Greg Wilson Saddles Up For Horse, Meat Disco

Manchester electro pioneer Greg Wilson plays a rare London DJ set this weekend, when he headlines the acclaimed queer/ mixed disco mash-up party Horse Meat Disco.

The original Hacienda/ Wigan Pier legend will be spinning alongside residents James Hillard, Severino and Filthy Luka at the alwaysbusy Sunday afternoon/ evening affair and told Skrufff he's really looking forward to the gig.

"I'll be playing for the last four hours, between 10pm - 2am," said Greg, "from all accounts it's quite a party."

Wilson was one of the highest rated DJs of the pre-house 80s era, pioneering the underground electro, disco and funk music of the time that laid the foundations for what became house and techno. However, his refusal to be pigeon-holed left him increasingly marginalized as dance music began splintering into narrowly defined genres.

"Lots of people would say to me 'why don't you trade on your past reputation' and it all sounded good up to the point where they'd say 'all you have to do is decide which genre you want to specialise in'," he told Skrufff in an interview last November.

"The idea of zooming in on a narrow zone of music based around one bpm (beats per minute- music ed) just never appealed to me at all."

Increasingly disillusioned with clubland as the 90s progressed ('I remember sitting in my room late at night with all my records, my books and videos around me, not wanting to listen to any of them', he admitted) he rediscovered his muse via the emergence of electroclash and clubs finally returning to anything goes/ open music policies.

"Now I'm back to how I felt like 20 years ago, music's hitting me from different directions, I'm exchanging ideas with people and wanting to hear what's going on," he added.

"But what I don't want to do is something that's just retrospective. I'd like to have to be able to draw from my past but at the same time draw from what's happening now."

Horse Meat Disco runs between 1pm and 2am on Sunday May 2 at Vauxhall bar/ club South Central (formerly known as Dukes). Door charges are £3 before 7pm and £5 after for what's certain to be a road-blocked (and excellent) event. Early arrival is essential!
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