Paul-s

All good Stuff Ady...!! Will be there on 22nd supporting.

Agree Ian, But i go abroad a lot too and i dont hear the same tunes rep[eated over and over again like i do hear. maybe thats why its so refreshing. also they have no, "i wont play this style or that style agenda, cos it aint Northern soul". In fact they have the sort of open mind and soul that the uk seems to have lost with time.

Thats not my quote Steve? I was using someone elses post (matt, i think?). But, of course you cannot have a whole night of unknowns, my complaint is that the last few nighters i went to it was a night of NO unknowns...and that isn't necessary, i dont think. YOU CAN , if its good, play new unknown stuff at a nighter (in moderation), thats how most tunes started off surely?

Also paul , as far as finding brand new discoveries is conserned (vinyl wise ) it is very tuff ,but re the amount of records the uk punters want - there are records certain dj's have in reserve ,it's the time scale involved in breaking them ,apart from say very special instant ones like willie tee -pay some dues or say wally coco (which i know you'v been playing).i guess this explains the repetetivenes of sets. Yes, i guess thats the score. just dreaming of Utopia where I get to hear new stuff all the time! Maybe have one Lifeline a year where its advertised as lesser known/new stuff and then people can't complain. Im sure it would still be very busy and then the ones (like me) who moan about wanting to hear the great tunes you have tucked away, would be happy....and you could, with impunity, try these out to a crowd who have gone knowing what the night is? (or is that a stupid dream?) ady ,don't worry bout dj'in to the bar staff ,mick h does it nearly every time he's on... and i enjoy his spots the most!ha!

Lifeline probably does have the balance right but is still hamstringed by the nostalgia crowd. But where did it all go wrong? What happened to clubs full of people expecting to hear new or underplayed sounds every time they went out? What happened to the DJs leading the way? What happened to DJs like Keb playing a record five times in a row to an empty dancefloor because he believed in it? At the Stafford reunion he must have had a wry smile on his face when he played Tony Galla to a packed dancefloor 25 years later. I think he even said over the mic, '...last time i played this here no one danced'. I still think the spirit of the early 80s post-Wigan was to hear stuff that hasn't been done to death week in week out, that was why i signed up. That spirit has been lost by a lot of people and betrayed by far more. What a f**king shame. Spot on mate!Its all so languid and passive now...wheres the energy and passionate enthusiasm for music gone ? The pioneer spirit the astronautical soul seekers!

Yes , its not an envious task running a venue and my hat goes off to anyone who does Andy. Just to clarify, i dont want to hear an hour of any one genre, funk edge or otherwise and i think tunes like Grace, John Harris, Bernhard Calvin, Black Smoke Band, Sacred Four etc are not funk, they are soul with (for want of a better description that doesnt put people off) a funk edge. But, they are moving dancers feet and have a place on a scene that is into storming rare tunes. They are just not being given a chance at bigger venues. Wally is now and doing very well from what i see. Karl Heard links these type of tunes well with the northern crowd, as he is a dancer and his feet recognise their worth i think. Having said that, your point about its hard enough breaking a new Northern tune, never mind a more leftfield sound is a good one and maybe a sad indightment on how narrow minded the scene has become with time, because there used to be hundreds of leftfield tunes played and tried. People used to listen first and reject or accept based on that! I feel that ability to listen first has sadly and slowly deserted the majority of punters. So i recognise your plight. So, that leaves the important question..if, in your opinion, the tunes that UK punters want to hear have dried up, become very hard to find, what happens now? Are we stuck with what we have? best Paul

TUNE! £10 and sooooo good! Someone put these guys on at a weekender! Fcking incredible! aka Walter & the admirations

Over recent months Lifeline has been at the butt of comments (all negative) which is no problem at all ,although at times cryptic and masked but ultimately aimed at myself and lifeline...in the main mr sadot points out about lifeline's music being stagnant and repetetive and refers to the old guard or old boys (which i assume are the residents at LL? ) which you are bold enough to mention but not name ? is it sam,butch mick h,me ,cliff,arthur,ady pountain,kitch any others? please enlighten us and also if it's any of those- who you'd propose to replace them with As i said Andy, i like most people rate Butch as the best dj around in all genres...its just that i keep hearing the same tunes everytime hes on at lifeline.....or maybe i just timed it wrong when i go? If you read the whole thread, i said Mick is playing brilliant sets? Sam, you gt to love him, BUT, as ive said a few more diverse guests would be good as often the guests ive heard tend to play the stuff that the residents are already covering in their sets, so whats the point of a guest who mimmicks the residents? I think Wrighty and Adam dj where they are invited. Ian recently did Milan, which is a great club with an open music (soul) policy. - we've had james trouble (who sealed his fate 1st time round) karl heard ( we have invited back) yourself paul on numerous occasions,amongst others adam topping,killa,nicola anderson,kev fev, tony foster,nick stevenson amongst other lovers of something different.. next niter has george m spinning (1 of the chaps you mention) I wasn't aware ian wright ,adam leaver or callum were actively dj'ing on the northern scene ? Also on a thread some time ago we asked for any folk wanting to play at lifeline to drop us a line with details ,we got 2 or 3 replies all of which appeared on the rosta.. ( closed shop eh ? another one of yours and other folks digs ) Apologies on this Andy, i never saw that post Paul mentions the lack of 70's or best of 70's ,utter crap do i really need to name current 70's /funky edged spins ? certainly worth mentioning in relation to this ,lifeline's worst period for attendances was at olde bell when most of the dj's programmed more 70's,infact not just more 70's but Which promoter declared all 70's shite and won't have funk influenced tunes paul? If you read back Andy you will see it was Chalky who made the 'People dont want funk edged stuff satement and thats what i based my comment on. His attitude seemed a little closed and i thought he represented lifelines view? I know personally that YOU have broad taste in soul/funk, but Chalky seemed to just dismiss a whole genre in one statement. Hardly worth going into paul but you mention one of the promoters at a 3 room event, too scared to venture into the small rooms ? assuming that's me ,scared my arse it's a matter of watching the front and maintaining a safe and secure environment for the public,for the record i went in all 3 rooms.. Have to disagree, there is a hierachy and at the 'big boy' end they seem to think it demeaning to listen or show they are listening to unknown (wannabees as they are lovingly called). I have supported EVERY SINGLE dj you have mentioned on here Andy..everyone single one, and base this bold staement on mine and others experiences. Not talking about you, but there are loads who think they have heard it all and they just have not. If im in a venue i want to hear everyone cos im excited by music and always looking and listening. I think this desire has deserted some bigger names on the scene. Its a sort of apathy and laziness. Its healthy to have debate Andy and i AM a punter and as you know, supported Lifeline for a long time and will continue to do so. I feel that this allows me to comment on my own experience as a punter and i do so not to put the venue or music down, but to say please lets have more interesting guests that embrace the great 70's funk edged soul thats around (maybe im just being selfish and want more of it!Butch has loads, but we rarely hear him play it in the UK?). I will be there to support George and im sure he will do an great job.

Sorry mate, but this is total nonsense. We play what might be considered 'rare soul' at Move On, pretty much everything we play is uptempo, a lot of it 60s and is as dancable as anything you will here at a classic oldies night. I've always been a dancer and i love dancing to Danny White - Natural Soul Borther, L.J. Reynolds - Intruder, Freddy Hill - Mr Lucky etc.. etc.. etc... In fact i can't think of anything we play that isn't an in your face dancer. Personally i would never play anything i couldn't dance to myself. Spot on...mine are ALL dance records and mostly uptempo! Sounds like theres a very narrow view of whats out there, possibly based on too few visits to too few venues.

This is a great film project and , at last, done by someone from the scene, with people who know the score....these dancers and actors have gone out to learn about the scene, to dance and to know the music. Great script too! Gonna be a big thing!

Interesting points since i last read this. An alliance of venues that blocks new ones out? Thought that was called a 'monopoly'? The monopoly already exists amongs a crowd of self protecting 'guild' dj's or 'mates' (many names used on here). Thats why , i think, other venues have started. For instance, some promoters on here have declared that All 70's are shite or that they wont have funk influenced tunes at their venue (although they have been in venues since the early 70's!), so people (a growing number) are going to start their own nights to cater for that. Guess they will be known as 'scabs' by the guild!

..dont mention funk edges in stuff, you'll scare people!

pmsl...think the guy was a Burnley Evangilist!

Mich H has been terrific too. Always has a few suprises!

I, like everyone else, think Butch is (can be) an incredible DJ. But im sick (in UK) of hearing him playing the same old stuff at particular venues. So, if an opportunity arises to see him out of that context, with the freedom to play what he wants, ill make an effort to go.... If a venue books him and the punters dont give off the vibe that they are up for hearing what 'he' wants to play, where their tolerance for anything new is low, and another books him where the punters respect him and trust him enough to 'go for it', ill be going to the second. So its necessary and important that one particular venue doesn't monopolise and restrict a dj like Butch. Must be good for his own soul aswell to play different suff at different places.

As for 'Allnighter music' . He He! It gets better and better on here! Good comedy writes itself! Is there any Alldayer music? Or is it just 'Allnighter' music played earlier in the Earth's daily rotation? Get the blinkers off peeps......you miss so much that black America has still to offer from it's studios/vaults. Regards, Dave

Very rare tune on for sale on Maximillians list. An example of the genre that every ones slagging off, but right for dancers me thinks. https://web5.v579.ncsrv.de/mp3/Grace1.mp3

Also got to agree with you Joan about the style of music Paul is continually going on about, the majority don't want it at an all-nighter, you only have to watch the dance floor reaction at an all-nighter when an hour or so is forced on them, it doesn't go down well. What hour was that then? I aint seen George, Val, Wrighty, Adam, etc a big room to be allowed to fail? I also thing Karl Heard knocks your 'They dont want it', theory into touch! Also how do YOU know my style of music, you aint heard it since Wilton a year ago? As, i hope most djs have, i have many styles of music (soul) prefering to collect on the basis of i like to dance to it, rather than it falls into a specific genre? Im sure you do the same? Maybe its easier for you to say 'they dont want it' than to try it. Very patronizing towards punters to make that decision for them, without allowing them to hear any of it. Almost like your the 'soul gate keepers'

Hey Joanie, Theres no way i want the 'Scene' to adopt my music...i love my music too much and wouldn't want it hammered to death. My point was that organizers and those BIG name dj's who dismiss a whole genre, may benefit from actually poppng there heads into the smaller venues, or rooms, instead of chatting in record bars all night. Im often amazed how they just do not go beyond their zone..ie...decks when there on and record bar when their not! You have experienced this yourself! Its a ego thing, as has been said. Im a collector, i do it every day of the week and i will still do it regardless of djing...Im not going to suddenly sell my collection cos i dont dj! As a punter, along with MANY others , im bored shitless by the music at the big nighters, its just that i dare say it...many people whisper it in your ear, but say f--k all. If it was all SO GOOD and fresh and alive , the 100 club would be full and nighters around the country thriving. The reason a lot of the big nighters dont post playlists is because you could then see how it hasn't changed much in 5 years, apart from the odd tune. For me its better to try and fail , than remain in limbo and grow stale. Obviously its my choice where i go, as you said....and i have supported a lot of venues, regardless of whether i moan or not. I dont think the same can be said of the elite, repetitive, squad. I never see them supporting anything but their own nights and even then their own room (too lazy or scared to enter a small room at same nighter). Its easier to dismiss everything without knowing it than to listen and participate, filter and adapt, take the few tunes that fit and integrate them. Easier to know it all....NOT. The term 'funk' has been mis appropriated by people who think it means James Brown or what i call fonk (barnyard shite!). Its scaring people. Im talking about all the great 70's that ive heard people like George, Adam L, Ian Wright, Val, and countless other djs play. People can only judge and say its shite without hearing it, but Kal Heard seems to pack the floor with it? So someone must be liking it. I think nighters should have room for something fresh and at least try it before dismissing it. Its SO easy to say most of its shite, without having heard it or ventured into those rooms. If it was tried and failed , i would then say, fair enough, get it off, but it has far from been tried. At places like Rugby etc Karl has generated loads of excitement for this style of 60's sounding 70's and often people cant believe its 70's. Why do i want to go to a nighter where i could post the playlist im going to hear, BEFORE i go? I never used to be able to. Anway, fact is, unless we inspire a younger crowd, the scene will die with the dogma that is starngling it now. I hope it doesn't.

OOH seem to have struck a note! Name me your top ten funkier tunes Chalky. I can only assume your lack of knowledge of this genre is the reason for your fear and outrageously uninformed statement. Im not talking about FONK im talking about great 70s soul that Lifeline definitely doesn't cater for. Thats not to put the venue down, but you have a strict mostly 60's and so called best of 70's policy, thats fine. But you DEFINITELY are not playing the best of. 70's..Fuck Wally Coco, ive hammered that for 2 or more years. Its just an example of whats about, but still not embraced by the nighter scene... Your closed attitude and lack of getting out to smaller venues seems to inform the "people dont want it" statement...check Boutique and other venues maybe. You will grow from it! Boring and repetitive is what id call the Northern scene at the moment, hence the problems and people running there own events because the so called big nighters that used to lead the scene, have become stagnant and repetitive. I would never run a nighter, i think they are over...soul nights are about as long as the older scene goers can fully commit energy to before getting pissed. Having said that, i support your venue, i AM a punter and as such feel i can say (from my heart and soul) what i think. I have however run a play for 3 years that played to 80.000 people and , i hope, contributed some joy and soul to the scene. It cost £250,000 to tour each time and so know about stress and promoting Chalky....

Should Keb not get any bookings on the funk scene cause of his age, should he step aside for a younger DJ who isn't in the same league as Keb? It wouldn't happen so why should the Northern Scene be any different? As nlong as the music is quality I couldn't give a monkey if the Dj is 20 or nearing retirement age. Keb shouldn't get any bookings on Funk scene cos he sold all his records and now plays rockabilly? Hes had enough of funk and is honest about it. maybe some of the northern djs who look bored behind the decks should adopt the same policy?

Good open view Nev and your right those venues are busy and also the guys have knowledge and more importantly no agenda (like record sales) to push...

I've said it before but IMO the best way to attract a younger crowd is to have some younger DJs given regular spots at venues......but I doubt this will ever happen as it would mean retiring some of the sub standard older guard. I'm 34 and regularly give CDs of new buys/faves etc to my non-soulie friends and there's a fair few who love the music but refuse point blank to attend venues as their perception of the scene is that it's run by middle aged/old age men who they have nothing in common with. Personally I think that at 34 I'm already too old in the eyes of the youngsters we want to come into the scene. What we need is young, passionate DJs with a real love of the music to be given their opportunity now and bollox to the DJ clique culture that is evident everywhere. I'd think it's far more likely that DJs like Callum will attract younger people onto the scene so get him and 5/6 others in the spotlight and let's see what they can do. Yep, but the old fellas aint gonna give up there IVY LEAGUE status. I also think that Venue location makes it difficult for younger goers. Fair enough if its Manchester town centre, But a stables in the middle of nowhere is an altogether different prospect. It takes a bit of planning and bravery, then if your the ONLY few there it can seem a bit daunting i reckon. The Boutique boys have a younger following and the Leeds lads, but aren't yet a part of the accepted clique of dj's. I think the word used for them by the old guard is wannabees. (discussed in an earlier thread.) And there lies the problem, if you aint 110 years old and been playing the same tunes for 80 of em, your a Wannabee (not a rising dj and lover of music!) according to some of the Chelsea pensioners on here anyway. As long as Callum (i dont know him) etc are not just playing the same tunes as the old guard, but in younger bodies, its a good idea.