THERE are many musical institutions worth championing in this city, and surely one of the most enduring - whether it's for dance, indie, jazz, soul, reggae or rock - is the Northern Quarter's Piccadilly Records.

Defiantly independent and covering many fields with expertise, it's a shop where both casual punter and slavishly obsessive trainspotter can feel at home perusing among the racks.

It comes as no surprise, then, to find out that Manchester's Roots Before Branches gang have hooked up with the shop to throw a Christmas party in the intimate basement of Manchester's once legendary Dry Bar.

"I spend a lot of time in that shop," explains Roots Before Branches resident Chris Coughlan. "It's a great shop for music and we buy a lot of our stuff there. We've done a party already with them where Homoelectric DJ and Piccadilly Records co-owner Philippa Jarman guested for us, so I'm looking forward to this do."

Saturday night sees Piccadilly's Danny Webb and John Freer leap to the decks creating a friendly soundclash to give the Roots Before Branches boys a run for their money.

"The night is very eclectic," says Chris of the RBM musical policy, "but we insist that the guests always play party music. It's a real balancing act playing Saturday night party music and keeping it interesting for music lovers at the same time."

Danny Webb is no stranger to DJing in the city. By day he works in the record shop and by night he plays across the city from bars to clubs. Whether it's weird German rock or disco re-edits, he knows his music and turns it into a soundtrack that will entertain the most jaded palette.

"A lot of nights are needlessly obscure," says Chris, when asked about the name of their night. "We have respect for retro sounds but want to keep it fun, that's why the night's called what it is."

When Go first heard the name Roots Before Branches a couple of years back, there was a slight sense of dread. After all, it sounds like one of those dull nights that occasionally crop up in the city where no actual punters turn up and a few DJs merely hang around pointing sagely at each other's wilfully obscure record selections.

In other words, it sounded like the sort of night you'd have to pass a test in order to get in to. So we were wrong.

"There's no restrictions," says Chris. "People play what they want and by keeping it fun we've managed to build up a following that's stayed with us."

Which is a great thing because after its heyday, Dry Bar suffered from a dubious clientele issue. Since though, like many bars, it's turned itself around to the point that now it's once again a destination venue. Proof positive that good door staff are integral to making a venue a safe place to hang out in.

Still, civil politics aside, tomorrow night should be a blast. If you love good music, love Roots Before Branches or shop at Piccadilly Records, you should go down. Between those three variables, the night should be a sell-out.

Roots Before Branches/ Piccadilly Records Christmas Party at Dry Bar Saturday 17th December 10pm- 3am £3/£4

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