Mark Bicknell

Major Lance - Investigate, You Dont Want Me No More, The Beat, Ain't No Soul... Gene Chandler - There Was A Time, Mr Big Shot, I Can Take Care Of Myself, Nothing Can Stop Me..... Darrell Banks - Our Love Is In The Pocket, Open The Door To Your Heart, I'm The One Who Loves You, Somebody Somewhere Need You... The O'Jays - I Dig Your Act, Lipstick Traces, Hold On, I'll Never Forget You..... Dozens more of course but thought this would get the ball rolling. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I bet Tim don't give a flying fart what he looks like on the dance floor with records he's got he should worry, remember the DJ dancing competition's at Cleethorpes way back now that was a sight to see, Ady, Roger Banks, Andy Rix, Myself...i was robbed to this day there's no way Andy Rix should have won, i fell over, Ady's spins are legendary, Banks through up all over Adams record box and the place rocked with cheers or was it pitty...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I too favour the smaller venue in terms of atmosphere etc, always have but that's just me, from a DJ point of view you can't beat playing a set infront of a 1000 plus people it's a blast and nothing comes close, forget the money as 'Ged' said the DJ fees don't even come close to covering the vinyl addiction. As for promoters making a buck why not, again they put a lot on the line, if they make it then everyone gets a slice of the pie and if they fall short then in most cases everyone gets paid it's part of the game, reputation often rises above making loads of money, when i was running the likes of Hyde Town Hall, Concord Suite, Bridge Hall Bury way back the money i took from the coffee bar often paid the DJ's and certainly was a labour of love, yes you hit the jackpot now and again and have a bumper night is that so wrong? One off the best financial situations i was involved in was the Bettye Lavette alldayer in Blackpool a few years ago with Rolly Ferguson and Karl, ok we had approx 1150 paying people, do the math here, the event to stage, her fee, PA hire, hotels, flights for her and the band, meals, advertising, DJ's, Flyers. venue hire, security staff, phone calls, six months hard work, petrol and lots more things cost around £1350.00 yes thirteen thousand pounds!! and after everything was met, expences paid we walked away with our investment back of £1000.00 pounds we fronted as working money each, now thats a big risk to front £13K to make £6K split three was £2K each, if you break that money down over the six months it took to promote then it's little more than a good drink for your efforts. Yes £2k is a lot of money and i was so pleased with it, but far more happy that we pulled it off and it was a good event. I do my 9 to 5 thing for my living Northern Soul is yes a passion but and sometimes i like too get involved with the odd promotion, i tried doing it full time and it's a hard game to be in, i salute all promoters and thank them for their efforts, we need venues to attend and we need promoters to run them, where would we be if there were none???? Regards - Mark Bicknell

Hello,ummmmmmmmmmm no comment..lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

A hard one to call on this question, but after a little thought has to be Bucks Rogers Movement - Take It From Me Girl - 21st Century, simply out and out Northern, fantastic record. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Kent...top of the stack no question, always top quality a real joy. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I want this back great record sold it years ago for a tenner...silly boy me sometimes, can anyone help me with a spare copy. regards - Mark Bicknell.

Billy Watkins - The Ice Man - Era.......I'll get my coat. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Paul, I have 8x10 black and white press photo signed by Ray, you are more than welcome to use it mate, get in touch bicknellmark@aol.com Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Shane, Steam or no steam i try and always be constructive mate and yes see you saturday. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Lot's of good constructive points being raised here and i'm glad to say not too much slagging off, now cards firmly on the table here but in the defence of all DJ's on the scene and i'm sure what i'm about to say most of them will agree with me. The collecting of in the main rare hard to find Soul records is without question an obsession and very quickly takes over your life, the desire to chase and collect the top tunes is a natural instinct and if you can develop your own style along the way then this often makes a good DJ into a great one, to be pioneers and inovators of the music you first and fourmost need to have a passion for it and also a very good ear, yes there may or may not be trophy collector DJ's out there who desire the big ticket items and i can only respect these guys and girls who firstly have the desire and the money to do this. For my money the best DJ's are the ones who can blend the ultra rare with the little cheapies as long as the quality is there. From my own point of view and far be it from me to blow my own trumpet but i feel some way qualified to comment from behind the decks as it were, believe me i sometimes finish a spot and feel i've played safe, it's like i'm exspected to play X,Y,Z records in a spot and like so many others i go through the motions some of the time, but oh boy when you play your true spot a reflection of your own taste, style and depth of collection you can take the night and yourself into another dimension, as far as being a teacher of someone who educates others on the scene at the venues or rather on the dance floor i feel that people should learn and teach themselves as we do in life on the type and style of records that they collect or come to think of it play. Picking up pointers, information etc. along the way from collectors and DJ's is what i've certainly done over the years and i thank them for it. Being a DJ on this scene is let me tell you a huge honour and at the end of the day most of us are just normal people with a few good records who like to get up there and try and entertain, of course there is competition between DJ's, rare records and who's got the big ticket items are fully known and respected. Some people may think it's easy to get up there and just play records, but as already mentioned it's about blending a set to make it flow and balance, ok it ain't rocket science but there is a little bit of an art to it, i've done some stinkers in my time from my own point of view and all i can do is try and improve the next time. We have the edge now in 2005 of being in the best possible place musically with some four decades of Northern Soul club culture behind us, should we not be fine tuning and selecting the best possible playlist's and if there are good up and coming DJ's who want to contribute then i for one embrace and welcome that with open arms, as for the re issue thing as Mr Rimmer said many of us are from the original only background and we can't change that, how someone else sets there stall out is very much their own affair, unissued masters is a totally seperate issue and i believe we should champion NEW quality material from what ever format as it can only be good for the development of the scene and it's music. Yes ego's play a part in the mix, yet is it wrong to be proud of the records you own, i think it says a little of the person who want's to try and do the best he or she can but it just so happens that the tools of a Northern Soul DJ are often very hard to find, not often seen, very rare and big ticket records, not all but in most cases. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Soulsmith, no offence meant or taken all i was saying is it seems that the DJ's were getting a little flack for simply trying to do the best they can is all. Regarding the closed shop mentality i totally agree with you as yes this does go on and i really can't give an answer all i will say is if the younger up and coming DJ's stick at it then if the quality is there it will shine through and break this attitude, the likes of James Trouble, Rich Buckley, Jamie Hartford, Kim Cook, Ady Lupton and many others need to be heard on a far more regular basis, they have the passion, commitment and very good records to contribute to the scene and i champion your comments and have included some of them at my new Sheridans allnighter in hope that it will bring a different dimension and attitude to the event, also Chris Waterman has made it his job to give up and coming and lesser known names a chance at New Century events and i'm sure he will continue with this trend. I'm sure there will be more comments on this subject and i hope it changes a few of the old school ethics. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Why is this turning into 'have a pop' at the DJ's week? what is it with this scene can't do right for doing wrong sometimes or is it the other way round lol....... as with many topics on here it all get's rather personal, someone posts a topic or question, people reply and try to debate with valid points yet i feel there is no argument on this one sorry, a vast majority of all DJ's would rather play originals of any value rather than pressings/boots/second issues or whatever, it's simply the way it is sorry, i don't know why it just is, perhaps more to do with traditions of the scene and how the DJ's have always worked from way back. All the records played throughout the scenes long history were originally sourced, discovered from an original first often USA copy and would have been played from this format, and i'm not talking about taylor made instrumentals, some tunes were copied onto an EMI disc or dub by some DJ's who helped make the tunes popular in hand with the bootleggers to simply make money from the masses, but even with this i'm sure when records were first played they were played from an original. Why? is it an issue if a DJ does his or her thing with authentic original records, should this not be embraced rather than questioned? As for being a cosy group sorry but it's far eaiser now to break into DJ'ing than it was twenty years ago when it was almost a closed shop and there is still some doors firmly closed even for established names so sometimes don't matter what records you have you just wont get booked but that's life.......... Yes it's about the music, yes it's about the dance floor and yes records are simply sound carriers but from a DJ perspective it's about for me at least presenting the music i love in it's original form and that does not mean i don't think there is a place for non original material as this gives access to 'the sound' to everyone. The original ethic will never change and it's one part of the scene that we are all in it for good records rare or otherwise, as Pete S said it's the chase that hooks you, collecting this music is an obsession and playing it to an audience is a huge buzz and simply an honour and is there anything wrong in being the best you can be within your means and play a few originals.................. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

This may explain why i favour the original only format when playing out at venues....... Many years ago when i first started to DJ must have been around 1980/81 Chris King invited me to guest at his Hinckley Allnighter, my collection at the time was at best average with a cross section of originals and the odd pressing, i was half way through my spot and i played Jimmy Mack - My World Is On Fire on a Soul Galore pressing, now a very well known DJ and now very goog friend was stood next to me and basically commented on the fact that he had an original Palmer copy of the record and it was wrong for me to perhaps play it when he and others hold the original, i felt really embaressed and from that day to this have never played anything other than the original format, if i ain't got it then i don't play it. Yes it's about the music, dancing, social thing etc. but it is also a scene based on RARE hard to find records. I feature and play new compilation CD's/ vinyl re issues etc. on my radio show as a way to promote them for the record companies who kindly send me promo product but i would never dream of playing them at a live gig. believe me any DJ worth his or her salt would be shot down in flames if they were seen to be taking short cuts. The trouble is there are far too many people playing records out there yet there are very few good DJ's, would it not be fair to suggest that the ones who get the most bookings lead the pack? seems to me that everyone wants to DJ, run a venue and make a contribution to this wonderful scene of ours which is fantastic as it's keeping the thing going, i have played hundreds of gigs all over the country over the past 25 years and still to this day it leaves me cold when i see a bunch of bootlegs being selected by the next DJ on, basically because anyone can do it, this has nothing to do with the records sounding the same, yes i agree they perhaps do and no the dancers can't tell nor perhaps are they interested but it's really deeper than that from a DJ perspective it's about being true to yourself, the promoter for booking you, the paying customers i.e the dancers and last but not least to the artists who made the records in the first place. I take Soul Sam's point of you can spoil or wreck records but in this day and age there is no reason or excuse for venues not to supply first class kit to play them on. Like Pete S said perhaps it's time to put this one to bed before it gets out of hand, i just felt that i needed to express how i believe the original only ethic works and i know i'm speaking for a vast number of fellow DJ's who work along the same princables as i would like to think that DJ's get booked on merrit, quality of collection, entertainment value and reputation and a good solid collection of quality original records gets the reputation alongside passion, commitment, dedication and a lot of hard work and financial investment to do the best you can when kindly asked to DJ. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Ok spaeaking from a DJ point of view it's kind of an unwritten rule if you like between DJ's that the job should be done with authentic originals otherwise it makes fun of the whole ethos and ideals of collecting and wanting to DJ at top level, i chose to do it this way as it's how i feel it should be all present and correct you might say. It's about respect and wanting to contribute to the scene in the best way possible be it playing a five pound cheapie or a big ticket item, the scene is based on rare soul records so is it not fair to suggest that if some DJ's wish to follow this original only rule then is that not a good thing? Rare records often bring status on this scene it's how it ticks, who's got what, who plays what, respect should be top of the list here and not basically ridicule. If the original format is not important then get rid of the DJ's and put a jukebox on the stage put a dime on D - nine and let the music play......interesting. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Let the music play....... Mark Bicknell.

Soulsmith, Despite what you and others may think Kev Roberts and myself have always got on, we just sometimes have different views on things, i would double deck anytime with Kev it would be an honour and interesting but i suspect it will never happen...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

'That'll Be The Day' when record prices level out!!! oh Peggy Sue to it all i say...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Top man......oh shucks thanks for the kind words, show now into it's 5th year every Sunday night 8pm through 10pm CHANNEL 879 SKY DIGITAL and www.solarradio.com - some four decades of quality Northern Soul music and club culture...well that's the plan...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Just got back from Soulgirls 40th down in sunny Bournemouth, took me about six hours to get home but well worth the long journey, off the top of my head played the following i think, oh the beer was good! Delegates Of Soul - I'll Come Running Back - Up Look Ronnie McNeir - Sitting In My Class - De-To Danny Woods - You Had Me Fooled - Correc-Tone The Professionals - That's Why I Love You - Groove City Four Tracks - Like My Love For You - Mandingo The Masqueraders - How - La Beat Jimmy Burns - I Really Love You - Erica Troy Dodds - Try My Love - El Camino DJ The Cashmeres - Show Stopper - Hem Elbie Parker - Please Keep Away From Me - Veep DJ Ty Karim - You Really Made It Good To Me - Senator Same Fletcher - I'd Think It Over - Tollie DJ Joann Courcy - I Got The Power - Twirl DJ Jimmy Wallace - I'll Be Back - Alfa Al Wilson - Help Me - Wand DJ Bobby Kline - Say Something Nice To Me - MB George Blackwell - Can't Lose My Head - Smoke Larry Clinton - She's Wanted - Dynamo DJ Betty Turner - The Winds Kept Laughing - Crescent DJ Herb Ward - Strange Change - Argo DJ Freddie Houston - If I Had Known - Old Town DJ Mickie Champion - What Good Am I - Musette Regards - Mark Bicknell.

In recent times i've been ending my spot with Jimmy Wallace - I'll Be Back ( Alfa ) in hope that i will be back sometime soon, great record, perfect tempo to finish a set or a venue come to think of it. Tradition is hard to break and the' three before eight' thing is legendary to the scene but i can think of many records that are perfect to close a session, i always remember Walter Jackson's 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone' being the last tune played at the St Ives allnighters years ago. I tend to agree that Ester Phillips - 'Just Say Goodbye' pretty much say's it all really, good thread this. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Being a huge male vocal group fan i would have to say bands like The Volumes, Falcons, Metros, Hesitations, Volcanos, Artistics and others who made some outstanding records to little or no commercial success, still must have been hard for these groups when you had The Temptations, Four Top, Driters etc. on the same block releasing hit after hit, perhaps with a little more luck, financial backing and promotion many of our scenes artists would have rivaled the big hitters as they certainly had the talents to do so just not the lucky breaks. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

A bloke at Placemate Seven Allnighter in Manchester many moons ago now had Matt Lucas - You Better Go - Go in one hand and Moses Dillard and The Dynamic Showmen - I'll Pay The Price in the other both for £40.00 each........what was i to do as i only had enough cash on me for one? so i went for the Moses Dillard which i still have, never seen at Matt Lucas for sale to this day, good choice i feel but frustrating at the time, still i'm the man that sold Eric Mercury on Sac for £95.00 at Stafford.........I'll get my coat. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Thelma.................... Mark Bicknell.

'Bet You Never Thought' for my money is a stunning record, Gene Chandler ain't a Duke on this one he's a King! Regards - Mark Bicknell