INDEX
The Manchester Club Scene
– I thought parties were like that all the time, but I guess it was just for that one time. You started DJing in Ibiza, and then you did the next one at Sunkissed in Manchester, right? When was that?
Sugiura: 2010, I think. That was 15 years ago.
– How was Manchester?
Sugiura: Manchester was amazing. Of course, I love Ibiza, but I actually looked up rent prices because I wanted to live in Manchester, even checked out apartments on the site of the Hacienda [laughs]. It’s not that expensive there; I thought I could easily afford to live there rather than in a tower apartment in Japan. Manchester’s streets are dotted with Northern Soul 7-inch record shops like convenience stores. And there aren’t any posers around. When I DJed there with 2 Many DJ’s and Justin Robertson, they were like, “Who’s SUGIURUMN?” But then all the members of Happy Mondays came over, and they were like, “Who is this guy? Why are Manchester legends coming to meet him?” [laughs] I was really happy at that time.
– I know, right? Mandays came to greet us saying, “Sugi, you came well.
Sugiura: At another time, the day before I was set to DJ, the club’s water pipes burst, and the party had to be canceled. The club staff told me to definitely come again months later with the same lineup. They really called me, showing that kind of manliness to everyone. In Manchester, there’s this big party called “THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT” from November to December. It’s packed with world-class DJs alongside The Chemical Brothers headlining. Tickets are sold out in advance, but I got to go backstage. In places like Ibiza, it can take a while for the crowd to fill up, but in Manchester, the floor is packed from the moment it opens. Even at the bar, nobody cuts in line, and sometimes they ask, “Did you come from Japan?” and let you go ahead or treat you. They’re like tough guys from Hell’s Angels (laughs), but it’s the best. There’s no flirting even if girls wear revealing clothes, and Manchester is full of such pleasant things all the time.
