Communal Hand-Clapping: When Did It/has It Died Out?

[dean jj]

When I first went to rare soull all-nighters in the early 80's precision group clapping at certain point in certain records still happened. Used to send a shiver down the spine. When was the last time anyone on the site witnessed such a great example of subculteral behaviour?

[Ian Dewhirst]

The last time they played an instrumental!

 

The hand-claps were an integral part of the scene at one time....

 

Ian D 

[Guest Paul U]

To a certain extent you can tell the soul heritage of people by the way they clap to a record. Play a rare or under played tune and less people clap and then still fewer clap at the correct place.

[Steve S 60]

When I first went to rare soull all-nighters in the early 80's precision group clapping at certain point in certain records still happened. Used to send a shiver down the spine. When was the last time anyone on the site witnessed such a great example of subculteral behaviour?

 

Might want to refer to this earlier thread on all things clappy handy.....

 

[Russ Vickers]

I bloody love the clapping...& when you have been around as long as some of us have, its almost an involuntary thing & you subliminarly  even know when to clap in records that you have never heard before, you just know...I really hate it though when dancers clap in the wrong places or even just randomly, its like the fools that do thier floor work in the wrong breaks or randomly, its just wrong & makes me cringe...Yate had a way of clapping all of its own, sometimes on the backbeat, sometimes as an echo or answer to the clap on the beat, you could always tell when the Southerners were in the house as you would always here this....anyone else concur or are my Yate meanderings totally off the beat lol ?

Edited May 13, 2015 by Russ Vickers

[Dayo]

I know it's almost a tired old cliché now but the first time I experienced it was at Top Rank Hanley when Duke Browner was big.  1973, I guess.

 

I just thought it was the coolest thing; the togetherness - it was like a massive wink to each other.

[Shsdave]

I bloody love the clapping...& when you have been around as long as some of us have, its almost an involuntary thing & you subliminarly  even know when to clap in records that you have never heard before, you just know...I really hate it though when dancers clap in the wrong places or even just randomly, its like the fools that do thier floor work in the wrong breaks or randomly, its just wrong & makes me cringe...Yate had a way of clapping all of its own, sometimes on the backbeat, sometimes as an echo or answer to the clap on the beat, you could always tell when the Southerners were in the house as you would always here this....anyone else concur or are my Yate meanderings totally off the beat lol ?

Yes remember that Russ, things like The Epitome of Sound, everyone clap clap clap  & then the far corner clap clap clap, another corner answer clap clap clap sometimes 3/4/5 times. I fucking loved it 

[Chris L]

I know it's almost a tired old cliché now but the first time I experienced it was at Top Rank Hanley when Duke Browner was big.  1973, I guess.

 

I just thought it was the coolest thing; the togetherness - it was like a massive wink to each other.

 

Yes Duke Browner & Johnny Sayles were the big "clappers" remember that happening at Torch '72, funnily enough don't remember the Highland Room crowd clapping

[Guest]

Yes Duke Browner & Johnny Sayles were the big "clappers" remember that happening at Torch '72, funnily enough don't remember the Highland Room crowd clapping

They just rattled their jewelry.

[Steve S 60]

They just rattled their jewelry.

 

And blew their whistles.

[Nsg]

When I first went to rare soull all-nighters in the early 80's precision group clapping at certain point in certain records still happened. Used to send a shiver down the spine. When was the last time anyone on the site witnessed such a great example of subculteral behaviour?

 

Wigan '78 !

[Davekd]

Still hear clapping pretty much anywhere I go in London but only to certain records - Epitome of Sound particularly.

 

 

Dave

[Soulsaddler]

This topic has been covered before but it's still an interesting one.

I was on the Tower Ballroom floor at The Blackpool Weekender a few years back. The DJ (I can't remember who) cut the volume at the break in Double Cookin' About a thousand people hit three claps. Boy, did it raise the goosebumps.

[Slim Jim]

Put me in the minority people clapping gets on my tit end 

[Mr Fred]

Still do at Drax, Eggborough and Leeds Central,quite a lot of soulies remain on the scene that were there when clapping first started and i think reflects the camaraderie and the sense of one collective that still exists today.

Regards Fred Ward

Edited May 17, 2015 by Mr Fred