after having a few weeks off from souling due to holidays, birthdays etc etc, i thought i would take a look at the events page to see if anything was worth attending this weekend, on Friday there is 28 events and on Saturday 42 events thats not taking into account those that dont advertise on here,

I know its been done before and discussed and droaned on about loads and loads of times but i didnt realise there was this crazy amount on nigh on every week

Are all these venues busy ??

They can't all be busy. Problem is everyone wants to be a dj and most can't dj to save their lifes, so they have to promote to get a spot. Sad really I reckon.

And if they get 20 or 30 in they think they've had a good night.

Kev

Edited October 4, 201014 yr by good angel

And if they get 20 or 30 in they think they've had a good night.

Kev

All about capacity aint it?.30 on a 60 capacity = 50% full.30 in a 180 capacity = .....i'll get back on that one.

Maybe some should be brave enough to fall on their swords..... .42 venues is far too many.

They can't all be busy. Problem is everyone wants to be a dj and most can't dj to save their lifes, so they have to promote to get a spot. Sad really I reckon.

Hi Phil,

So where do the up and coming DJs who aren't in a "cartel" get their chance? Also, not everyone wants to travel to a venue. A lot of folk like a pint and the chance to listen to some great music. Not all the events are for rare soul types. Live and let live I say.

I also don't think anyone would class 20 or 30 attendees as a good night and no pub/club would allow a night like that to carry on too long. I remember trying to book the Kestrel Suite for a Christmas do from work, and the date I had in mind clashed with Phil's all nighter. The then manageress, said no worries, she would cancel the all nighter, as they take no money over the bar and it wasn't worth putting the staff on. Obviously I didn't take her up on that!

Hi Phil,

So where do the up and coming DJs who aren't in a "cartel" get their chance? Also, not everyone wants to travel to a venue. A lot of folk like a pint and the chance to listen to some great music. Not all the events are for rare soul types. Live and let live I say.

I also don't think anyone would class 20 or 30 attendees as a good night and no pub/club would allow a night like that to carry on too long. I remember trying to book the Kestrel Suite for a Christmas do from work, and the date I had in mind clashed with Phil's all nighter. The then manageress, said no worries, she would cancel the all nighter, as they take no money over the bar and it wasn't worth putting the staff on. Obviously I didn't take her up on that!

Which is a very good point Brian.Many venues exsist on bar takings,so shame on any who turn up with their drinks in their handbags to save a quid.Or sit all night with one bottle of water.

before the internet advertised every small local night for all to see there were probably loads of them going on its just it wasn't as transparent.

before the internet advertised every small local night for all to see there were probably loads of them going on its just it wasn't as transparent.

That's true as well.And a first for me,agreeing with 2 posts on a Monday.

Some of the lookbacks are'nt that transparent though.Opaque probably.

Hi Phil,

So where do the up and coming DJs who aren't in a "cartel" get their chance? Also, not everyone wants to travel to a venue. A lot of folk like a pint and the chance to listen to some great music. Not all the events are for rare soul types. Live and let live I say.

I also don't think anyone would class 20 or 30 attendees as a good night and no pub/club would allow a night like that to carry on too long. I remember trying to book the Kestrel Suite for a Christmas do from work, and the date I had in mind clashed with Phil's all nighter. The then manageress, said no worries, she would cancel the all nighter, as they take no money over the bar and it wasn't worth putting the staff on. Obviously I didn't take her up on that!

So its all the "up and coming djs" putting on all these events then and who are they ??? and whats a cartel i really am that thick

Whats "Rare Soul" got to do with this thread ??

why didnt i think of that posh word?......CARTEL......sounds like drugs dosnt it?, but an apt description and the reason why so many people who want to dj ,cant....so they start their own nights....BLOODY HELL GUYS ,WEVE BEEN DOWN THIS CUL-DE-SAC BEFORE and there's no point going any further because matters will not alter. just accept the fact there WILL be more and more gigs and if wannabees keep buying records with the purpose of djing and the establishment wont allow them into their circle, there WILL be more overcrowding. people on both sides of the arguement have hard and fast ( even stubborn) attitudes. im not going to attempt another run-in with our celestial leader and i suggest everyone else who's thinking of throwing in their twopenneth, drop it right now...it raises too many hackles including mine:angry2:

after having a few weeks off from souling due to holidays, birthdays etc etc, i thought i would take a look at the events page to see if anything was worth attending this weekend, on Friday there is 28 events and on Saturday 42 events thats not taking into account those that dont advertise on here,

I know its been done before and discussed and droaned on about loads and loads of times but i didnt realise there was this crazy amount on nigh on every week

Are all these venues busy ??

ive been running soul nights for going on 20 years locally not regulary may be had a 2-3years off around the millenium i was running one in Skipton at the hide bar,had a few dates booked playing the kind of stuff me and my mates fellow collectors have been into for nigh on 20 yrs when all of a sudden the nearest venue 9 miles away and a northern oldies venue that was struggling attendance wise after hammering the same old stuff every month changed ther music policy to match ours (fair enough your struggling change summat) but to put there venue dates on the same night as the Hide Bar was fucking unbelievable to me point is I dont see why i should fall on a sword

ive been running soul nights for going on 20 years locally not regulary may be had a 2-3years off around the millenium i was running one in Skipton at the hide bar,had a few dates booked playing the kind of stuff me and my mates fellow collectors have been into for nigh on 20 yrs when all of a sudden the nearest venue 9 miles away and a northern oldies venue that was struggling attendance wise after hammering the same old stuff every month changed ther music policy to match ours (fair enough your struggling change summat) but to put there venue dates on the same night as the Hide Bar was fucking unbelievable to me point is I dont see why i should fall on a sword

Maybe my post wasn't aimed at you. ,or venues like yours.

Maybe my post wasn't aimed at you. ,or venues like yours.

point taken (pardon the pun)im not offended by any post on here just can't understand the mentallity of some promoters ego tripping i think

dave

So its all the "up and coming djs" putting on all these events then and who are they ??? and whats a cartel i really am that thick

Whats "Rare Soul" got to do with this thread ??

Cartel is quite a strong word but I know what he means. For DJ's to play at big nighters they have to have proved themselves elsewhere. I know that the likes of Lifeline are happy to showcase new DJ's with a sample CD. Not forgetting the DJ has to own the original material and not boots etc.

A lot of 'soul nights' might not even insist on records let alone originals but for the paying public, for the most part, probably don't care.

So, out of 40+ advertised soul events, how many are 'respectable' in that sense? I don't mean that in a derogatory way as those that attend these nights, even if they're handbagger nights, enjoy themselves I suspect.

But you could whittle the list down to a manageable number that play originals to punters that are there for the music and not the social.

Each to their own for sure... you just have to know what you want from your night and seek it out

Cartel is quite a strong word but I know what he means. For DJ's to play at big nighters they have to have proved themselves elsewhere. I know that the likes of Lifeline are happy to showcase new DJ's with a sample CD. Not forgetting the DJ has to own the original material and not boots etc.

A lot of 'soul nights' might not even insist on records let alone originals but for the paying public, for the most part, probably don't care.

So, out of 40+ advertised soul events, how many are 'respectable' in that sense? I don't mean that in a derogatory way as those that attend these nights, even if they're handbagger nights, enjoy themselves I suspect.

But you could whittle the list down to a manageable number that play originals to punters that are there for the music and not the social.

Each to their own for sure... you just have to know what you want from your night and seek it out

dont think the sort of soul nights you are on about ie. those that play off a laptops or cds and in the main are pubs / bars and play the more commercial sounds that promote on here ,

and if they do then they would probably get panned on here .

was asked to dj the other week at a charity do in my local town at a place called the soul lounge

where the resident dj plays from a laptop and has one of these dj programmes with thousands of tracks on it , but no decks , dont dj myself but got my mate to come with his decks and he played ,

the event went down well and along with 2 local soul bands playing covers raised a few hundred quid for charity , this would never have appeared on here and there are many more venues jumping on the bandwagon regardless of what is said on here .

Edited October 5, 201014 yr by barney

Me thinks the point should be why there is ONLY 3 NIGHTERS on. To my way of thinking Northern Soul/ The Scene/ and whatever style or type of northern your into be it oldies/ rarer/ modern/ R&B it is and always has been and always should be best served up in 8hr slabs of time during the hrs of darkness..........did i forget to mention industrial amounts of chemicals ........cant remember.....must be the drugs!!

sorry to agentsmith but,up and coming dj's will never ever get a chance,because promoters only use dj's who have a venue themselves in order to get a spot at their venue,and round and round it goes,if it does differ its probably a close friend,the evidence for this can be found in the events column.

some of the up and coming dj's are very good and have the sounds.If I could open one for the inexperienced I would,but on the other hand I agree that there are too many on at the moment. This is just an observation not a criticism.

Edited October 6, 201014 yr by Gigs

lol what about promotors who aint that botherd about doing a spot on there own do ? or go on early so the guests dont moan. its never realy botherd me that much djng at my own do. i know some other promotors go on early as well but not that many me thinks ,

Edited October 6, 201014 yr by steptoe

sorry to agentsmith but,up and coming dj's will never ever get a chance,because promoters only use dj's who have a venue themselves in order to get a spot at their venue,and round and round it goes,if it does differ its probably a close friend,the evidence for this can be found in the events column.

some of the up and coming dj's are very good and have the sounds.If I could open one for the inexperienced I would,but on the other hand I agree that there are too many on at the moment. This is just an observation not a criticism.

got to agree with you on this,old shool tie an all that,why do some promoters stick withe same half dozen "resident" dj's for their nighters/soulnights,too worried they might offend them or won't be invited to guest at their own do's or just plain stuck in the mud?

let's drop the back scratching and give the punters/dancer something fresh!!!!

got to agree with you on this,old shool tie an all that,why do some promoters stick withe same half dozen "resident" dj's for their nighters/soulnights,too worried they might offend them or won't be invited to guest at their own do's or just plain stuck in the mud?

let's drop the back scratching and give the punters/dancer something fresh!!!!

You put it a lot better than I did,thank you

sorry to agentsmith but,up and coming dj's will never ever get a chance,because promoters only use dj's who have a venue themselves in order to get a spot at their venue,and round and round it goes,if it does differ its probably a close friend,the evidence for this can be found in the events column.

some of the up and coming dj's are very good and have the sounds.If I could open one for the inexperienced I would,but on the other hand I agree that there are too many on at the moment. This is just an observation not a criticism.

Personally i try to book djs who support my venue now & again

seen too many djs turn up at venues to do their spot

never to be seen again or turn up next time they are dj'ing there

Steve.

Personally i try to book djs who support my venue now & again

seen too many djs turn up at venues to do their spot

never to be seen again or turn up next time they are dj'ing there

Steve.

Are they the same DJs Steve that only go to venues they have a chance of djn at

Are they the same DJs Steve that only go to venues they have a chance of djn at

Ouch !

got to agree with you on this,old shool tie an all that,why do some promoters stick withe same half dozen "resident" dj's for their nighters/soulnights,too worried they might offend them or won't be invited to guest at their own do's or just plain stuck in the mud?

let's drop the back scratching and give the punters/dancer something fresh!!!!

HERE HERE, WELL SAID

There's nothing new here, get real there's always been loads of nights to attend the only reason you're aware of it is the internet and especially SS. Just got to read the previous accounts of the 80's on here and you think only Stafford was the only venue going, bollocks there were 100's of soul nights up and down the country even back then you just weren't aware of them as most were word of mouth and catered just for locals.

If you are moaning and run an event close it down then there will be one less.

Are they the same DJs Steve that only go to venues they have a chance of djn at

As opposed to the ones that never go to any venue unles they are DJing??

Tony

bit off topic but how about this for an idea

why doesnt someone promote a venue and offer dj spots to potential djs who are willing to pay to play,

could be a nice little earner for a promoter and could make or break some wannabee dj,s ,

b

As opposed to the ones that never go to any venue unles they are DJing??

Tony

Yep them ones too,

and the ones who often use the excuse that they cant go out that week cos of whatever BUT would go out if they was asked to dj all of a sudden

sorry to agentsmith but,up and coming dj's will never ever get a chance,because promoters only use dj's who have a venue themselves in order to get a spot at their venue,and round and round it goes,if it does differ its probably a close friend,the evidence for this can be found in the events column.

some of the up and coming dj's are very good and have the sounds.If I could open one for the inexperienced I would,but on the other hand I agree that there are too many on at the moment. This is just an observation not a criticism.

I often find the up-and-coming DJ'S, or collectors are a lot more open minded than some of the more established DJ'S. Therefore they tend to play in a more open style . I also believe from what I have seen in playboxes that the up-and-coming DJ's do tend IMHO to have better records (only my opinion).

If you have the records and the confidence to get up on stage then i say everyone should be given a chance , in the right vernues of course.

bit off topic but how about this for an idea

why doesnt someone promote a venue and offer dj spots to potential djs who are willing to pay to play,

could be a nice little earner for a promoter and could make or break some wannabee dj,s ,

b

Same sort of thing we did once not a pay to play exactly, but we used to run an underplayed night up here in county durham. Anyway we regularly got about 20 people in, the opinion was well we like to dance and we don`t know the recordsWe then advertised as a BRING A BOX NIGHT, LETS HEAR YOUR MUSIC. Funny how we then got about 30 phone calls from dj`s and the place was the fullest it had ever been, mainly because they brought there spouses with them. The next night of course went back to the usual numbers of course

Same sort of thing we did once not a pay to play exactly, but we used to run an underplayed night up here in county durham. Anyway we regularly got about 20 people in, the opinion was well we like to dance and we don`t know the recordsWe then advertised as a BRING A BOX NIGHT, LETS HEAR YOUR MUSIC. Funny how we then got about 30 phone calls from dj`s and the place was the fullest it had ever been, mainly because they brought there spouses with them. The next night of course went back to the usual numbers of course

You should have done another play a box night........and had another 60 in.With the amount of deejays there are out there you would probably have a good packed night.IMHO you have to pay what the punters want .........this isn't a week in week out scene anymore for most people with two big venues so you can turn over records on a weekly basis.They want familiarity and a good dance and not just a night of newies (what are oldies to some people are newies to others).Instead of smashing people in the face with newies introduce one or two so they can familiarise themselves with it.....five on a trot is suicide at most venues unless it's an upfront cutting edge venue .The dancefloor is the barometer.We play dance music ...if theres nobody on the floor after a few records your'e failing.The records are not the preserve of people who have access to importers or access to the states anymore....ebay.No more big national sounds played at big venues with a few copies with key deejays who play them to break them.We play only uptempo sixties and seventies traditional sounding records oldies and underplayed...because nobody in the south was doing it and the people love it....give em what they want and work slowly to change from the inside with a few newies dropped in here and there..........we have a midtempo or slowie at the end btw

Edited October 8, 201014 yr by wiggyflat

You should have done another play a box night........and had another 60 in.With the amount of deejays there are out there you would probably have a good packed night.IMHO you have to pay what the punters want .........this isn't a week in week out scene anymore for most people with two big venues so you can turn over records on a weekly basis.They want familiarity and a good dance and not just a night of newies (what are oldies to some people are newies to others).Instead of smashing people in the face with newies introduce one or two so they can familiarise themselves with it.....five on a trot is suicide at most venues unless it's an upfront cutting edge venue .The dancefloor is the barometer.We play dance music ...if theres nobody on the floor after a few records your'e failing.The records are not the preserve of people who have access to importers or access to the states anymore....ebay.No more big national sounds played at big venues with a few copies with key deejays who play them to break them.We play only uptempo sixties and seventies traditional sounding records oldies and underplayed...because nobody in the south was doing it and the people love it....give em what they want and work slowly to change from the inside with a few newies dropped in here and there..........we have a midtempo or slowie at the end btw

Correct in every way, there was a traditional northern oldies night down the road. Which at the time was on the verge of closing down, because the numbers had dropped dramatically, people saying they were sick of the same old same old, so we decided to set up the night, nice small venue with a decent sized dancefloor, i`d say the music we were playing were underplayed oldies 60`s and r&b at the time.We charged £2 to get in and the bar was cheap as chips. What i was getting at was all those who dj`d at the bring a box night were local to the north east, but it seemed if they wern`t djing they wern`t attending

Perhaps I go against the grain but I actually put a night on so my mates can DJ, and I prefer to book the room, advertise the club and simply enjoy getting people together. Never been a collector but simply love the buzz of watching people come through the door - smiling, chatting, dancing and trying to put on a good quality event. Don't do it for the money either!! Am sure there are others out there like me!!

Details of The Norwich Backstreet Soul Club Charity All-Dayer on Saturday October 30th will be put up soon...

Regards

Mark C;)

ps.. we discussed the Pay to Play idea about 3 years ago, most of the guys were in agreement but one definitely against!!

Edited October 8, 201014 yr by professorturnups

bit off topic but how about this for an idea

why doesnt someone promote a venue and offer dj spots to potential djs who are willing to pay to play,

could be a nice little earner for a promoter and could make or break some wannabee dj,s ,

b

Brilliant idea.

Have packed in promoting since I moved to the West Mids as far too many at it already but might cancel the sale of all my DJ equipment now you suggested that. Chance to make a few bob without having to worry about how many if any numbers came through the door.

Now how much do I charge the no-hopers oops sorry wannabee DJ's ?

In fairness though it is a good idea for charity events & we did charge dj's a nominal fee to play at the first EMS weekend in Sheffield & all were brilliant (apart from 1 big time Charlie) & raised a fortune.

There is a Motown and Northern Soul night tonight at the Leicester Oddfellows Club!! as in the Leicester nighters way back when, and in the main hall ffs!!

Point being, not advertised on here!!

after having a few weeks off from souling due to holidays, birthdays etc etc, i thought i would take a look at the events page to see if anything was worth attending this weekend, on Friday there is 28 events and on Saturday 42 events thats not taking into account those that dont advertise on here,

I know its been done before and discussed and droaned on about loads and loads of times but i didnt realise there was this crazy amount on nigh on every week

Are all these venues busy ??

Paul ... yeah it's been done before and probably yielded the same negative comments and the same snidey remarks about promotors and dj's .

Probably from people who are either bored with the scene /frustrated with the scene or feel threatened by others.

I can only speak as i find ....i've been to a lot of decent soul nights over the last yr and can honestly say that ,i've enjoyed every one of em !

The good thing about all these soul nights is ,you get to pick and choose the ones you want to attend and avoid the ones you don't.

Like i said ......been to quite a few ...enjoyed all of em,met some great people ,heard some great records ..the scene is still as enjoyable as ever:yes:

Infact it's getting better for me ....filtering out all the mediocre nights that bore me senseless has been a laborious process, but by heck i think i've put them all behind me.....so much so ,i now don't think about em ,don't mention em .

I even have a little chuckle when i read about em in lookbacks and think to myself ....this is like it was 30 + yrs ago....when i was going to soul nights and my friends were going to the youth club ,playing casino classics and then going to school with wigan badges on their adidas bags.

Chuckling cos ,history is repeating itself ..if only they knew what they were missing out on .....never mind eh ,let them keep eating grass:D

Last word from me to anyone on here having a moan about the scene you are so passionate about ,you feel the need to voice your opinion on a forum...get off your lazy arse and attend the right venues .

Contribute to the survival of it ,instead of the downfall ..... try doing something positive for a change:thumbsup:

p.s i'd rather be in a small room with 30 people who love soul music than 300 who love cheap beer and pop music

Edited October 9, 201014 yr by NEV

Paul ... yeah it's been done before and probably yielded the same negative comments and the same snidey remarks about promotors and dj's .

Probably from people who are either bored with the scene /frustrated with the scene or feel threatened by others.

I can only speak as i find ....i've been to a lot of decent soul nights over the last yr and can honestly say that ,i've enjoyed every one of em !

The good thing about all these soul nights is ,you get to pick and choose the ones you want to attend and avoid the ones you don't.

Like i said ......been to quite a few ...enjoyed all of em,met some great people ,heard some great records ..the scene is still as enjoyable as ever:yes:

Infact it's getting better for me ....filtering out all the mediocre nights that bore me senseless has been a laborious process, but by heck i think i've put them all behind me.....so much so ,i now don't think about em ,don't mention em .

I even have a little chuckle when i read about em in lookbacks and think to myself ....this is like it was 30 + yrs ago....when i was going to soul nights and my friends were going to the youth club ,playing casino classics and then going to school with wigan badges on their adidas bags.

Chuckling cos ,history is repeating itself ..if only they knew what they were missing out on .....never mind eh ,let them keep eating grass:D

Last word from me to anyone on here having a moan about the scene you are so passionate about ,you feel the need to voice your opinion on a forum...get off your lazy arse and attend the right venues .

Contribute to the survival of it ,instead of the downfall ..... try doing something positive for a change:thumbsup:

p.s i'd rather be in a small room with 30 people who love soul music than 300 who love cheap beer and pop music

Very hard to not agree with any of that Nev its great to have the choice but with many there is no choice its the same thing just a different venue

the one phrase i really laugh at reading is one similar to this that a dj writes up on the thread they are about to dj at in reply to the promoters post,

"really looking forward to djn at this event its run by real soul people with no ego`s its gonna be a brilliant night etc etc etc and we cant wait for when you dj at our event as you will go down a storm etc etc etc"

Hi Paul

In the N.east we have plenty of nights but only a few that cater for what i want ....so i prefer to go a bit further afield .

It would be quite easy to say f**k it ,why not put one on ..but the problem is there just arent enough people to attend and my like minded friends feel the same...we are happy to go further afield until the next time our local do is on,to preserve what's so special about .Once every other month makes it even more of a treat to look forward to .

shame some others don't have the same patience and show some restraint !

Roll on Scarborough weekender next week:)

Hi Paul

In the N.east we have plenty of nights but only a few that cater for what i want ....so i prefer to go a bit further afield .

It would be quite easy to say f**k it ,why not put one on ..but the problem is there just arent enough people to attend and my like minded friends feel the same...we are happy to go further afield until the next time our local do is on,to preserve what's so special about .Once every other month makes it even more of a treat to look forward to .

shame some others don't have the same patience and show some restraint !

Roll on Scarborough weekender next week:)

Good point Nev, i also think that if there was less events then a good few djs that just seem a bit stale to me at times would probably be chomping at the bit and more excited about djn which could only result in a better set or maybe not

anyway we will all be moaning when there aint no events on in one day so enjoy it while we can i suppose

What gets me is why do people think it's their god given right to run a night and not anybody else, we live in a democratic country (free market economy etc) the point folks are missing is that it's up to the individual to find a venue, music policy, dj's etc that suit 'THEM', who cares what anyone else's opinion is, the only one that counts is my own ! There are plenty of restaurants in my home city, some God awful and some mediocre and a few exceptional ones, i've taken the time to find which i choose to eat at and i choose the ones with fresh produce and not frozen rubbish. Same goes for my soul tastes i like excellence and my soul to be on original format. And the next time i hear someone moan about somebody else putting a night on the same date as them, then my answer is...try harder, make the punters want to come to you, quality always prevails over mediocrity.

Brett

What gets me is why do people think it's their god given right to run a night and not anybody else, we live in a democratic country (free market economy etc) the point folks are missing is that it's up to the individual to find a venue, music policy, dj's etc that suit 'THEM', who cares what anyone else's opinion is, the only one that counts is my own ! There are plenty of restaurants in my home city, some God awful and some mediocre and a few exceptional ones, i've taken the time to find which i choose to eat at and i choose the ones with fresh produce and not frozen rubbish. Same goes for my soul tastes i like excellence and my soul to be on original format. And the next time i hear someone moan about somebody else putting a night on the same date as them, then my answer is...try harder, make the punters want to come to you, quality always prevails over mediocrity.

Brett

Thank you Brett.

Seems that most of the moaning that gets done is by folks running nights rather than folks attending.

End of the day the paying public decide, end of...

Do us a favour & move down here to the West Mids. Thought all this shit was a South Yorks thing but oh no it ain't.

Some pretty nice restaurants too :-)))

after having a few weeks off from souling due to holidays, birthdays etc etc, i thought i would take a look at the events page to see if anything was worth attending this weekend, on Friday there is 28 events and on Saturday 42 events thats not taking into account those that dont advertise on here,

I know its been done before and discussed and droaned on about loads and loads of times but i didnt realise there was this crazy amount on nigh on every week

Are all these venues busy ??

Why worry bearsy

Just 30 in the one I was at the weekend and it was one of the best nights I've had in ages. .The djs just made sure the ones who did turn up had good night & we did.

There are a lot of phoney people on this so called friendly scene better off with 30 or so genuine people then a lot of wxxxxxs

A subject that goes round and round..

Good points from Brett... Some fools don't really take on board whats on around them before starting another night, others do know but choose to clash events for various reasons... We see this time and time again... Can't stop people doing what they wanna do but can talk and be on good terms if possible with other promoters..

Like Brett said, just got to get on with your own event and make sure its as goood as it can be, get on the promotion and leave the worry of other events to others, this cn cause stress and take up time you could be putting in to your promotion....

Many punters long in the tooth now and don't wanna travel outside their local area, they chooose to stay close to home and in variou but maybe smaller events...

Numbers can mean something to one promoter who is running alarge venue, it could mean f£ck all to others who run small rare soul events... I have had a better time in my living room with 8 people than in a room of 1,000... Numbers mean nowt to me most of the time but its good to be in a venue thats busy wit a real buzz, i get to both on my trips around the scene..

I know have a venue that holds 100, i like it that way, a small event with low costs and a nice little crowd with open ears, not much pressure on me and so i can put my efforts into looking for quality djs from around the uk and beyond.. Try to make every event the best ever, not always possible but at least it will mean you have your eye on the ball and have done what you can...

Like Cunnie says, its promoters and djs who seem to hog the complaints, the punters just get on with it in the main.. Too many folk wanna dj but not enough events and time to fit you all in.. Maybe drop your dj bookings, time off can re-charge the batteries and help take a look at what tunes you wanna bring forward...

Residents at soul nights is a problem too, with the best will in the world its tough to keep the punters moist on every trip with regular guys that have been playing at events for some time, less residents and various guests can keep folk interested and bring more punters... I now choose to have 1 resident for stability, play myself at times,( late shift at niters, early shift at soul event), give the main time to the guests and resident if possible..

Enough time taken on this now...

Go easy, dj less and just get out there and have fun folks.... Long time dead....