We catch up with the guys behind Development before their 2nd Birthday

Two years ago, Tom Lynch and Chris Feinmann (Under the Stairs) got together with Andy Proctor (Tweak) and decided to put on a night in Manchester so they could stop having to trek to other cities to hear the music they loved. Since then, Development has become something of a phenomenon. Pairing the skills of the residents with a genius knack for booking guests with their finger on the pulse of the soulful house scene, the party now attracts a ridiculously friendly crowd and has become one of the most well-respected nights in the North. We caught up with Tom, Chris and Andy as they carried out the final preparations for their 2nd Birthday party this Friday...

1. You've got five words to describe Development...

(All) Smiles, underground, house, disco, soul...

2. What are your favourite two memories of Development since it opened?

I'm suprised we can remember much to be honest, but the best two are:

(Chris) Hippie Torrales playing George Bensons 'The World is a Ghetto' as his last record absolutely loving it and lost in the moment, singing along and playing all the instruments with his eyes closed. An absolute joy to see! You can actually watch that on YouTube here
 
(Andy)  Probably when Danny Krivit was over at Easter this year. Danny's always been one of my favourite DJs and to have him playing at Development was an absolute pleasure, especially as we were still going strong very late on with our regulars left on the dancefloor. It was just one of those nights I'll always remember. He dropped Jackie Moore – This Time Baby at around 5.15am and it was an amazing moment. The lights were on and everyone was still dancing.  That's on YouTube here too.

3. Your night has a name around the country for booking incredible DJ's. Which DJs stick out the most?

(Tom) The first time Ron Trent played for us was mindblowing, one of the best sets we've ever heard anywhere. So many of the DJs we've had on seem to play amazing sets though; Osunlade, Spinna, Phil Asher, Frankie Feliciano, Hippie Torrales, Kerri Chandler... they've all nailed it in their own different ways.

4. With so many big names coming through your doors, have you ever been starstruck by someone you've booked?

(Chris) You start off thinking that all of the big U.S. DJs are superstars because they get paid loads of money and travel around a lot. But when it comes to it, they're just normal lads like everyone else (apart from a few big time charlies who we can't afford anyway!). It's amazing how many of them have quite an English sense of humour, some of them like football and some of them can even drink properly.

5. How has the clubbing scene changed since you started running nights?

(Andy) There's a nice DIY approach to running parties and DJing now. If people believe in a certain type of music then they just do a party and like minded fools with fivers turn up and dance with them. It's how it started for us and it's cool to see lots of other smaller parties popping up in Manchester now. Plus there seems to have been a resurgence of interest in disco and house, which is great. Hopefully, it'll drown out some of the fads.

6. Electric Chair is about to close; do you think this is a good call or a big blow to the clubbing scene?

( Tom) It's very sad to see it go as we've spent so many years going there and raving it up. I'm sure it won't be the end of Electriks in Manchester though and they're going out in absolute style over the next few months! RIP

7. What other nights do you rate at the moment?

(Tom) We all had a great night when we went to Naive Melody a few months back and Friends & Family packs them in. Their line-ups are brilliant, always a nice balance of live music and DJs. Also, we played at Stylus in the summer and that was a lot of fun too.

8. Last time we spoke to you, you were about to roll out a bi-monthly residency at Space in Leeds. How's that working out?

(Tom) It wasnt very good, so we stopped doing it. Leeds is a funny crowd sometimes and i think it was a hard push to do a weekly deep/soulful house night there.

9. Any other plans for world domination?

(Tom) Only after we've had our tea !

DEVELOPMENT 2ND BIRTHDAY

PHIL ASHER, HALO AND ZANSKIA LIVE

FRIDAY 5TH OCTOBER

MINT LOUNGE

10PM - 4AM

£8  / £10 otd

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