THE name Rioz Discotheque will undoubtedly bring back fond memories for many across Ardrossan.

The venue opened its doors back in 1982 after the old dance hall in the Kilmeny Hotel on South Beach Road was converted.

On one side of the building was Rioz, with the other part hosting Janerios - a trendy feeder bar.

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Managed by Paul Spencer, who injected entertainment never seen before in Ayrshire, bands and acts from as far afield as Blackpool, Leeds and London were brought to the venue.

They were backed up with the most experienced DJs on the west coast before the venue sadly closed in 1988 - before being demolished a few years later to make way for apartments.

Despite its closure, the venue is still very much alive, with its legacy survived by some of the former resident DJs.

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Jim Scott, Brian Dickie, Jack Blades and John Thomson were all popular figures who played sets to packed crowds at Rioz decades ago.

Now, they all remain very much 'on air' - with each still maintaining regular slots across various radio stations.

Ex-West Sound DJ Jim Scott is working a little bit further afield these days - with his work seeing him play regular slots on Almeria Radio and Almeria Gold.

Jim has presented on various radio stations at home and abroad over the years and continues to do his 80s show in Spain.

As well as this, he also runs a very successful disco business in the north east of England, mostly doing corporate functions and weddings.

More locally, Brian Dickie continues to work during the day at his job - but at night the soul man emerges to pump out the finest soul music on both Ayr Hospital Radio and Irvine Beat FM.

Jack Blades will be another familiar face to many, not just from his DJing days but from his former day job as the manager of Slaters in Ayr - which he recently retired from.

Now, Jack has taken up the reigns at Irvine Beat FM mostly doing The Morning Show, as well as others.

John Thomson is still working during the day, but is another former Rioz DJ who has taken to playing radio slots recently.

Despite being a newbie to the scene, John has come on leaps and bounds and his soulful voice is a hit with the listeners on Irvine Beat FM.

Memories of Rioz also remain alive on social media, through the Rioz Discotheque Facebook page which has been operated by James for the past 15 years.

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Not only does the page help locals reminisce of days gone by, three reunions have also been organised here, with two taking place in 2013 and another in 2017.

It is hoped there will still be more to come before the former resident DJs call it a day.

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