Sean Hampsey

Fair comment Simon. I didn't realise we'd been talking about "hardcore 6t's NS" only on this thread. Does that still have much of a following? I joke . Interesting perception on Soul Essence though, seeing as many popular records of the past 10 years were first made big at Yarmouth and apart from the top drawer DJ lineup (inc Soul Sam, Arthur Fenn, Steve Plumb, Gavin Page etc) other 'never miss' visitors include Butch, Andy Dyson, Chalky, John Manship, Ian Clark and other 'Northern Soul' scene regulars. Ask Soul Sam what's his biggest and best gig in the calendar. You want full on and sweaty. Trust me. There's NO atmosphere like that Yarmouth dancefloor... and I've been going to NS gigs since 1972. You want full on and sweaty. Stand next to Tats Taylor on the Soul Essence dancefloor when Cozzer drops Vivian Reed. The 'fervour' will knock you off your feet. As for the horse analogy... I always found that you can make them drink...if you first put salt in their oats! Sean https://www.soul-essence.co.uk/ Added the link. See for yourself from the comfort of your own home or office. Great this new technology stuff!

Welcome to the club then Roccia. (I've got a basement FULL and still want more!). By the way, didn't our mutual friend Mr Burton warn you about Martha Reeves? You'll have even less money if she does for you what she did for Malc... some 25 years ago! He's still not fully recovered. Sean

OK Roccia, I'm glad your do's are going well. I don't know the above people mentioned personally (except for my 'very' old and dear friend Malc Burton) but I don't feel compelled to take a survey in any case. What's more, I'm sure you can have a really good night on original vinyl only, after all, the UK scene did it for decades... ... but I believe you'll miss out on a whole bunch of great music along the way if you bind yourselves to the one, very restrictive, format. Suggest that you (or anyone else) might visit Soul Essence (Yarmouth) and see how well the Mixed and Multi Media playlist works there (if you haven't already). Gloves off! Truly Across The Board SOUL....... 60's, 70's 80's 90's, Y2K, Acetates, Vinyl, Rarities, Exclusives, Cheapies, CD's, LP's, 12".... the whole SOULFUL nine yards. The best night on the planet (IMO)... and what's more... ... Its the Future. And I've Tasted it! Sean PS: Malc tells me that he had a real good time in Italy. I do hope you that had him in bed by 8.00pm and that his snoring didn't keep all you young people awake.

Aha! So it's not that you want to play / hear the tunes 'not on CD'. And its not that you want to play / hear the tunes 'on vinyl'. It's that you only want to play / hear the tunes only on 'ORIGINAL ' vinyl. Fine policy... if you want to setback your relatively embryonic Soul Scene in Italy... by just a few decades. Borders on the tragic! Sean

So would I, because I collect vinyl, but as a DJ what do I do if I become aware of a great track on CD only, that needs promoting / plugging? Leave it? No way. I don't believe CD's are any more 'corporate' than vinyl. It's just another effective media for 'carrying' and broadcasting music. That said, there's a definite swing back to vinyl throughout the industry. The Record Corps have recognised that if they can re-educate the Music Buying public to "own" music rather than just download or stream it then sales should increase and piracy reduce (well that's the theory!). Be interesting to know though how many people on here have bought the incredible series of 7"s from Gary Capes / John anderson's Grapevine 2000 etc. where real, high quality rarities are made legally available and pressed up on vinyl. Furthermore how many DJ's would play 'em! So come on you 'vinyl only' stalwarts.....how many have you got? Sean

If you don't mind the abuse you'll probably get (if you spend less than a grand) Rich Rosen has a few thousand rare (and expensive) 45's & LP's. But, just further along the road from him at the crossroads there's a superb shop (forget the name) full of cheap LP's. Sean

Far too many Great Tunes issued as CD only to leave 'em out! I can still hardly believe that there are Soul venues out there that don't have CD decks (never mind going as far as having a 'Vinyl Only' policy!). I turned up at a venue less than a year ago and the promoter specifically booked me cos he new what I did and 'wanted some newer stuff' When I got there, no CD decks! What year is it? Unbelievable. CD's have been commercialy available for 15+ years, but it seems to me that many on the scene still haven't grasped it yet. Just bloody Unbelievable. Fortunately I'd got 2 boxes of that old shit on vinyl with me. Sean

Thanks for the tip Dave. Onto it! Sean

Yes it was... and played, pitched up a few notches, on Acetate. As was.....Epitome of Sound "You Don't Love Me" a.k.a. Moses Smith As Was.... Ann Perry "Circulate" from 33rpm to 45 rpm!!! As Was... about half of everything played at half of the venues I've been to in the past god knows how many years! You want to buy / collect original vinyl, file it, admire it, love it, play it in it's original untouched format... then fine, do it in the complete privacy of your own home (I do). But I also know DJ's who've got the skill, can drop it on a Wav File, Up the tempo, Add the Bass, Reduce the Pitch, cut the CD (or Platter), tweak it, mix it and actually improve the sound of something that otherwise we might not get to hear! Even as a vinyl junkie and a Soul Music collector of 37 or so years I really don't get too uptight about speeds, formats and media. I just want to hear music, whether pure or adjusted, jacked up or down on any format... vinyl, CD, mp3 or Sky Digital. Hey, after all said and done... to each his own. It's only Rock N' Roll! Sean

Our friend Mr Levine was doing that 30+ years ago. Magnificent Montague, Jimmy Bishop, Sly Stone, Fat Daddy, John Richbourg etc. all made a better fist of it though! Sean

Thanks Dave, And a Flipside too! Not heard it. Is it good? Girth had recently at a tenner! Do I Buy? Sean

I've got the cream one Dave. Never seen the yellow one! Sean

Been covered a couple of times on here Stevie, and consensus tends to be that many (punter / collectors) don't really approve, but I happen to feel that there are DJ's out there who actually use Pitch control to good effect. Steve Plumb has used it on certain tuneage in the past... and so have I. On the other hand it can be used in the extreme. Every time I've followed Sam (many times over the years) I've noticed that he has both decks pitched at +3 or +2 throughout his entire spot. The crowd though don't notice. They just get breathless (which normally results in a satisfying set and a round of applause). I wouldn't touch most of my playlist but if you've got a good flow going on the floor, you want a good blend or transition and you really want to drop a particular tune before the end of your spot it can be a very useful tool. That's why I think it's there. But in the wrong hands I recognise it can be quite dangerous. Like most things... it's good in moderation! Sean

Yes, I take your point... the occasion did get to both of us.... and I even managed to squeeze in "Build Me Up Buttercup" on the night for all the Mums & Aunty Doris's... but the biggest Tit on the night was the lovable Dean... who managed to play the same record (Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me) twice inside 10 minutes! Priceless. Sean

If that's the case, Rod, you'll love my Double Decking Partner "Tats" Taylor. A fine pair! Sean

You are sooooo right Blake! And yer not too bad yerself Darlin' Sean

Good Taste - An ear for a tune! Ability to put a set together - Presentation Skills & Diversity in the Playlist Personality - No Deadbeats! And at the end of the day, there's no substitute for experience! Collectors who 'just play records' and call that entertainment leave me cold.... and the dancefloor empty. IMO Sean

Still waiting on me Chris! They've been sat on my desk for about 10 days, but I deliberately soft peddled on sending them out because they were coming so thick and fast. Should have got them out earlier though, cos since I did mine 4-5 of the tracks on there have appeared on some of the other CD's from the other guys... (even though I put my list up on here three weeks ago :angry: ). Never mind eh! They'll be out before the weekend. Agree on the quality though. Quite a few things I'd not got or heard before and a bit overwhelming when they all come at once! A nice problem to have, for a change, I guess. Sean

"I Can't wait" on Terry. A good 'early' dancer. Sean

It's not a Record label, Mel, its an anagram. When re-arrranged the label says Ebay UK. i.e. Ric Tic is Critic Pameline is A Pine Elm La Beat is A Table Golden World is Wronged Doll Gamble is Lab Gem Atlantic is A Talc Tin Motown is Mot Now! South Camp is Pa Cum Shot!! Mirwood is Wood Rim ( ) Etc. Just a bit of low level mental agility before bedtime! Sean

Surprised no one mentioned his later output (Candy Apple) in the 70's. Apart from his own "Street Scene" LP he was also behind the superb Albert Jones LP & the 45 "You & Your love"... not to mention the Carla Whitney stuff on attic. Sean

Earlier still.... Barnsley's finest, Derek Greenhoff, used to play it in the 70's! £80 min nowadays. Sean

Hi Luther and Welcome to Soul Source. Just remind us... what did you pay for it again? Sean

Like a well worn carpet this debate isn't it, only this time sparked by an over enthusistic 'DJ's' misplaced remarks. Over the years I've had comments from 'the next guy' ranging from "How Am I Supposed to Follow That..." all the way down to "Right Then, Let's Have Some Proper Northern Soul" (both comments coming from well known DJ's.... as opposed to 'locals'... and still ringing in my ears many, many years later)... and I've had pretty much everything praiseworthy, appreciative, humorous and sarcastic inbetween. DJ's of any repute and substance know only too well how much time, effort and thought a set takes to put together... and these DJ's invariably show appropriate respect to the other guy, not only because the roles might be reversed (they might be following him next time around) but because it's the right thing to do. As for The Old v The New thing, when I first got into Soul Music and started getting out and about it was an innovative and progressive scene. When you went out, to a club or a nighter, you mainly / only heard sounds that were new to you... and new to the majority of the audience. Sure, many of the big tunes were older records (by a couple of years) but the majority of sounds played were 'fresh' and exciting... not because they were old... but because they were new! The mid 70's, Wigan Oldies Nighters & Mr M's 'fringe' seemed to change all of that, creating a retrograde 'Time Warp' flavour or aspect to the scene. Of course, there's a place for 'quality classics' at any night... in any set... but surely not at the expense of 'freshness'. Thankfully, most DJ's have a little more about them than just trotting out the "same old, same old". If we'd all stopped looking, 20 - 30 years ago, it doesn't bear thinking about the number of awesome tunes we would not have been exposed to. A good rule of thumb was what the PITCHES boys used to use as the playlist Benchmark... Nostalgia... yes, but in the right measure (Oldies With Imagination!) Progress... yes, but not just for the sake of being 'upfront' (The quality needs to be maintained). I think there's cause for some optimism and happen to think that in the past few years the 'Northern' and 'Modern' factions are moving closer together (thanks to events and venues such as Soul Essence, The Orwell etc.) and that it would seem that the greater majority of people (at least on these boards, these days) have a very open mind to good quality Soul Music, all tempo's and from all eras. In the not too distant future, such a discussion will be history. Sean

A Good Thread Mate! Kept us all amused for a few hours! Sean