A Great Shame

[Paul-s]

Totally disagree Steve

Surely the whole esscence of "NORTHERN SOUL" has been built around dj's/collectors discovering/unearthing fantastic, soul records.

Back in the beginning was there commercial chart soul records being played at"NORTHERN SOUL" venues ,and the odd unknown ,non-hit record slipped in??i don't think so

I remember going to my first northern night ,cant remember the exact records ,Delites-lover,lou Johnson -unsatisfied ,Gene chandler etc etc,made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.I still get the same buzz now when i hear something that is unbelievably good.

I was at Prestatyn when Carl Willingham was on at 5am ,he played loads of records i'd never heard,i was on dancefloor for the full hr.

Twas the first time i heard SOUL BROS-INC-TEARDROP.Did'nt have a clue what it was,how rare,how expensive,just blew me away.

To me ,Steve ,i think it is about dj's playing unbelievably soulful music,no matter how rare,or unknown the record is.

Regarding being classed as an entertainer,how many "Northern soul" dj's at local venues get payed enough to justify the crap they take from narrow minded individuals.

How many do it because they've spent their hard earned on great records and just wanna share them with the masses.

Surely across a night ,with say ,4-5 different dj's ,doing 1hr or split half hr spots ,there has to be something for everyone,and no reason for complaint!

I remember being at a local venue,which had booked a fellow dj/collector ,because his reputation preceded him.It was about 5yrs ago ,he played Harold Melvin's-Praying,and emptied the floor,except for a small group.One guy said to me "if they are gonna book dj's playing shite like this ,then they wont be getting my money"! I was at same venue about a yr back,same record ,stampede,inc guy who made original comment.

Point is someone had to be brave enough to do it and at that pace ,most of us will be dead before our individual,current top 20 latest buys ,hit the masses .

As this is a "rare soul forum" i believe i'm amongst people who care passionatly about the music and the health of the scene ,and who would prefer to frequent a venue having a more open minded music

policy.The scene you describe is the one full of "stuck in the past" people who prefer to dress up to look the part, try to mimmick people who used to go to wigan et al,want to be seen at"real" soul venues and then systematically ruin them.

Don't get me wrong i know loads of people in this category,i enjoy going to venues to chat with them ,simply because ,they are old friends ,good citizens ,but musically they could'nt give a shit if it all stopped tomorrow.They'd go back to WMC ,pay a cover charge ,listen to a mediocre comedian,club singer and play bingo half way thru

Ive lost count of how many once great venues that have fallen to the wannabe weekend soulies .

POLITICS IS A WORD USED ,ALL TOO OFTEN,

BY PEOPLE WHO FEEL THREATENED BY THERE OWN IGNORANCE

GREAT POST MATE.

[Paul-s]

there is lowton are in there 12th year or somthing like that , having mentiond that even lowton hasant got the numbers it used to pull in or may be am wrong not sure but one reason for this is the amount of clubs springing up all over the place and this is also part of the reason why a lot of clubs are not doing to good

When we invite a guest dj, its out of respect for him or her. their own character, soul, contribution to a whole night, enthusiasm....we trust them to come and contribute to the night. We NEVER tell them what to play! We wouldn't have invited them unless we wanted to hear what they may have. We want to be suprised and excited by new tunes....people mainly stick to 60s and 70s, but we dont specify genres or period. If they felt that something might fit, then they should try it. We also, usually invite people who have attended as punters and know the score....unless they live 100s of miles away. But people like Steve green, John Weston, North East lads, will travel 100s of miles for to support good 'soul' venues.

[Jez Jones]

Totally disagree Steve

Surely the whole esscence of "NORTHERN SOUL" has been built around dj's/collectors discovering/unearthing fantastic, soul records.

Back in the beginning was there commercial chart soul records being played at"NORTHERN SOUL" venues ,and the odd unknown ,non-hit record slipped in??i don't think so

I remember going to my first northern night ,cant remember the exact records ,Delites-lover,lou Johnson -unsatisfied ,Gene chandler etc etc,made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.I still get the same buzz now when i hear something that is unbelievably good.

I was at Prestatyn when Carl Willingham was on at 5am ,he played loads of records i'd never heard,i was on dancefloor for the full hr.

Twas the first time i heard SOUL BROS-INC-TEARDROP.Did'nt have a clue what it was,how rare,how expensive,just blew me away.

To me ,Steve ,i think it is about dj's playing unbelievably soulful music,no matter how rare,or unknown the record is.

Regarding being classed as an entertainer,how many "Northern soul" dj's at local venues get payed enough to justify the crap they take from narrow minded individuals.

How many do it because they've spent their hard earned on great records and just wanna share them with the masses.

Surely across a night ,with say ,4-5 different dj's ,doing 1hr or split half hr spots ,there has to be something for everyone,and no reason for complaint!

I remember being at a local venue,which had booked a fellow dj/collector ,because his reputation preceded him.It was about 5yrs ago ,he played Harold Melvin's-Praying,and emptied the floor,except for a small group.One guy said to me "if they are gonna book dj's playing shite like this ,then they wont be getting my money"! I was at same venue about a yr back,same record ,stampede,inc guy who made original comment.

Point is someone had to be brave enough to do it and at that pace ,most of us will be dead before our individual,current top 20 latest buys ,hit the masses .

As this is a "rare soul forum" i believe i'm amongst people who care passionatly about the music and the health of the scene ,and who would prefer to frequent a venue having a more open minded music

policy.The scene you describe is the one full of "stuck in the past" people who prefer to dress up to look the part, try to mimmick people who used to go to wigan et al,want to be seen at"real" soul venues and then systematically ruin them.

Don't get me wrong i know loads of people in this category,i enjoy going to venues to chat with them ,simply because ,they are old friends ,good citizens ,but musically they could'nt give a shit if it all stopped tomorrow.They'd go back to WMC ,pay a cover charge ,listen to a mediocre comedian,club singer and play bingo half way thru

Ive lost count of how many once great venues that have fallen to the wannabe weekend soulies .

POLITICS IS A WORD USED ,ALL TOO OFTEN,

BY PEOPLE WHO FEEL THREATENED BY THERE OWN IGNORANCE

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury therein lies the case for the prosecution

the defence...............................anybody

[Paul Shirley]

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury therein lies the case for the prosecution

the defence...............................anybody

NAH NOT TODAY BUT I THINK THERE IS A BIT TOO MUCH SLAGING OTHER PEOPLE OFF JUST BECAUSE THERE TASTE IN MUSIC DIFERS ITS GETING A BIT SAD TO SAY THE LEAST IF PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR OLD STUFF THEN THATS THERE CHOICE I DONT HAVE ANY BOUNDRY'S BUT I DONT GO HAVING A GO AT PEOPLE THAT DO ! I GO TO DIFERANT CLUBS ALL OVER THE PLACE DIFERANT MUSIC THE LOT, ITS SIMPLE TO ME YOU JUST DONT GO TO THE FANCY DRESS CLUBS , BUT THEN ROUND HERE WE HAVE A CHOICE MAY BE IN OTHER PLACES YOU DONT AM NOT SURE BUT ANIWAY LIVE AND LET LIVE , Edited February 27, 2008 by mepaul50

[Citizen P]

Hi Trevski, very well said indeed! I Djayed at my local do last Saturday, for at least half of my set I had an empty dancefloor. Most of the folks there want to hear the same records every time they go out. I played stuff like the four voices - your love is getting stronger, ballads - cant see your love, volumes - gotta give her love, hardly underplayed in my eyes, but something they don't play at this venue and they were greeted by an empty floor! The thing is these folks go to the same do's and hear the same tunes at them all, when you bring something different to the table, they think ur a sh*t DJ. I did put some classics on and the floor was rammed! I think some people don't want to hear 'new' (new to them) stuff, and thats why they always go to the same do's to hear the same records!

Deb

Eh up Deb.

I've been on there-and I was shite as well

Cannot claim to have the rarest or most exclusive box of plastic, but I do try to bring something a bit different to the party.

You supporting Stu in coupla weeks???

Tony

[Paul Shirley]

When we invite a guest dj, its out of respect for him or her. their own character, soul, contribution to a whole night, enthusiasm....we trust them to come and contribute to the night. We NEVER tell them what to play! We wouldn't have invited them unless we wanted to hear what they may have. We want to be suprised and excited by new tunes....people mainly stick to 60s and 70s, but we dont specify genres or period. If they felt that something might fit, then they should try it. We also, usually invite people who have attended as punters and know the score....unless they live 100s of miles away. But people like Steve green, John Weston, North East lads, will travel 100s of miles for to support good 'soul' venues.

BEEN GOING FOR PAST 9YEARS MATE AND HAVE NOTHING BUT PRAISE , AND YOUR TAKE ON THE MUSIC AND DJ.S IS ONE OF THE REASONS I GO , WHEN AM I ON ?? LOL NAH ITS THE BEST PLACE FOR MILES

Edited February 27, 2008 by mepaul50

[Guest bazabod_downunder]

Thanx Baz

out of interest ,are you having breakfast as you read this ???

Yes mate, are you having your supper?...lol

KTF

Baz

[Northern Soul Uk]

Totally disagree Steve

Surely the whole esscence of "NORTHERN SOUL" has been built around dj's/collectors discovering/unearthing fantastic, soul records.

Back in the beginning was there commercial chart soul records being played at"NORTHERN SOUL" venues ,and the odd unknown ,non-hit record slipped in??i don't think so

I remember going to my first northern night ,cant remember the exact records ,Delites-lover,lou Johnson -unsatisfied ,Gene chandler etc etc,made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.I still get the same buzz now when i hear something that is unbelievably good.

I was at Prestatyn when Carl Willingham was on at 5am ,he played loads of records i'd never heard,i was on dancefloor for the full hr.

Twas the first time i heard SOUL BROS-INC-TEARDROP.Did'nt have a clue what it was,how rare,how expensive,just blew me away.

To me ,Steve ,i think it is about dj's playing unbelievably soulful music,no matter how rare,or unknown the record is.

Regarding being classed as an entertainer,how many "Northern soul" dj's at local venues get payed enough to justify the crap they take from narrow minded individuals.

How many do it because they've spent their hard earned on great records and just wanna share them with the masses.

Surely across a night ,with say ,4-5 different dj's ,doing 1hr or split half hr spots ,there has to be something for everyone,and no reason for complaint!

I remember being at a local venue,which had booked a fellow dj/collector ,because his reputation preceded him.It was about 5yrs ago ,he played Harold Melvin's-Praying,and emptied the floor,except for a small group.One guy said to me "if they are gonna book dj's playing shite like this ,then they wont be getting my money"! I was at same venue about a yr back,same record ,stampede,inc guy who made original comment.

Point is someone had to be brave enough to do it and at that pace ,most of us will be dead before our individual,current top 20 latest buys ,hit the masses .

As this is a "rare soul forum" i believe i'm amongst people who care passionatly about the music and the health of the scene ,and who would prefer to frequent a venue having a more open minded music

policy.The scene you describe is the one full of "stuck in the past" people who prefer to dress up to look the part, try to mimmick people who used to go to wigan et al,want to be seen at"real" soul venues and then systematically ruin them.

Don't get me wrong i know loads of people in this category,i enjoy going to venues to chat with them ,simply because ,they are old friends ,good citizens ,but musically they could'nt give a shit if it all stopped tomorrow.They'd go back to WMC ,pay a cover charge ,listen to a mediocre comedian,club singer and play bingo half way thru

Ive lost count of how many once great venues that have fallen to the wannabe weekend soulies .

POLITICS IS A WORD USED ,ALL TOO OFTEN,

BY PEOPLE WHO FEEL THREATENED BY THERE OWN IGNORANCE

I don't recall saying anything about 'Commercial chart soul records'? and yes, of course there were new tunes slipped in inbetween classics in the pioneering days of the scene otherwise how would have the scene progressed at all? we'd still be listening to the same 200 records or so that were played when we first started going some 35 years ago for some of us. I remember at the Torch hearing stuff I had never heard before, that in time many gained classic status.

I agree with you that a dj's job is to play amazing soulful tunes however rare or unknown the record is, that has always been the case and is the foremost factor in the progression of the scene.

By there being so many posts and opinions in this thread, have shown that there is a division between old and new Northern. I didn't say that one style was any better than the other if you read my original post, I simply asked "why the division?' and my question has been more than answered. I also said that I had been to a few venues where most of the tunes being played I personally hadn't heard, and I put that down to me having a few years out of the scene. But by the same token, when classics were played the dancefloor filled up 90% more than when the unknowns were played, obviously you have to put that down to the fact that probably the crowd didn't know the record well enough to dance to it, or that they prefer to remain seated and nod their heads to the beat. Being a DJ for so many years, I have to put a full dancefloor down to the punters enjoying the music. If I'd have played to an empty floor for most of my djing career, I'd have been sacked off long ago, but fortunately I haven't, I always play to the floor, not myself and putting it simply, it works!

I can also understand that you don't have to dance to enjoy a record, at my age I don't have much choice that to sit or stand and listen .

Thank you all for your comments.

Edited February 28, 2008 by steveluigi

[Paul Shirley]

i understand yer mate ,dont take it to heart !!

Edited February 28, 2008 by mepaul50

[NEV]

don't recall saying anything about 'Commercial chart soul records'? and yes, of course there were new tunes slipped in inbetween classics in the pioneering days of the scene otherwise how would have the scene progressed at all? we'd still be listening to the same 200 records or so that were played when we first started going some 35 years ago for some of us. I remember at the Torch hearing stuff I had never heard before, that in time many gained classic status.

Hi Steve

Sorry if you misunderstood me,the point i was trying to make is:-

How many times have we read an article from someone saying

"THE FIRST TIME I WALKED INTO A NORTHERN SOUL VENUE,I THOUGHT WOW!WHAT THE F**K IS THIS? I'VE NEVER HEARD THIS MUSIC BEFORE BUT ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT"

That for me is how most of us got into "northern soul" and why we still are hooked/obsessed with it now!

This is not about progression regarding moving on, in terms of hearing new stuff.Some people i've met can turn their noses up at records that have been part of the scene for the last 30 yrs!

I can fully understand people who say categorically they don't like RnB or modern but prefer a more traditional 60's northern sound, my concern is with people who complain to promotors ,just because a dj is playing something they havent heard before

I don't want to see an empty floor ,as much as i don't wanna hear slow-tempo/ballad type records all night.

But as long as the tempo of choons is balanced out i;e uptempo,mid-tempo with a few slow ones thrown in, i really don't understand why people object to a dj playing awesome soul records,just because they havent heard em before???

I know ,how about next time i go to a venue where people moan about hearing new stuff,when dj's play same old same old ,i complain to the promotor and keep doing it over and over

Naaa ,not my style ,im too polite and fully understand the hard work promotors put in to try and run a successful night.As for the moaning gits IGNORANCE IS BLISS

[Northern Soul Uk]

don't recall saying anything about 'Commercial chart soul records'? and yes, of course there were new tunes slipped in inbetween classics in the pioneering days of the scene otherwise how would have the scene progressed at all? we'd still be listening to the same 200 records or so that were played when we first started going some 35 years ago for some of us. I remember at the Torch hearing stuff I had never heard before, that in time many gained classic status.

Hi Steve

Sorry if you misunderstood me,the point i was trying to make is:-

How many times have we read an article from someone saying

"THE FIRST TIME I WALKED INTO A NORTHERN SOUL VENUE,I THOUGHT WOW!WHAT THE F**K IS THIS? I'VE NEVER HEARD THIS MUSIC BEFORE BUT ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT"

That for me is how most of us got into "northern soul" and why we still are hooked/obsessed with it now!

This is not about progression regarding moving on, in terms of hearing new stuff.Some people i've met can turn their noses up at records that have been part of the scene for the last 30 yrs!

I can fully understand people who say categorically they don't like RnB or modern but prefer a more traditional 60's northern sound, my concern is with people who complain to promotors ,just because a dj is playing something they havent heard before

I don't want to see an empty floor ,as much as i don't wanna hear slow-tempo/ballad type records all night.

But as long as the tempo of choons is balanced out i;e uptempo,mid-tempo with a few slow ones thrown in, i really don't understand why people object to a dj playing awesome soul records,just because they havent heard em before???

I know ,how about next time i go to a venue where people moan about hearing new stuff,when dj's play same old same old ,i complain to the promotor and keep doing it over and over

Naaa ,not my style ,im too polite and fully understand the hard work promotors put in to try and run a successful night.As for the moaning gits IGNORANCE IS BLISS

Fully agree with you there Nev, There is nothing wrong with a good mixture of up and down tempo record throughout a night, it makes it all the more interesting. I also feel that a good Dj can educate a crowd by playing the odd newie here and there. It is a very delicate balancing act to keep the floor full all night and Djs that are worth their salt should be able to do it without even thinking, just watch the crowd, just by looking at them they will let you know weather you're doing a good job or not.

Respect

Steve

[Guest Carl Dixon]

I came across this the other day:

https://www.subwaysoul.com/html/home.htm

It was refreshing to see. Look at the photo's - I am tempted to get me self a scooter. It proves that as the years roll on, there is still so much longevity in past musical styles particularly the 60's & 70's.

[Northern Soul Uk]

I came across this the other day:

https://www.subwaysoul.com/html/home.htm

It was refreshing to see. Look at the photo's - I am tempted to get me self a scooter. It proves that as the years roll on, there is still so much longevity in past musical styles particularly the 60's & 70's.

And there always will be. After all the 60s and 70s were the pinnacle of the UK music scene, even though a great percentage of the music played was American

Edited March 5, 2008 by steveluigi