Grame Park - Kicks N Mixtapes
It's a our pleasure and a privilege to welcome house music and Hacienda legend Graeme Park to the Kicks N Mixtape family.
Parky has been a sharp of Dance music since 1988 and was a pioneer in the international growth of House music.......Wow, thats an incredible achievement!
Graeme has been celebrating his 25th Anniversary with a series of special nights all over the UK and overseas playing a selection of classic house tunes, but has found time to mix up and exclusive 1hr set just for us. Don't waste any more time, click the play button below, sit back and enjoy the interview.
As this feature is all about Dj's and their love for sneaks, what was your first pair? - was it love at 1st slight?
I'm glad to say that my Mum used to buy me black "baseball boots" which looked very much like Converse. When my Mum digs out the photos of me as a kid I'm wearing them in every shot. I loved them and as a result the Converse Allstar has stayed with me as a constant throughout my life in a variety of incarnations. I've worn traditional canvas in a variety of colours, suede, leather, high top, low top... I love them! I'm also partial to the Converse Jack Purcell which I first discovered in the early 1990s when on tour in the US with The Haçienda and New Order. I bought a few of them in a variety of colours because I knew you couldn't get them in the UK and for years I was the only person wearing them. I still grab them when I see them but they have to be leather these days.
Back in the school days, did you ever get jealous of other kids because of their kicks? - who where they?....what kicks did they have?
I remember Iain Stephens used to wear Monkey Boots with the most fabulously wide "Birmingham Bags". I loved his Monkey Boots but my Mum wouldn't let me have a pair (or a pair of "bags" either).
Are you a box-fresh collector or do you love to wear your favourites? - What is your current top pick?
It's too cold to wear any of my Converse right now. They really are useless in the cold and wet. At the moment you'll see me wearing brogues from Grenson and Alfred Sergeant or my Redwing boots. The only box frsh pair of trainers I own is a pair of the limited edition Adidas Haçienda trainers. I could never, ever wear those.
Are you loyal to a brand or colourway?.....why?
In the summer it's always Converse in a variety of colours and styles but in the winter it has to be my tan Grenson Archie brogues everytime. They make quite a bold statement especially in a boot. Redwings if it snows.
Do you have a favourite city when it comes to picking up new kicks?
When I used to spend a lot of time in the US I'd always hunt down obscure stores in the suburbs of New York, Chicago and San Francisco where I'd find things you just wouldn't find in the UK. That's how I first came across Redwings which have also been with me for over two decades. Nowadays you can pretty much find anything you want online and I don't have the time to go shopping as I'd rather get home to my family (although I'll always pop into a traditional gentlemen's outfitter on the increasingly rare occasions that I stumble across one because you never know what kind of crazy footwear you're going to find in there).
SoleHeaven.com Presents Kicks N Mixtapes Vol.1 - Dj Hooch & Mr Blue by SoleHeaven
