Northern Soul Article

[Guest]

An article done by my nephews girlfriend.........Not a bad read but substitute Kings Hall Stoke for Top Rank Hanley....our Martins memory not perfect  but a good short read!

Northern Soul article - DJ mag November 2014.pdf

[Mark S]

Enjoyed that cheers Steve

[Autumnstoned]

Not a bad read. These comments contradict each other though? :-

 

According to DJ Andy Smith – who DJed with Portishead in the 1990s – the reason Northern soul is having a resurgence is because of the “backlash” against “computer-made music”. What people are starting to look for, says Andy, is the kind of quality you get in a Northern soul song, tied in with the rarity of the production.

But it’s not just a nostalgia thing, insists Elaine Constantine, who lives in London and regularly goes to the monthly Northern soul do at the capital’s 100 Club.
“Look at that Pharrell Williams tune ‘Happy’,” she says.

“The success of that shows there’s still a thirst for this kind of music. That’s basically four beats to the bar with an uplifting, positive vocal. It’s a tune you can properly dance to.” 

 

Don't really get the " tune you can dance to properly" quote. Seen people dance properly to Nirvana's - Teen Spirit - that's 4 beats to the bar too but no uplifting vocal!

[Staceys Dad]

Not a bad read. These comments contradict each other though? :-

 

According to DJ Andy Smith – who DJed with Portishead in the 1990s – the reason Northern soul is having a resurgence is because of the “backlash” against “computer-made music”. What people are starting to look for, says Andy, is the kind of quality you get in a Northern soul song, tied in with the rarity of the production.

But it’s not just a nostalgia thing, insists Elaine Constantine, who lives in London and regularly goes to the monthly Northern soul do at the capital’s 100 Club.

“Look at that Pharrell Williams tune ‘Happy’,” she says.

“The success of that shows there’s still a thirst for this kind of music. That’s basically four beats to the bar with an uplifting, positive vocal. It’s a tune you can properly dance to.” 

 

Don't really get the " tune you can dance to properly" quote. Seen people dance properly to Nirvana's - Teen Spirit - that's 4 beats to the bar too but no uplifting vocal!

 

so ELAINE goes to the 100 club....cant see them playing mr.williams  happy there .....even if it is a tune you can properly dance to...

[Dave Rimmer]

"says Elaine, who co-wrote a book called Northern Soul released in 2013 by Random House, and whose new book with Gareth Sweeney, Northern Soul: An Illustrated History is out now through Ebury Publishing."

 

Am I missing something here, or is this saying that there are two books written by Elaine ?

[Spacehopper]

cant read the article on my pc too blurred when I increase its size so I wont comment on it although it looks good..

 

as for the two quotes above..i don't really agree with either....happy doesn't really get plays and probably wouldn't have ever been connected with northern had it not been for levs video IMO

 

resurgence against computer music? I wish but too be honest almost all the youngsters I know who are actually  on the scene travelling to gigs..and not just in a city going to a club where soul is played....have parents who have been into it and have grown up around northern

[Amsterdam Russ]

In many respects, whether people agree with the sentiments expressed in editorials by interviewees is irrelevant when considering the article from a journalistic perspective. It's the writer's job to ask pertinent questions and to communicate in an interesting, informative and entertaining way the opinions given by interviewees.  

 

Readers who question Andy Smith's statement about Northern Soul's resurgence being a '"backlash" against "computer-made music…"' or Elaine Constantine's comments about the song "Happy" need to take it up with them personally and not the writer. That's presuming the writer has accurately quoted both sources in context.

 

Claire's done a pretty good job at providing an overview of the topic she's written about. She's grasped the subject well, provided a good narrative flow and a time line that's easy to follow. She's obviously a competent writer.

 

The article could have been improved further in the hands of a skilled editor who would have sharpened up the writing overall and  ensured that incorrect statements, such as the one about Elaine having two books, didn't make it into print.

 

Alongside the actual words themselves the next most important aspect is the design and layout. Attention to detail is the magazine editor's mantra as is consistency of style. There are lots of things that the editor appears to have been overlooked or ignored here.

 

As examples:

 

- the 2nd paragraph on the first page finishes with a "widow", ie, a single word left stranded by itself on a line. Every editor knows that widows are to be avoided. However, widows can be found throughout the layout.

 

- after the 4th paragraph on the same page there is a line break. This is inconsistent as the magazine style shows a carriage return to be the convention for separating paras. If the line break - and there are a few of them - is meant to convey a break in the story, then it should be accompanied by a sub-head, which we see are also used throughout the story.

 

- the text doesn't finish at the bottom of the right-hand column of the first page. Nor does it at the end of the article. It should!

 

- the left-hand column on the final page ends with a string of "orphans" - a number of words separated from the main body of the article. Likewise, the top of the next column shows a line of orphans followed by a widow. This is one unhappy family!

 

- photos are not captioned. Northern Soul fans will be able to identify most of the photos without too much difficulty, but what about non-fans? The opening pic, for example, is that from the film or a real-life scenario? And what about those images that aren't clearly  identifiable as being taken at the Wigan Casino or the Twisted Wheel - where are they from and what are they conveying?

 

Ultimately, it's the responsibility of the editor to maximise the readability of an article; to ensure that the story is as easily accessible to readers as possible. This is done though great visual presentation and consistency of style.

 

From an editorial perspective, many improvements could have been made here. The words deserve better.