With his roots firmly entrenched in the magic of Motown and Northern Soul, Barrie Jay has been peddling good music even before the heady nights of Wigan Casino left a lasting impression. His other major influence at that time was the atmosphere around Blackpool Mecca’s Highland Room and the groundbreaking music played by dj Colin Curtis as the change from Northern Soul to funk and jazz marched on. He appreciated his creative play-list that included such innovative artists such as Parliament and all the other members of the `Mothership`, especially Bootsy Collins with his Rubber Band, early Prince, The Ohio Players, Earth Wind and Fire and many obscure jazz funk artists from around the world.

As the seventies headed towards the eighties, and the spirit of Northern Soul, and the innovation of the jazz funk scene disappeared beneath a tide of banal disco music, Barrie became disillusioned with the dance music scene, and searched for other areas to satisfy his musical addiction.  It wasn’t until the arrival of new and inspirational forms of music, in particular the electro-pop coming from bands like the Human League and Cabaret Voltaire, that his faith in music was restored. He was very impressed with the experimentations in sound and production by Brian Eno and David Byrne and it was at this time that Barrie came across what has since become his most driving musical influence: German synthesiser pioneers Tangerine Dream.

 It was this love of electronic music that made possible Barrie’s transference to current Dance music. As the eighties ended and the acid explosion began in England and Europe, he was lead again into the dance music scene by the warehouse party nights around Blackburn and the north west of England.  As the parties turned into battlefields, and the freedom to party was lost, Barrie ventured to his decks and has been dj`ing throughout the nineties mainly in the U.K. but as far a-field as Ibiza and Australia, as well as the occasional trip to the studio. His early play-list was mainly European techno, and he was one of the first dj`s in the country to play such material, bought from his many journeys to Eastern Bloc records in Manchester.

His first venture into club-land alongside dj Martin Lever was Eureka in Blackpool, and is heralded as a great success.  The quality guest dj`s and artists it featured every week such as John DaSilva, Todd Terry, Justin Robertson, Roger Sanchez (his first ever UK gig) helped the club gain a lasting reputation for quality and innovation. A rift, now healed, lead to Barrie leaving.

His local record store, Melody House Records of Blackpool, also supplied some of the more obscure material he played.  It was this connection that lead to him co-founding Zone, where he tried to recreate the warehouse atmosphere and encompass the magic friendliness of Wigan Casino for a new generation.  Interestingly, the Blackpool venue was where legendary - and Sasha`s and many other peoples favourite ever - club night Shaboo, was held. 

The early play-list was varied, ranging from US garage to European techno.  Although the club is most remembered for playing uplifting Italian and piano house there was, particularly in the early days, a wide range of music played and appreciated.  Many of the regulars who frequented the club in his short two year reign as top resident still reckon it to be the best club ever.  Even Barrie agrees that some of the best ever nights of his club life were at Zone.  Initially the nights featured guest dj`s and bands such as The Prodigy, Dream Frequency, Sub Sub, Bizarre Inc, Love Decade, Alex Gold, Rob Tissera but it developed a unique music blend and few other dj`s would be appreciated by the crowd.  It has mainly relied on resident dj`s ever since. The queues to gain entrance to the club were often ridiculous and people at the front had often waited for six hours or more.  The club night has changed venues many times but is still going strong after over ten years, and he still appears as a guest dj on special occasions.

Barrie appreciates and plays many styles of dance music from the most funkiest garage to the classiest breakbeat. He always looks for quality and creativity and cites producers, bands and dj`s such as BT, Hybrid, Way Out West, Full Intention, Danny Tenaglia and Sasha as current influences, and sings the praises of, and supports through his play-list, UK House in its many forms as it is today. Through all this, though, Barrie has followed the works of Tangerine Dream, whose recent occasional forays into dance rhythms have proved inspiring.

So to the present day. There are a couple of projects in the pipeline, not least of which is Mean Green Music Machine, comprising Barrie and co-writer DTR, whose intention is to produce Tangerine Dream-influenced dance epics. There is, of course, Ray13 and the album `Last Sunday of the Week`.  The story behind the band, and the album, can be found elsewhere on this site.

Club History

Faith, London                

Love It, Pacha, Ibiza                

Get a Grip, Blackpool

The Bassment, Cairns, Australia

Scam, Fleetwood  

Make it Funky, London  

Delirium, Fleetwood

Venus, Bristol                

Replay, Fleetwood

HoiPolloi, Blackpool                

Zone: Blackpool, Preston, Liverpool, Wigan

Bohemia, Blackpool                 

Eureka: Blackpool & Manchester       

Adrenalin (various NW England venues, average capacity 4,000)

Chaos, Bangor               

Spank, Blackpool

Natural Rhythm, Lakota, Bristol

Sound as a Pound, Blackpool

Make It Funky, London

Go 2 Work, Aberystwyth         

Hyper Go Go, Blackpool

Reds, Fleetwood 

Strictly Rhythm, Carnforth       

Solid Gone, Blackpool

Discography

Dreamhouse   “Freeflow”      (Funky Peace Productions)

Dreamhouse   “Fflunk”  (Funky Peace Productions)

 The second single “Fflunk” was never released and only one acetate is known to exist.

Ray 13 “Last Sunday of the Week”  (Big Buzz) coming soon

Buzz Station – coming soon

Mean Green Music Machine – coming soon