Anyone who puts themselves in the position of being a nightclub DJ has the option of following the tastes of the day or being a tastemaker. So either you relent when the collagen lady asks you for the Black Eyed Peas, or you play the No. 1 song in heaven—the song that everyone loves in the afterlife because it's paradise. Little Martin, one of the DJs at the notorious Hacienda in Manchester, is not a terrestrial sort. He is a trendsetter; he can and will make you dance.
Little Martin spun at the Factory Records- and New Order-owned Hacienda Club for the crucial period of 1985 through 1988 along with other DJ legends such as Mike Pickering and David Haslam. Like the Wigan Casino was for soul and the Paradise Garage was for disco, the Hacienda was breaking new ground in the electronic dance movement, with Little Martin playing a starring role in its genesis. During the Friday Night “Nude Night” residency in Manchester with Pickering, he helped usher in the rave movement and was one of the first DJs to spin house and acid house in Manchester, the immeasurable influence of which is reflected everywhere from the music of New Order and the Pet Shop Boys to the contemporary dance music of such artists as Cut Copy, DAT Politics, Mouse On Mars, Felix Da Housecat and DFA artists.
A diverse sampling of all sorts of genres and styles—including house, disco, pop, punk, R&B, post-punk and electrofunk—can be expected during a Little Martin DJ set; the beat will change and derange. Need more proof? Consider the list of people he has collaborated and spun with: Frankie Knuckles, New Order, the Smiths, Laurent Garnier and Roy Ayers.
Peter Hook of New Order and Joy Division will also make a triumphant return to Orange County, playing remixes and mash-ups of his own music as well as some pretty fucked-up dance music from across the pond. He does some pretty awesome Christ poses behind the tables, too.
The Hacienda Tour 2006 with Peter Hook and special guest Little Martin at Detroit Bar, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 646-0600; www.detroitbar.com. Sat., 9 p.m. $15. 21+.
