CityLife

Terry turns on the Northern Funk

Northern Funkers look forward to Terry's arrival

SUMMER can be a busy time, especially if you’re a renowned media personality and former star of Celebrity Big Brother.

Indeed, the sunny season brings out all manner of light entertainment producers, eager to thrust jobs into the safest hands they can find.

We catch up with renowned media personality and former star of Celebrity Big Brother Terry Christian on a break in his hectic schedule of meetings and conference calls.

“I’ve just been invited to appear on Big Brother’s Little Brother,” he tells us, acknowledging the ongoing punditry that accompanies being one of the only people to ever enter and leave the famed house with their sanity – and dignity – intact.

Currently busy with his popular MUTV show, he’s also fielding calls to appear on a variety of panel shows, as well as a new project from wordy meeja satirist Charlie Brooker, details of which are still tightly under wraps at the shouty Guardian man’s Zeppotron HQ.

Northern Funk

All of which makes his upcoming DJ set at Northern Funk, which Christian counts among his favourite club nights, something of a welcome break.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “I’ve not DJed properly for about 15 years now. I mean, I’ve done the odd bit in exchange for a few pints at my mate’s bar, but this will be the first time I’ve done a proper set in ages.”

“I used to go [to Northern Funk forebear Funkademia] around 10 years ago. It’s just a great mix of music that they play; stuff from the '70s, '80s, soul and funk records. There are some real gems in there.”

Throughout his career, Christian has built a reputation for being at the cutting edge and breaking new music, at times rivalling the late, great Tony Wilson in terms of his commitment to pushing the latest local talent. So how does he square his pulse-groping past form with a night spent spinning predominantly older records?

Genre terrorism

“Well, there are some fantastic tunes from that era,” says the presenter. “I never bought into ‘genre terrorism’, the idea that you shouldn’t like certain things because of the style or time in which they’re made and that some genres are better than others.”

“In reality, there are turkeys in every genre and the bad usually outweighs the good. They key thing is finding the good stuff no matter what the style or era.”

For a man so readily associated with the world of indie, Terry has been a long-time fan of the Manchester clubbing scene.

“I’ve had some fantastic nights out in town,” he tells us. “It would be impossible to pinpoint my favourite. It might have passed, it might be yet to come, you just don’t know. The thing about going out clubbing is the excitement, the unpredictability surrounding the night. Even on the bus beforehand, there’s a massive buzz around what will happen.”

Cult of the DJ

One aspect of clubbing does bother Terry, however; the cult of the DJ: “When I went out, I was never one to worship the DJ; I wouldn’t stand in front of the booth with my arms in the air or anything like that.

“I was always far more interested in what tunes they were playing and what the atmosphere was like.”

With that in mind, what track does Terry think is guaranteed to set a party off with a bang?

“It’s got to be Le Freak by Chic. In many ways, that’s a very punk record, so it’s no wonder it always goes off when it gets played. It’s an anti-stereotyping song written by a group of people who refused to be pigeonholed. It only sounds pop because of the way it’s produced, which I think makes it even more subversive.

“I’ll just bring some CDs along and try to have fun,” says Christian. “My approach to DJing is all about having a good time. I’ll just play a few of my favourites and hope it goes well."

Northern Funk takes place at One Central Street on Friday, June 26. 10.30pm - 2.30am. £4, £5.