I think I read once (maybe in Jockey Slut) that it kinda started with The Chemical Brothers, when they were still The Dust Brothers, playing the slower, breakbeat records they were buying off of Moonboots in Eastern Bloc in their DJ sets and then they moved back to London and got the Social residency and the rest is history.
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I remember enjoying Liam Howletts Dirtchamber Sessions around this time. Seemed to cut through the sillyness of Big Beat and give a fair / cool representation of what it actually was. Its essentially a load of hip hop mixed in with some indie / rawk and old Detroit tracks
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Never made it down the Albany, I wasn’t that cool, but for about 18 months it was Turnmills all the time.
The social was properly eclectic based upon who was playing. I remember being surprised at Weatherall playing a deep house set, just like his live at the social mix, as this was surely in his Panel beaters phase. Richard Fearless was a fave and his mix CD was a real shock when it came out all electro as that was never what he played.
Fun, friendly and never dull
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He did that mix originally for the Breezeblock radio show before it got released officially with some tracks missing because they couldn’t get licensed, think Tomorrow Never Knows is one, still got the original mix on a tape as well as the CD.
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Used to rinse this mix, there was an interview with Steve Lamacq before the mix where they say something like they’re really excited to play a track ‘by this bloke from Paris called Daft Punk’.
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The Weatherall Heavenly mix is a masterclass, just after Panel beaters era
96 Essential selection similar but better
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Lived in Brighton 1990s. G Money and others who invented Big Beat Boutique were in our network. Remember G coming to ours and asking “what’s this?” about my Heavenly 10” from Monkey Mafia. He had a few trips to Albany and wanted to replicate in Brighton. First nights at Concord 1 were crazy and almost “Balearic “ in the sense of being super eclectic and an antidote to the existing scene of post-handbag house. Top, top parties. When Wall of Sound came to town there were some epic events (Nose Up Mother Brown) and there was a real buzz about the parties. I guess like all things it ate itself. The “big beat” records were a whole lot less exciting than the parties themselves. It was a seminal time in my life, possibly the first scene I actually felt connected to the birth of, having missed the first wave of acid house by a year or two.
I don’t play any Skint tunes anymore but you can’t dispute how fucking wild those original nights were.
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my molecules still rearrange themselves each time I walk past what would have been the scout hut. 
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As an aside I believe mark and his wife Fiona are in possession of the biggest banksy collection in private hands. He was based in the wall of sound offices under the westway when he started to take off
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I was at uni with them, first heard them DJing in our halls of residence! They did a night called Naked Under Leather in the basement of a pub called The Swinging Sporran which was a real mix of chuggy stuff and House/Hip Hop/Balearic etc. Very much part of that Manchester Balearic thing. I remember they had Weatherall on, maybe 1992? Nosebleed German Techno period, I absolutely hated it 
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Think I read in a guardian article they DJ’d at Owens Park Bop?
Yes indeed
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My Uni mates (Sussex) were school friends of Ed. Classic line from South London ice queen : “eugh. he thinks he’s really cool in Manchester”.
Turns out he was.
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Next two lined up.
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I still play the first album from time to time. I saw them live in probably 1997 at Bedford Esquires…
#coolstorybro 
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Here’s the full version… (with omitted tracks)
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like this one (yes, this is ‘my shit’!)…
here’s Weatherall at the early Social Albany run…
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we’re the virtual equivalent of me & mates in pub telling the same stories
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At least we can still remember it 
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