In this episode, I sit down with Gonnie Rietveld, founding member of Quando Quango, one of Factory Records’ most innovative and adventurous bands. From Rotterdam record shops to New York dancefloors, her story traces the early intersections of post-punk, electro, and house that helped shape Manchester’s dance culture.
Gonnie recalls how she first met Mike Pickering (later of M People) on holiday, leading them to live together in Rotterdam where their fascination with electronic instruments began. She connected Mike with local friends who brought Factory bands like New Order over for their first European shows, and she describes how influential Backstreet Records in Rotterdam was for importing cutting-edge New York no-wave and post-punk sounds.
It was this creative melting pot — combined with the decision by Sheffield’s Vice Versa to reinvent themselves as ABC — that inspired Gonnie and Mike to form Quando Quango. The band’s sound fused electronic experimentation with pop sensibilities, producing underground classics such as Love Tempo.
We discuss the remix culture in New York, where Gonnie was present in the studio watching Love Tempo get reworked for the dancefloor. She explains how the difference in energy between British studios (button-pushing in swivel chairs) and New York’s dance-driven producers changed her understanding of what made a true club record.
Gonnie also shares vivid memories of iconic New York clubs:
• Paradise Garage, where the legendary sound system left her awestruck — powerful yet perfectly balanced.
• Danceteria, where Mark Kamins played a mix of British electro-pop and New York beats.
• The Roxy, a roller-skating rink transformed into a hip hop and electro night, where white kids, Black kids, breakdancers, and DJs came together under the pounding 808 drum machine.
Her reflections highlight just how much the New York scene influenced Manchester — from inspiring New Order’s ambition for the Haçienda to shaping Factory’s vision of electronic club culture.
Later in life, Gonnie went on to complete a PhD on house music culture, interviewing key Chicago producers like Vince Lawrence. Her academic work explored how different cultures interpreted “house” — from Chicago deep house to Dutch gabba — and how technologies, spaces, and communities defined those meanings. Today, she’s a Professor of Sonic Culture, researching how sound vibrations affect both body and mind.
Along the way, she compares the physical impact of a club sound system to her experiences of gong baths, describing how sound itself can be as transformative as psychedelics.
This conversation blends personal memory, cultural history, and academic insight — from Factory Records and Quando Quango to New York nightlife, Chicago house, and beyond.
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