The Locomotive club in Paris (next door to the Moulin Rouge) hosted a Hacienda night featuring Mike Pickering and he played a pure acid house set and it kinda went over the heads of the people there, so they decided to invite me instead because I guess they thought a playlist that mixed up the house with the Kinks and New Order and stuff would be easier for Paris to digest. At this time I think it would be fair to say that the gay clubs were playing house in Paris but generally France hadn’t got the rave thing.

I went over to the Loco once a month for about a year. The Jim Morrison types and the Smiths fans, and the little French Madonnas were happy enough. We had live bands most months as well; usually bands from Manchester (James) or associated with Madchester (like the Farm, later in the year). Peter Hook’s band Revenge played one month as well.

Erik Rug was the resident at the Loco at the time and that was where I first met him; and we’ve kept in touch and played gigs in various places in the sixteen years since my first Loco trips.