Ian Dewhirst

Hi Sean, Love it although it's a little Southerny nitty-gritty for my tastes if the truth's known. I can upload loads but generally Rachel nails my balls to the wall whenever I do but hopefully she's asleep now so how about these- The Dynamics "You Can Make It If You Try" https://www.zshare.net/audio/138926685728a03f/ Front Row "Wanting You" https://www.zshare.net/audio/138929979a5cc31d/ Paul Justice "If You Love Me" https://www.zshare.net/audio/138931202b8d588e/ David Oliver "I Surrender" https://www.zshare.net/audio/1389325612e13933/ OK, that's it for the night! Off to bed now with these great sounds reverberating throughout my brain...... All culled from blogs around the world. Pleasant digital dreams LOL........ Ian D

OK, point taken Jocko. I've made a point of actually getting off my arse and visiting a heap of venues in the last year or so and I'm actually looking for a Lifeline (no pun intended). And you're right. I've only dipped my toe in and out of the scene since the late 70's but I do think that allows me a degree of objectivity which is maybe not possible for many others. That could be a good thing in that basically I can maybe say what a lot of other people wouldn't dream of saying, for better or worse. So, yep I'm still learning (as Simon M keeps pointing out) but I do bring a wealth of experience and an objective eye to a scene which is notoriously insular in many ways and an objective viewpoint may not be a bad thing ultimately. I'm bang into it actually. I still have my own views on what constitutes a great record but I appreciate and respect the knowledge that has accrued since I split back in '76 and I'm a willing pupil. So I'm playing catch-up Jocko, for no other reason then it genuinely interests me. It's actually the best scene of all-time and I've checked 'em all LOL..... Ian D

OK Jocko. Fair play, I'll whack Simon the links and he can do the rest. I KNOW they're great - whether anyone will agree or not is another thing. Mind you, I had similar problems when I found Toni Talent, Tobi Legend, The Pointer Sisters, Lenny Curtis and Gerri Grainger among others LOL. Also, some of 'em may well be known (you'd be hard-pressed to find any total unknowns within such a font of knowledge), but I'm talking records which I'd have played in a mili-second back then. So even if they're 'known', they're not being played or as huge as they should be, OK? And please don't compare me with the rotound one Jocko, That's just not fair..... Plus you've got it in for me - I can tell LOL! But I guess Southern media types are fair game..... Gimme a couple of days OK..........? By the way, I love your passion. The kind of postings you only get from a tortured soul........... Ian D

Agreed mate. Boots wouldn't come into it as the emphasis would be on breaking new stuff anyway. Nowt wrong with a well structured set which could incorporate OV and digital unknowns surely? It's probably the way forward. If something that has never been available before suddenly becomes available as a result of Kent or someone else finding a DYNAMITE unreleased track which has never been on vinyl, then I really can't see the problem. Phew. There's so much pent-up anger against progress that it's almost an uphill battle to get through. If someone suddenly came up with the greatest never-heard, never-released Duke Browner track which had never been on vinyl, then would it make any sense to ban it from ever being played? No. Of course not! The easy-option merchants wouldn't last 2 seconds on this scene anyway. People inherently know who is serious and who isn't and that's the beauty of this scene which doesn't suffer fools gladly at the best of times LOL! Ian D

Yeah. I know the OV thing is important and rightly so. But I have to tell you that I've found enough DYNAMITE Northern/Modern stuff via blog-digging over the last 12 months to make me wonder how come the stuff is not being played. You know that I'm digging around 'cos I post the occasional thing elsewhere and I'm finding STACKS of 'em. Some known, some not. If I was allowed to download stuff to SS (I'm not a fan of Refro thingy) I'd happily stick 20 killers up here right now. I'm STUNNED by what's out there and equally stunned by what's not being played. No need for robots Simon. There's enough unknown/underplayed killers out there to keep the scene going for the next few years, as you well know LOL..... Ian D

Absolutely Toad. I don't know about anyone else, but when I go out I want to hear a UNIQUE set played by an expert. I respect expertise. With the scene having something going on @ a zillion different venues every week around the country, I would personally like a dedicated venue that doesn't necessarily rotate DJ's willy-nilly but rather nurtures their own selected DJ's and allows them the freedom to build their sets accordingly. Like you say, anyone who doesn't deliver would be out on their arse pretty quick LOL! Does such a venue exist where the DJ's have a 2 hour minimum set apiece and can actually break new records on a regular basis? Ian D

Hey, I'm making it up as I go OK? I love the techy stuff obviously - it makes my life so much easier. But on the other hand, I also love the smell and feel of RARE vinyl. So a combination of the two is probably the way forward. I don't think anyone would decry a DJ who plays some killer OV combined with some killer exclusive digital files would they? And let me get this right - are you sort of agreeing with me on the techy front then LOL? Ian D

So maybe we're barking up the wrong tree entirely then Steve? How about promoters maybe booking 2 or 3 knowledgeable key deejays only that will play 2 hour spots apiece and bring some variation to the proceedings by having the freedom to programme their music organically without having to cram the everyday crowd-pleasers into a one hour spot? A sort of coinnesseurs soul night if you like. I can tell from your prior postings that you could easily play 2-3 hours easily and probably find a willing audience that would appreciate your depth of knowledge and hear a lot of stuff that they wouldn't normally hear anywhere else. That's what I'd happily pay my money to hear. So maybe what's needed is a promoter who will put their balls on the line and give the dedicated DJ's enough time to play a sensible set? Going back to the 70's when there were fewer DJ's, I can remember routinely playing 2 hour sets @ the Central and Samanthas and I had 2 spots @ Cleethorpes of an hour apiece which allowed me a lot of latitude in what I played. Wigan was always an hour max. But I can remember Richard Searling playing virtually all night @ Va-Va's and breaking loads of new tunes! We all broke a lot of records back then. I'm not sure if the one hour slot allows enough leeway for a DJ to play a structured set. Food for thought ay? Ian D

"You either get it or you don't, those who don't carry on in your own plastic world" Camus 1974. Could be taken in two ways Jocko. Plastic meaning vinyl presumably? And, yes, Gin is a pretty good solution to the idiosyncrasities of modern day life. Personally I tend to chuck whatever I can at myself to shield me from reality - right now it's flagons of beer LOL..... I came back on the train tonight and took a good look at the contents of the train carriages. All good solid everyday working people bludgeoned into dealing with reality by the convenience of their I-Pods, which kinda shuts off the world really and turns everyone into zombies. So, I've changed tack entirely now. F*%k progress if it makes you divorce yourself from reality and make you a robot. There's a lot to be said for a priceless piece of music that you can hold in your hand and marvel at the sheer beauty of what it took to make that piece of physical product. How's that for a turn-around? Just like many of us I'm torn between the old and the new. Challenging times folks. No one said it would be easy. Ian D

Haha LOL! Don't tell me they STILL play Iron Maiden off the original LP's? What kind of fidelity can you get from that? By the way, do ya need a "Run To The Hills" pic disc? Ian D

That wasn't the Gap Band dance Simon, it was a sit-down PROTEST! Ian D

What, even if it's on original vinyl? You guys are just so difficult to please............ Ian D

Nowt wrong with Picasso mate. And I don't complain when "Psychedelic Soul" comes on do you? Ian D

It does still matter on this scene Jayne I agree. All I'm pointing out is that things are changing generally. I had the same conversations 10 years ago with vinyl fanatics on other scenes and they all had to switch eventually or be left behind. The format actually isn't that important to 95% of the punters on most scenes. What's important is what actually comes out of the speakers. The Northern scene is different but I think the reasons for having an OVO policy is not necessarily about the music, it's more about the politics of the scene surely? I can guarantee you that the artists themselves have no worries about what format their music is played on. They just want their music to be played to an adoring audience full stop. Ian D

Doesn't sound like it on here Simon with all the complaints about the same old records being rotated, lazy DJ's and lack of imagination. More is more Simon. Ian D

Some painters can't work with a large palette whereas other painters need almost unlimited choices within their palette in order to produce great works of art! Would you like to buy some clogs off me? Ian D

But what about all those great unknowns or rarely played which never quite make it into your box Steve? Are you honestly saying that there haven't been gigs where you've kicked yourself because it may have been the ideal circumstance to play an unknown or something you've never played before but you didn't have it with you? The other alternative would be to bring a custom-designed van which could hold a couple of thousand records and have 'runners' who could nip out and get whatever records you wanted from the alphabetised shelves in the van. Choice is a marvellous thing. Ian D

You may be bottom of the food chain Bazza but at least you're not a dreaded 'Z' list DJ! Ian D

No I'm not LOL. Modern was used to describe the newer releases from the early 70's by most sellers at the time i.e. guy pulls out a copy of Anderson Brothers/Marvin Holmes/The Temprees etc, etc and asks "what's this like mate" and seller says "it's a modern stormer". So there nyaaaaaah! Ian D

Cheeky bugger LOL! So let's get it right Simon. Presumably you limit yourself to what you are physically capable of carrying? So maybe a couple of hundred tunes which you have to pre-select before you set off for a venue? And people keep complaining about the same tunes being rotated all the time.....doh! Why limit yourself when you can have a choice of thousands and add some badly needed variety to the scene? I bet you still use an outdoor loo and wear clogs dontcha? Ian D

Surely it's all down to individual taste isn't it Matt? A format is a format. If I was still deejaying on the Northern scene these days I'd use a variety of formats - vinyl, cd and wav files and I wouldn't need to play ANYTHING EVER which anyone else plays 'cos I'd have a HUGE choice with me - circa several thousand Northern at least without counting the biggies. It makes for a more organic selection process IMO. I was always hampered by the fact that I could only take what I could carry before. Now I can take my whole collection everywhere which gives me choice and variety and the ability to play totally organically. There's was nothing more frustrating then playing out and suddenly realising that I could have played a PERFECT record or slid in a real left-field killer if I'd had it with me. Now I don't have that problem anymore and that to me is progress. But, you know, to each their own. It suits me just fine and works like a dream at the gigs I play these days but I think attitudes are pretty entrenched on the Northern scene and people see it as a threat or something that will upset the delicate balance or status quo. I remember having the same conversation with some of the top DJ's in the world about 10 years ago and I almost got laughed out of the room when I suggested that they might not be using 12"'s in a few years time. The last time I was in Ibiza a couple of years back NONE of 'em were using vinyl LOL and a couple of 'em were gracious enough to remember the original conversation......... Ian D

Blimey, V.I.P.'s turned into the ultimate rarity label hasn't it? Ian D

I'm stunned! Not bad for a record which used to be £1 on Soul Bowl LOL..... And it even looks likes a boot! Ian D

It's only indie rock 7" vinyl that's selling in 500-1000 copy runs unfortunately. For most record companies it's just not viable anymore. As an example, when I started the Salsoul reissues in 2003, we were routinely doing 2-3K of the more popular releases - First Choice, Instant Funk, Joe Bataan, Loleatta Holloway etc, etc. By 2006 we were struggling to sell even 500 units (including export) on some hot new mixes or in-demand re-issues. You'd be hard-pressed to find many companies releasing vinyl outside of indie rock these days (apart from small pressing runs on good Soul/Northern soul gear which generally only amount to a few hundred). Also don't believe all the stats you read - just because there is a slight upward blip on 7" indie rock titles has to measured against the declines of the last 25 years! Both Independent Pressing (Chris King's old company - boy did he get out at the right time LOL) and Simply Vinyl (the UK's largest vinyl reissue company) crashed this year. The UK biggest vinyl dealer - Hard To Find Records in Birmingham is now offering 6p a unit for overstock 12" vinyl - aproximately 54p less than it cost to make! I think there's a message there somehow. Ian D

Things change Chalky. I went to a Summer weekend do in Somerset a couple of years ago and was amazed to see a guy dressed up in a dinner suit playing a wind up victorola player with original 78's in the corner of a marquee with a couple of people watching him. It was very pleasant and a refreshing change and somehow very civilized on a Sunday evening in August. So I went up and had a natter with him. He was obviously an eccentric but totally believed in what he was doing and said that almost all of his bookings were for the quaint novelty value of having him there rather than the actual music he played (which was 30's/40's stuff). He said that he'd always been interested in 'old' things and loved the aesthetic qualities and ethos of utlizing the victorola and 78's and that his main problem was keeping the several victorolas he had in good working order. He said he got most of his 78's free 'cos people chucked 'em out 'cos they couldn't play 'em anymore! It was kinda sad and touching and definitely a throwback to a bygone era. And then I moved down to the main marquee where 500 people were dancing to a regular DJ and realised that you can't hold back change no matter how romantic it may be. I'm optmistic. I don't think a mere format change will be enough to kill a scene. There'll probably be even more good stuff unearthed which has never come out before because of the previous expense of releasing it in a physical format. Kent seem to be unearthing stuff along with a lot of other people, so all that will happen is that the scene will mutate along with peoples attitudes hopefully. Not an easy change though LOL..... Ian D