Absolutely gutted about the passing of @stu_allan. He was my inspiration to be a DJ. I got fake ID when I was 15 to see him play & I listened to his Key 103 shows religiously. They say never meet you heroes but with Stu that wasn’t true. RIP Stu and thoughts with your family x.
Stu Allan was a DJ, musician and producer whose work impacted the Manchester music scene in the 1980s and 1990s. His mixes of house music, hip hop and hardcore techno earned him a ranking as the world’s No. 3 DJ by DJ Magazine in 1993. While working at Manchester’s Key 103 and Piccadilly Radio, his work influenced the music scenes of both cities during this time.
Absolutely gutted about the passing of @stu_allan.
He was my inspiration to be a DJ. I got fake ID when I was 15 to see him play & I listened to his Key 103 shows religiously. They say never meet you heroes but with Stu that wasn’t true. RIP Stu and thoughts with your family x pic.twitter.com/HLRo0bXjwT— Anton Powers (@AntonPowers) September 22, 2022
Biographies of living people must include references; this section of one does not. Please add reliable sources to this section, or remove contentious material about living people that isn’t sourced.
Allan started DJing in 1982. Between 1984 and 1986, his mixes and remixes were featured on Piccadilly Radio in Manchester on various shows including Timmy Mallet, Chris Evans and Tim Grundy. Further information is needed for this statement.
He originally hosted a show on Piccadilly Radio for a short time while the regular DJ was on vacation. The audience enjoyed his show so much that they encouraged the station to make him permanent. He began to include house and hip-hop music in his shows. When Allan first started playing music on the radio, it was Farley Jackmaster Funk’s “Love Can’t Turn Around.” This track sparked the interest of those in charge of the station and they asked Allan to explain why he was playing this supposedly non-existent music.
Allan claims he knew what his listeners wanted to hear by observing how Chicago clubgoers were entertained by tracks like Jack Your Body, Jack the Groove and other underground local tracks. He claimed that his selected music ensured that listeners believed his choice was correct— and this convinced them further when the station’s ratings improved dramatically. During this time, Allan hosted a soul show named Souled Out and a hip-hop show named Bus ‘Diss. Additionally, he created a house hour where listeners could enjoy seamless mixes similar to those he is famous for.
Promotional flyers for Stu Allen sometimes misspell his name as Allan. He was a popular attraction at Bowlers in Trafford Park, Manchester. As a rave DJ, he performed at many Vibealite events throughout the north of England. Allan performed his high-energy music on the rave scene in the 1990s.
