I have a claim to DJ fame that always brings the grin. Michelle Manetti was once my go-go dancer. It was a long time ago. The music was different. The dance moves different. The hairdos were very different. As was Michelle. The determination in the soul of our Michelle was declared. There for all to see. Now as then, focused on making the dancefloor a better place. A DJ who brought something different to the decks, a producer who shone in the studio and a promoter who soon earned the title of mother because of the love she brought to creating her Fèmmme Fraîche community. A friend I’ve always watched out for, proudly admiring the grit it took to take that early Brighton promise and turn it into the worldwide queer FLINTA championing force she is today.

Since I took on the role of Lesbian Community Champion with Queer in Brighton / Queer Heritage South there was a determination in my archivist’s heart to tell Michelle Manetti’s tale, to share the connection between that seaside Koochy debut, the promoters and DJs who helped make her the force she is today, and the queer wmxn fuelled dancefloors we grew up in. To celebrate the nightlife community we were creating in Brighton back in the 2000’s and the FLINTA-focused community she went on to nurture on the global stage.

I’ve always believed it takes a village to make a decent DJ, to build roots and appreciation for genres, for people, for our LGBTQI+ nightlife history, creating space, bringing queer clubbers together, campaigning for dancefloor equality, and making a disco family for life. Join me this October in Brighton as we celebrate the DJ roots of Michelle Manetti, for tales of go-go dancing, vocal joy, Candy Bar adventures, lessons learnt, flyers graced, mother’s mullets, and more, much more.

Let there be dykes: how the dancefloors of Brighton made a DJ pioneer.

Michelle Manetti in conversation with Kate Wildblood.

Tuesday 13th October 19:00-21:00

Ironworks Studios Brighton

Free Tickets Here

A Queer Heritage South project powered by Marlborough Productions Made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund