Maybe not, but apparently "Northern Soul" still has a worldwide following. I think the Wikipedia definition is a good one -
Northern Soul refers to music and associated dance styles and fashions that were popular in the dancehalls of northern England, starting in the late 1960s.
In the beginning, the dancing was athletic, featuring spins, flips, and drops. The music originally consisted of obscure American soul recordings with an uptempo beat, very similar to and including Motown Records and more obscure labels (e.g. Okeh Records). By 1970, British performers were recording numbers for this market, and the scarcity of soul records with the required rhythm led to the playing of stompers, which were records by any artist that featured the right beat. The phrase northern soul was coined by journalist Dave Godin after a visit to the Twisted Wheel Club sometime around 1970 for his column in Blues and Soul magazine.
But what is "Soul" music anyway? One definition I've heard is that it's "Music sung with soul" which doesn't tie it down much, and may explain why it means different things to different people. I would say I play a lot of music that has soul, but only occasional tracks that are soul music.
Greg
I've met a few Northern Soul fans. IMHO Northern Soul isn't particularly popular, it's just that the fans are particularly devout. They're a bit like Lindy Hoppers, there aren't many of them but they take up a lot of space when they dance and demand their special brand of music at events that aren't specifically for them. There are specific events for them and when they get together they have a brilliant time - but there would be a lynching if you tried to play something at one of their events that wasn't exactly right!
Anyway, back to the thread. I've sent a link to this thread to Franco so he can see how popular mainstream Soul & Motown is amongst a section of the modern jive market. IMHO the popularity of this genre is to do with our age group. For many of us the Motown sound was the backing music for our teenage years and early 20s. And now we're back out there and dancing we'd like to hear more of it.
But don't hold your breath. The last two times I've spoken with Franco about doing a Soul & Motown set at a weekender his response was, words to effect of "do you get a lot of people at your Soul nights. Maybe I could copy your format. Can I visit to see how it goes?"
I'm in no way a guru when it comes to classifying genres of music. But my parents love what they call motown, half of their cds however, are entitled soul something or other.
What i do know is this music when played at the venues i have been to is pretty much guaranteed to get people on the dance floor, and certainly seems to have an unlifting effect on the mood at venues. Its is one probably my fav type of music to dance too, and i totally agree that there should be more of it played. Not sure if i prefer the idea of a set time per night, or a room of it, possibly the room, so that if its too much and you need something a little slower/more mellow, ayou can chill out and then come back to it. Having said that not all the motown tracks are really fast, so i'm sure the tracks could be varied enough to have a whole room for just motown/soul. Bring it on!!!
Its great to here soul is played i always throw tracks in, and you know what i played two mowtown tracks together on monday night and a woman customer came up to me and said youve got your old head on tonight.
You just wont satisfy people i just said look at the floor it was buzzing Keep playing them
Soul music is black American dance music, recorded, produced and performed by black American artists (99.99% of the time). My definition hasn't changed over the years but these days there are so many different types of Soul. For example, Sky tv broadcasts several different Soul stations like 1Xtra BBC, Choice FM, smooth fm, Solar Radio, Galaxy, Kiss. They all play mainly black American dance music, ie. Soul but with very different styles. Because Soul music is PROGRESSIVE, another defining quality it has many more varieties than in the 60's. For a dj to play a successful set at a Ceroc venue all he has to do is listen to smooth fm or Heart FM (Fri/Sat eve) when they play "Club Classics" and repeat. No need to play obsure stuff that never charted in the UK and was danced to by 150 people in Wigan 35 years ago. Personally, I would love it if dj's would only play soul music at Ceroc venues. Of course it would be dismissed as disco or thump thump music by your rock fans types. Nuff said.
Watch this space!Originally Posted by Franco from Jive Time
I play the snake- al wilson
i also play natalie cole, the elgins, the jacksons and other bands that have been listed. I suppose it depends on the dj
i would maybe go in the soul room for 30 mins a day, depending on the dancers in the room. i generally gravitate towards the blues room altho have been found in the latin and main rooms if i am looking to dance with a certain person or i want to dance with a different style, i suppose it would be another place for me to wander.
Good Stuff. I posted a simialr thread last year ("bit more Soul for the Northerners").
I would say I had a pretty good knowledge of music before I began going to Ceroc, however, since I have stuck at it I have been able to broaden my musical taste by being exposed to music I had never heard before that I do like now. For eg The Gotan Project, Various swing music, 'Heart attack and Vine' by...Screaming Jay Hawkin's ...I think? (or maybe it's Tom Waits?) amongst others.
To deny other cerocers the opportunity to hear some Northern track just because it may not "seem" mainstream is a wee bit exclusive. I would guess DJ's experiment with different music and would gauge how popular a song is before possibly playing it again. However, I would guess as well that a track they may play....again, could be influenced by there own personal preference a percentage of the time, rergardless if it get's people on the dance floor the first time it is heard. A bit like radio exposure to a song that "maybe aint all that good" (subjective I know) and is played constantly by a station and then people start humming it and tapping it because they've heard it so often.
Anyway, Soul music to me could be played more often at venues. There's all different types of Soul that could attract folk on the dance floor - Northern Soul, Southern Soul, Motown, Disco etc.
MY TOP TWENTY (10 just wouldn't do Soul justice) (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
1. Seven Day Lover - James Fountain (Great Northern Soul track - what a vocal!!)
2. Syreeta - I Wanna Be By Your Side (a Brilliant Slow number)
3. Ruby Andrews - Just Lovin' You ( Classic Northern Soul track)
4. Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You (Disco Classic)
5. Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free (Another Classic Disco track)
6. The Dells - Run For Cover (Northern Soul)
7. I Thought You Were Mine - The Natural Four (Northern Soul)
8. In The Basement - Sugar Pie Desanto and Etta James (R and B/Soul Classic)
9. Stevie Wonder - Fingertips (part 2) - (Motown)
10. Edwin Starr - 25 Miles (Soul classic)
11. Bobby Moore and The Rhythm Aces - Searching For My Love ('Chess')
12. Sugar Pie DeSanto - Soulful Dress (Chess classic)
13. Etta James - Something's Gotten Hold on me - (Brilliant R and B number)
14. Darrel Banks - I'm The One Who Loves You - (Northern Soul)
15. The First Time - Viola Wills (Northern Soul)
16. The Trammps - Disco Inferno (nuff said...)
17. Elmore James - Madison Blues (ok, some may say "Blues", however this song has def' got "Soul")
18. Aretha Franklin - Save Me (Soul Classic)
19. Little Milton - We're Gonna Make It ('Southern Soul' classic)
20. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - I Second That Emotion (Motown)
Here's food for thought....why not put a questionairre to those attending classes re' what music they would like to hear more of? Or, is that giving the "Power To The People"?
Anyway, I don't think you would go far wrong with the selection above...and I could have done 3 times as much as that and the qualirty wouldn't waver that much.
Adios amigos
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