The Hacienda House will be hosting a tribute to the late DJ Frankie Knuckles on New Year’s Eve, in support of The Frankie Knuckles Foundation. This virtual event will recreate the Hacienda nightclub and feature appearances from DJ Moby and Peter Hook. Frankie Knuckles’ final Manchester, UK performance at the Albert Hall on New Year’s Eve 2014 will also be broadcast for the event via United We Stream.
The Hacienda was a legendary Manchester, UK club that was influential during the burgeoning acid house and rave scenes of the late 1980s. Both the club and its co-owner Factory Records were immortalized in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, which discussed the origins of the label. The Hacienda was recreated digitally with the help of its architect Ben Kelly, Hook (whose former band New Order also co-owned the club) and Creative Directors Brendan Mannion and Justin Metz.
“Justin and Brendan first approached me some five years ago saying that they wanted to digitally rebuild a virtual Hacienda that could become a fly through or an online accessible digital version of the club, that was their idea. And of course, I have all the original material needed for that and gave them access to the original drawings and all of the specifications,” Kelly said in a statement sent to Louder Than War. “Brendan and Justin are very smart at what they do, not only impressive technically but also very, very diligent and determined to be as accurate as is humanly possible with a digital recreation.”
Peter Hook and The Light recently performed a quarantine cover of Gorillaz’s “Aries,” which featured the bassist on its studio release. Moby released the single “My Only Love” this year and joined Tim McIlrath of Rise Against and Lou Koller of Sick of It All for cover of Black Flag’s “Rise Above.”
Photo Credit: Pamela Lin
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