriously diverse catalogue if you ask me.
Sweet Female Attitude – Flowers
Sweet Female Attitude.
When Manchester duo Sweet Female Attitude released this garage classic in 2000, it landed itself in the top 40 biggest selling songs of the year and was awarded platinum certification with more than 600,000 sales and streams.
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It’s experienced a resurgence in more recent years though, with multiple covers and samples bringing it back into our lives thanks to DJ Spoony, the Sugababes and by Nathan Dawe and Jaykae.
Unfortunately for them, it was dubbed a bit of a ‘one hit wonder’. But what a hit to bow out with.
JP Cooper & Jonus Blue – Perfect Strangers
Jonas Blue’s huge track ‘Perfect Strangers’ featuring vocals from JP Cooper went platinum in 2016 and Cooper’s solo single ‘September Song’ followed. You know them both too well, you couldn’t escape them on the radio – and you could probably instinctively still sing along to every word.
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But, did you know JP is Mancunian?
Born and raised in little old Middleton, now the soulful singer boasts a whopping 11.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Go on, lad, for representing the boroughs.
Dario G – Sunchyme
Okay, Dario G actually formed in Cheshire but we’ll let that slide because it’s a banger. This summery one, ‘Sunchyme’, was the debut single from electronic music trio, released in 1997.
Now just one of the original members remain, Paul Spencer. He’s recently made a comeback in the charts working with the likes of Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne on his 2020 album, ‘Hola’ which got to number 3 in the UK Dance Album chart.
A proper summer classic. If you don’t think about drinking cocktails on a European beach whilst listening to this, there’s something wrong with you.
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Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl
Forming whilst at Manchester Uni in the late 80s, the Chemical Brothers rose to fame in the 90s to become some of the ultimate pioneers of electronic music. The absolute belter that is ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ came in 1999, and remains (arguably) one of the most iconic dance tracks to grace the UK charts.
M People – Moving On Up
This one needs no introduction. The soulful sounds of M People have been around since 1990. You only need to hear the intro to ‘Moving On Up’ and it’ll be stuck in your head all day – oops, sorry.
But the name M People is taken from the first letter of the first name of band member Mike Pickering, who over the years has also become synonymous with the Haçienda years. Whilst in December 2016, Billboard ranked them as the 83rd most successful dance artist of all time with over 11 million records sold worldwide.
N-Trance – Set You Free
Dance group N-Trance.
Originating in Oldham, N-Trance were one of the biggest-selling UK dance artists of the 90s and the legendary song ‘Set You Free’ is a certified clubland banger.
N-Trance’s Kevin O’Toole has said the song was inspired by a night out at the Haçienda a couple of years prior to producing the song. The first release of it only made it to number 39 in the Top 40 UK Charts in 1994 though. But a re-release in 1995 gave it a bump all the way to number 2. And rightly so because this is iconic stuff.
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K-Klass – Rhythm Is A Mystery
K-Klass met in the 1980s at The Haçienda. They soon became known for their remixes of popular songs like . But the first hit of their own was ‘Rhythm Is A Mystery’ in 1991. It sort of flopped when it was first released, however upon a re-release later that year, it charted at number 3 un the UK singles chart.
Calvin Harris & Alesso – Under Control ft. Hurts
If this doesn’t bring back clubbing memories amongst the under 30s, then nothing will. Hurts provide the vocals on this monster dance track ‘Under Control’ produced by Calvin Harris and Alesso.
Made up of vocalist Theo Hutchcraft and instrumentalist Adam Anderson, Hurts formed in Manchester more than 10 years ago. And their debut album ‘Happiness’ in 2010 achieved platinum states thirteen times over across Europe.
Ben Pearce – What I Might Do
The debut single from Manchester producer Ben Pearce went straight to the top of Beatport’s Deep House chart. If you frequented the clubs on Deansgate Locks circa 2013, ‘What I Might Do’ one was played on repeat so this surely has to bring back some memories of £2 vodka and Red Bulls. This deep house track with bluesy vocals was – and still is – a personal fave.
Have a listen to them all below!
Featured image: Chemical Brothers/Getty Image Archive
Music
The Stone Roses’ Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield has died aged 63
Daisy Jackson
Tributes are pouring in for Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, after it was announced that the Stone Roses legend has died at the age of 63.
The bassist, who was also part of Primal Scream, was born in Crumpsall and has been one of Manchester’s most beloved musical figures ever since finding fame in the 1980s.
Mani’s brother Greg broke the news this afternoon, writing on Facebook: “IT IS WITH THE HEAVIEST OF HEARTS THAT I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE THE SAD PASSING OF MY BROTHER GARY MANI MOUNFIELD. RIP RKID.”
Mani’s wife Imelda also passed away in late 2023 after a battle with bowel cancer, for which the pair had raised money and awareness since her diagnosis.
That included a huge star-studded fundraising party where Mani and Imelda raised more than £100k for The Christie and local NHS charities.
Mani and Imelda shared twin sons, who were born in 2012.
Tributes are now flooding in for Mani, especially from those who have also been a part of the Manchester music scene.
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown posted on X: “REST IN PEACE MANi X”
Rowetta shared a photo with Mani and Imelda and wrote: “Back with your Imelda, Mani. Going to miss you so much. All my love to the boys, the family & all those who knew & loved him.”
Tim Burgess of The Charlatans fame said: “I shared this photo a week or so ago on Mani’s birthday. It never failed to bring a smile to my face – and that was exactly the same for the man himself.
“One of the absolute best in every way – such a beautiful friend. Love you Mani x x. Never to be forgotten”
Shaun Ryder wrote: “RIP Mani – my heartfelt condolences to his twin boys and all of his family X”
Reverend and the Makers shared: “My heart is broken. Found out this morning and just felt low as it gets all day.
“Mani was my musical hero and just a lovely genuine human. When my Dad died , he offered me the warmest and best advice. No fuss, privately, straight up and always available to everyone.
“I’m a bit ill myself at the minute and not ashamed to say I shed at tear at the news. See on the next one mate.
“A true legend of the game. RIP”
Echo and the Bunnymen wrote: “I’m absolutely gutted to hear the news about Mani, who I have always loved and always will love, deeply and forever. Like a brother.
“I am in shock to be honest. Please tell me I’m just having a bad, bad dream. My thoughts and feelings and Mani, love to all of his family from me. Mac Bunnyman Xxx”
Featured image: Paul Husband
Music
Honey Dijon and Mix-stress on Homobloc, Manchester nightlife and more
Danny Jones
We sat down at Manchester’s iconic Star and Garter with the legendary Honey Dijon and Manchester’s own, Rebecca Swarray aka, Mix-Stress for an exclusive interview ahead of Homobloc 2025 to talk about all things queer culture, house music, and the future of clubbing.
From Chicago to Manchester, the pair reflected on the roots of the scene, finding joy in dark times, and why the dancefloor remains a sacred space.
Put simply, it was fascinating to see the pair dive deep into the culture.
Sharing a drink in the historic Manchester city centre pub, here’s how the chat between Mix-Stress and Honey went down…
Mix-Stress meets Honey Dijon – the interview
‘Every time I play Manchester, it’s just always a vibe’
Mix-Stress (MS): Welcome toThe Star and Garter. Manchester and Homobloc obviously holds a special place, and you’ve played here a few times. Can you tell me about any sets that stand out that are staying with you over the times you’ve visited here?
Honey Dijon (HD): I always have a great time when I play Manchester. Every time I play Warehouse Project, it’s just always a vibe. The crowd is just so enthusiastic and so fun and just so up for it. And Manchester and Chicago have a long history with house music, so it’s always fun to come here and represent. It doesn’t matter where, when or how – all my sets here have been incredibly fun.
‘So much has changed over the years – it feels like a different century’
MS: This will be your fourth time playing Homobloc in December. You played in 2019 when it started, then two post-pandemic shows. What do you feel has evolved over the years, musically, spiritually or sonically?
HD: So much has changed over the years. I mean, pre-pandemic, it was such a different world. It feels like it was a different century, actually, and we had no idea what we were going into.
At that time, we were just coming from the MeToo movement and the lack of diversity in dance music, so there was all this political awareness around club culture, which was really great – because so many voices that started this global movement have been queer people, people of colour, a lot of women.
The funny thing about diversity is about who’s having that conversation, because my friends and what I grew up with have always been diverse. So it was a different landscape.
During lockdown, there was a shift. If you were like an 18-year-old kid, there were two or three years where you couldn’t experience anything except online. That’s when this major shift happened – things became much more corporate, much more sanitised, and more about metrics and numbers.
There was less focus on, in my opinion, the heart of it – and it became big business. What I try to do as an artist is remind people whose shoulders I stand on and where I learned my craft, and to bring people together from all walks of life. There’s a new generation coming through, but it always goes back to the house.
MS: We’ve seen dancefloors across the world put out safe spaces policies. What does a ‘safe space’ mean to you today, and how do you create that energy?
HD: I try to play music that uplifts and celebrates. I think, with just the artist that I am, I try to make everyone welcome. It’s about joy, celebration, and release. Dancefloors are sacred spaces in a lot of ways, and I think through the music vibrationally that I play and what I speak on, it attracts a certain crowd.
For me, safe spaces aren’t just about not being harassed – it’s about being able to show up as yourself without being judged.
A safe space is where all feel welcome, where people can be free and not judged or harassed based on gender or sexuality. Dancefloors do what government and religion can’t – they bring people together from all walks of life to celebrate through music.
As the world moves further right, these spaces are becoming more important than ever. None of us are free until all of us are free – so I try to do that through my work, through the music and what I speak on.
‘Look into the darkness, but don’t stare at it.’
MS: The world is heavy right now – historically and currently. Where do you find joy, and how do you filter that into what you do?
Honey Dijon always gives an insightful interview.
HD: Where do I find joy? Turn off the internet. Be aware. I love this quote from RuPaul: “Look into the darkness, but don’t stare at it.” That really resonates with me.
Music is powerful – that’s why far-right governments fear art and music, because there’s so much power in it. I find joy in love, in freedom of expression, and in self-autonomy. Those are the things I try to facilitate through my art and through my music.
‘If Homobloc was a fragrance…’
MS: IfHomobloc was a fragrance, what would be the concoction?
HD: Armpit, asshole, and lip gloss.
If that isn’t an advert for a memorable night at Depot Mayfield, then we don’t know what is.
You can see the full lineup for Homobloc 2025 and grab your tickets to see Honey Dijon in Manchester and plenty more rightHERE.
Hannah Starkie -
18th June 2021 
