EllesseDJ, promoter, programmer, party thrower to name but a few - Mancunian born and bred Lee Spence aka Ellesse is more than multi faceted in making his mark on the music industry. From a wet behind the ears 17 year old vinyl pusher to an established International DJ his rise to the top has been unstated but far from underrated.
A little too young to clamber to FAC 51’s cokes tails Lee’s first taste of Manchester’s clubbing heritage came at Dave Haslam’s ‘Yellow Party’s’ down at the North West’s legendary ‘Boardwalk’. It was here down the front with his friends that Lee realised he wanted to start a party and scene of his very own. Hosting intimate events in small spaces Lee quickly launched his reputation as the promoter responsible for endorsing the fledgling careers of Eddie Haliwell and Oliver Lang. Once the running and production of such events was in place Lee took to the turntables himself charting a conscious bend of soulful house that landed him a residency and PR role at Manchester’s world renound Sankey Soaps – The party had well and truly started! At Sankeys Soap Lee performed alongside the likes of Armand Van Helden, Masters at Work, Groove Armada, Eric Morillo and DJ Sneak. The seminal moment that cemented his arrival in Manchester’s clubbing climate was the programming for Sankey Soap’s ‘End of an Era Allnighter’. As Lee’s last 12†inch rung out and the doors closed on Manchester’s most famous club it was back to the drawing board and time for a change.
With the re-birth of Sankeys in 2007 Lee Spence came to the table with a new name, a new sound and a whole host of new ideas. His new guise, ‘Ellesse’ fashioned from his initials, signalled a fresh start and a deeper, more electronic sound. With his new monthly Kaluki party taking residence on the second Saturday of each month Lee now had free creative reign over the booking of acts and tone of the parties and was now able to book and play alongside some of the most established International artists he found inspiring. Tocadisco, Mike Monday, Berlins Margaret Dygas, Jamie Anderson, Oxia, Oliver Huntemann and Deepchild all took to the decks in the opening 12 months as Kaluki stamped its mark as Manchester’s flagship night for electronic fiends throughout the city.
With Manchester locked it was time to look further afield as Ellesse began guesting at some of the UK’s best venues including regular visits to Sheffield’s ‘Plug’, Bournemouth’s ‘Opera House’ and ‘Rehab home to Leeds ‘Back 2 Basics’. Ibiza beckoned in the summer of 2008 with several appearances at Ibiza's Cafe Mambo and Pacha as well as a performance at Germany’s ‘Love Parade’.Ellesse has begun to taste the decorum of an International DJ and whether it’s mastering his craft behind the turntables, booking groundbreaking acts to front his brand or hosting parties that will knock you into the middle of next week there is undoubtedly plenty more to come....
More info: E: [email protected] ..
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Member Since: 17/10/2006
Band Website: www.sankeys.info
Record Label: Manchester Underground Music
