Last week’s ‘Northern Soul Affair’ in pictures!
Oh yeah! How we love to dance at different places we haven’t been to before! Especially if there’s a massive wooden dancefloor, always loved so very much by dedicated Soul dancers worldwide…
That kind of floor and allows for a magical space where the feet freely loosen control & smoothly glide over the floor in pace to that ‘driving beat’ while the vocal touches the heart in uplifting way, enabling dancers live-out the life-lived dramas expressed in the music, – ranging from love, hope and pride to despair, mistrust, and sadness; but then the energy and vibes of the music always show light at the end of the tunnel, – even on the bluest sounds.
Those masterpieces of dramatic expression carved onto analogue 7″ vinyl records somewhen in USA during the 1960s/70s give us something heavenly, it’s that thing called SOUL. Made by ordinary folks like you and me, who often had a single one-off chance to make a creative dream reality, – and score a hit in the R&B chart of one of many Stateside cities. Recorded in mostly obscure Ghetto-based recording studios, released on small independent record companies which were often a Family-affair with skeleton staff and tiny profit margins. There’s no doubt that the challenging life experience, as well as the Blues and Jazz Heritage of Black American Music, contributed something authentic and passionate that cannot be easily faked even with the trickery of AI.
Most of these records were soon forgotten in the States, but were unearthed, loved, and given a new lease of life through the committed and resilient Northern Soul scene, and the stubborn, inspired and insanely obsessive characters who created and perpetuate this musical scene this side of the Atlantic.
This scene which has no Capital or permanent location because it is always moving, – from venue to venue, city to city, state to State. At the point it looks like it might finally disappear, – it pops up somewhere new with a fresh fleet of followers and dancers, with different life-stories, preferences and tastes. The dance steps, as well as the selected grooves, are always changing…
What a blast to witness how this strong, timeless music appeals to ALL AGES and to people from every corner of the Globe! So good to see an ‘up-for-it‘ crowd from 20-70 years of age sharing common soulful togetherness out there on the floor. Biggest thanks go to the two smart ladies Toni & Masha who got it all started, with the new energy of ‘Vienna Feaver’ presenting our SOUND of SOUL.
The Icing on the cake was our inclusive Soul Dance Workshop steered by our two top dance practitioners Tarek & Oscar. The emphasis being placed on energy, experiment practice. That there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way; you constantly learn from others, yet through practice you find your own way; momentum and the vibe of the event does the rest. Theres no exam or test. All that needs to be learned is how to access the pleasure of moving to SOUL Music.
Our carefully chosen, highly experienced local deejays, aptly named ‘The Soul Professionals‘ stood up to that name, in the quality and variety of Sounds they played. Thanks to the legend that is Alex Harasek, (the artist formerly known as ‘LX’) Thanks to the soulful wisdom of Altroy Jerome AKA TJ Hicks who joined myself Jorg Recordshack to serve out salvos of Soul behind the ‘Wheels Of Steel’. When our special guest from the North of England, the highly rated ‘Man from Soul‘ Dean Anderson had to cancel due to unexpected private reasons we had to accept but disliked the situation of not fulfilling something we had announced.
BUT then, – a Last minute miracle! Just only a few days before the event, a true ‘megastar’ of the Underground Soul-Jazz Scene, Mr Eddie Piller of Acid Jazz Records jumped in to fill the gap! A person who shaped the musical style and tastes of several generations flew in specially from The UK to play a special Northern Soul spot for us.
Eddie began as a mover and shaker on the 1980’s Mod Revival scene, and went on to create Acid Jazz Records, initially in partnership with Gilles Peterson: He nurtured careers of artists such as Snowboy & The Latin Section, Norman Cook and Jamiroquai, – and was the first to give them a break, a record deal, and regular releases of singles and LP’s on vinyl and CD. His Acid Jazz label is still going strong today with frequent new releases and reissues. Around 1000 releases so far, in total. In short (as many will already know), Eddie’s a key ‘firebrand’ personality in bringing the grooviness of Soul, Jazz & Funk onto dancefloors and radio stations all over the world from 1988 onwards and up to the Present.
Thanks for coming Eddie! You are a True Gent and therefore a proper Mod in your heart of hearts! Nuff said, we invite you to enjoy the snapshots, either find yourself or see what you’ve missed. Please feel free to share among friends and to feedback to us. We are always on the lookout for amenable and ‘vibeful’ venues, and for interested newcomers to join our events.
best regards from the ‘Soulmine’,
Jörg
P.S.: You’re welcome to visit our recordstore, on the web on recordshack.org with some 15000 records listed, or visit us in person, adress is Record Shack 5, Reinprechtsdorfer Str. 60. Check out our *NEW* Northern Soul t-shirt collection, SUMMER IS COMING!
