Dave Haslam DJ-ed over four hundred and fifty times at the Hacienda, mostly Thursdays and Saturdays through the 'Madchester' years in the late 1980s when his eclectic, open-minded and ground-breaking DJing became a focus for Madchester's indie dance fraternity. Ian Brown, Tim Burgess, Justin Robertson, and the Chemical Brothers have all credited Haslam as an inspiration. His periods at the club were 1986-1990, 1991-1992, and then he returned to play at the club in 1996; he was DJing on the last night the Hacienda was open; June 28th 1997.
In the 1990s he hosted 'Freedom' and 'Yellow' at the Boardwalk and DJ-ed at the likes of 'Cream' in Liverpool, 'Angels' in Burnley, Home in London and round the world; including Ibiza, Chicago, Reykjavik, Paris, Lyon, Berlin, Dublin, Zurich, and Detroit. His gigs with bands include shows with the Stone Roses (at the Hacienda, Blackpool Empress Ballroom, Alexandra Palace, and Spike Island) and New Order at G-Mex. He's played at afterparties for New Order, Gorillaz, and Depeche Mode. His festival appearances include 'Creamfields' (August 2008), 'Standon Calling' (2010), 'FOM Fest' (2011) and 'Kendal Calling' (2011).
He describes his DJing philosophy as "playing the best records ever made one after the other" and his style as "eccentric/eclectic"; he has been described as "the man with golden ears". As well as his place in the history of Manchester clubs, he has pursued a career as a writer and journalist and has also been identified as one of the earliest and most influential champions of the new generation of Manchester bands; including Everything Everything and Delphic.
He currently hosts a number of club nights in Manchester, notably the successful guest-list only 'Sweet Sensation' night, at various venues, and a once-a-year 'Yellow' Reunion. Away from Manchester, he has recently played in Peru, Cleveland, New York, Paris, Hamburg, and Geneva.
