Hi, apologies if this topic has been done previously, but I just wanted to get a few views on this question.

Was recently DJing and although I played a set that included records that I have not heard played out over recent years, In fact some that I have not heard out for many years, none were what I would call obscure or really rare.

A couple of times the dance floor cleared and a couple of times there were only a few people dancing. Someone has commented that when this happened I should have changed the record half way through, I assume for something that I knew would fill the floor.

My question is if you are a DJ do you change a record part way through because no one/ or few people are dancing, or if you are a dancer and do not know/like the record would you expect the record to be changed half way through.

I replied with my thoughts to the comments made, but I would just be interested to read what others think.

I look forward to your comments, Thanks Jimmy

Really interesting thread this one and have to say I was only comfy with the 'tried & tested' formulaic, well known tunes (old and newer ones not just oldy oldies if that makes sense) Anyway thanks to my patient bunch of soul mates - won't mention their names cos they is shy/arrogant...not sure which....however under their tutoring and efforts to introduce me to fresh stuff, underplayed stuff and out right mad stuff, I have seen the light.....I am not confident enough or such a complete exhibitionist that I can walk to the middle of the floor and bust some moves to a 'new' sound, but I can nod my head with appreciation and log the tune for future reference and possibly a dance. I thank also the lamented Sonic Soul for that and am of the opinion that Snooks has been handed the baton and is now surging forward with much of the same ethos - sorry if that offends you at Snooks - it is a compliment trust me.

I felt out of my depth, comfort zone and yes Len, sometimes a little patronised by Dj's who seemed to lose sight of balance in their sets; fine to push the boundaries but clearing the floor just to make a point was a bit too far IMO. That said, I would drop down dead dancing to several in a row, and just listening and watching is part of the holistic approach I enjoy . I remember at sonic Soul when someone took a record off part way through & shouted 'F&*k you all' (in mock anger), throwing it across the empty floor; hilarious. Loved the fact that the DJ could see both sides of the coin so to speak.

Now where are my compilation CD's........................................................................?

(Almost) Educated Melanie

Just because people are not dancing don't mean they are not listening.

If you had faith in the record when you put it on the deck let it play.

BTW which record from the posted playlist was it?

Just because people are not dancing don't mean they are not listening.

If you had faith in the record when you put it on the deck let it play.

BTW which record from the posted playlist was it?

Many a time, especially at the DDA at Lowton, a record has been played without a soul on the dancefloor then on its conclusion has been met with great applause, Horse and Groom at Doncaster, same thing

Kev

F**k me, lunatics taking over the asylum

If they don't dance first time, play it 2 or 3 times in each spot till they do.

Bunch of lightweight Nancy Boys masquerading as DJ's in current scene.

Said in a Keb accent and you get my views I suspect.

I am off for some raw gin, my eyes are bleeding after this,

I've also run out of my quota of 'likes' today Jocko lol - We played this three times at 'Len's Den' - Looking forward to you 'havin' a go' there mate - Bring some 'Scotish aggression' with you please!

All the best,

Len

One technique I've used a couple of times when I've cleared the floor is not to fade the record or cut it, would never do a cut, but to get out from behind the decks and dance to it myself. Try it as others may join you lol :-)

As for abuse, like Jocko said that's the time to play it twice and dedicate it to the abuser.

D

One technique I've used a couple of times when I've cleared the floor is not to fade the record or cut it, would never do a cut, but to get out from behind the decks and dance to it myself. Try it as others may join you lol :-)

As for abuse, like Jocko said that's the time to play it twice and dedicate it to the abuser.

D

'Like'

kev , last time i was there "the Horse and Groom" in Donny didnt HAVE a dancefloor

Thanks for the reply Jordi, I did/do still have faith in the records I played, but am interested in what others think. Cheers Jimmy

I think it all depends on the venue and the expectations of the regulars. If it's a mainly oldies do where the floor is rammed all night then that's what they've paid for, floor packing big tunes generally and that's what you should play. If, on the other had you're DJing at a night that has a reputation for breaking new stuff, playing underplayed and the floor is generally empty because most people in there are more interested in hearing something new and/or forgotten or rarely played then it would be foolish to try and entice them onto the floor because that's not why they are there, they don't want to hear floor packing oldies they want to hear something to add to the wants list. In that case play what you want to play.

It depends where you are, for what purpose the promoter books you and what the paying customers expect. It all comes unstuck when promoters book the wrong DJs for their venues and maybe the DJ doesn't know the venue (not his fault he's been booked to play) and turns up with a box full of the wrong stuff... It does happen.

I agree with what Jock said earlier, these days the dreaded phrase 'play to the floor' means DJs are scared of the punters. Years ago we took our cue from the DJs, especially those who played a record six times in a row because they had faith in their plays. Too much pandering to the masses now though.

Edited October 17, 201212 yr by Matt Male

Aah yes, the "I don't want to hear it if I don't know it " brigade, what makes me laugh about these "experts" is, did they come out of their mothers wombs whistling or singing for say the Tamango,s, Salvadors, Terrible Tom, Kenny Smith, Sandra Phillips, Van Dykes, Soul Twins, Morris Chestnut and on and on, you get my drift, there must have been a time when they heard those records for the 1st time, so why not now.

Kev

I may not like overplayed oldies..............but nothing wrong with Terrible Tom.............a shit hot dance record and not too overplayed!!!!

The trouble is most folk can't keep up with it!!!! I STILL CAN!!!!! (although it takes me 10 minutes to recover)!!!!

Edited October 17, 201212 yr by Carol J

kev , last time i was there "the Horse and Groom" in Donny didnt HAVE a dancefloor

Oh, Yes It Did....

I've also run out of my quota of 'likes' today Jocko lol - We played this three times at 'Len's Den' - Looking forward to you 'havin' a go' there mate - Bring some 'Scotish aggression' with you please!

All the best,

Len

This is our best seller at the moment just fantastic nu soul

Always knew Curly as a town lad Peter. Might have lived in Ilson for a bit though...

Last saw him at Mick Hs bar ammici bank hol alldayer. On fine Curly type form too

Hi Byrney

Didn't Curly used to live in Ilson - many moons ago like? Not seen him for ages - last saw him in town I think.

Peter

if you can call 4 squares of 3 ft sticky lino with folk stood boozing on it a dancefloor ?

I think it all depends on the venue and the expectations of the regulars. If it's a mainly oldies do where the floor is rammed all night then that's what they've paid for, floor packing big tunes generally and that's what you should play. If, on the other had you're DJing at a night that has a reputation for breaking new stuff, playing underplayed and the floor is generally empty because most people in there are more interested in hearing something new and/or forgotten or rarely played then it would be foolish to try and entice them onto the floor because that's not why they are there, they don't want to hear floor packing oldies they want to hear something to add to the wants list. In that case play what you want to play.

It depends where you are, for what purpose the promoter books you and what the paying customers expect. It all comes unstuck when promoters book the wrong DJs for their venues and maybe the DJ doesn't know the venue (not his fault he's been booked to play) and turns up with a box full of the wrong stuff... It does happen.

I agree with what Jock said earlier, these days the dreaded phrase 'play to the floor' means DJs are scared of the punters. Years ago we took our cue from the DJs, especially those who played a record six times in a row because they had faith in their plays. Too much pandering to the masses now though.

Should the DJ be expected to do a little research about the places they are asked to play? Not in order to 'pander' to the people but at least to tailor their set with skill and forethought? Just a question, I don't have a death wish.......

Always knew Curly as a town lad Peter. Might have lived in Ilson for a bit though...

Last saw him at Mick Hs bar ammici bank hol alldayer. On fine Curly type form too

I seem to recall Shippo (bless him) tellling me the story about Curly living there when he was growing up - they had a tough time by all accounts and think they moved as a result. It's a tough old place is Ilson - as are lots of towns around and about.

F**k me, lunatics taking over the asylum

If they don't dance first time, play it 2 or 3 times in each spot till they do.

Bunch of lightweight Nancy Boys masquerading as DJ's in current scene.

Said in a Keb accent and you get my views I suspect.

reminds me of a tale about levan playing melba moore @ the garage, 1st time they hated it, so he played it 3 times in a row, till they were whooping and hollering to here it again. did he play it again? nope!

I am off for some raw gin, my eyes are bleeding after this,

Should the DJ be expected to do a little research about the places they are asked to play? Not in order to 'pander' to the people but at least to tailor their set with skill and forethought? Just a question, I don't have a death wish.......

I think they should, but some don't. At the end of the day though in my opinion it's down to the promoter. I can't stand these stories about people hassling DJs who have been miss-booked when really they should be bending the promoter's ear. I know people who have turned down spots because they know they wouldn't go down at all well at certain venues.

Maybe the DJs with laptops can play anywhere at any time?

Edited October 17, 201212 yr by Matt Male

I seem to recall Shippo (bless him) tellling me the story about Curly living there when he was growing up - they had a tough time by all accounts and think they moved as a result. It's a tough old place is Ilson - as are lots of towns around and about.

Y'know what there might be something in that Peter, tbh Ilson had its fair share of racists (still does) as do other towns near it. Must have been when he was younger, I knew him first around 79 80 and think he was living in town then.

Shippo (RIP old mate) knew Curly well so bound to be right.

I dont know any promoters (or djs/collectors) . How does it work. Is the promoter like a boss ? . Does he decide the music policy ? Are some djs promoters ? How does it work

Y'know what there might be something in that Peter, tbh Ilson had its fair share of racists (still does) as do other towns near it. Must have been when he was younger, I knew him first around 79 80 and think he was living in town then.

Shippo (RIP old mate) knew Curly well so bound to be right.

Mm, I worked there for a bit in the early 90's - was involved in running a financial services business based at the bottom of Bath Street - there was a pub opposite which I can't remember the name of. Bit of a brawling place at weekends - appparently. I often think of Shippo - what a lovely, friendly lad he was. There's a picture of him on here somewhere - he looks so young, care free and happy. He was a gentleman.

As a promoter we have a 'no fear ' policy for the Dj's and when they are booked they have to have the balls to play whatever they feel is right so if one of them cuts a tune mid play they would never dj for me again because that shows a lack of faith in your tunes. If you don't believe in the tunes no one else is.

So as everyone else has said, clear the floor, give the people a hear of the new stuff then come back stormin with something they'll love

Absolutely spot on, by the very nature of the "scene" most DJs are first and foremost collectors and should be booked (appropriate to the venue) for what they can bring to that venue musically.

My philosophy as regards Djing on the soul scene..........To entertain and educate !!!

Usually get savaged when I post on here but so tempted to put my thoughts.Had a huge gap of years from going to do's but see people of roughly my age. I remember stonking tracks from back in the day.They probably don't get played anymore because people got tired of them? or maybe people introduced unheard of tracks from the states to make money or freshen up the scene.

Anyway it feels to me like a lot of the so called rare finds are rare because they weren't very good. There were belters that never made it big in charts but were 'catchy' and got your feet tapping. I hear a lot of droneing tracks by imitation 'temptations' type groups but they miss the magic ingredient 'a hook'. Record makers sometimes know when they have a cracker before they release it because it gets under your skin, you find yourself humming it or whistling it over and over again. And when you hear it out your feet take you to the dance floor whether you got the wind or not.

They are the records for me, the ones that take you to another place and you forget all youre worries.Unfortunately somebodies going to moan about them and call them names like 'handbaggers'.Well you can't please all of the people all of the time.we all have different tastes.I know Tezza has different tastes to me but I don't see why you can't touch a number of tastes in a night.Unfortunately some venues are in one groove and thats it.

how do you read the floor ? I say you can not !

how do you read the floor ? I say you can not !

Yeah, often wondered what that means, maybe its more about knowing the venue or some of the people that frequent the venue? I take reading the floor to mean keeping the beat going or knowing what record to follow with, which can be a bit hard if there's no one on the floor!!!!!!!!!

how can you keep the beat going if you talk between each record ? More sarcastic comment later meds are kicking in

how can you keep the beat going if you talk between each record ? More sarcastic comment later meds are kicking in

Talking between records? now there's a subject for a whole new thread!!!!!!!!!

1) I now hate the term ‘Handbaggers’ because it’s patronising, these are people who go out to enjoy themselves, so include them and don’t write them all off. I have more respect for them than some ‘pretenders’

2) ‘Read the floor’ — I call it ‘working the floor’ — Impossible to explain, it takes years to understand and reading the floor doesn’t mean putting the obvious on and ramming it that way.

3) We also have to be really careful; not to become contrived, I am well aware that soon there will be such a thing as ‘Overplayed, underplayed’ records…….Oh dear……

All the best,

Len

Edited October 17, 201212 yr by LEN

1) I now hate the term ‘Handbaggers’ because it’s patronising, these are people who go out to enjoy themselves, so include them and don’t write them all off. I have more respect for them than some ‘pretenders’

I have to say i do enjoy hearing new stuff, it encourages me to look for more. the johnny praye a case in point. if no one gives them a go we would never know them. what does not pass my comprehension is djs playing records either PURELY AND SIMPLY because they are rare, expensive and no one knows them for a sort of cudos thing, so then you need to try some of the oldies and get the dancing up. the need is to assess the venue, that said i have had poor experiences at cleethorpes where a TOP so called dj played an hour of stuff where few people danced. i didnt coz i didnt know ANY of them then the same with the next dj, but then she played "imaculate love" which i never heard out, but knew and gave her the credit for playing it. this experience made think. hang on a mo, what else is there out there. the next month i went to the clifton moore hotel in blackpool and heard a great set by malc i think..........diane pane, carol morgan, dora hall, bobby day, danny lee. certainly newies in 2000. so in answer to the thought................ keep the floor filler spare if you are going to try something, and i feel certain if you can pick similar known records to play prior and introduce it as a newie it could work. dont dj for yourself.............

Unlike myslef and a handful of others, I find these days that most folk won't dance to a record until its "in their heads" so to speak, regardless of whether they like it or not. Usually takes about 4 spins to get some traction. Good case in point is Reatha Reese "Only Lies" which I thought was the best tune I'd heard for many years, so I bought one and played it for the first time at my monthly gig and it wiped the floor. 6 months later there were about 15 - 20 up, nowadays however they're spilling onto the carpet. Abort a record halfway through? - never!

Cheers......Pete

Should the DJ be expected to do a little research about the places they are asked to play? Not in order to 'pander' to the people but at least to tailor their set with skill and forethought? Just a question, I don't have a death wish.......

Surely its the promoters responsibilty to research the DJ. You ask a DJ to come and play because of what He or She plays not to come and play your records !! Yes, the DJ, if a learned type, can see how things are going and change his plan on the night to cater but ultimately the Promoter should shoulder the blame. You wouldn't ask Jimmy Savile to come and DJ at a Kids Party would you ??

Absolutely spot on, by the very nature of the "scene" most DJs are first and foremost collectors and should be booked (appropriate to the venue) for what they can bring to that venue musically.

My philosophy as regards Djing on the soul scene..........To entertain and educate !!!

I agree to an extent but 'Educate' is a dirty word. Implies that you know better or more !! Maybe its just a taste thing ?!?! Entertain - Yes, Definitely !!

Surely its the promoters responsibilty to research the DJ. You ask a DJ to come and play because of what He or She plays not to come and play your records !! Yes, the DJ, if a learned type, can see how things are going and change his plan on the night to cater but ultimately the Promoter should shoulder the blame.

I've got to disagree with you here. DJs are often Jeckyl and Hyde nutters who can do one stunning spot and one not very good one; with regard to the dancefloor and general buzz.

As a promoter you want to cater to the crowd and put on DJs you think will entertain them and play some great things they don't hear very often in the right context (ie mixed in with the bigger records). Most DJs have very large collections and can do newies, oldies, modern, R&B, cha cha cha on any given night. Hopefully they will play whatever the crowd responds best to and throw in the odd curve ball occasionally that fits into the set. Many DJs drift into self indulgence, myself included, because they have heard their records 100 times but some of the crowd may not have heard them once. It's a tough balancing act and a promoter will try and get the right balance for the event but if the DJ doesn't deliver on the night its not the promoter's fault. He will probably drop the DJ for a while but then may hear him DJing elsewhere when he plays a blinder. It's far from an exact science and there aren't enough DJs of such a high standard that they will always play great sets. If they did then they'd get criticised by some for being too safe, or going home early, or taking or not taking gear. Speaking of which booze and gear are factors a promoter can't always bank on with his DJs and they often affect a set.

Ady

On Saturday night I played Chuck Bernard 'everything is alright now', I thought it might be a bit slow but then thought what the hell, only when I saw a couple dancing arm in arm in front of me did I realise that the rhythm is Basically a waltz !!!

You can't take a record produced by misters Bridges, knight and Eaton off half way through, that would be beyond impertinence !

In fact I played it again three records later.

as far as the original question goes...fade it out a bit early maybe and comeback with a get out of jail card oldie or current in-demander...but dont take it off half way through,its only a couple of minutes ...although when behind the decks i know it can feel like forever!

if we are now talkin about should djs play something new (again!) to a largely oldies crowd and clear the floor with it....in my experience i can remember des playing things like kindly shepherds and even jt parker a few years back and me and nicci being a couple of only a handful dancing and me even looking around and gesturing people to get up and thinking 'what the f++++ the matter with you?!'....play those tunes at the same venue now to that largely oldies crowd and the floor fills

clearing the floor with unknown tunes isnt new is it...its how tunes got/get broke

and for those that think the 'new sound' djs are snobs...stop looking down YOUR nose at djs who dont play the so called big tunes cos one day a lot of you will probably be dancing to that tune ' that didnt sell so must be shit'.or wasnt 'played at wigan so must be shit'...ive seen it happen

dean

i used to love people coming up asking what was that record i played? the shandells and the idols being two which springs to mind back when i had them, great feeling

F**k me, lunatics taking over the asylum

If they don't dance first time, play it 2 or 3 times in each spot till they do.

Bunch of lightweight Nancy Boys masquerading as DJ's in current scene.

Said in a Keb accent and you get my views I suspect.

I am off for some raw gin, my eyes are bleeding after this,

Love this bit, reminds me of Bub,( RIP mate ) playing a track twice in a row and stating over the mic, " you will dance you f*******s"

Surely its the promoters responsibilty to research the DJ. You ask a DJ to come and play because of what He or She plays not to come and play your records !! Yes, the DJ, if a learned type, can see how things are going and change his plan on the night to cater but ultimately the Promoter should shoulder the blame. You wouldn't ask Jimmy Savile to come and DJ at a Kids Party would you ??

Yep I can see that side of the equation but how would a promoter know the complete collection of a DJ? Surely the skill of the DJ should be more 'honed' than that of a promoter? Myabe proper planning and talk and honesty between DJ & promoter before a booking? Who knows, I'm just a handbagger......

I've got to disagree with you here. DJs are often Jeckyl and Hyde nutters who can do one stunning spot and one not very good one; with regard to the dancefloor and general buzz.

As a promoter you want to cater to the crowd and put on DJs you think will entertain them and play some great things they don't hear very often in the right context (ie mixed in with the bigger records). Most DJs have very large collections and can do newies, oldies, modern, R&B, cha cha cha on any given night. Hopefully they will play whatever the crowd responds best to and throw in the odd curve ball occasionally that fits into the set. Many DJs drift into self indulgence, myself included, because they have heard their records 100 times but some of the crowd may not have heard them once. It's a tough balancing act and a promoter will try and get the right balance for the event but if the DJ doesn't deliver on the night its not the promoter's fault. He will probably drop the DJ for a while but then may hear him DJing elsewhere when he plays a blinder. It's far from an exact science and there aren't enough DJs of such a high standard that they will always play great sets. If they did then they'd get criticised by some for being too safe, or going home early, or taking or not taking gear. Speaking of which booze and gear are factors a promoter can't always bank on with his DJs and they often affect a set.

Ady

Well put.....

Only recently got back into going out so missed the scene since mid 70's. Still conscious of dancing on my own which is one great feature of the Northern scene for the health of the bloke's. But when I took the wife and the divorced sister in law to Northern do's they hated them and left early. They particularly like a 'do' at Long eaton which play's allsorts of 'pop' dance stuff, Luther Vandross and hit Motown etc, and the large dancefloor is heaving. Downstairs is a northern room smaller than my garage.

Fortunately I've come across some venue's that manage to mix up some Motown and Northern and seem to make most people happy and its great when your lady can enjoy the night as well. Thats got to be good for the northern fans rather than see places close down because the numbers are too low.

My day at the Nottingham palais was mainly Motown and a bit of Otis Reading etc.. But we now love the belting tunes by sandi Sheldon,len barry,Bob Brady,The Olympics,The Impressions,The Monitors and all that stuff that seems to have come along with northern.Compromise has got to be better than extinction.

Did see a well known DJ pull a record half way through an empty floor and I admired him for it,It had as much charm as a funeral march. It must be hard for Dj's to remember all their records and at the cueing stage you should be able to work out if you've got the right side of the record on-will it keep the momentum going-appeal to others- etc.

Not aimed at topic starter but reading some comments here i think djs (especially at rarer events) should maybe come down of their pedestals a bit re their customers . In fact some comments seem to have an air of contempt for the dance floor. Get to know the dancers (not just your mates) , ask them what they think might work , what didnt work and why , play them stuff down the phone . Ask THEM. Most dancers are not collectors/ particulally knowledgable but they know what works . And ,unlike other collectors /djs, they certainly DONT care how expensive , rare , trendy or right on a tune is . . . . . To answer topic question , No. . Re playlist posted , some great classics there but some of those are also quite hard to dance eg the chuck jackson , even to old timers . Also think it depends if the dancers used t to a certain type of soul (rare or classic) . . If the crowd are young you might be playing great classics (that older crowds are used to ) but they might be hard to dance to so they might love the tune but think blimey thats hard work and im a bit shy . And also sometimes dancers wil hear a tune they are not sure of so not dance but then think 3/4 way through "wish id danced to that" (done it myself a few times and my mates say it ) . So its worth a few tries again , its not personal because even though dancers are not dancing they are still always listening and thinking about dancing

Yeah, you always see ya top DJ's polling the floor.....

Best Russ

The actual point of the scene/DJ is to promote unknown/underplayed soulful dance music. This should be done in a sensible/proffessional manner, mixed in with current floorfillers, both old & new. Once again I find it incredible that this debate is even happening....I thought it was your 'duty' as a DJ to introduce new sounds, not only to keep the scene fresh & exciting, but to create an identity/sound as a DJ or promoter.

Any f*cker with a few quid or no scruples with regard to re issues or boots can shackle a top oldies set together that will fill a dance floor, the art of the DJ is to keep the floor reasonably busy, but not just to entertain, there is also an element of education too....... your not at your local disco for gods sake, if you go to a NS venue its what you should expect. Monster classic oldies cleared dance floors in some cases when first played, the DJ's you guys hold up as legendary where the DJ's doin this....whats changed is YOU.

Best Russ

kev , last time i was there "the Horse and Groom" in Donny didnt HAVE a dancefloor

Hi Krissi, correct, well there is a bit of a one near the decks, but as Cunnie states and further to emphasise the point, a lot of people, myself included go to venues and listen, a lot of collectors are getting up there now rather than DJ's and playing great under played or never played gems that have been overlooked by the so called big DJ's down the years cos they ain't rare enough, in the days of Refo Soul on here, it was an absolute goldmine listening to records that were posted up by collectors.

Kev

kev , last time i was there "the Horse and Groom" in Donny didnt HAVE a dancefloor

Anyway Krissi, less of the chit chat, get yourself to The Horse and Groom this Sunday afternoon, myself and a couple of my mates are DJing won't hear any oldies but its a bloody great afternoon

Kev

Edited October 18, 201212 yr by kev cane

I dont know any promoters (or djs/collectors) . How does it work. Is the promoter like a boss ? . Does he decide the music policy ? Are some djs promoters ? How does it work

If this is a serious question -

How it ‘did’ work for me anyway, was this - I started a Club because no event near me was playing the stuff I also wanted to hear. The music policy was set by me, but I never actually ‘named’ it as it would be developed by the D.J’s I used.

I only ever used D.J’s that I alone rated and that includes any ‘Big Name’ D.J’s which I of course would also use as the ‘Eye Candy’ from a promotional perspective.

The promoter may be seen as ‘The Boss’ by some, but it takes everyone in the hall to make a good ‘do’ The promoter just brings everything together and is usually the one person that doesn’t actually enjoy himself! J

I hope that answers your question.

All the best,

Len

P.s - I say 'If this is a serious question' because I find it hard to believe you don't know a D.J or a Promoter.....Everyone's one or the other or both!

Edited October 18, 201212 yr by LEN

On Saturday night I played Chuck Bernard 'everything is alright now', I thought it might be a bit slow but then thought what the hell, only when I saw a couple dancing arm in arm in front of me did I realise that the rhythm is Basically a waltz !!!

You can't take a record produced by misters Bridges, knight and Eaton off half way through, that would be beyond impertinence !

In fact I played it again three records later.

Great Soul Record

Kev

Thanks Len for answer . Yes it was a serious question . Kev i have been to Horse and Groom and even though it dosnt have a dancefloor i really enjoyed it . Great music, busy , freindly people , relaxed sunday chilled out atmosphere... Russ you seem to be implying that if someone dosnt have money/OVO collection that they immoral and and not capable of playing/knowing underplayed tunes , what has that got to do with format ? . I also dont understand your versions of history re comment "secret" "special" . I dont know where you come from but here (mill towns ,north of england) there was never any big mystery or secret . Northern soul was/is played allover the place , yes even "local discos" . You woudnt deny

the people that would you , over some silly format rule that was only imposed by a minority fairly recently anyway?

Speaking of which booze and gear are factors a promoter can't always bank on with his DJs and they often affect a set.

Ady

that's something I hate, if i'm paying someone to dj I expect them to stay sober enough to do it... if they can't and it has a detrimental effect on their set they won't be back

Monster classic oldies cleared dance floors in some cases when first played, the DJ's you guys hold up as legendary where the DJ's doin this....whats changed is YOU.

Best Russ

Some fantastic early floor-clearers:-

Stubborn Heart - Ernest Mosely

Send Him Back - Pointer Sisters

Job Opening - The Del Larks

Please Give Me One More Chance - Clyde McPhatter

Ain't Nothing You Can Do - Joe Mathews

Gee Baby - The Malibus

That's Why I Love You - The Professionals

Your Love Makes Me Lonely - The Chandlers

My Heart's Not In It Anymore - The Steinways

The list is endless really. They all had to start somewhere.......

Ian D

I dont know any promoters (or djs/collectors) . How does it work. Is the promoter like a boss ? . Does he decide the music policy ? Are some djs promoters ? How does it work

I'm a promoter and one of the resident dj's... We as a club have decided the music policy( we are an R&B club but play a lot of 60's northern), we have also decided the format(OVO, non negotiable) and to answer the question yes we are the Boss and anyone who has ever dj'd for me will tell you that.

The easy way however to be the boss is to book people who know what they are doing, so on the night all I have to do is monitor the dj change over times ie getting them to depart the decks when they are supposed to, make sure they can work the mixer etc if I have to be heavy handed then i will but I very very rarely do