Too Many Chief's-not Enough Indians

[Rob Wigley]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

[Makemvinyl]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

apart from a couple have tried to avoid booking other promoters

Cressy this year being the exception and he was booked on merit from the praise given to him on here.

and when DJ's of the calibre of Soul Sam have to open a venue to play out

it will deffo be the time to pack in.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Makemvinyl

[Guest kent soul club]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

This could probably be merged with Des's thread I reckon. My answer would be exactly what I've written on there.

Seems to be a bigger problem in The Midlands and up North than in our local area. Not everyone can, or will travel distances to soul nights (though my wife and I do). A lot of people prefer to stay local, and people guesting at other local veues is just co-operating with each other, I think.

Magoo (Z-List!)

Edited June 15, 2008 by kent soul club

[Ian Dewhirst]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

You may have hit on a point there Rob.

In the early 70's there were probably 10-15 key DJ's and a further 10-15 enthusiasts/DJ's

playing to thousands of people every week.

This crept up by the mid to late 70's when more DJ's entered the fray and then from the 90's onwards the floodgates seemed to open and the DJ's seemed to multiply as fast as the record prices were going up.

However, the Northern scene isn't that much different to a lot of other scenes which are fueled by musical enthusiasts.

Basically Deejaying is the greatest job that anyone could ever hope for. To get paid for playing music you love to a willing audience really cannot be beaten in my opinion. I realised that at the age of 14 when I saw DJ's for the first time and realised that Deejaying would be my life's calling. So I can't really blame anyone for wanting to try and good luck to 'em!

However, there is a world of difference between Deejaying and playing records!

The sequencing of records, the art of working a crowd and knowing when to put the right record on at the right time is a skill which can only be learnt by playing to audiences regularly,

preferably 3-6 nights a week. And in my experience wo betide any DJ who didn't deliver to a packed house - they'd soon be out on their arse with no gigs.

However these days, as you quite rightly pointed out, there seem to be more DJ's than customers LOL....It seems that everybody and their dog seems to be a DJ these days and I think that may have something to do with the decline in audiences at some of the gigs I've attended.

To me, there is not enough vibe and energy at many gigs - the emphasis seems to be more concerned with rarity or the flavour of the moment rather then creating an incredible atmosphere and having a packed dance-floor. Also much of the sequencing and choice of records sucks IMO.

Plus, as I've said on here before, there really needs to be an injection of youth onto this scene, if only to keep it viable for the long term.

I'm saying all this as an objective observer much of the time these days. Whilst some DJ's are very good at what they do, unfortunately many others are not skilled enough to be playing to a paying audience in my opinion.

I dunno how you go about fixing that Rob. It could be that the scene will eventually whittle down to a few blokes in a pub playing their favourite records which I think would be a massive shame.

It pains me to say it, but these days the nearest thing I've seen to the brilliant Northern Soul gigs of the 70's in the last year or two, is Dimitri From Paris playing to a couple of thousand energetic punters and ripping the place up. Mind you, he's a professional DJ and knows EXACTLY what he's doing which is why he has such a fanatical audience and why his gigs are generally unmissable.

THAT'S what the Northern Soul scene was always about - raw, exciting, makes-you-feel-good-to-be-alive BUZZ and brilliant music.

Is it because it's now become purely a collector's scene rather than an all-round 'miss-at-you-peril' type of scene?

Or maybe it's just an aging scene which needs re-inventing?

WHERE ARE THE KIDS???????

Ian D

Edited June 15, 2008 by Ian Dewhirst

[NEV]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

Have to say it is a very interesting thread and valid point.....but..

It seems a tad hypocritical to me,coming from someone who put a weekender on, a week before a well established weekender in the same area

This is nothing personal but i think relevant to the discussion you raised.

I did attend last yr and was all set to come this yr, but finances or the lack of have let me down

BACK to the subject ,yes too many venues that are poorly attended but why have a go at dj's?

What is an "A" list dj and more to the point a "Z-" ??

Good luck with BRIDLINGTON

Nev(going to LIFELINE to console myself )

[Jez Jones]

You may have hit on a point there Rob.

In the early 70's there were probably 10-15 key DJ's and a further 10-15 enthusiasts/DJ's

playing to thousands of people every week.

This crept up by the mid to late 70's when more DJ's entered the fray and then from the 90's onwards the floodgates seemed to open and the DJ's seemed to multiply as fast as the record prices were going up.

However, the Northern scene isn't that much different to a lot of other scenes which are fueled by musical enthusiasts.

Basically Deejaying is the greatest job that anyone could ever hope for. To get paid for playing music you love to a willing audience really cannot be beaten in my opinion. I realised that at the age of 14 when I saw DJ's for the first time and realised that Deejaying would be my life's calling. So I can't really blame anyone for wanting to try and good luck to 'em!

However, there is a world of difference between Deejaying and playing records!

The sequencing of records, the art of working a crowd and knowing when to put the right record on at the right time is a skill which can only be learnt by playing to audiences regularly,

preferably 3-6 nights a week. And in my experience wo betide any DJ who didn't deliver to a packed house - they'd soon be out on their arse with no gigs.

However these days, as you quite rightly pointed out, there seem to be more DJ's than customers LOL....It seems that everybody and their dog seems to be a DJ these days and I think that may have something to do with the decline in audiences at some of the gigs I've attended.

To me, there is not enough vibe and energy at many gigs - the emphasis seems to be more concerned with rarity or the flavour of the moment rather then creating an incredible atmosphere and having a packed dance-floor. Also much of the sequencing and choice of records sucks IMO.

Plus, as I've said on here before, there really needs to be an injection of youth onto this scene, if only to keep it viable for the long term.

I'm saying all this as an objective observer much of the time these days. Whilst some DJ's are very good at what they do, unfortunately many others are not skilled enough to be playing to a paying audience in my opinion.

I dunno how you go about fixing that Rob. It could be that the scene will eventually whittle down to a few blokes in a pub playing their favourite records which I think would be a massive shame.

It pains me to say it, but these days the nearest thing I've seen to the brilliant Northern Soul gigs of the 70's in the last year or two, is Dimitri From Paris playing to a couple of thousand energetic punters and ripping the place up. Mind you, he's a professional DJ and knows EXACTLY what he's doing which is why he has such a fanatical audience and why his gigs are generally unmissable.

THAT'S what the Northern Soul scene was always about - raw, exciting, makes-you-feel-good-to-be-alive BUZZ and brilliant music.

Is it because it's now become purely a collector's scene rather than an all-round 'miss-at-you-peril' type of scene?

Or maybe it's just an aging scene which needs re-inventing?

WHERE ARE THE KIDS???????

Ian D

Some valid points there Ian Especially the concept of the 'skilled dj' . A dj is only as good as he can make his dancefloor react ie if its full he is doing his/her job . Takes time to learn your trade also

Edited June 15, 2008 by jez jones

[mischief]

"DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

I think this is a bit unfair..

B and C and so on.. are these the Dj's that keep the scene going around the country, the so called warm up dj's the ones that dj to a room of sometimes less than 20 people.

are they the dj's that spend on average £50 - £100 for a 45 do a one hour set and get thier petrol money?

I think the problem isn't the B list, C list dj's etc..

Its the so called promoter dj' the ones that only give spots to other promoter dj's so they get a spot back.. this makes all the do's the same.. also promoters that don't travel never here new dj's..

I think this has become more of a problem on our scene and why there are so many do's on now... i think this is the only way some dj's get thier spots...

Me I buy mine any one want to take a bribe PM me

[Spacehopper]

lots of good points....down here in bristol we only have a couple of regular "northern" nights so not really a problem but then the scene is still very small down here we wouldnt want anymore... just up the road in glos/chelt/worcs there seems to be loads although all ive attended have been good...only half a dozen of us regularly travel from bristol which is more than come the other way so our nights still only have an average of 50 but we still have some great nights...size isnt everything !!

as for not being as good as the 70s im afraid they never will...for you...that was your time when you were young...mine was the mid eighties scooter rallies and scooter rallies today dont come anywhere near...for me....however well some are attended,not just cos on the whole they are smaller

i suppose i may fall into a z list soul dj as ive only had the chance to play a handful of gigs outside of bristol (although i do get asked back )but to me dancefloor action is more important than anything...if you can do it playing semi known tunes instead of the obvious all the better...but thats just my opinion...everyone is entitled to theres...if there are too many djs and some of them are shit ,dont attend their gigs with this so called credit crunch its only a matter of time before we are only left with the good nights...innit ?

[Guest]

Great thread Rob and very relevent nowadays!.....I had an idea a while ago but only told myself

There are IMHO 2 types of DJ, the allnighter DJ and the Soul night DJ, 2 fairly different scenes (again IMO)

Never the twain should meet really, as the 2 scenes cater in the main to a different type of soulie and mood wise leading to different music policies and rightly so. Now then, at the moment we have "Allnighter" DJ`s doing guest spots at soul nights and how many of us hear "whats this crap?" muttered around when a "top" DJ spins what is really a nighter tune and does not come over at a soul night as well as it would when it packs the floor at a nighter.

I know the said DJ should know the form but im afraid we all know this is sometimes not the case and you get a big name DJ who`s just done his set with mostly a half empty dancefloor at best. The knock on effect is that the next soul night at that particular venue is down on punters "im not goin there cos it were shite last month" and so on. In the main a nighter promoter knows to limit DJ bookings to regular nighter DJ`s.

Question is, we can talk about it on here and we all know this goes on but can we change the habbit and restrict ticketed DJ`s to allnighters only?

I think not

[Little-stevie]

Good points there Rob and food for thought indeed... Apart from the club nights/ alniters we now have weekenders a plenty also into the mix, not sure how many at the last count in the uk alone.. Plus we now have many established weekenders around Europe too and the overseas punters have no real need to be come over to the uk to get a fix of soul..

There is no answer as everyone will have different takes on all this.. If the so called big name djs gave us the many really quality underplayed tunes then there would be no need to seek them elsewhere.. A lot of the times we have the same so called big djs playing the same tunes, over and over again,thats what some punters/ promoters want but others get bored and seek these tunes elsewhere and end up starting there own club to hear them...

Like i said, there is no answer and i don't even try to find one, we have so many different people with a different take on what they want to hear.. Classics..Stompers..Mid tempo.... Crossover.. RnB... lesser known/ unknown rare, 70s soul/funk/disco, two step, soulful house etc etc..

If i had an answer it would be to have some of all the above in the same room Maybe a real dj in the true sense of the word is a person who could play all these styles to a large bunch of people in the same room at the same time..

Thats a real skill, it aint a real skill to have 200 box of Wigan classics and each week you change a couple round.. I am sure any of the djs on this site and elsewhere could do that no problem.. .. A dj for me is reading the crowd all the time and deep in thought as to what way to take them on a musical mystery tour...

Is a dj there to take us on a journey or just there to take 20 requests???? i would like djs to take no requests and play what they wanna play, its a show for me, a real art form... I aint too fussed if i hear them play a few tracks i don't like as long as they are playing with imagination and keeping the music flowing...

Its a broad church this soul scene and we all have so many different takes on what it should be like..

Maybe the law of the jungle is the answer but then we could have some real animals with all the power running the scene..

[Rob Wigley]

Well it stirred a few people up!

Must say to the lads from Kent, Bristol and the likes of Dublin do a great job, but if you get your 50 to 100 in on a regular basis that's great, I have attended the nights in these places (or very close to) within the last year and heard some cracking sounds. I'm not knocking you or these type of venues. i admire the way you travel, week in week out, I certainly could not do it now on a regular basis.

it's not really what I was getting at. If you lived around here, North Notts, or Yorkshire, Stoke, Lancashire, West Midlands. You'd have the choice of 15 to 20 nights on within £10 worth of petrol EVERY WEEK or maybe more.

I do get hear "Local" lads and given quite a few a chance when I can fit them in, ask Kev Laws, Steve J, kev Jones or John McLaughlin. None of them live within 100 miles of me, but have helped me out and impressed, they all have depth in their collections, with original records and can DJ 60s through Crossover into Modern.

Every one has to start somewhere, I would love to see some brave young 16 year old playing with passion and no "baggage" to a packed dance floor, Steve Jefferies lad was a prime example around 10 years ago, but he moved on. However I would not throw a young lad in the deep end of a weekender without going to listen to his set first and having a peek over the decks to see the records are original.

If I was at a club with 50 people in and the Dj was fresh, 15 or 55, Black or white, male or female or even Martian and they got 45 of the people up and dancing with a well strung together set

and played with knowledge and passion, the cheque book would be out faster than Roman Abramovich to sign them!

In a quick answer to Nev, yes Bridlington was booked the week before Whitby, but not out of any malice only necessity, as we had searched for dates and a venue for over 3 years. Looking at the Soul calendar our first choice was the end of April to avoid other weekenders, but could not get the date in the venue. 1st date was 2nd weekend in June, Cleethorpes 2nd date was March, Prestatyn and the 3rd date was 1st week in July, Whitby. We have tried to offer a different DJ line up, 3 rooms at a reasonable price £20, which we hope would appeal and get punters in, which it has.

Remember that in 2006, 300 to 500 payers had been locked out of an East Coast venue as it was oversold. We've gone from 630 to nearly 1,500 in 12 months. Remember last year when I called you "kev" on PM? I need to get into the N.East more for a listen up there. Anybody you recommend listening to?

Ian raised some good points as well, as you always do, but you've been there, got the records, broke the sounds when it mattered and have nothing what so ever to prove by starting your own "Do" with 30 people in there playing bootlegs of Sam's records !! ithink you know what i was getting at mate !

Sweet Soul has 2 of the most passionate people at the helm with Dougie Hall and Andy Jackson and never fails to deliver with a wide range of guest Djs. Sam is always as popular there as he was at the Bowling Green 30 odd years ago !

But the question remains when will the DJs out number the punters ?

Rob

[Rob Wigley]

Good points there Rob and food for thought indeed... Apart from the club nights/ alniters we now have weekenders a plenty also into the mix, not sure how many at the last count in the uk alone.. Plus we now have many established weekenders around Europe too and the overseas punters have no real need to be come over to the uk to get a fix of soul..

There is no answer as everyone will have different takes on all this.. If the so called big name djs gave us the many really quality underplayed tunes then there would be no need to seek them elsewhere.. A lot of the times we have the same so called big djs playing the same tunes, over and over again,thats what some punters/ promoters want but others get bored and seek these tunes elsewhere and end up starting there own club to hear them...

Like i said, there is no answer and i don't even try to find one, we have so many different people with a different take on what they want to hear.. Classics..Stompers..Mid tempo.... Crossover.. RnB... lesser known/ unknown rare, 70s soul/funk/disco, two step, soulful house etc etc..

If i had an answer it would be to have some of all the above in the same room Maybe a real dj in the true sense of the word is a person who could play all these styles to a large bunch of people in the same room at the same time..

Thats a real skill, it aint a real skill to have 200 box of Wigan classics and each week you change a couple round.. I am sure any of the djs on this site and elsewhere could do that no problem.. .. A dj for me is reading the crowd all the time and deep in thought as to what way to take them on a musical mystery tour...

Is a dj there to take us on a journey or just there to take 20 requests???? i would like djs to take no requests and play what they wanna play, its a show for me, a real art form... I aint too fussed if i hear them play a few tracks i don't like as long as they are playing with imagination and keeping the music flowing...

Its a broad church this soul scene and we all have so many different takes on what it should be like..

Maybe the law of the jungle is the answer but then we could have some real animals with all the power running the scene..

Good , well written reply Steven 9/10. teachers pet this week

[Rob Wigley]

"DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

I think this is a bit unfair..

B and C and so on.. are these the Dj's that keep the scene going around the country, the so called warm up dj's the ones that dj to a room of sometimes less than 20 people.

are they the dj's that spend on average £50 - £100 for a 45 do a one hour set and get thier petrol money?

I think the problem isn't the B list, C list dj's etc..

Its the so called promoter dj' the ones that only give spots to other promoter dj's so they get a spot back.. this makes all the do's the same.. also promoters that don't travel never here new dj's..

I think this has become more of a problem on our scene and why there are so many do's on now... i think this is the only way some dj's get thier spots...

Me I buy mine any one want to take a bribe PM me

John Alden has made the grade and impressed on our visit to Kent (as you all did by the way) and is doing his bit at Bridlington, God knows how far it is for him to travel, 250 odd miles ?

he's got the records, I hope he will impress some people and be asked to D J at other venues up here !

Edited June 15, 2008 by Karen and Rob Wigley

[Cunnie]

Like i said, there is no answer and i don't even try to find one, we have so many different people with a different take on what they want to hear.. Classics..Stompers..Mid tempo.... Crossover.. RnB... lesser known/ unknown rare, 70s soul/funk/disco, two step, soulful house etc etc..

If i had an answer it would be to have some of all the above in the same room Maybe a real dj in the true sense of the word is a person who could play all these styles to a large bunch of people in the same room at the same time..

Sam

[Guest gordon russell]

Saw the "calling all promoters" thread and already had this in my mind.

As a co-promoter of a large event (Bridlington) I was looking around at DJ s for some inspiration keeping away from "Big Names" to use as a change.

I used Soul-Source Event guide to jog my memory, loking for people I may have forgot.

The thing that struck me was the number of events that are running with "Resident DJs Tom, Dick and Harry with guest DJ Fred from behind the drainpipes soul club (where we will be the guests next time).

Now I keep my ears to the ground (I know they are BIG enough !) and have a good feel for the scene being around long enough to remember the times when events were thin on the ground.

What struck me most was the scenario that you hear people bulling up their own or mates Gigs and when you actually attend there are only 30 or so people there. they keep them running month in ,month out playing Oldies , or run of the mill sounds that you can hear anywhere.

Now thats not having a go at people who are leading the way trying to do something different The Attic is a prime example, where the resident djs Kev, dean & Steve, garry DJs are now getting booked as guests at other venues on MERRIT as they have slogged away for 2 years following what they believe in, good on ya lads!

So my long winded point is, due to the "creit crunch, pertrol prices, higher mortgage rates, negative equity Etc" When is the point where the scene reaches MORE DJs THAN PUNTERS and what happens when it happens, because at this rate we'll run out of Punters faster than we're running out of oil. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

By the way I did locate some DJs for Bridlington and I have my own list of "name" DJs I have not used yet who can do the business

Rob Wigley

EASY PESY ROB,..THE BIG DJS SHOULD LIMIT THEIR VENUES TO THE BETTER VENUES bit like butch does.And the smaller crap djs should be avoided like the plague.anyone who plays boots carvers cd's ect should not be given a platform. BLIMEY the rugby allnighter has a dj on who is well known for blatently playing carvers,other djs should walk off and refuse to dj in this case.These peolpe just can't stop themselves getting up there.........shame is most people I know usually say ''whos that fool playing the shite''. rant over. I know of at least two promoters of quality allnighters who point blank refuse any one a SPOT.....if they ask for one and thats how it should be.get rid of the dross

[Guest gordon russell]

John Alden has made the grade and impressed on our visit to Kent (as you all did by the way) and is doing his bit at Bridlington, God knows how far it is for him to travel, 250 odd miles ?

he's got the records, I hope he will impress some people and be asked to D J at other venues up here !

acid test would he travel though.........as a punter...no disrespect to this fella just an example

[Rob Wigley]

acid test would he travel though.........as a punter...no disrespect to this fella just an example

He was paying to come Terry and i found out, i'd like YOU on as you have the records for the third room (and main room come to that) Its all about providing something for everyone to try.

and striking a balance at a large event, without loosing your direction.

hope your not Burnleyed out after last night !

Rob

[Dave Rimmer]

BLIMEY the rugby allnighter has a dj on who is well known for blatently playing carvers,other djs should walk off and refuse to dj in this case.

Who's that then, seeing as I'm one of the DJ's on at Rugby. If you want to make accusations like that you need to be specific, and then support your accusation, ie name the records played off carvers, otherwise it's just smoke and mirrors, whispers and rumours.

If you're going to say something, have the balls to do it properly !

And I'll happily admit I've got 5 acetates / carvers in my DJ Box. Three unreleased tracks, and two album only tracks

Edited June 15, 2008 by Dave Rimmer

[Guest gordon russell]

Who's that then, seeing as I'm one of the DJ's on at Rugby. If you want to make accusations like that you need to be specific, and then support your accusation, ie name the records played off carvers, otherwise it's just smoke and mirrors, whispers and rumours.

If you're going to say something, have the balls to do it properly !

And I'll happily admit I've got 5 acetates / carvers in my DJ Box. Three unreleased tracks, and two album only tracks

not you......have a walk about and you might find out.I haven't said he will play carvers at rugby....I said he has a track record for doing this.........one tune comes to mind MARGRET LITTLES i'm not talking about unreleased things ect.Lastly if I said the fellas name you would all call me allsorts.......strange although he may be well out of order, I somehow would be at fault.If he has stopped this practise then fair enough......if not what?. have a good one

[paultp]

Who's that then, seeing as I'm one of the DJ's on at Rugby. If you want to make accusations like that you need to be specific, and then support your accusation, ie name the records played off carvers, otherwise it's just smoke and mirrors, whispers and rumours.

If you're going to say something, have the balls to do it properly !

And I'll happily admit I've got 5 acetates / carvers in my DJ Box. Three unreleased tracks, and two album only tracks

I think this is the essence of this thread really, if you are going to slag off soul nights, niters and DJs generally then be specific.

On reading through the thread it looks like a few promoters posting who would like to see a lot of venues that clash or nearly clash disappear from view so that their own gets better attendance.

If someone wants to put on a night who is to say they shouldn't? Good on them for bothering. If their night is crap then it won't survive anyway.

If someone wants to DJ then why shouldn't they? Who's to say who can and who can't?

A lot of contradictions here; "people shouldn't just start DJing ... yeh but no but .... people should Dj a lot before they can get regular/niter sets"

This just smacks of an earlier thread where someone ranted on about "the scene would be better with the right people in charge" etc

Perhaps we could have a vote to decide who gets the armbands and can then decide who puts on nights and who DJ's?

To my mind its the vote of feet that normally works.

Anyway, footy on soon, Turkey v Czech Repub is geting my vote

[SoulOn2Wheels]

In our area (N Derbys/Notts/S Yorks) there are numerous nights to choose from all have their own music policies, generally you know what your going to get ie. go to one you know your going to get 100% oldies another more crossover/rare soul.

What's really getting annoying is the inconsistency. You go to one night and its great, good music and well attended go the next month and there are only a handful in, miss a month and then you get reports that it was full!! Just don't know why sometimes.

A good example was last night we went to Vault of Soul at the cube in Sheffield. Been a few times before and its been well attended, last night a handful in. Where was everybody? Despite this, still was a great night though.

Someone has commented about the logic of having something every month and I think there is a good case here. Take somewhere like the Empress Ballrooms in Mexborough where its only Bank Holiday Sundays, always packed and a fantastic night.

[Guest Matt Male]

by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

Rob Wigley

Can you really? Why don't you name names then Rob? I reckon the Z list DJs would be interested to hear your opinion of them.

There are only good DJs and bad DJs not some bullshit hierarchy. Funny how people come on here generally slagging off 'some' promotors, 'some' venues and 'z list' DJs but are always vague about specific individuals. I wonder why?

[pikeys dog]

Can you really? Why don't you name names then Rob? I reckon the Z list DJs would be interested to hear your opinion of them.

There are only good DJs and bad DJs not some bullshit hierarchy. Funny how people come on here generally slagging off 'some' promotors, 'some' venues and 'z list' DJs but are always vague about specific individuals. I wonder why?

Because some of the 'Z' list DJs are their mates, and DJing at their venues.

That's why....

[Guest Matt Male]

I think this is the essence of this thread really, if you are going to slag off soul nights, niters and DJs generally then be specific.

On reading through the thread it looks like a few promoters posting who would like to see a lot of venues that clash or nearly clash disappear from view so that their own gets better attendance.

If someone wants to put on a night who is to say they shouldn't? Good on them for bothering. If their night is crap then it won't survive anyway.

If someone wants to DJ then why shouldn't they? Who's to say who can and who can't?

A lot of contradictions here; "people shouldn't just start DJing ... yeh but no but .... people should Dj a lot before they can get regular/niter sets"

This just smacks of an earlier thread where someone ranted on about "the scene would be better with the right people in charge" etc

Perhaps we could have a vote to decide who gets the armbands and can then decide who puts on nights and who DJ's?

To my mind its the vote of feet that normally works.

Anyway, footy on soon, Turkey v Czech Repub is geting my vote

Most sensible post on here so far.

[Guest Matt Male]

Because some of the 'Z' list DJs are their mates, and DJing at their venues.

That's why....

[Glyn Williams]

lets set up a 'DJ police' - it can be a division of the 'soul police', you know, those who go around telling people whats crap to listen to and what isnt, they could expand by telling people which dj's to boycott.

oops, sorry - suddenly realised they already exist

posted in good humour

[Rob Wigley]

In our area (N Derbys/Notts/S Yorks) there are numerous nights to choose from all have their own music policies, generally you know what your going to get ie. go to one you know your going to get 100% oldies another more crossover/rare soul.

What's really getting annoying is the inconsistency. You go to one night and its great, good music and well attended go the next month and there are only a handful in, miss a month and then you get reports that it was full!! Just don't know why sometimes.

A good example was last night we went to Vault of Soul at the cube in Sheffield. Been a few times before and its been well attended, last night a handful in. Where was everybody? Despite this, still was a great night though.

Someone has commented about the logic of having something every month and I think there is a good case here. Take somewhere like the Empress Ballrooms in Mexborough where its only Bank Holiday Sundays, always packed and a fantastic night.

This might be what I was trying to get at, more chiefs than Indians, 2 vault of soul Djs are on at Bridlington and are there on merit VOS has been running over 10 years now , they have nowt to proove. But the dilution of the scene has probably been caused by too many less well attened nights in general.

In the day each town had one soul night at most, Manfield had the Folk house, Eightbells the Swan and Trotters , but they never clashed Then you had to travel to hear the big sounds. Now within the 15 mile radius of Mansfield you'll have 2 or 3 nights on every night of the weekend.

Don't get me wrong I'm not a member of the "Soul police", people are free to do what they like (see pauls answer above) but there comes a point where the DJs ( and WAGs) will out number the punters, just seems pointless thats all !

Anyway Turkey 3 chez 2 Great game !

Rob

[TOAD]

JUST BOOK DJS WHO HAVE A "SOUL DJ CV"

[Guest dundeedavie]

[. by the way if you search these pages you can compile a list of at least 450 "DJs" A list, B list, c list and Z minus list !!

Rob Wigley

i don't think so , you'd find around 20 people with balls big enough to say "i am a Dj" the rest will say they are collectors who get to play a few

[Rob Wigley]

Can you really? Why don't you name names then Rob? I reckon the Z list DJs would be interested to hear your opinion of them.

There are only good DJs and bad DJs not some bullshit hierarchy. Funny how people come on here generally slagging off 'some' promotors, 'some' venues and 'z list' DJs but are always vague about specific individuals. I wonder why?

Already named them tom dick and harry z- or zzzzzz

and anyway who's on your "A" list ? does it exist, think you know what i am getting at in general,

my a list would include Butch, Mick h, Soul Sam & Bob Hinsley

but thats personal choice

Rob

[Rob Wigley]

i don't think so , you'd find around 20 people with balls big enough to say "i am a Dj" the rest will say they are collectors who get to play a few

look at the flyers "with Djs " not "with Collectors" davie

[Rob Wigley]

JUST BOOK DJS WHO HAVE A "SOUL DJ CV"

And your on somewhere else that weekend Toad

[TOAD]

OPPS HOW TRUE !

BUT IM PLAYING REGGAE

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR WEEKENDER , IVE BEEN FLYERING FOR YOU.

T

[KevH]

Because some of the 'Z' list DJs are their mates, and DJing at their venues.

That's why....

spose if they had money left 'em,or sold a business for big money they'd soon become "A" list.

Long live the underdog.

[Guest Matt Male]

Already named them tom dick and harry z- or zzzzzz

and anyway who's on your "A" list ? does it exist, think you know what i am getting at in general,

my a list would include Butch, Mick h, Soul Sam & Bob Hinsley

but thats personal choice

Rob

Reread my post Rob i don't have an A list.

Like i said on the night they are just good or bad DJs. I'm sure even Sam, Mick H and Butch would admit to off nights. You're absolutely right, it's down to personal choice. My current favourites change every month depending on what they play when i hear them out. I don't think i''ve been anywhere Butch has been on for a year at least.

Edited June 15, 2008 by Matt Male

[Rob Wigley]

OPPS HOW TRUE !

BUT IM PLAYING REGGAE

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR WEEKENDER , IVE BEEN FLYERING FOR YOU.

T

your a good un, say hello to steve for us

[Guest dundeedavie]

look at the flyers "with Djs " not "with Collectors" davie

well obviously cos the latter would be ludicrous ..... you won't get many who will call themselves dj's, theres no pressure on a collector y'see if they can't or don't do the business , you call yourself a dj a you better be able to back it up (hence the big balls comment)

[mischief]

John Alden has made the grade and impressed on our visit to Kent (as you all did by the way) and is doing his bit at Bridlington, God knows how far it is for him to travel, 250 odd miles ?

he's got the records, I hope he will impress some people and be asked to D J at other venues up here !

Top bloke John and has some nice choons aswell...

good call booking him

[Rob Wigley]

spose if they had money left 'em,or sold a business for big money they'd soon become "A" list.

Long live the underdog.

and we nearly had DKoF v's The Attic at Bridlington it could still be arranged---- and what would you spend your cash on if you won the Lottery ????

[Rob Wigley]

well obviously cos the latter would be ludicrous ..... you won't get many who will call themselves dj's, theres no pressure on a collector y'see if they can't or don't do the business , you call yourself a dj a you better be able to back it up (hence the big balls comment)

Here here !

[Rob Wigley]

Top bloke John and has some nice choons aswell...

good call booking him

Been told he's driving 312 miles to attend !!!

[KevH]

and we nearly had DKoF v's The Attic at Bridlington it could still be arranged---- and what would you spend your cash on if you won the Lottery ????

there's no "v's" 'tween us lot Rob .Regarding Lottery win....AIN'T GOT A CLUE!

WOOF WOOF!!!! .

[night nurse]

sorry folks decided to remove my input to this thread but great topic rob

Edited June 15, 2008 by night nurse

[Jumpinjoan]

Been told he's driving 312 miles to attend !!!

Yes that is impressive Rob.

Be even more impressive if he was doing it as a punter.

Unfortunately we won't be doing the 300 mile round trip - we are church mice at the moment.

Have big fun guys!

[paultp]

Another thought on this topic is that perhaps some of the smaller nights are actually far better than the bigger nights?

How many times do we read Events Lookbacks on big niters/weekenders where big name DJ's play one after the other and just repeat records through the night due to the desire to metaphorically knob-wave their £1000+ tunes?

Contrast that with the myriad of smaller soul nights where people believe in what they are doing and thus what they are playing. How many great tunes were first played at smaller nights before they are "discovered" by name DJ's?

How many good DJ's get booked because they are bloody good at their local night?

All of them because that's where all of them start.

Probably had too much wine now so I'll stop before I continue in the " ... and another thing" vein.

[Rob Wigley]

Yes that is impressive Rob.

Be even more impressive if he was doing it as a punter.

Thats the point HE WAS doing it as a punter along with 3 others from KENT !!

Unfortunately we won't be doing the 300 mile round trip - we are church mice at the moment.

we'll see you at Pete's do x x Karen & Rob

Have big fun guys!

[Rob Wigley]

Can you really? Why don't you name names then Rob? I reckon the Z list DJs would be interested to hear your opinion of them.

There are only good DJs and bad DJs not some bullshit hierarchy. Funny how people come on here generally slagging off 'some' promotors, 'some' venues and 'z list' DJs but are always vague about specific individuals. I wonder why?

Just had a quick look at next friday's events on here and I counted 104 DJs on at the long list of events that are listed for that evening, now thats a lot of DJs for one night and not all events are listed on here.

You could say the scene has never been healthier, but I still think something got to give

Rob

[sister dawn]

and we nearly had DKoF v's The Attic at Bridlington it could still be arranged---- and what would you spend your cash on if you won the Lottery ????

Now that would be worth the money.... the DKOF vs The Attic

what a nite of tunes!!!!

[Ian Dewhirst]

Hey Rob, I just had a great idea!

With 450 DJ's on here all raring to go, why bother with actual punters, when you can have the ultimate.........

NORTHERN SOUL DJ SOUNDCLASH!

Invite all 450 DJ's to the next do, they can play a record each, so it'll work out like this:-

450 DJ's x 2.5 minutes (average length of a Northern Soul record) = 1125 minutes divided by 60 minutes = 18.75 hours.

So do an All-Dayer & All Nighter, invite the Guinness Book Of World Record people down, charge each DJ a tenner apiece for the publicity they'll reap by being involved in such a record-breaking event and bob's yer uncle!

So that way all A,B & Z DJ's get to play, you pocket a quick £4,500 and there's no need for any actual customers!

This could revolutionise things entirely.

Punters? Pah. Who needs 'em when you have 450 DJ's!

Ian D

Edited June 15, 2008 by Ian Dewhirst

[Rob Wigley]

Hey Rob, I just had a great idea!

With 450 DJ's on here all raring to go, why bother with actual punters, when you can have the ultimate.........

NORTHERN SOUL DJ SOUNDCLASH!

Invite all 450 DJ's to the next do, they can play a record each, so it'll work out like this:-

450 DJ's x 2.5 minutes (average length of a Northern Soul record) = 1125 minutes divided by 60 minutes = 18.75 hours.

So do an All-Dayer & All Nighter, invite the Guinness Book Of World Record people down, charge each DJ a tenner apiece for the publicity they'll reap by being involved in such a record-breaking event and bob's yer uncle!

So that way all A,B & Z DJ's get to play, you pocket a quick £4,500 and there's no need for any actual customers!

This could revolutionise things entirely.

Punters? Pah. Who needs 'em when you have 450 DJ's!

Ian D

Don't go giving people ideas Ian