ONE of the saddest days in Paul Taylor's life was when they decided to build a new shopping centre in Burnley. Admittedly, it brought new life to the town centre, but it also spelt the end of Angels, a nightclub which had become the epicentre of East Lancashire's club scene.

That was in 1996. Since then Paul has gone on to become one of the most popular DJs in Ibiza, holding weekly nights called Retro.

He has released several compilations of the sort of tracks which made Angels famous and plays to crowds of up to 6,000 at clubs across Britain every month.

But Paul still misses Angels.

The 45-year-old, who lives in Burnley, said: "It doesn't matter where you go, you cannot recreate what we had in Angels.

"There was this raw energy to it which could only be created because of the music we were playing and the crowd we had in.

"As a tourist attraction for Burnley, we had to top the list and I reckon we were as influential as Manchester's Hacienda."

The name Retro is now synonymous with a good night out.

Paul's canny ability to select music people will listen to in clubs, yet won't necessarily cross over into the mainstream music charts, has been central to the development of the Retro brand from what started out as a end-of-night music hour in Angels in the late 1980s to a worldwide crowd-pulling brand.

When Paul first cut his teeth as a DJ back in 1974, it was a different world.

Paul said: "Bands were still the main attraction at events and people only listened to commercial stuff, with maybe Motown as well.

"You had to do a lot to make it work.

"Dance events were strictly underground and for real fans.

"Gradually, it crept out to the fore, but in a way it was about educating people and showing there was something different. That's stayed with me and is what makes Retro different."

Paul attended Burnley Grammar School before going on to Blackpool College to get a diploma. Graphic design was his thing then and it is something which has come in handy in recent years as his DJ empire has expanded.

He said: "I've done the graphics for lots of record sleeves, including ones for Kylie Minogue when she was working with Pete Waterman.

"He actually came to Angels in 1994 to experience it. I don't think it is something he has forgotten."

But DJ-ing has always been his passion, right from 1974 when he started a jazz/funk night at Angels.

"It became huge and I reckon at least half the people going were coming in from outside the area."

It wasn't until 1989 that the concept for Retro was born and, even then, it wasn't supposed to be anything special.

Said Paul: "The last hour of a Friday night was used to play older stuff, like Acid House and hip hop, as house music was growing.

"It took off and then the Italians and Dutch got involved in the House scene and it exploded into its own night at the end of 1992.

"We were already taking it into different clubs across the North West by the time Angels shut and that is what we have carried on doing ever since."

His son Ben now joins him on the decks. Locally, they play in Rochdale monthly and at Utopia, Blackburn, on bank holidays.

Paul was also part of the dance act Loveland, who had three top 30 hits with tracks such as Where Love Lives, and he was responsible for Pete Waterman's Eastern Bloc Records label. He also introduced legendary dance anthem Waterfall by Atlantic Ocean to the UK. Nowadays, Retro goes across the country.

"In the North East, it is massive. We get 6,000 people a month. It is the biggest in Britain and it is a great atmosphere," said Paul.

"There are other clubs, and Ibiza, but they don't have that same raw energy you used to get in Angels. People come up to us at every event and say 'It's great, but it isn't Angels. Then you realise they remember Angels as if it was yesterday, and that is a buzz.

"I really think Burnley lost a tourist attraction when Angels closed. It was a special place."

But Burnley's loss could soon by Asia's gain.

In recent years, the club scene has gone global and Paul is hatching a plan for a tour of places like Sri Lanka and the Far East.

"It is something we are in discussions about and something we are keen to do. Ibiza has been huge this year and the global move is the next step."

And he isn't stopping there.

"We're in talks to do some sort of retro radio show and talking to some radio networks about it but I am not in any hurry.

"I think the danger is that you can start believing your own press, grow too quickly then implode on yourself.

"I don't want to become the next Gatecrasher, Cream or Ministry of Sound. It is all going well but I am not going to push too far, too quickly.

"It all began in Burnley!"