Phil J

Tiscapital certainly writes eloquently and passionately - thanks for your input. As some have intimated, it’s not always possible to put your finger on why big hit tracks and DJ’s sometimes clear the floor and lesser-known tracks and DJ’s sometimes fill the floor but more often than not the opposite is usually the case. It can be a bit like a sports team play like legends one week and like amateurs the next, there’s no rhyme or reason. I think groups like the Bristol Soul Club are important in that here we have a group of youngsters who are determined to help us remember what it was like to be a wide-eyed optimistic (innocent?) teenager back in the 70’s. In my opinion it’s to be celebrated. My cousin’s rock band in London occasionally get fans turning up from far and wide having discovered the band’s online presence, it would be unfair of the band to say, “Look at these Johnny-come-latelies, they weren’t with us back in the day when we formed” - no, because those punters weren’t even born then ….duh! I think there’s some who feel they understand NS on a deeper level than most of us, they’ve discovered it’s hidden secrets and messages, there’s a special elixir only a few have access to - maybe there’s a social anthropology or political science angle that most of us don’t get? I’ll say it again, for most of us it’s a case of (a) listening to familiar stuff that takes us back to being a naive 15 yr old telling your parents you’re staying at your mate’s house then catching the train to Wigan (b) having a dance - while we’re still able to (just) and (c) if you spot one or two familiar faces it’s a bonus. I’ve enjoyed reading probably ten books on NS, most are very good and authentic - it’s good that some have documented this special piece of idiosyncratic working-class culture and it’s good that some pioneers went to the States seeking out forgotten tracks lying in flea markets and record company warehouses, this all helped to grow and expand the scene of course. As for the rest of us, we’re punters, the foot soldiers who just keep the scene alive by turning up and paying our fiver on the door or whatever in the hope that we too might be included. I’ll let myself out ….. “taxi”!!

Thanks for your input Kenb, I like your line that everyone’s opinion is valid ….. spot on!

Makes perfect sense Timbo - nowt wrong with a bit of variety/newly unearthed tracks etc as long as it doesn’t go on for an hour plus!! I thought I knew all of Bobby Womack’s back catalogue until one day in a small Stockport WMC alldayer a guy played a retro track I’d never heard, obvs I danced to it + downloaded it so I do see the beauty in hearing a few rare gems but I think the main point I’m making is that the punters/the 90%/ the humble ‘us’ should be considered by the 10% elite who run the scene (DJ’s/promoters/collectors) when making track choices?

Nowt wrong with a bit of Derby & Joan, bingo, cabaret act, sandwiches, affordable drinks - come on, what’s not to like! I first went to Wigan Casino Nov. 1974 age 15 so have been ‘round the block’ a few times (Mecca, Ritz, Keele etc) My theory is based on 50 years of observations that to keep the scene flourishing you have to keep the punters dancing and weird choices from the DJ = empty dance floors = bored punters = “we ain’t coming here again” UNLESS it’s a designated rare night (such as the one in Congleton Cheshire or the 6T’s nights at the 100 Club London) where ppl know exactly what they’re getting? I think a FEW rare tracks at a mainstream night is fine but dunna go giving us 90 minutes of that stuff cuz our arses will be numb from sitting looking at an empty floor. Perhaps certain DJ’s could have an eye test at specsavers the day before so they can actually spot what an empty dance floor looks like although obviously most DJ’s are supremely skilled at keeping dancers happy. It’s like the Oasis gigs next year (I’m not going before you ask!) 90% of fans will be going for wonderwall, live forever, champagne supernova etc etc whereas 10% officianado’s will appreciate a few of the lesser known (obscure?) song and it would be the same in any music genre. I think I’ve clarified and crystallised my main points now, if you still can’t understand then it’s fine.

I think atmosphere crucial to the scene being sustainable and empty dance floors just lead to apathy and a feeling of ‘won’t be coming here again’ IMO I think rare/underplsyed/underground stuff should have their unique separate nights or a designated spot during a mainstream night but no more than that - as you say balance is a key issue but when you’ve had an empty dance floor for an hour because some guy has decided that 60’s R + B needs to be shared then everyone is onto a loser. It takes all types I suppose but I’ll say it again - without the dancing there wouldn’t be a scene and that is what pulls 90% of punters in. As for the rare stuff, I know a group of DJ’s past & present who meet once a month in a pub (midweek) to spin rare sounds, now that’s what you call an excellent compromise

In addition to this debate, can’t understand how DJ’s don’t actually notice that they’ve emptied the floor!! Poor eyesight? I’d say (and it’s not a scientifically proven claim) that 90% of punters - particularly if you’ve been to work etc - just want to shake a leg/have a boogie of a Fri/Sat night and remember what it was like back in the 70’s! Perhaps those wanting to educate us with these fabulous (?) new discoveries could do it in the comfort of their homes OR get it out of their systems for the FIRST hour of an event (while ppl still arriving, greeting old mates, getting drinks in etc) or play them during the LAST hour when we’ve run out of steam and can no longer dance. Stop emptying a busy dance floor! (Unless you enjoy ruining punters’ nights out!)

I wrote a poem about a decade ago taking the **** out of Wedding D.J.'s who don't check out the dancefloor to see what's happening and kind of make the wrong choices which invariably empties the floor. I got to thinking, "Actually, this poem applies to some Northern Soul D.J.'s too". How many times do we see a busy, buzzing dancefloor (50+ punters) only for the next D.J. to display a special set of skills in emptying the floor due to a ridiculous change in temp, change in style or simply that he wants to indulge his own (niche) tastes. We then see maybe two dancers for his slot and isn't dance supposed to be the main activity on the scene? Niche stuff is fine - obviously - at a rare/underplayed night but surely not at a mainstream N.S. event? What do people think?