Although most would recognise The Refuge for its A* Sunday roast and grandiose interiors, the bar and restaurant in the Kimpton hotel is also a bit of a dark horse when it comes to partying.
Saturdays and Sundays usually welcome local Manchester selectors to the Oxford Street venue, armed with record bags full of disco gems that, quite often, include hits from John Morales, one of New York’s original pioneers of the Studio 54 sound.
Continuing to champion the golden-age of the dance floor a whole 40 years later, the DJ has announced his only UK date this year and, lucky for us, it’s right here in Manchester – more specifically, The Refuge’s underground disco den.
Taking place next Saturday (25 March) from 9pm – 3am, John Morales will be joined by Manchester’s very own Supernature Disco and Conan the Selector, both of whom would most likely cite the DJ as a huge influence on their own career behind the decks.
Guests can expect a journey through the unmistakable 70s disco sound, early electronica and Morales’ remixes that shot him to fame. When the self taught engineer first started out he’d work on lengthening the short records he loved, long before the extended mixes we’re familiar with now. This led him to release his iconic M&M Mixes, where he reworked songs from artists including Jocelyn Brown, Tina Turner, The Temptations, Candi Staton and more.
The M&M Mixes still dominate his sets today. The tracks were created for parties, elongated club mixes that you never want to end, and, over the years, Morales has released around 400 remixes that have spanned the Bronx’s Stardust Ballroom to Studio 54 and now The Refuge’s basement all these years later.
The DJ isn’t exactly a stranger to Manchester, either, as he’s performed at many of the city’s most famous clubs, including SOUP, the Carlton Club and more recently, The Blues Kitchen. You’ll also find him performing as part of the Glitterbox series of events which often bring beaming faces dancing along to house and disco classics to venues across the globe.
Morales will hit Manchester on Saturday 25 March for his only UK gig of 2023. Tickets are on sale now for the event priced at £16.75.
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Edit presents: John Morales
Date: Saturday 25 March
Venue: The Refuge
Time: 9pm – 3am
Price: £16.75
