In this episode, I sit down with Pete Orme—best known from the iconic band Awesome 3—to dive deep into his journey through the rise of house music and the rave scene in the UK.
Pete starts by taking us back to his earliest musical influence: his brother Tom, a charismatic pub DJ at The Bulls Head in Swinton during the mid-80s. With five brothers in the family, it was Tom who opened the door to vinyl collecting and Spin Inn Records, a shop that became a mecca for DJs across Manchester. Pete recounts moments in the shop where he heard house music for the first time and even joked with Stu Allan, who initially dismissed the genre—before they later DJed together at Millionaire’s.
As the acid house scene exploded and ecstasy redefined the club experience, Pete describes how everything began to shift. His musical tastes evolved, and he became a regular at Spin Inn and Eastern Bloc, eventually acquiring his own Technics decks and practicing relentlessly. He shares memories of club residencies across Manchester, including Man Alive and Club Vogue, while still holding down a day job at the Arndale fish market—alongside other Hacienda regulars.
Pete also reflects on the changing scene, where boundaries between cities dissolved and Manchester DJs were suddenly headlining in Leeds. It was at Kaos in Leeds that he plucked up the courage to send a mix tape to promoter Tony Hannan, leading to key gigs with Jon DaSilva and a whole new wave of opportunities.
Then came Awesome 3. Pete explains how he was invited to join the band just as they were evolving their sound. In the studio, he brought a DJ’s sense of arrangement to the group’s breakout hit Don’t Go. He describes the moment they played the track for the first time to Kenny and Sub Sub at Manchester Underground Records—and their instant reaction: “That’s a hit.”
Signed by Richard Russell (later known for The Prodigy and Adele) to XL Recordings, Don’t Go became a UK Top 30 smash and remains an enduring anthem, still played at raves and remixed by younger generations. Pete talks candidly about how sudden success impacted his DJ career and how he ultimately found more satisfaction as a warm-up DJ, playing deeper and more underground selections.
From working on a fish stall to touring Europe, Pete’s story is an incredible journey through one of the most exciting cultural revolutions in UK music history. At the end, he picks Orbital – Midnight as a standout track from his days at Kaos.
Don’t miss this deep dive into the roots of rave, the rise of house, and the story behind a classic.
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