Soul and Motown Session at Camber/Bognor

[Groovemeister]

As somebody who has been running soul and Motown nights for 2 years I can tell you that there are 2 definitions of Northern Soul. Ask and American about Northern Soul and he'd say it was soul music from Detroit, the home of Motown. As opposed to Southern Soul on the Stax label from Philli. However, there is another "Northern Soul" from Manchester. It's very specialised, of fringe interest, very different from Motown and, in my experience, a guaranteed floor clearer. However, there are dedicated fanatics who love this genre and will probably fight you if you say there's anything wrong with their "Northern Soul".

I've accumulated a massive collection of Soul & Motown and have now got most, if not all, of the tracks listed above. I've even got a fairly large collection of the Manchester version of Northern Soul. At one soul night I had a Northern Soul fan request his all-time favourite track: he had the attitude "with what you're playing you won't have this". I played the track on the condition he danced in the middle of the floor to the whole track. In a room of 200 people he danced alone I got everyone to give him a round of applause and then said "let's all get back on the floor, it's Dancing in the Streets by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas" a guaranteed floor filler. To my great relief they flooded back on the floor

That would have been my worry to be honest I couldn't see Northern working it's to specialised.
Obviously you know what your playing Andy but I am surprised at the comment about Northern Soul and Americans. I have never met an American who knows what the term Northern Soul applies to other than the soul music played in the north of our country. If you take a look at wikapedea this is the definition they give http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul

You'll see that even on there they include Motown specifically with in the northern scene.
You are catering for people who want to hear the classic's most of which are on Motown because it was so prolific in that era. So calling it Soul and Motown is OK for people that have not been involved in the soul scene for people that have it means Northern Soul is going to be played.

My interest is more in modern soul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_soul

But hey 2 years of running a night well I doth my cap

[fletch]

I know its a bit off track, but.........when I go MJ'ing north of the Midlands Nantwich etc, and go clubbing after, is still popular and played quite a bit with guys and girls dancing ......well what i would call properly to it just a shame the club's are a bit

[Dance Demon]

Quite. It wasn't a swing or blues set either. As I said, and its only my opinion, it didn't seem to fit the room at that time.

i suppose it depends on what you class as swing and blues. that set also contained music from John Lee Hooker, Johnny Ferreira, Boz Scaggs , Natalie Cole, amongst others who are most definitely Blues and Swing artistes.

[JiveLad]

..... At one soul night I had a Northern Soul fan request his all-time favourite track: he had the attitude "with what you're playing you won't have this". I played the track on the condition he danced in the middle of the floor to the whole track. In a room of 200 people he danced alone I got everyone to give him a round of applause and then said "let's all get back on the floor, it's Dancing in the Streets by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas" a guaranteed floor filler. To my great relief they flooded back on the floor

Andy that is a funny story - can you remember the track?

I think you're probably right about the UK Northern Soul not working so well: I remember many years ago when my sister had a party. It was attended by some Northern Soulies who then took over the music system - and while they went bananas - everyone else went flat. My sister screamed "You're killing the party"............

You've kind of got to know it and even within (UK) Northern Soul there is so much rare stuff/obscure which can take a bit of time to find it's way in. Probably best to leave most of the obscure stuff to the genuine Soul Weekenders and stick to the more well known stuff.

[Groovemeister]

I know its a bit off track, but.........when I go MJ'ing north of the Midlands Nantwich etc, and go clubbing after, is still popular and played quite a bit with guys and girls dancing ......well what i would call properly to it just a shame the club's are a bit

There is still a good northern scene going on in the North there are also quite a few nights in the south. One is at Letchworth at the Plinston Hall where they have Ceroc nights. Soul Sam plays there they have a northern and a modern soul room as do most of the northern events now. St. Ivo still has allnigthers (with the same crowd as Letchworth)and of course there's the 100 club in London. If your interested in a night out take a look at www.soul-source.co.uk

[fletch]

I wen't to a MJ event in sutton in ashfield (Nottingham) last year, and the guy DJing asked if anyone had any requests, the 'snake' had already been on so I asked for 'on the floor' Dobey Grey....I think thats right ....i'm hopless at names Fab to solo dance to but goodness it cleared the floor, you carn't MJ to it but who would want to

[fletch]

There is still a good northern scene going on in the North there are also quite a few nights in the south. One is at Letchworth at the Plinston Hall where they have Ceroc nights. Soul Sam plays there they have a northern and a modern soul room as do most of the northern events now. St. Ivo still has allnigthers (with the same crowd as Letchworth)and of course there's the 100 club in London. If your interested in a night out take a look at www.soul-source.co.uk

the 100 club has been mentioned to me before, and all nighters, I have found it so hard to get used to venues closing at, anywhere from 11 to 1am whats the chaces of getting in after we finish MJing one weekend

[TheTramp]

and Trampy, who tends to play quite a swingy set at that time of the morning.

I do?

So you see there were three sets that were uptempo swingy back to back. It is getting harder and harder to find a "blues" room anymore. It is starting to seem that if you want to get some blues music to dance to you have to start think about joining the swing and blues room about 4am to have any chance. I have noticed that there are fewer rooms that are labelled "swing and blues" these days. A more general term of "chillout" or "smooth" is being used. This of course allows you to play anything you like as long as it is slower than the main room.

I can't remember what I played. But I probably saved the playlist. Which set was that then? If I do still have the playlist, I'll post up what I played. About the only thing that I can be sure of without looking, is that I didn't play an uptempo swing set. Pretty much all the music for the blues room at Southport comes out of my 'blues' folder. Which might have things like 'Fever' or I might play something like 'Me and my shadow' in it. But that's as "fast and swingy" as it'd get from me at Southport (apart from the forum reception, but that's different - there I try to play songs that I know people from here have said they like!).

[fletch]

Trampy, who tends to play quite a swingy set

is that when we all throw our chalet key onto the middle of the dance floor

I do?


.

apparently, I think we need more mowtown

[Groovemeister]

the 100 club has been mentioned to me before, and all nighters, I have found it so hard to get used to venues closing at, anywhere from 11 to 1am whats the chaces of getting in after we finish MJing one weekend

I would love to take you fletch tbh if I was in London I would be going somewhere else than the 100 club if i was going out clubbing after an MJ night.

[Chef]

i suppose it depends on what you class as swing and blues. that set also contained music from John Lee Hooker, Johnny Ferreira, Boz Scaggs , Natalie Cole, amongst others who are most definitely Blues and Swing artistes.

It possibly did. As far as I knew it went "disco" (thought I would say it again since it gave you such a laugh last time) I hung around for 20-25 minutes and then went to the latin room for a while, popped my head back into the blues rooms to listen to what was on, decided to go into the main room for a while, popped back out to the blues room for anothoer listen. I then decided that my evening had turned to rat poo and I would go to sleep instead of hanging around for the odd scattered track that I did like. I knew Trampy was on later but once the adrenalin drops out of your system and you go "cold" then it is time to go to bed.

Fab to solo dance to but goodness it cleared the floor, you carn't MJ to it but who would want to

If you can't MJ to it then why ask for it at an MJ event? Or was it just one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time but go down like a lead balloon leaving you alone on the dance floor to tough it out?

I do?

The statement from DD came as a surprise to me as well but since he was there at the time and I was tucked up in bed I had to take his word for it.

Since you have been at Uni I only get to hear Trampys sets at weekenders. My experience of them is that they are generally uptempo if he is playing in the main room and much slower and swingy in the swing and blues room espcially in the 2-6am slots. If on this occasion, someone says he was uptempo and swingy at 3am onwards I just have to take their word for it.

Of course it all depends on each persons idea of what constitutes "uptempo" and "swingy"

[fletch]

If you can't MJ to it then why ask for it at an MJ event? Or was it just one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time but go down like a lead balloon leaving you alone on the dance floor to tough it out?

absolutely right, I seem to have a few of those moment don't I


I didn't know before I asked that you couldn't MJ to it, I won't be asking for it again at a MJ event.

[fletch]

I would love to take you fletch tbh if I was in London I would be going somewhere else than the 100 club if i was going out clubbing after an MJ night.

blond moment

[Dance Demon]

The statement from DD came as a surprise to me as well but since he was there at the time and I was tucked up in bed I had to take his word for it.

Since you have been at Uni I only get to hear Trampys sets at weekenders. My experience of them is that they are generally uptempo if he is playing in the main room and much slower and swingy in the swing and blues room espcially in the 2-6am slots. If on this occasion, someone says he was uptempo and swingy at 3am onwards I just have to take their word for it.

Of course it all depends on each persons idea of what constitutes "uptempo" and "swingy"

I don't seem to recall using the word "uptempo" to describe Trampy's set ( or Peter Phillips' for that matter). I did use the word "swingy", which would include tracks by Dianna Krall, lou Rawls, The Swing Session, Indigo Swing. Perhaps Swingy Blues would be a better description.

[djtrev]

As you've been to Prestayne you are obviously into your music.

I think though from a "soul music" lovers point of view it maybe difficult to play some of the real stuff. There will be a real tug of playing the classics from what everone knows to playing classics that a soul music lover knows

A set like this and you might be talking for me

01.Atlantic Starr – “when love calls”

02.Ozone – “(our hearts) will always shine”

03.Active Force – “give me your love”

04.Omari – “after loving you”

05.Lamont Dozier – “you oughta be in pictures”

06.Rhyze – “bizarr”

07.Gloria Gaynor – “lets mend whats been broken”

08.The Chi-lites – “try my side of love”

09.Arthur Miles – “helping hand”

10.Khemistry – “can you feel my love”

11.Frankie Kelly – “ain’t that the truth”

12.The Brothers Johnson – “caught up”

13.Sunfire – “step in the light”

14.Rose Royce – “still in love”

15.The Jacksons – “strength of one man”

16.Randy Brown – “love is all we need”

17.Sylvester – “here is my love”

I am in the minority I know and anything is better than nothing

I have 3 or 4 Northern Soul albums but I thought I would check out some of your tracks in the list on iTunes.I could only find 2 of them.I will check out allofmp3 next.
If they are that hard to find then it's no wonder that you not likely to hear them at your average MJ night.

[modchick]

Ooh a soul/motown night sounds like fun, would be great for me to mix some of my fave styles of music with MJ dancing.

I go to a lot of different soul nights/all-nighters and weekenders (that are soul/60s/70s related not MJ) Would def interest me at a dance weekender - I could get away with wearing some funky 60s/70s dress at a MJ event and not look out of place

Hmm the list of songs have got me interested to pull out all my soul cds and see whats in my collection... will have to have a look

[Paul F]

I have always found it difficult to classify what 'soul' is.
All I know is that, speaking from the point of view of someone who does a lot of WCS, I would like to dance to tracks if they were anything like the Atlantic Starr one mentioned above.
Excellent.

[Andy McGregor]

Obviously you know what your playing Andy but I am surprised at the comment about Northern Soul and Americans. I have never met an American who knows what the term Northern Soul applies to other than the soul music played in the north of our country. If you take a look at wikapedea this is the definition they give http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul

I don't think most people, including soul fans, from the USA know about the Manchester version of "Northern Soul". My comment refers to geography, as in, the soul music they made in the North of the country, that country being the USA.

To my ear, most Northern Soul isn't particularly melodic. It mostly seems to be about the beat, and possibly a bit about the lyrics. IMHO, somebody who has mostly been mainstream in their musical tastes is unlikely to enjoy Northern Soul without drinking 12 Pints of Newcastle Brown

[tsh]

Not really my sort of music (I think) but I'd be happy if it were played in the main room. Don't think I'd like more than a few tracks at a time though.

[TheTramp]

Don't think I'd like more than a few tracks at a time though.

Yeah. No more than (say) 1. Per night!