LONG before there was such a thing as "the superstar DJ", Xfm's Dave Haslam was forging a reputation on Manchester's club circuit that would eventually see him attaining legendary status.

But like many success stories connected to the world of entertainment, it all happened by accident.

He started out as a music promoter in the mid 80s, and one night someone suggested that the tunes he played in between his bands were actually better than the acts themselves.

In 1986, while still in his early 20s, he was offered the chance to host a night called The Temperance Club at what was then a relatively new club called the Hacienda.

Working in a club that was still find its feet meant that Dave was, in effect, working with the musical equivalent of a blank canvas, and he liked the freedom this gave him.

Factory Records, the unorthodox and defiantly idiosyncratic record company run by the late Tony Wilson, founded the Hacienda, which opened in 1982.

Wilson died of cancer earlier this year at the age of 57.

Does Dave think the man they call Mr Manchester is irreplaceable?

"I saw him as a great, kind of, enabler who enabled bands, DJs and designers to get find their vocation.

"You can't replace him but the people he did help and inspire, we're all his legacy.

"I don't think one person can do what he was doing but maybe the dozens if not hundreds of people who he helped together, will do what Wilson did," he says.

Dave is still broadcasting, hosting The Weekender Show on Manchester's alternative music station, Xfm.

Bearing in mind that he's spent more than two decades playing in front of club crowds, was it weird suddenly finding himself cocooned in a radio studio?

"I love working in clubs because of that interaction and I love the sociable aspect of it.

"When you're in a dark room and it's just you and the listener, it's a different thing - it's more intimate.

"When you're a DJ in a club every record has got to fill the dancefloor, when you're on the radio you can play records that you wouldn't ordinarily play in a club," says Dave, who believes that what unites the two is his desire to communicate his love of music.

While the Hacienda was, according to Dave, at the epicentre of Manchester club life, he believes that today's scene is "far more fragmented" and says the best nights are to be found in venues that aren't renowned for the sumptuous nature of their interiors.

He advises people to check out Clique at Joshua Brooks bar in the city centre.

Dave says he doesn't go clubbing as a punter, because his natural inclination is to stand in the corner, criticising the DJ's choice of music.

There's a rumour circulating on the Internet that the 45 year old father of two, who originally comes from Birmingham, went out with one Toyah Wilcox when they were at school together. Is it true?

"I like the idea of it - but I'm not going to confirm or deny it. I always think of the Internet as like overhearing people talking about you.

Some of the stuff they say is wrong, some of the stuff they say is very kind and you just take the rough with the smooth," he says.

  • Dave Haslam presents The Weekender Show on Xfm Manchester every Friday from 7pm to 10pm. The station is on 97.7FM.