We had a chat with Buckley ahead of Up Grade, his party at The Imaginarium, which takes place on Friday the 24th of March
Imaginarium: Tell us a bit about your upcoming party at the space
Buckley: The night started in Ibiza, about five years ago – it’s been five years in May. I started it because I was living out there, and I wanted to do a party. I was playing out there, but I was doing beach parties and chiringuitos, and I was resident for Wax Da Jam at Pikes. I wasn’t really doing much clubby stuff.
I found this great little venue in Ibiza Town called Malanga that’s open all year round, and it’s more of a local thing, so it’s not relying on tourists – which is why it’s open all year. Also, it’s not a house venue. There’s loads of live music there. It’s a really authentic place.
Anyway, I said to them, give me a chance. It’s going to be house music, but it’s not all white noise. It’s not just noise and drum rolls and what you would expect in big clubs, just give it a go. There’s lots of vocals, it’s nice and warm, it’s got funk and all this kind of thing. Basically, I blagged them. Anyway, it went ahead, and they loved it. So it started there, really. I was doing every other month while I was living there.
After that, when I came back to the UK, I did a few parties in London, I did some through lockdown and we had the third birthday in London with Inland Knights and Rob Mello.
We did the fourth birthday back at Malanga where it originally started. That was the busiest that we’ve had and Frenchy was over from England, so he came and played for us, and I also had Nightmares on Wax and Simon Morell playing too.
So yeah, that’s how it started. And then I took it on the road to a couple of places. We did one in Distrikt about three years ago. But it’s all been sporadic. It’s been my little baby, as and when I’m motivated, as and when it seems like the right thing to do, you know?
When I was in Ibiza for those five years, it was perfect. It fitted in around all the other stuff that I was doing. And it also gave me a chance to get it out of my system and do what I wanted to really do musically.
Imaginarium: You’ve got Connor McDaid and Liam Glennon in to play at this one…
Buckley: Yeah, they’re both really cool young lads. They’ve both got a good musical path ahead of them if they want. I don’t want to do them an injustice by saying they’re only just starting out. They could go a long way and they’re just really cool and enthusiastic, and they’ve got a good crew behind them, and we’re not a million miles apart musically and stuff like that. Also, they’re just good lads.
Imaginarium: What made you decide on The Imaginarium as a venue?
Buckley: Moving back to England, I was doing the parties in London and then last year I decided to do something in Leeds as I obviously know Matt (Imaginarium co-owner), and this opportunity just arose.
I came here and checked it out at Christmas, when I was in Leeds for a friend’s birthday party. The two guys that are going to be playing for me were playing at that party. It ticked all the boxes and I said I wouldn’t mind doing four parties. So it’s March, June, September and December.
I wanted to just do it house, but like house, hip hop, and hip house, because when I first started going out, back in the late eighties, before you had Basics and other clubs like that, they were only a couple of venues that were playing house music. So it wasn’t really until Ricky’s, which started in the summer of ’89, until then, they weren’t really any clubs in Leeds that played House music all night. So on a night out you’d get all these different cultures all in the same place at the same time.
You’d get b-boys with soul boys. There’d be half an hour of house music, and that was the latest thing. You had all these new young kids that were just on the cusp of this thing that’s about to take off, but in between that you’d have breakdancing, and guys dancing to jazz and soul in spats and suits, all in the same place. The music was very close between all of these styles. What the b-boys were playing was like hip hop breaks which was close to house – close to what house music was like at that stage. So I just wanted to do something like that, without being retro, still being contemporary, but just inspired by that idea, that vibe. As in to try and bring some different cultures, all into the same space, instead of just having a house night or a this night or a that night.
Also, because I know a lot of people, and because it’s a small venue, I thought I can stick my neck out and take that risk.
So for the June night, I’ve got DJ Weston. He’s an old school b-boy in every sense of the word. He’s a graffiti artist. Back in the day he was a killer breakdancer. He’s in his fifties now, so he can’t windmill like he used to, but he’s an amazing DJ. I wouldn’t say like he’s a hip hop DJ because he plays breaks and all kinds of styles, and he’s been around forever, but he’s still enthusiastic, and he’s still into it, and he’s promoted nights around and outside of Leeds for years, and brought in some serious big dog hip hop artists.
Anyway, I’ve been speaking to him about this idea, I said look, this is what I want to do, I just want it to have a flavour of everything. And I’d like him to play, even if he only plays for an hour.
I have someone else who plays more kind of hip housey stuff, which is pretty common again, there’s a lot of hip house shit about at the moment. People are into it, and they’re not a million miles away, the two things – you’re just talking tempos now, vibe-wise it’s the same, and I’ll find a way of bridging it all together.
The one in September is with Andy Riley from Inland Knights and Grace Sands who’s resident at Bloc 9 (Glastonbury) so that will be a straight up house affair. I know them both personally and it’s something we have discussed between the three of us on a couple of occasions, so it’s nice that it’s finally happening.
The December one, I’m thinking maybe just do the whole night on my own. I’d love to be self-indulgent, play six hours, and kind of go wherever it goes.
So over all the parties, it’s quite a good little mix.
This party is just a small, intimate thing, and Leeds is my old hometown – I was a resident at Basics for over ten years, and I’ve not had a residency in Leeds for ten years. So it’s nice to have a base to come back to, and just throw a little party for your mates and the young bloods. Anything else is a bonus really.
So I can’t remember what your original question was.
Imaginarium: Well you’ve gone into my next question anyway, so that’s great – I originally asked what brought you to choosing The Imaginarium as a venue?
Buckley: Ah yeah. So I know Matt, and I know Rory (Imaginarium co-owner). I played for Rory at Subterranea, his night, a few years ago. I think I played their first birthday when it was still in York, and I’ve played for them a couple of times.
So it all just fell into place for me. Last year I was thinking that when I go into 2023, I’m gonna just step up the game a little bit, and just put a bit more effort into a few more parties. Because they’ve been really sporadic and because I’m always on the move, it depends what city I’m in, and if I’m settled in long enough to be like, let’s do it.
Imaginarium: You’re not doing tickets, you’re just doing pay on the door. Why have you chosen to do it in this way?
Buckley: I actually just thought that, why? I just wasn’t sure what the big deal is about tickets. Unless I’m probably totally missing the point. I know I could be, but I’ve been at that stage and it just puts you in a different head space, and it’s not necessarily a positive thing. Like when I did my third birthday at Besing House in London and that was when we just came out of lockdown, and I sold loads of tickets and probably took the most on the door from any party, but it was probably the quietest party.
So it was kind of a bittersweet – every DJ got paid, the hire of the club got paid, and I got a nice chunk of money in the bank that I wasn’t expecting, but I didn’t have the party that I was expecting. So when it comes to this I was like, do you know what! my overheads and stuff are not enough for me to be all over it. You know, how many people are coming, how many tickets have I sold? So I will be looking at it from a different angle, unless I’m missing the point.
Imaginarium: No, I mean it’s a small venue anyway. That’s a fair point. We do like people to list them on Resident Advisor, just because a lot of people use that just to find listings. But I do see your point.
Buckley: I just took the gamble because it’s what, you know, the capacity is a hundred people. I probably know 60 people already that are coming, you know what I mean? And that just leaves a little bit of room for a walk ins or whatever. We shall see…
As long as it’s not a total flop, which I don’t think it will be, just because it’s such a small space and I’ve got such a good crowd coming.
Imaginarium: Outside of planning this party, what have you been up to recently?
Buckley: You’ve caught me at a weird time. I’ve been away for two months. I’ve been traveling around India. I went to Goa, Chennai, and Kerala, and where else did I go? Delhi, and then I went to Zanzibar. So I’ve been away for two months, and got back last week, and I guess I’m getting back to this stuff really. I’ve been back a couple of days, but I’ve got a party in less than two weeks. So my focus is on that really – getting my music ready and stuff. Because obviously I’m out of the loop. I mean there’s a photograph that I posted the other day when I’ve got like 22 vinyl envelopes on me.
Imaginarium: Haha yeah, I saw that.
Buckley: They’re all the records that I’ve been ordering while I’ve been away, So between now and the party I’m going to just get focused, and try and get an idea of what I think I’m going to play.
After that my focus goes straight onto the fifth birthday, which is at Pikes. Nice. I’m really happy about that. I’ve already been resident for Pikes, and then I just got the opportunity to do the fifth birthday there. I’ve got Tristan Da Cunha playing. And then there’s these guys called A.M. Project who I actually know personally, they’re signed to Dungeon Meat. They entered a competition and sent him one of their tracks, and it got picked and signed, and now they’re part of the crew, which is funny because I know them anyway. Then there’s two girls – Yass and Mali. Mali also playing. They play back to back and are really cool. And then in between that the summer starts for a bit. So I’m backwards and forwards from there.
Also, I’m going to do some festivals this year. I wanna do Glastonbury again, and there’s a festival that Mr. C has got on in Bournemouth that he’s asked me to play. Summer Love. It should be cool. He wants me to do the Detroit techno arena, which is not what I do – I’ve got those tunes but I don’t normally play like that, but it’ll be cool.
Like I said, I’ve got a little skeleton of things that I know are already happening between now and December, and it’s just filling gaps and going with the flow really between now and then, and try to stay focused and chase up things, not getting lazy, you know, following it up. So that’s the plan.
Door opens at 10pm for Up Grade, and the party carries on till 4am. You can find out more here
Interview: R Brehl