Guest chorleybloke Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Over from Oz earlier this month and decided to go to the much closer Blackpool Wintergardens allnighter instead of my preferred venue the Rugby Allnighter (due to the shite weather). First impression - fantastic venue and dancefloor and, how refreshing, there's a couple of cameras over each deck to demonstrate the OVO policy. Great opening set by Richard Searling, although no surprises whatsoever, then on comes Colin Curtis. Leaving it a bit late to cue up I thought but then realised he was pressing buttons on a CD deck - and proceeded to do a full 90 minute Mecca set from CDs! So what's the crack, has he sold up? And how come he still gets invited to DJ? Is this common at these "handbag" type of venues? If anybody other than me gave a shit, they certainly weren't showing it. Cheers......Pete
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 If that's true it's terrible what was on the decks ?
Guest Ste Brazil Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Yeah, it was the same the last few times i saw him to be honest, i thought it a bit odd?
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 If you sell up surely that means you've "hung your decks up" so to speak so promoters should stop booking anyone who no longer has the tools to do the job and stop ripping the pi*s out of the people who have supported the scene all these years 2
Geeselad Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 He's certainly not the only major DJ from the 7ts I've heard accused of doing it.
Guest Mr Ms DJ Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Blame the promoters if they dont put cd players on the stage they wont be able to play cds should be original vinyl only ,but these days it seems to me that a lot of the promoters are only interested in how much money they can earn.
Guest chorleybloke Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 If that's true it's terrible what was on the decks ? Richard put a couple of Mecca tribute CD covers on the decks. They've lost the plot somewhere along the line.
Benji Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 He's certainly not the only major DJ from the 7ts I've heard accused of doing it. Russ Winstanley, Brian Rae and Chris King are three that come to my mind immediately. 1
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Blame the promoters if they dont put cd players on the stage they wont be able to play cds should be original vinyl only ,but these days it seems to me that a lot of the promoters are only interested in how much money they can earn. They are using the big names to con the punters and don't give a sh*t about the music Would be Northern soul millionaires ! It totally defeats the object of the scene to hear Rare soul records that you can't hear anywhere else i can put a bloody CD on in my living room and play any record i want to hear for free ! Edited February 22, 2012 by allnightandy 1
Petebangor Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Colin Curtis is very much at the forefront of the Modern soul scene in this country, still breaking new sounds as he did 40 years ago. Is this thread going to turn into another done to death OVO policy. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz 'Cameras over the decks to demonstrate the OVO policy' I suppose you could zoom in and check the matrix numbers too. Was it advertised as an OVO night ? 3
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Wonder if the cameras were dummies with a You tube video compilation playing on screen ? 1
Popular Post viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Within the next few years the UK soul scene will be diluted almost completely and many events will be just like any disco you were escaping from when you were getting into northern soul in the first place. The punters who do not care about proper dj's with the imagination to set a dance floor on fire with original vinyl and promoters who do not care about tight door policies, dance floor etiquettes, the right venue, original vinyl and so on will surely put a few more nails in the coffin. I hope the few remaining people who do care with hopefully a few younger kids coming through will keep the faith and resurrect a once pretty cool scene with attitude once again from the graves of ignorance & commerce !!! Edited February 22, 2012 by viphitman 4
Epic Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Over from Oz earlier this month and decided to go to the much closer Blackpool Wintergardens allnighter instead of my preferred venue the Rugby Allnighter (due to the shite weather). First impression - fantastic venue and dancefloor and, how refreshing, there's a couple of cameras over each deck to demonstrate the OVO policy. Great opening set by Richard Searling, although no surprises whatsoever, then on comes Colin Curtis. Leaving it a bit late to cue up I thought but then realised he was pressing buttons on a CD deck - and proceeded to do a full 90 minute Mecca set from CDs! So what's the crack, has he sold up? And how come he still gets invited to DJ? Is this common at these "handbag" type of venues? If anybody other than me gave a shit, they certainly weren't showing it. Cheers......Pete Too busy enjoying themselves - people have commented onf/b how much they liked Colin's set.
Popular Post Epic Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 Within the next few years the UK soul scene will be diluted almost completely and many events will be just like any disco you were escaping from when you were getting into northern soul in the first place. The punters who do not care about proper dj's with the imagination to set a dance floor on fire with original vinyl and promoters who do not care about tight door policies, dance floor etiquettes, the right venue, original vinyl and so on will surely put a few more nails in the coffin. I hope the few remaining people who do care with hopefully a few younger kids coming through will keep the faith and resurrect a once pretty cool scene with attitude once again from the graves of ignorance & commerce !!! Colin Curtis has had more imagination about soul & dance music in the last 40 years than practically any other DJ in this country !!! 7
viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Colin Curtis has had more imagination about soul & dance music in the last 40 years than practically any other DJ in this country !!! That's not the point I was trying to make.. If Colin would have played some tunes at a modern soul event, which unfortunately have only been issued on CD's is fine with me as I am not really part of that circle and not up to date with the current modern 2 step scene.... but all those big dj names coping out at a soul nighter with a few cd's any Dick & Tom could have shuffled together is just taking the mickey !! Edited February 22, 2012 by viphitman 1
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) From the skill of discovering and playing new sounds to the skill of pushing a button ! NOT ONLY SOLD UP ! BUT SOLD OUT ! Edited February 22, 2012 by allnightandy
Geoffp Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Agree Andy-sold up and sold out.Doesnt really bother me particularly. But god he was CRAP at Blackpool.
Guest MrC Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 He's a witch! He's a Witch! "how do you know he's a witch?" Cos he looks like one!
Mrtag Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) He's a witch! He's a Witch! "how do you know he's a witch?" Cos he looks like one! Looks like the ducking stool might get a dusting! Edited February 22, 2012 by mrtag
Guest Bearsy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 imagine someone playing boots of his top tunes when he was djn back in the day, what would he of said back then i wonder ??
Guest Bearsy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 ps, i dont care anymore about cds, boots, carvers and twats the scene is looking more and more day by day a fooking joke, what attracted me to the scene dont seem to be there anymore just a sad reflection of what it used to be and ive only been around for 6 years, fook knows how many that have never left the scene have kept their passion going for so long
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Agree Andy-sold up and sold out.Doesnt really bother me particularly. But god he was CRAP at Blackpool. I wasnt there but i agree What is really annoying is that the promoters even ask these people to appear . Most punters accept that they are there for their unique sounds and that the people playing them have the passion to pay a fortune for their sounds out of love and a certain amount of pride in the rarity and value of their collection ! I mean they train Monkeys to press buttons It's not hard is it ?
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 ps, i dont care anymore about cds, boots, carvers and twats the scene is looking more and more day by day a fooking joke, what attracted me to the scene dont seem to be there anymore just a sad reflection of what it used to be and ive only been around for 6 years, fook knows how many that have never left the scene have kept their passion going for so long Dare i say That The scene has been taken over by Capitalists to bleed every penny out of it for the cheapest outlay ? LoL
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 imagine someone playing boots of his top tunes when he was djn back in the day, what would he of said back then i wonder ?? It has always been said even back in the Wigan days that a couple of the "lower ranking" DJ's Were not playing original sounds and also borrowed records off the "top Jocks"
Popular Post Harrythedog Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 The "scene" today is a joke. Pick and choose nowadays beause 90% of the venues today have nothing to do with an underground rare soul scene. The punters deserve what they are getting - DROSS. 7
Daved Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 I wasnt there but i agree What is really annoying is that the promoters even ask these people to appear . Most punters accept that they are there for their unique sounds and that the people playing them have the passion to pay a fortune for their sounds out of love and a certain amount of pride in the rarity and value of their collection ! I mean they train Monkeys to press buttons It's not hard is it ? What a load of rubbish. There's much more to being a good DJ than cueing up records proficiently. And some of them can't even manage that 1
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) What a load of rubbish. There's much more to being a good DJ than cueing up records proficiently. And some of them can't even manage that Well a good start , would be to have the bloody records in the first place ! and you can't cue up records , If you don't have any ! Edited February 22, 2012 by allnightandy
Roburt Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Colin is & always has been a great DJ. He's a Modern & jazz DJ these days and those crowds just wanna hear the good sounds he plays. Couldn't give a toss if he has copied them to CD-R's ahead of time to cut down on the weight involved with taking 2000+ tracks with him on his DJing sessions. 3
Popular Post Toodarnsoulful Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 Good job I wasn't attracted by the SCENE, i was attracted by the Music... Music first and last for me... I'd travel Miles to see Colin play off Cd's than go to the end of my road to see most of the dj's on the SCENE!.... 4
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Good job I wasn't attracted by the SCENE, i was attracted by the Music... Music first and last for me... I'd travel Miles to see Colin play off Cd's than go to the end of my road to see most of the dj's on the SCENE!.... Well part of the fun was traveling the length of the country back then , to hear rare un obtainable vinyl if i want to listen to CD's i can go to the pub down the road where the DJ has a hard drive with 50,000 tunes on it and the skill of a Till out girl at Asda 2
viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) The whole society is bloody brain washed by accepting not the real deal anymore but a cheap frigging old hat made in frigging Tabalula. Bloody hell, I am sure I can sell some of you a new Land Rover made in China but although you have lost your job a few years ago at the Land Rover manufacturing plant you still think greeeeeeeeeeeeeat what a wonderful British Car!!!!!!!!!!!! After that we watch a virtual boxing fight controlled by Mohammed Ali's & George Forman's individual brains !!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh fantastic what a great fight... like in the old days!!! Did Colin not once complain about toooo many bootlegs and pressings at the start of the wigan casino ??? Edited February 22, 2012 by viphitman 1
Dazdakin Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 ps, i dont care anymore about cds, boots, carvers and twats the scene is looking more and more day by day a fooking joke, what attracted me to the scene dont seem to be there anymore just a sad reflection of what it used to be and ive only been around for 6 years, fook knows how many that have never left the scene have kept their passion going for so long Mate the scene has not changed one little bit only the expectations of a few that feel that having a good night out is not good enough any-more, and where any dj that dares to plays anything that is not considered "kosha" is able to ruin what would otherwise be a cracking night........i don't get it, i really don't. As for carvers, i think they have a place where a tune has NEVER been issued in ANY way whatsoever and only exists on some obscure long lost tape from the vaults..........how else are we supposed to hear a particular tune if it only exists on tape?? 2
KevH Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 imagine someone playing boots of his top tunes when he was djn back in the day, what would he of said back then i wonder ?? There lies the rub..His tunes.Colin championed a lot of the Mecca stuff,if not discovered them.If he chooses to play His tunes from cd thats up to him. Went to a "modern" do with CC on locally.Still played a blinder off 12"ers cd's.Still knew how to mix a set. Saying all that ,he's one of very few who i can forgive for not playing OVO. How you doing Bearsy? 1
Pomonkey Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Who the hell takes "2,000 tracks" out to DJ, that's just the sign of an insecure DJ not believing in his own ability to pick out a quality balanced set, find the longer you've been doing records absolutely the l.e.s.s. you need to carry out the door as you know what works plus hopefully have a personal sound people are coming to hear, take a few extras in case your set runs longer or someone else plays one or three of yours out earlier but that'll do it. (ps not saying Colin - or anyone specific does this - just a bit in disbelief as to that comment. Although always good to know you have Abba's Greatest Hits on cd if someone comes up with the usual comedy request...) Edited February 22, 2012 by pomonkey
Popular Post Wrongcrowd Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 From the skill of discovering and playing new sounds to the skill of pushing a button ! NOT ONLY SOLD UP ! BUT SOLD OUT ! That shows how much you know..... Colin Curtis is still inspiring dance floors and listeners alike with great, obscure, and under-played music.... Not sold out by any means....still keeping to the traditions of fresh soulful dance music as he always has.... The shame is that the underground soul scene of the time you're referring to has stayed largely in the same groove and is for the most part absolutely ignorant of some incredible soulful dance that shouild be the real lifeblood of a progressive soul scene.... 10
viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Btw. Altough I do not like bits and bobs about him I have the greatest respect for Ian Levine for playing as far as I know a set of original records and getting into it again in full swing !!! It would be great if Colin would do the same then I might shuffle along !!!
Roburt Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 ............. at the start of the wigan casino ??? Come on, that was almost 40 years ago. Surely we have moved on a bit since then. Many tracks that CC plays these days date from the last 20 years, so the original version is on CD !!!
viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) That shows how much you know..... Colin Curtis is still inspiring dance floors and listeners alike with great, obscure, and under-played music.... Not sold out by any means....still keeping to the traditions of fresh soulful dance music as he always has.... The shame is that the underground soul scene of the time you're referring to has stayed largely in the same groove and is for the most part absolutely ignorant of some incredible soulful dance that shouild be the real lifeblood of a progressive soul scene.... If he would play it from the orignal format at places where an open deck policy regarding styles of soulful music is in place then hey great!!! But I still have a vinyl fetisch ..... and it sounds sooooo much better then a CD Edited February 22, 2012 by viphitman
KevH Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 I suppose it could be worse.He could be churning out the same old same old,,,,,someone else's tunes.................... 2
Petebangor Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 ............. at the start of the wigan casino ??? Come on, that was almost 40 years ago. Surely we have moved on a bit since then. Sadly some people haven't. 1
Popular Post Steve G Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 SO as far as I know Colin's only forays into the northern scene these days are these occasional Mecca revivals. He is a Modern jock and at the top of his game and a really good guy, always friendly and always passionate about the latest releases. As he was a pucka Mecca DJ from the 70s, I am not going to lose any sleep if he turns up at the odd Mecca revival night and plays off CDs. We all know what the records that made the Mecca are, even his legendary "last hour" left-fielders. Now if he was booked at an upfront venue that would be an entirely different matter. But he ain't, so get over yourselves please. There's nothing to see here. 15
Margo Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 let golden 101 answer the question he's too busy counting the money and laughing down his sleeve 3
Popular Post Wrongcrowd Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 Btw. Altough I do not like bits and bobs about him I have the greatest respect for Ian Levine for playing as far as I know a set of original records and getting into it again in full swing !!! It would be great if Colin would do the same then I might shuffle along !!! You couldn't be further from the truth.... Colin Curtis has continued to play original records, though maybe not of a style that you personally would 'shuffle along to'. There are two completely different points in this thread. 1. DJs playing reissues/boots and blasphemously from CDs... If you're gonna attend an oldies, revival night featuring original DJs then don't expect original vinyl.... it's not strictly required for the crowd that the promoter's aiming to attract. 2. Inspirational DJs that shaped the scene, and continue to do so, should be shown a lot more respect. 7
Guest allnightandy Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 That shows how much you know..... Colin Curtis is still inspiring dance floors and listeners alike with great, obscure, and under-played music.... Not sold out by any means....still keeping to the traditions of fresh soulful dance music as he always has.... The shame is that the underground soul scene of the time you're referring to has stayed largely in the same groove and is for the most part absolutely ignorant of some incredible soulful dance that shouild be the real lifeblood of a progressive soul scene.... Yep shows exactly what i know I'd already been into this scene for 14 years before you were born and yes i'm into only the music that coined the Phrase Northern Soul ., Not modern , progressive ,smooth ,easy listening ,70's jazz funk , cross over and poss another dozen names that seem to have high jacked the original name of Northern Soul , because as you know if they called by it's proper name it probably wouldn't make it to it's second outing
Popular Post Agentsmith Posted February 22, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Mate the scene has not changed one little bit only the expectations of a few that feel that having a good night out is not good enough any-more, and where any dj that dares to plays anything that is not considered "kosha" is able to ruin what would otherwise be a cracking night........i don't get it, i really don't. As for carvers, i think they have a place where a tune has NEVER been issued in ANY way whatsoever and only exists on some obscure long lost tape from the vaults..........how else are we supposed to hear a particular tune if it only exists on tape?? spot on, perfectly legitimate principle, but it can also be said about the recent speight of motown cds...i emailed richard about the "inevitability" of the isley brothers track from the universal anthology being released on vinyl....i can tell you this...NO CHANCE. i moved upon the cds release in 2010, to get a carver cut of the track in question based on the very same odds back then. of course, when it comes to kent, they have very sound principles of not denying the punter the chance ( eventually ) of owning these previously unissued nuggets on vinyl, once they've had a thorough test drive from the dj's that matter. UNLESS its booted, it aint gonna get a legit release....thats the marker. so no vinyl?, no carver?...whats the next option for a groundbreaking track that a groundswell absolutley love but cant play on anything other than a cd?....WHAT DO YOU DO?....CURSE YOUR LUCK?......BITE YOUR LIP?......YOU'RE A LONG TIME DEAD.......WHY WASTE THE OPPORTUNITY?....SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE........PLAY THE FOOKIN' CD!! off on a tangent?, of course i am!, what do you expect?...with regards to exactly WHAT this thread IS about, slagging colin off is bang out of order,...slagging colin off for what he plays and what he plays it on, REALLY IS inconsecquential. did you probably fail to notice, in your rush to mount this assault on his integrity if he was playing tunes of the highest order, regardless of them being oldies?, i most certainly wouldnt expect colin to play anything less than catagory A tunes of specific relevance to himself, mainly one's associated with himself, ONE'S THAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INTRODUCING THE SCENE TO IN ITS EMBRYONIC DAYS, tune s that were responsible for us being on the scene IN THE FIRST PLACE. ...AND if he was playing them off cds because he no longer possesses a vinyl collection, does it really diminish his currency on the scene?...his calibre and credibility stands on its own, his name's virtually a brand, its what mecca stood for...just because its coming off a silver disc, it dosnt sound any worse and certainly not to colin. its not like he's regularly embroiled in the northern side of things anyway...that ship set sail a long time ago, but he's capable of keeping his arm in and his name alone will attract punters wherever he goes. we dont need to examine in finite detail where his niche is now...its been on that avenue for many years...he's always been at the forefront of marketing new product, ahead of his time, many would say and rightly so. NO MATTER how defamatory you get on here, the determination of people to rise above it will always prevail. colin dosnt even need to substantiate THAT!,...he is a yardstick by which many of us, the older generation, judge the music and the scene. COLIN IS COLIN and will always be his own man and do things his way...and he will STILL get a crowd on the floor...or is not the mantra: "its whats in the music that counts"? CDS OR NO CDS! Edited February 22, 2012 by AGENTSMITH 4
Andy Reynard Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 Bang right in all you've said Colin has and always will be more ahead of his time some folk just need to catch up he has already made a very credible name for himself over the years be it modern or northern he still fills the dancefloor Job done!!
viphitman Posted February 22, 2012 Posted February 22, 2012 You couldn't be further from the truth.... Colin Curtis has continued to play original records, though maybe not of a style that you personally would 'shuffle along to'. There are two completely different points in this thread. 1. DJs playing reissues/boots and blasphemously from CDs... If you're gonna attend an oldies, revival night featuring original DJs then don't expect original vinyl.... it's not strictly required for the crowd that the promoter's aiming to attract. 2. Inspirational DJs that shaped the scene, and continue to do so, should be shown a lot more respect. I don't get.... taking along boots and CDs to a revival night then playing the original stuff somewhere else??? He stated himself he sold off almost everything !!! Hmmmm, I still expect the original dj to play the real deal at a soul revival night that's the whole point otherwise it's just a silly circus. It's the same thingy for me with an oldschool house dj .... I like to hear the good old mixing of the wax and the fiddling with all those funny bits n bobs!!! Nevermind, good luck to all of you !!!
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