TextMi-Latest: Interview: Tim Owen

The Power Behind Plush Spills The Beans On The Sexiest Night In Manchester

Article posted on 17th May 2006 at 00:00

Anyone who's been caught up in Manchester's funky house scene over the past year or so (most of us then!) can't fail to have noticed the growing noise surrounding Plush @ Ampersand. With its upmarket looks, gorgeous punters and no-nonsense policy of "give the people what they want", the Friday shindig has become the room of choice for many of the funky house faithful to strut their stuff, and rightly so.

Of course behind every success story there's someone working their nuts off, and in this case it's Plush mainman, Tim Owen. One half of production duo N.S. City with partner-in-funk Carl McAleer, promoter and resident DJ at Plush, club tour promoter for Kinky Malinki and resident deckspert there too, Tim also holds down a full-on respectable day job, which begs the question "Tim Owen, where do you keep your time machine?"

All joking aside, the fierce commitment to Plush and its faithful fans is obvious when Tim says "It's about reaching out to each and every person in the club, whether they're there to hear old familiar tunes or to hear something fresh. That's how I look at it from a personal point of view when I'm DJing; I'm playing for the guy at the bar, for the girl at the back, everyone. Not just the people in front of the decks. That's what DJing should be about, y'know? I hear too many DJs saying things like 'when I'm behind those decks, I just switch off, I'm that into it'. That's not what we're about, we want to actually switch on, think about what we're trying to achieve. It's Friday night, after all. It's a big deal."

That's a great attitude to hear, you've got to agree. Not just for the amount of thought and care it implies, but also because it's true. After long, boring weeks spent doing things we hate to pay the bills, we want Friday night to save our lives, to make it worth the week we've just had. Surely part of Plush's success is down to keeping that in mind... that and Tim's belief in the night. This is a man passionate about what he does if ever I saw one.

"You've got to believe in what you play, you've got to be able to carry it off, if you like. You can't put a smile on anyone else's face if you can't put a smile on your own. And you've got to stick to your guns. Sometimes I might feel like branching out, not playing funky house for a change, but I'm dead strict, disciplined about it. That's the style I play and when people come to the club or book me to play that's exactly what they're going to hear from me."

So far, it seems to be working well for him, with not only Plush feeling the boost, but Kinky Malinki too.

"That came about when they (Kinky Malinki) came up to Manchester to Holy City Zoo last year. I just bumped into the guy, struck up a friendship with him and it's just gone from strength to strength. He can see what we're trying to do in Manchester with Plush and we've invited Kinky Malinki up to the club once a month; he's also put me in charge of Kinky Malinki's club tour promotion and apart from any advice or authorization I might need, he just leaves me to get on with things - which is very trusting, but he knows I'm capable and how professional I am."

Indeed, and given Plush's success, what an asset someone like Tim is for any club night..

So, there you have it. Plush, Kinky Malinki, Ampersand, the very heart of sexy funky house and right at the centre of things, Tim Owen. Don't just take our word for it though, if funky house is what floats your boat then check out Plush @ Ampersand every Friday. After all it's Friday night and it's important, right?

Finally, no-one gets where they want to be without help from others and Tim would especially like to thank his right-hand man Keef Hook, as well as Carl McAleer, Paul Crane and John Rennie.