A Reluctance To Move On?

[Paulb]

I was at the Radcliffe nighter last night and made my way in to Steve's room at 3am. What I heard simply blew me away. The music from the dj's in there was amazing. This is proper rare soul. Every genre was covered and the consistency and calibre of each record was staggering.

But where are the supposed 'big name' dj's? Why would they not want to sit in that room and listen to these amazing records? Are they scared of what they hear because they can't compete with that or does it genuinely not interest them?

Dj's like George, Val, Wayne and Paul are playing exciting, fresh and inspiring music but it almost seems like they get ignored in favour of the classics from 30 years ago.

What inspires the supposed 'big guns' of the soul scene? Are they happy filling dancefloors with oldies and safe bets? For me its lazy and boring and isn't really going anywhere.

Personally, I've been buzzing all day about some of the tunes I heard last night in that room. I've no idea what they are called, how much they are, what genre they even fall under, whether they are available on a cd or whether i'll even hear them again. But rooms like that make me realise that there's enough of these amazing records to keep me digging for a long time yet and most importantly keep me excited about it all.

I don't want this to be an oldies v's newies debate, its more about the attitude of the soul scene and how UN inspiring it can be at times compared to the total opposite in rooms like Steve's.

Maybe there's only a few of us that feel this way?

[Tony Foster]

I was at Soul or Nothing on Friday and the same DJ's you're talking about were superb.

[Guest in town Mikey]

Some 'big name' DJs are still pushing the boundaries Paul. But agree with you that Steve's room at Cleethorpes often has some of the best music that weekend, from guys with a good ear for something less obvious.

I would say Ady C has always sought out new stuff for the 100 club regulars to enjoy.

[Guest Ollie Lailey]

With you on this...but what can you do?

[Guest Matt Male]

With you on this...but what can you do?

Some of us are already doing it

[Guest]

With you on this...but what can you do?

go in the room that suits you....obvious really

Just an observation ...As I type this, tracks posters last listened to are:

Ebony Jam - Ride On

Leslie Uggams - Love Is A Good Foundation

Garnett Mimms - Prove It To Me

[Guest becchio]

Great starter post and thread . :-]

[Guest Ollie Lailey]

go in the room that suits you....obvious really

Just an observation ...As I type this, tracks posters last listened to are:

Ebony Jam - Ride On

Leslie Uggams - Love Is A Good Foundation

Garnett Mimms - Prove It To Me

So what? I listened to Garnet Mimms on refosoul. Nothing to do with anything related to this thread.

Edited March 28, 2010 by Ollie Lailey

[Guest Gogs]

go in the room that suits you....obvious really

Just an observation ...As I type this, tracks posters last listened to are:

Ebony Jam - Ride On

Leslie Uggams - Love Is A Good Foundation

Garnett Mimms - Prove It To Me

Love "love is a good foundation" always regretted selling my original.

[Guest WPaulVanDyk]

i wouldn't have a problem going to venues or in rooms where music is different but to hear it all night i wouldn't be to happy so would prob end up to hear say a few songs.

however the more i hear different tunes the more i will prob want to hear some again and again

[Guest Gogs]

i wouldn't have a problem going to venues or in rooms where music is different but to hear it all night i wouldn't be to happy so would prob end up to hear say a few songs.

however the more i hear different tunes the more i will prob want to hear some again and again

Although i'm right into "oldies" i love hearing sounds that are new to me (maybe not to others), and when i was djing always tried to play at least 1 or 2 that i had'nt heard before.

Most got a good reception.

Best was when i put a copy of "Patti Drew" "Stop and listen" Capitol demo on a cd for a fellow dj, he bothered me for months to find out what the track was, and when i played out "Dean and Jean" Lovingly yours" on rust and Kenny Burrell came up to the decks to find out what it was.

Sorry listed wrong track But he also came up to check my copy of "bobby Patterson" "What a wonderful night for love" on Jetstar and others, not all on the same same day i hasten to add.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Gogs

[Guest Matt Male]

i wouldn't have a problem going to venues or in rooms where music is different but to hear it all night i wouldn't be to happy so would prob end up to hear say a few songs.

however the more i hear different tunes the more i will prob want to hear some again and again

Why wouldn't you be happy to hear things new to your ears all night? A guy came up to me last night from Gloucester who was at the last Move On and said 'I only new about ten records at your do.... it was absolutely brilliant!'

Obviously there are things we'd like to hear again (especially when we've only heard it out the once) but those that are new to my ears are the ones i go out for these days. Heard some more last night at Lutterworth and tracked them down today.

[Guest Gogs]

Why wouldn't you be happy to hear things new to your ears all night? A guy came up to me last night from Gloucester who was at the last Move On and said 'I only new about ten records at your do.... it was absolutely brilliant!'

Obviously there are things we'd like to hear again (especially when we've only heard it out the once) but those that are new to my ears are the ones i go out for these days. Heard some more last night at Lutterworth and tracked them down today.

Don't know if i would be happy to hear new stuff all night, 2-3 per set would keep me in my comfort zone, BUT if i liked them i would be one of the first up to the decks checking them out

[ImberBoy]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

Don't tell every one what happening in our secret room!!!!

I'd let the so called "Big names" get on with it, Steve's room at 3am was superb on my last visit.

Steve, I think you're a big name! and your records are even bigger!

[Casper]

Don't know if i would be happy to hear new stuff all night, 2-3 per set would keep me in my comfort zone, BUT if i liked them i would be one of the first up to the decks checking them out

spot on for me ! I want to dance to 15 out of twenty tunes .....not 5 out of 20 ...the other 5 you can put in what yer like till i get to know em (or hate em ) ..so long as they fit in as such.....

pete n' susan ktf

[ImberBoy]

"Comfort zone? We ain't got no Comfort zone. We don't need no Comfort zone! I don't have to show you any stinkin' Comfort zone!"

[Headsy]

just back from holiday so missed Radcliffe but from previous experience Paul I think you will find that they are not RARE tunes just good cheap tunes,

which is what it is all about ,

by jove I think you might just have got it

[Little-stevie]

Thanks Paul for your comments and glad you had a good time on Saturday night...

IIts a 3 room all niter ( well 4 with the modern room 10/2am.. ) There is a main room for northern and a quality RnB room, its our job to offer something different to both those room and then folk have more choice... Got some good djs coming up in the next few months to keep it fresh...

This aint an oldies verses anything else debate, room for all and plenty of choice in events each week....

Just do what you wanna do and get your fix each weekend..

Plenty of folk who attend the niter have never popped heads through the door, maybe they don't know where we are in our little den ...

No bother, no fuss.. Thanks to the folk who have popped in and those that have supported us at each event... It was always gonna be a gamble to start a room at 3am, many friends just can't do the late shift anymore and dance till dawn, thats why i have another location also in more normal hours... An ideal time for me would be 1am to 5am...

cheers

Steve

[Guest Matt Male]

spot on for me ! I want to dance to 15 out of twenty tunes .....not 5 out of 20 ...the other 5 you can put in what yer like till i get to know em (or hate em ) ..so long as they fit in as such.....

pete n' susan ktf

So you're saying that in order to dance to the tune you have to know it? Surely you're joking? Good music will keep me on the floor whether i know it or not.

As for 2-3 unknown to me in a set, well that's a stone cold oldies night for me and the kind of night i'd prefer to avoid. I agree Simon, the 'comfort zone' is the problem.

[Garethx]

just back from holiday so missed Radcliffe but from previous experience Paul I think you will find that they are not RARE tunes just good cheap tunes,

which is what it is all about ,

by jove I think you might just have got it

That's a bit of a misrepresentation isn't it and maybe the attitude Paul hints at in his original post. I played in that room last month and aside from a couple of things did not play 'cheap' records. George's spots feature a lot of records which the so-called 'big boys' are still chasing. Among other things he played Richard Marks on Tuska which I don't think you could buy for well over a grand these days without being very lucky. Paul Sadot's spots don't feature a lot of cheap records either. Price tags are immaterial anyway but I just wanted to clear up the idea that the third room at Radcliffe is manned by divs playing five quid records.

In the final analysis the room and the format of the niter as a whole is pretty much spot on. The main room has a large dancefloor and the job of the deejays there is to fill it by any means necessary. An hour of unknowns or obscurities wouldn't work there.

[Guest becchio]

Why would a dj be a "div" if he " played 5 quid records all night " anyway ? or a better dj if he didnt ? . Like paul said he didnt know most of them but that dosnt nescercially mean theyr expensive records just very underplayed classics ,or leftfielders. I think pauls post is refreshing and asks some interesing questions . How do you spell nesscercerially lol

[Richard Bayley]

So you're saying that in order to dance to the tune you have to know it? Surely you're joking? Good music will keep me on the floor whether i know it or not.

As for 2-3 unknown to me in a set, well that's a stone cold oldies night for me and the kind of night i'd prefer to avoid. I agree Simon, the 'comfort zone' is the problem.

Like you Matt, I like to dance to tunes that are new to me - perhaps the "comfort zone" is as much about the dancing as it is about musical taste ...... I understand the appeal of dancing to tunes when you know every beat and break (I sing along too ), but sometimes I despair at oldies nights when the floor clears on hearing the opening bars of something the dancers don't immediately recognise, especially if the DJ has done a good job in sequencing it - I'm not talking here about folk who enjoy the odd shuffle to their favourite tune (nothing wrong with that, before anybody bites my head off), but those dancers who give the floor some welly when they go out. Dancing on "auto-pilot", perhaps?

On the plus side, new dance tunes do an excellent job of getting rid of some of the increasingly arthritic "floor work" I still occasionally see when out and about!

[JOHNNYBETCHA]

So you're saying that in order to dance to the tune you have to know it? Surely you're joking? Good music will keep me on the floor whether i know it or not.

As for 2-3 unknown to me in a set, well that's a stone cold oldies night for me and the kind of night i'd prefer to avoid. I agree Simon, the 'comfort zone' is the problem.

so you'd dance on your own for half an hour would you?

[ImberBoy]

so you'd dance on your own for half an hour would you?

Good grief, I have read it all now. Do you now need to have accompanying dancers to make you venture onto the dance floor?

I am glad we have a multi layered Allnighter scene, sheep n wolves, I aint ever been a sheep Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Reg]

I like to hear new things, definitely.

But I do also like to hear a few that I do know as well as some I'd like to get to know better :-)

I haven't actually experienced Steve's room at Radcliffe that much yet (far too late for me) but I've been to enough of his nights to know what to expect and it definitely isn't £5 records!

For me, if I was at Radcliffe, I would probably bob in and out of each room depending who was on. If one of my favourites was on in Steve's room I'd probably stay for the full set. But if he had somebody on and I wasn't so sure I'd go for a wander. Whether that's a good thing or not is debatable. When you just go to the one room soul night you can't just go for a wander and you may end up hearing something great after all.

It may take 5 records before you do but it will be worth it. But if I had the choice of another room I'd be off well before 5 records to see what was going on elsewhere.

[Chalky]

These kind of rooms are often a side room for a reason, they appeal to a minority, sadly. The format would never work in a main room and you certainly wouldn't get the support at a large regular venue no matter how good the records are. The only way to change things is bit by bit, maybe promoters should insist on the dj's they book play 5 records that aren't the norm. Until then oldies rule at the majority of your larger venues be them soul nights or all nighters.

[Guest Beeks]

I think Steves room is quality...not my cup of tea musically but that's only because i'm a complete R&B fiend now but I totally understand what he is doing and whenever I popped my head in the atmosphere was incredible

I genuinely thing that this will be the future of the scene once the older generation start falling away and the younger folks...who lets face it...have a more open ear...start coming through

It's all good

[Guest Matt Male]

so you'd dance on your own for half an hour would you?

Yes, if they were great records. Wouldn't you? The fact that you wouldn't be dancing with me says it all.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Matt Male

[Guest Matt Male]

Like you Matt, I like to dance to tunes that are new to me - perhaps the "comfort zone" is as much about the dancing as it is about musical taste ...... I understand the appeal of dancing to tunes when you know every beat and break (I sing along too ), but sometimes I despair at oldies nights when the floor clears on hearing the opening bars of something the dancers don't immediately recognise, especially if the DJ has done a good job in sequencing it - I'm not talking here about folk who enjoy the odd shuffle to their favourite tune (nothing wrong with that, before anybody bites my head off), but those dancers who give the floor some welly when they go out. Dancing on "auto-pilot", perhaps?

On the plus side, new dance tunes do an excellent job of getting rid of some of the increasingly arthritic "floor work" I still occasionally see when out and about!

Well said Rich. Been a long time mate. Old Middleton ages ago i think. Are you going to Stafford?

[Garethx]

These kind of rooms are often a side room for a reason, they appeal to a minority, sadly. The format would never work in a main room and you certainly wouldn't get the support at a large regular venue no matter how good the records are. The only way to change things is bit by bit, maybe promoters should insist on the dj's they book play 5 records that aren't the norm. Until then oldies rule at the majority of your larger venues be them soul nights or all nighters.

Chalky's right. I'm not the biggest fan of multi-roomed venues as I think if you give people the opportunity to wander about they will, but if there are smaller rooms this is a good use for them. It allows the deejays to maybe try different types of records that wouldn't be appreciated in the bigger room for what ever reason: tempo or unfamiliarity and so on. I think the scene's moved on form a time when people would dance en masse to complete sets of records they didn't know and that's probably been the case for fifteen years or so. It takes an age to break a new record anyway now, whereas in the 70s it could be done in the course of a weekend.

[Headsy]

That's a bit of a misrepresentation isn't it and maybe the attitude Paul hints at in his original post. I played in that room last month and aside from a couple of things did not play 'cheap' records. George's spots feature a lot of records which the so-called 'big boys' are still chasing. Among other things he played Richard Marks on Tuska which I don't think you could buy for well over a grand these days without being very lucky. Paul Sadot's spots don't feature a lot of cheap records either. Price tags are immaterial anyway but I just wanted to clear up the idea that the third room at Radcliffe is manned by divs playing five quid records.

In the final analysis the room and the format of the niter as a whole is pretty much spot on. The main room has a large dancefloor and the job of the deejays there is to fill it by any means necessary. An hour of unknowns or obscurities wouldn't work there.

what part of my post are you struggling with and what attitude ?

what have what Paul and George got to do with this ?

I dont know George that well apart from selling him the odd record, I know Paul quite well and certainly would never infer he was a div.

how have I misrepresented the room ?

I enjoy the room,always spend most of the later hours in there when I am at Radcliffe...........hear a lot of cheap ( but good ) records ,and would say that most ( not all ) of the tunes I have heard when I have been in have been lower value records that have shown imagination from the DJs.

I would sooner hear somebody play a set of £10 and £20 records ( some I know and some I dont ) than hear the same expensive records all the time,

you keep playing your good expensive records,you would impress me more if you played good cheap records.

your English is too good for this not to come across as another example of your head being up your arse.

[Guest Matt Male]

These kind of rooms are often a side room for a reason, they appeal to a minority, sadly. The format would never work in a main room and you certainly wouldn't get the support at a large regular venue no matter how good the records are. The only way to change things is bit by bit, maybe promoters should insist on the dj's they book play 5 records that aren't the norm. Until then oldies rule at the majority of your larger venues be them soul nights or all nighters.

Agree with this. It is a minority who want to hear 50% new to their ears all night (me for one). You're right, it would be hard, almost impossible thesedays, to sell set after set of rarely played and unknowns to a main room of 300 anywhere in the country (even Lifeline?). I think we just have to accept that the majority of people do want to hear the same records they know and love, with a couple of new ones in the set, but i agree with Gareth this was never what the scene was about, especially in the 80s. It's Stafford reunion this weekend, who would have thought 25 years later most venues would be playing 95% oldies during the excitement of new sounds and rapid turn over in those days? Not me for one.

[Ged Parker]

what part of my post are you struggling with and what attitude ?

what have what Paul and George got to do with this ?

I dont know George that well apart from selling him the odd record, I know Paul quite well and certainly would never infer he was a div.

how have I misrepresented the room ?

I enjoy the room,always spend most of the later hours in there when I am at Radcliffe...........hear a lot of cheap ( but good ) records ,and would say that most ( not all ) of the tunes I have heard when I have been in have been lower value records that have shown imagination from the DJs.

I would sooner hear somebody play a set of £10 and £20 records ( some I know and some I dont ) than hear the same expensive records all the time,

you keep playing your good expensive records,you would impress me more if you played good cheap records.

your English is too good for this not to come across as another example of your head being up your arse.

I think the point Gareth made was that you saying they are not RARE records just cheap good records misrepresented the room. If people were to go there and think they could pick up anything there heard relatively easily they'd probably be disappointed a lot of the time when they tried to track some of these tracks down.

In terms of hearing the same expensive records all the time I think you and he are on the same page.

[ImberBoy]

Moving on..........

I'm sure Dave won't mind me using Stafford as an example here with

Johnny Taylor - What about my Love

One of the tracks that broke the stale Northernsoul mould thanks to Dave T at Stafford and of course sampled by The Shape shifters

I don't want to turn this into oldies versus Newies but the comfort zone kids; The Northernsoul scene was never ever about getting comfy with the music!!!!!!

I say shame on the main room dancers for allowing your selves to get into such a rut that you need to have learned a track before dancing or daring not to venture onto the floor unless accompanied!!

Wigan Casino would not have, could not have ever thrived unless there was a passion to dare!!!

Comfort zone warriors are surely the ugliest face of Northernsoul who bring shame to our house, burn them all I say, burn them until the very roof lifts and then we shall all worship in small rooms of Soul!!!

Mark my words, those who dance to the same tracks every time they go out will bare a mark and this mark will be the mark of a "D" for it is those who are marked as Divvies who will not enter that great hall in the sky when we pass, for you are dammed to dance in shopping centers and you are dammed to dance to the compacted disk of electronic media.

[JOHNNYBETCHA]

Yes, if they were great records. Wouldn't you? The fact that you wouldn't be dancing with me says it all.

wouldn't we look just a little bit gay me and you dancing on our own?!!

[Liljimmycrank]

Have to agree with a lot of what Paul's put in his post and it's a good one - i'm sure inneveitably it will become and 'oldies vs newies' thread the more posts go up, but it's a good angle to start from.

Mikey, Chalky and Matt all have valid points here in terms of the subject. Big name DJ's do attend these events and have a lot of rarities / unknowns / underplayed stuff in there collections, its a fact. However they're usually booked by the promoters for a purpose (sadly, often because of their 'other' side of the box, nighter classics etc - not always a bad thing though ey?).

Their job in the main rooms is to fill the dancefloor, and i would hazzard a guess that a lot of the big namers stay in the main hall most of the night a) to avoid playing tunes already played and b) they're usually quite popular people and get chatting away to their many friends who are in attendance.

I love to have a dance at nighters and will do it in which ever room im in, not because i know the tune but because it makes me want to dance!! I love rooms like Steve's and events which try and break the mould a bit whether that be soul night or nighter. I love all genres of soul too so its not a case of oldies vs newies, it's just good soul music that does it for me.

Didnt make Radcliffe on Saturday but was at the Riley Smith Hall which is like a typical nighter set up but soul night timings. Main hall (oldies, classics) then a rare/freestyle room upstairs. They have the same blokes from downstairs playing upstairs too, but completely different types of sets. And you do see the other jocks up there taking it in as well as the punters.

To finish, i'd raise a question back and say: how many 'big named' jocks, when not playing, attend these types of nights or rooms at nighters where rare and underplayed is spun?

Answers on a postcard...........(personally i think a lot do attend them).

Azza

[Ged Parker]

Agree with this. It is a minority who want to hear 50% new to their ears all night (me for one). You're right, it would be hard, almost impossible thesedays, to sell set after set of rarely played and unknowns to a main room of 300 anywhere in the country (even Lifeline?). I think we just have to accept that the majority of people do want to hear the same records they know and love, with a couple of new ones in the set, but i agree with Gareth this was never what the scene was about, especially in the 80s. It's Stafford reunion this weekend, who would have thought 25 years later most venues would be playing 95% oldies during the excitement of new sounds and rapid turn over in those days? Not me for one.

I'm in the minority too. I wonder if Sunday will be an event that captures the spirit of Stafford, ie loads of new or obscure things to hear or if it'll be an event that replaces the Wigan oldies with the Stafford oldies? Be interesting to find out.

[ImberBoy]

wouldn't we look just a little bit gay me and you dancing on our own?!!

Gay is the new Butch

[Guest Matt Male]

wouldn't we look just a little bit gay me and you dancing on our own?!!

I don't mind if you don't.

Seriously though, dancing on your own will sometimes get people up who like the sound but might not want to be the first. To be honest after 30 odd years i don't mind dancing on an empty dancefloor or being the first up, life's too short.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Matt Male

[Guest SteveJohnston]

I know some think it's not politically correct to post played record lists anymore, but is there any chance someone could post one or two DJ lists from Steve's room?

Steve J

[pikeys dog]

Ged,

At a guess, it will probably be 25% the former and 75% the latter.

I'm sure the DJs involved will want to play obscure/ new to the floor records, but whether the crowd will allow them to will probably dictate as to what is played.

It is a Revival/Reunion afterall, so expectations will be for classic Stafford tunes I.M.O.

[Agentsmith]

These kind of rooms are often a side room for a reason, they appeal to a minority, sadly. The format would never work in a main room and you certainly wouldn't get the support at a large regular venue no matter how good the records are. The only way to change things is bit by bit, maybe promoters should insist on the dj's they book play 5 records that aren't the norm. Until then oldies rule at the majority of your larger venues be them soul nights or all nighters.

gotta agree with you chalks, and at the same time im not being derogatory to the original poster, but to a large extent what you refer to as underplays depends on how long you have been on the scene eg: GARNETT MIMMS.....i aqquired a copy 3 or 4 years ago but with the knowledge it was an oldie TO ME ... yes, its great to hear it played, cant argue with that...these type of "forgotten sounds" deserve their place. i find it highly frustrating as well that when and i say WHEN im offered the opportunity to dj i play something like that, no-one wants to know.....and its not because the big guns aren't playing it either....so i sell on....what happens next?....someone else gets hold of it and its pronounced as "getting big plays".....SO, ITS NOT GOOD ENOUGH WHEN I PLAY IT THEN??....soes that smack of hypocracy or not?. do you want another example of a "tune"....BARBARA BANKS - "RIVER OF TEARS" played at wigan and before, not expensive but not a cheapie either. somebody must have earwigged to neil jones about it at prestwich and neil is quick to pick up on things like this and i heard he was raving about it....BUT NOBODY MENTIONS IT WAS ME WHO WAS PLAYING IT...i can do that with a whole bunch of things BUT NOBODY HAS THE GOOD GRACE TO OFFER ME A SPOT ANYWHERE.....so im left kicking my heels. thats another story though isnt it?.

anyway as chalky rightly says main rooms simply wont conform in such a progressive manner, and afterall, new people who are just coming onto the scene want to experience everything we were into first...to lay down roots so to speak....isnt that how we first did it?, then, eventually they will wander into the side rooms to see and hear what all the fuss is about. KINGS HALL, both rooms work really well and that, is the predominate factor, the very reason why we have these rooms to hear something different and believe it or not, some of these rooms get a great atmosphere, much in the same way as the main rooms.

rob.h

[Tabs]

Best room of the night for me.

Spent the last 4 hours in there and the people who were in attendance were having a great time.

Really enjoyed it, far better than the unimaginative oldies that were being played whenever i went into the main room.

All about opinions and tastes so i'm not saying I'm right or wrong.

Just my opinion that I like to hear something different, underplayed or unknown.

I was at the Radcliffe nighter last night and made my way in to Steve's room at 3am. What I heard simply blew me away. The music from the dj's in there was amazing. This is proper rare soul. Every genre was covered and the consistency and calibre of each record was staggering.

Maybe there's only a few of us that feel this way?

[Ged Parker]

Ged,

At a guess, it will probably be 25% the former and 75% the latter.

I'm sure the DJs involved will want to play obscure/ new to the floor records, but whether the crowd will allow them to will probably dictate as to what is played.

It is a Revival/Reunion afterall, so expectations will be for classic Stafford tunes I.M.O.

That's not my expectation but suspect you're right.

[Paul Shirley]

yeah many of us have been playing rarer and fresher tunes for some time now, we just dont go shouting from the roof tops about it , the very best of luck to anyone who can make it work

[Dave Rimmer]

Have to agree with a lot of what Paul's put in his post and it's a good one - i'm sure inneveitably it will become and 'oldies vs newies' thread the more posts go up, but it's a good angle to start from.

Mikey, Chalky and Matt all have valid points here in terms of the subject. Big name DJ's do attend these events and have a lot of rarities / unknowns / underplayed stuff in there collections, its a fact. However they're usually booked by the promoters for a purpose (sadly, often because of their 'other' side of the box, nighter classics etc - not always a bad thing though ey?).

Their job in the main rooms is to fill the dancefloor, and i would hazzard a guess that a lot of the big namers stay in the main hall most of the night a) to avoid playing tunes already played and b) they're usually quite popular people and get chatting away to their many friends who are in attendance.

I love to have a dance at nighters and will do it in which ever room im in, not because i know the tune but because it makes me want to dance!! I love rooms like Steve's and events which try and break the mould a bit whether that be soul night or nighter. I love all genres of soul too so its not a case of oldies vs newies, it's just good soul music that does it for me.

Didnt make Radcliffe on Saturday but was at the Riley Smith Hall which is like a typical nighter set up but soul night timings. Main hall (oldies, classics) then a rare/freestyle room upstairs. They have the same blokes from downstairs playing upstairs too, but completely different types of sets. And you do see the other jocks up there taking it in as well as the punters.

To finish, i'd raise a question back and say: how many 'big named' jocks, when not playing, attend these types of nights or rooms at nighters where rare and underplayed is spun?

Answers on a postcard...........(personally i think a lot do attend them).

Azza

Don't know if I qualify as a big name jock, but that's almost spot on for where I am at nighters, and why. The other reason I tend to stay in the main room is becaiuse that's the room where the record sales are.

But when I'm not DJing I tend to frequent places like Move On, Disciples Of Soul, USOS, Taste Of Honey, Lifeline, all of which try and play something a little different

[Roger Williams]

I'd hazard a guess that the majority of 'big name' DJ's would love to play the smaller rooms now and again to show they aren't the one-trick ponies that they sometimes get slated for being, I bet they could knock spots off the majority of the vocal wannabee's who like to have a go at them, without even having to try.

[Mace]

I'm in the minority too. I wonder if Sunday will be an event that captures the spirit of Stafford, ie loads of new or obscure things to hear or if it'll be an event that replaces the Wigan oldies with the Stafford oldies? Be interesting to find out.

It's not replacing owt Ged, it's a one off event, 25 years on, in the original venue.

We've made no secret of the music policy, reading the Stafford thread surely clarifies that?

The third room has been added to include the 'Spirit of Stafford' policy, but I bet 90% of those questioning the main room music policy spend most of their night in the main room

If it was gonna be a night of newies/obscurities it would probably attract 200-300 max.

Basically, this event would not be feasible under that concept....so you either want to take a trip down memory lane or you don't.

It's not like it's gonna happen again in 12 months, and is highly unlikely to ever happen again.

I'm all for hearing new stuff...fact is there are very few venues doing just that.....even less making any sort of success out of it.

Even more DJs who profess to wanting to hear new stuff and still play the same old same old.

Regards

Mace

[ImberBoy]

Burn them all

[Ged Parker]

It's not replacing owt Ged, it's a one off event, 25 years on, in the original venue.

We've made no secret of the music policy, reading the Stafford thread surely clarifies that?

The third room has been added to include the 'Spirit of Stafford' policy, but I bet 90% of those questioning the main room music policy spend most of their night in the main room

If it was gonna be a night of newies/obscurities it would probably attract 200-300 max.

Basically, this event would not be feasible under that concept....so you either want to take a trip down memory lane or you don't.

It's not like it's gonna happen again in 12 months, and is highly unlikely to ever happen again.

I'm all for hearing new stuff...fact is there are very few venues doing just that.....even less making any sort of success out of it.

Even more DJs who profess to wanting to hear new stuff and still play the same old same old.

Regards

Mace

It was a rhetorical question I guess, well until Joe answered it .

I know there isn't the new stuff around to do a whole night of 'newies' and it isn't commercially viable. The last one fitted the mould that Joe described 25 / 75 split probably. It was just a new slant on the discussion which could equally apply to the Mecca Reunion or the Wigan vs Morecambe Pier event Shaun Gibbons is putting on at the Carlton.

The good thing is that a lot of the best stuff from back then remains underplayed. For me what I want to hear and what I play are often two different things as I want to hear things I haven't got and by definition can't play them if I don't have them. I play what I think the crowd would like to hear and this changes by venue, but of course I know what you mean.

In many cases the moving on (or not) depends on how many records you know from years gone by as there are few genuinely new things being found and those that are are so rare unless you're in the right place at the right time you may never hear them out.

It would be great to know the prevailing view of what people want to hear in every venue but you can only build up that picture over time and after a few visits and any event like this is bound to aim to hit the widest audience in the absence of any relevant recent experience to go on.

Dave and co have set out the stall quite well and I'm sure people know what they're letting themselves in for. My question was more of a debating point than a criticism.