The Music Box can be found at the city-centre end of Oxford Road, roughly opposite McDonalds. Jilly's Rockworld is next door, so the unwary punter will want to make sure they don't get the two confused. Coming out for an electro-house night and finding yourself in the midst of a mosh pit is probably going to spoil your Saturday night.

The Venue
Inside the venue, there is the long rectangular basement main room with a smaller square-shaped backroom that often serves as a chill-out area, or overspill, when the larger club nights are on. The toilets can also be found via the back room. The main room has a bar running down the left hand side as you enter and the DJ booth is right at the far end of the dark and dingy room. The Music Box focuses on dance music at the weekends, while midweek events tend towards bands and live music.

The People
Most of the punters at the Music Box are there first and foremost for the tunes. They tend to be pretty into their beats and they come to dance and get loose, not stand around posing. It is in many ways the antithesis of the commercial clubs a few yards away on Peter Street.

This is reflected in a very relaxed dress code. You can wear anything except tracksuits (and the odd night even allows that). A smile at the door is also appreciated and the tight security will not tolerate bad attitude. The Music Box is aimed at party people looking for a fun time and bad vibes are made very unwelcome.

The Music
Mr Scruff is the club's most famous resident DJ. Hailing from nearby Stockport, Scruff is famous for his sprawling, eclectic record collection and the playlist at his night, Keep It Unreal, wanders across genres, decades and continents with seemingly effortless ease.

On paper his gameplan - play anything as long as he likes it – sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Scruff's ear for a groove means that the dance floor is always kept happy. He achieves the unique feat of integrating complete variety with dependable consistency, which has helped Keep It Unreal maintain its place as one of the best club nights in Manchester and indeed has seen his popularity spread to many other cities in the UK.

The Drink
Scruff also has a well-documented liking for tea. One of the ways this manifests itself is in a tea bar, which is set up when he plays. And its not your usual builder's brew fare - Scruff is serious about his teas and brings in unique and quality strains from all over the globe. If tea isn't your thing, or you are at the Music Box on a night when Scruff isn't playing, you'll most likely be sticking to the alcohol.

The selection is pretty standard fare for Manchester clubland – there is nothing on draught so everything comes in cans and bottles. Expect to pay around £3.50 for a tin of Red Stripe. There’s also branded spirits like Jack Daniels, but beware of the lesser known brandy or run brands if you don’t want a sore head the morning after.

The Last Word
If you're the kind of person that knows their tech-house from their techno and you’re in the Music Box on the right night, you're almost guaranteed a good time. Just be careful not to spill your tea.