The beauty of dance music, more than anything else, is its power to bring us together.
The right mix, dropping at the right moment, can create a real sense of unity on the dancefloor, a moment of abandon where you dance side-by-side as one with people from all walks of life and feel free to express yourself without inhibitions.
Still, it’s surprisingly quite rare to see much about dance fans who live with disabilities – that viral video where Steve Aoki launched a cake into a crowd surfing, wheelchair-bound fan’s face aside.
It’s even rarer to hear about artists with disabilities enjoying life from the other side of the decks – but that’s exactly what 20-year-old DJ Jake Smith is doing.
Jake DJs in the VIP tent at Creamfields. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Jake pictured partying with friends. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
A DJ for around about six years now, he’s played sets at nightclubs in Ibiza and at the legendary UK dance music festival Creamfields and even had national airplay for his track ‘So Real’ on Radio 1.
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“I used to dream about having one of my tracks played on BBC Radio 1,” he told The Manc.
“I listen to Radio 1 every week and it was an honour to have a track broadcast on one of the biggest radio stations in the world.
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“I won’t ever forget my first-ever play on Radio 1-the buzz will stay with me for a while haha. This just proves that if you have a disability, you can still achieve anything like anyone else.”
A student of music production at South and West Cheshire College, he doesn’t just mix – but makes his own tunes too.
He also lives with cerebral palsy, a condition that can affect movement and coordination that is caused by a problem with the brain that can develop before, during or soon after birth. Not that he’s letting that stop him from pursuing his dreams.
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Jake poses backstage with one of his biggest musical inspirations, techno DJ Patrick Topping. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Jake tells us he has a team of PA’s and a supportive family who help him with daily tasks, whilst his dad and manager support him with attending gigs and festivals.
Having first fallen in love with dance music after listening to bangers in the car with his dad, he decided to give DJing a try for himself, only to find “a real passion and joy in music.”
Here in Manchester, he’s played some of the city’s coolest music venues – including Yes, Joshua Brooks and Stage & Radio, whilst in his hometown of Cheshire, he’s played the VIP tent at Creamfields, Nu Flava, and supported K Klass at Chester 7’s.
He’s also played nightclubs in Ibiza like Plastik and Ocean Beach, and had a number of his mixes played on Kiss FM radio – having initially won a 30-minute mix competition, he was soon invited back by the station to play again.
Video:Jake Smith DJ
Speaking to The Manc on how he feels when he plays out live, Jake said: “It’s like nothing else.”
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“I love performing live to an audience, the feedback you get from people is always amazing.
“To see the energy in the crowd and people dancing and having a great time to my mixes is really uplifting.”
Asked what he thinks of Manchester’s crowds in particular, he added: “The audiences in Manchester always bring so much energy to the gigs. The atmosphere is incredible.”
“Everyone is always up for a good time.”
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Inspired by artists like Danny Howard, Hannah Laing, Sorley and Patrick Topping, Jake tells us that he is currently working on some of his own new music which is yet to be released.
Jake poses alongside Manchester production and DJ duo Mark Richards and James Eliot, AKA Solardo. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Asked what advice he would give to anyone else wanting to get involved in the music industry, he’s full of enthusiasm.
“Go for it! Work hard and if things don’t work out the first time… don’t give up. Most importantly have fun.”
Jake has created a mix for The Manc Audio‘s new weekly Mini Mix Friday series which you can listen to below.
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This summer, he plans to head over to Ibiza again and says that Creamfields ‘may also be on the cards’. To keep up with where he will be this season, make sure to check out his social pages – as this is where he’ll announce any upcoming gigs.
Feature image – Jake Smith DJ
Audio
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Georgina Pellant -
28th May 2022 
