Radioshow featuring 101 of my fav various tracks, and all the stories, from my years running an all ages mobile disco, as Mr Manic & DJ Dedication. Free download if you like including 45+ photos and video highlights.

The idea to begin a mobile disco for local parties began in 2007, when my daughter Scarlett was in the kitchen playing with the record player, and put on her first 7" on her own, on her 2nd birthday. I wanted my kids to grow up listening to the greatest dancing musics from the whole of history. I have a natural affinity with kids, so i began slowly by offering my skills as a novice kids entertainer providing parties, themed around dancing music and sound.

This then combined with winning the prize money from the Paul Hamlyn Award for Composers Prize in 2008, which gave me the seed money to invest in proper kit. After a while I was asked if Mr Manic could DJ at the parents parties, 30th's 40th's and then I was brave enough to embark on weddings... It was quite a paradigm shift in my life to evolve into a kids entertainer and wedding DJ. The reality was though, that these parties, these moments in your life, are among the happiest most joyful moments, experienced with all your loved ones. Dancing brings people together. My skills developed through experience, i take risks, i make suggestions and host the party and am thus a bit cheeky, I thought perhaps i may ruin a wedding by saying the wrong idea that jumps into my mind, but it turns out that people don't think I am an idiot. In fact quite the opposite happened, straight away.

The very first time i tested out turning the box of records around, was for a Brick Lane loft party for Alex and a flock of 30 somethings... before i had even played one record, the first person to walk in said why am i turning the box around to face them, and she was surprised, liked it and exclaimed i am the best DJ in the world... Ummm hold on there, give me a chance!... then after my set it was v late and i crashed out in a bunk pod on site... to then experience a lady in a mask climb up a ladder in a mask, ummm hang on I thought... this is the allure of the DJ,,, but a bit late, as i was happily married. She kissed me on the cheek four times without aaaany response from me pretending to be out of it and she left.... hey ho, i loved telling Mrs Manic about the experience and she was happy about it too.

I had tried out DJ'ing back in my flat in Manchester early 90's, and I had tried DJ'in with Dave the Rave at the RCA Art Bar in '95/'96, but nothing had evolved further. So I had a think, why would there be such a thing as crying brides at their own parties, and way back when i was 12, why did the DJ have a box of alphabetical white sleeved 7"s behind him, and i knew none of the song names or what anything was.... how could i do the opposite of these experiences. I decided to curate a box of 300 x 7"s assembled from my own youth, and from buying collections from retired pub DJ's for cheap.. lots of life in those grooves in those records... they all had to have an original picture sleeve. I put my DJ table at the same level as the dance floor, on the edge in the middle, then turned around my box of records, and digital playlists for my iPod's, and asked the audience to come and have a rummage and see what magic may emerge. I turned my ego around, and thus got involved in the lives of the dancers and their experiences their stories. I have never had a bad party. the lucky dip disco concept can adapt to any situation.

I also spent the next decade researching the history, from watching documentaries, listening to interviews, reading history books, and curated a digital playlist of songs that are epic. All the adults who sent in their top 20 lifetime songs for their parties, helped me widen my taste and my knowledge, and then seeing them all enjoying themselves to songs i used to think of as naff, well, it was inspiring. I have learned the power of cheesy music, one persons cheesy crap is another cracking track. I even did an art installation event around that theme, The 'Unlucky Dip Disco'.

I ended up playing up to 60 parties a year, mostly for 5yr olds, who are the perfect age. Winding up a gramophone and teaching them about how sound works, and involving the parents in dancing to Strauss or Pachabel or 90's rave musics etc etc etc etc, making up games to famous pop songs, like 'Sit Down' where i invited the party child to DJ the room... when they stopped the record everyone of course had to sit down... at a high point I did 5 parties of all ages in one weekend, and i played to 7500 people in the foyer of the Opera House in Porto, Portugal for a city wide culture night. For 12 years I ran a winter monthly event for the public at my local arts centre Riverhouse Barn, encouraging adults and children to all come to dance together for the afternoon. It has all been such a magical adventure.

in 2020 began Corona, and this was apparently an opportunity to wind down the kids parties as my own life changed, and no harm ending kids parties by being the resident DJ for the V&A Museum of Childhood! Later that year I won the UK 'Best Mobile DJ' Award. Lucky Dip Disco grooves on to this day, and these are the stories that i have massively enjoying being part of. Happy Dancing. The party continues.... enjoy the show . . .