Dave Vincent has an incredibly successful portfolio in the nightclub industry. From his days working as part of legendary organisation, Pacha, Ibiza, to his hugely productive partnership with Sacha Lord Marchionne (now of The Warehouse Project), at Sankey Soap, to the present day where he’s essentially in sole control of the only reason to venture into Ancoats after dark.
His time in Ibiza is a big inspiration to this day. “I learnt a lot working with Pacha Ibiza because they’re an incredible club. All the people have worked there since day one. It’s been open 35 years, so it’s crazy like that. The good practices that I saw there influences the way I work now. Some things I’ve learnt, especially at Pacha, I took to Sankey’s.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PLACING 16TH IN THE TOP 100 CLUBS POLL AND 5TH IN THE DJ MAG FANS POLL?
Well for me the Fans Poll is the most important; the DJ Poll is a red herring. At the end of the day, fans pay money for the experience of a whole club, whereas a DJ would not see 95% of it. There are a lot of clubs in the poll we are better than, I have been to all these clubs, and we are better than at least eight of the ones ranked higher, so the DJ mag Fans Poll position of 5th is probably a better reflection of where we’re at. I would agree that Berghain is the best club in the world at the moment.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT FOR YOU AT SANKEYS?
There have been two…
1. Wishing Mad Graham a Merry Xmas in 2002 at the end of Carl Cox’s set and seeing the crowd go more madder for when I said his name than Carl Cox’s!
2. At the end of Tenaglia’s first 12 hour Marathon Set. I got on the mic and I couldn’t speak as I was in such a state of shock at how good it was anc actually cried.
WHICH PERSON HAVE YOU ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE MOST IN YOUR 15 YEARS AT SANKEYS?
Fuck! To say one person is hard…. I would say it is a toss up between Andrew Spiro (The Sankeys Soap founder) and Greg Vickers…. Hard Choice…. Both! Also Andy The Builder – what a legend!
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOW AND SANKEYS 15 YEARS AGO?
We are a lot more forward thinking as opposed to how Sankeys Soap was. Sankeys Soap had a Manchester club mind-set and wanted to be a great underground club for the city and the UK. Sankeys has a global mind-set and wants to be recognised as the best in the world, which we are not far away from now.
HOW HAS SPEKTRUM IMPACTED THE SANKEYS DYNAMIC?
Loads! It is finally getting and bringing back older people back to the space in there droves, as it is a lot more comfortable. Also there are a lot of sexy women there which is always good!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE KIND OF MUSIC?
Good music – I know when I hear this as it makes me dance.
BEST TUNE EVER PLAYED IN SANKEYS?
Hard one…. Maybe when Tenaglia played Michael Jackson’s ‘Can You Feel It’ and actually shone a torch on a Jackson type diamond glove in one hand and had a yellow smiley face in the other. Stuff of legends, you really would have had to have been there.
WHERE DO YOU PREDICT SANKEYS WILL FINISH IN THE 2010 DJ MAG POLL?
Well to be voted by fans as the 5th best club in the world in the DJ mag poll would be enough for most, but not me. I want Sankeys to be the best club in the universe. In 2010 I don’t know where we will poll but for the 15th Anniversary I will tune every element of the club to pure perfection. There are things needing to be re-tuned, I will tune 15 features into the 15th dimension, it will include an outdoor beech, brand new L.E.D. techniques that I will custom design for Sankeys and extra sound. I will re-design it exactly the way I want it to be. The layout and size of the club is perfect and I will never make it any bigger, but I will make it even better artistically. As long as I feel it is the best club in the world that is all that matters and it will be the end of June with our 15th dimension new design.
WHERE WILL YOU BE ON THE 50 YEAR CELEBRATIONS of SANKEYS?
Probably in another universe, but I will always be there, just like Obi Kenobi was for Luke…. making sure Sankeys uses its Jedi powers in a positive way and the force.
