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Graeme Park: 10 years on the radio, 20 years on the decks, 40 years on the clock, still looking forward….

The story of DJ Graeme Park really mirrors the story of the evolution of dance music and club culture itself.

DJ Graeme Park began his career in the mid-'80s, spinning records out of the UK town of Nottingham and working at a local record store. His boss bought a club in the city and asked Park to be the resident house DJ. Graeme had his doubts, but by 1987 he was kick starting the acid house scene with his innovative playlists and an ear for the next big thing. Determined to showcase this new style of music, his reputation as a house pioneer soon brought him to the attention of Mike Pickering at the Hacienda in Manchester, who asked him to cover for him whilst he went on holiday in 1988. Simply put, there was no-one else in the country that could do the job. The Summer of Love followed, and Parky quickly became one of the biggest names on the emerging dance scene. Aside from his eight-year residency at the Hacienda, he was the first British DJ to play places like Australia and some South American countries, as well as producing and remixing tracks for the dancefloor.  From 1989 to 1992, he continually won the DMC DJ of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the DJ circuit.

OK, so far so good and most folk know all of that, unless you have spent the last 20 years living under a rock, or at least listening to it. Fast forward 20 years and where are we at now? As far as Graeme's concerned, who celebrated his 20th anniversary all through 2004, things are as fabulous as ever, and as far as the industry is concerned? Well, if club culture really is at a cross-roads, who better to ask directions than the man who wrote the disco A-Z? 'I started doing it purely by accident,' he details. 'And then realised I was actually pretty good at it. But I never thought I'd end up doing it for 20 years. I see no need to stop at the moment. I don't think age matters anymore.'

The Hacienda was a club without a purpose until house music filled its cathedral-sized dimensions. It undeniably defined Graeme as a DJ, but in 2007, that can only be seen as one chapter in an on-going tale.

Aside from all the regular gigs across the UK and productions under the guises of GP Inc., Papa Cool and Arouser, Graeme chose the occasion of his 20th anniversary to reunite with his old DJ partner Mike Pickering, for a series of very special parties - including closing Glastonbury on the Radio One / Tribal Sessions stage and also the grand finale of the Sankeys Soap 10th Anniversary celebrations, and their 2004/5 New Year warehouse party. Although keen not to be bracketed as a 'classics' DJ, he couldn't let the occasion of his 20th anniversary go by without delving into the three lock ups he has filled with vinyl, and dusting down some belters for a nationwide tour of Revolution bars.

They say life begins at 40 and, Graeme also started a new radio show on Key 103 in 2004. Bridging the tricky gap between day-time and evening (7pm-10pm, Saturdays), according to Rajar he's already upped listening figures. You can also hear him on Liverpool's Juice FM too. Also celebrating 10 years as a radio jock in 2004, Parky understands the specialist skills required by a radio DJ.

Whether through his sets, his radio shows or simply by getting to know that audience, Graeme has spent the last 20 years getting his jocular personality across. He was there before it all started, he was at the forefront of the dance scene when it was at its zenith and he's still here, still rocking it, more than 20 years later - longer than some of the people on the dancefloor have been on the planet. And the best thing is he still loves it, still loves the music and still loves to play it for people to dance to.

The Hacienda is now an apartment building (the developers asked Parky to DJ at the launch; he politely declined). At the back of the building there is a time-line, carved into steel, detailing the history of the club from Madonna's early performance to its closure. And there's Graeme's name not once, but twice - carved into the metal for time immemorial. What other DJs - what other venues - have had that significance in clubland?

He remains a popular sought after DJ who continues to do remixes and work on his own music.

If you would like to book DJ Graeme Park please contact JBB Entertainment Solutions on +44(0)113 226 6822 or +44(0)7939 737537. Alternatively, you can e-mail us at info@jbbentertainment.com