I've been given the opportunity to run a room at the South London soul train and wondered what people think.

Its already a successful club with 1500 turning up every other week. They get a lot of students anf 20 somethings and the crowd are really enthusiastic. So they've asked me to run a northern soul room and get some DJ's in. Its a great venue with a good dance floor and its on from 10pm till 4am. The plan is to have 3 DJ's having two one hour sets each (myself plus two guests) so every DJ gets a good amount of time to prove their stuff. I just wondered what the soul fraternity thinks. Would soulies turn up, or turn their nose up saying "civillians on the dance floor" etc ? I mean we were all young and innocent in the ways of soul once. We weren't born dancing to rare soul so you have to start somewhere and from what I've seen in the funk room the crowd are really up for it. They're young (probably with a similar enthusiasm to the young people of Wigan, the Torch, Cleethorpes etc- who are now the older section of the scene) and God knows this scene could use some young blood. Any DJ's who fancy a go get in touch. I'm puting a list together. Oldies / newies / motown / crossover etc - but lets go for up tempo !

 

South London Soul Train

The South London Soul Train is a hugely successful club in Peckham, SE15.

With 3 floors of music to choose from this event is attracting 1500 people every fortnight. People ready to dance and party the night away. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to host a northern soul room. Running from 10pm till 4am on the 1^st Saturday of every month. This is a great venue with a nice wooden dance floor, reasonably priced drinks and an enthusiastic crowd. At only £5 entry there is no guest list but if you want to avoid the queues (and they queue round the block!) then contact me for a queue jumping pass to go straight to the front.

The northern soul room starts on April 5^th with Warren Boogaloo and Derek Mead joining me as guests. Warren has run his successful boogaloo night for over 10 years now in Greenwich and has DJ’ed all over London and the South east to great applause. He knows how to please a crowd with a superb mix of classics, rarities and R’n’B thrown in. Derek runs the Bisley nightshift club in Surrey and has just returned from stints at the Prestatyn & Soulvation weekenders. This man breathes, sleeps and possibly even eats northern soul ! Expect to dance your asses off !!

In the other two rooms you have mainstream soul & disco from Mickey Jazzheadchronic (it’s a Marvin Gaye special this week) and the funk room with Snowboy & Perry Louis. Spoilt for choice.

https://www.facebook.com/events/447838631983201/?fref=ts

with this venue i would think its not about turning your nose up would be more do you want to share you saturday night with a bunch of coked up student types and boorish mdma loving yoof. 

 

its a destination venue so most people would go there not for soul music, many dont seem to care what is being played but they all look like they are having fun. 

 

youll definitely turn some people onto the music though. would imagine mdma (powdered enthusiam) and northern would be a rather nice mix. 

go for it

with this venue i would think its not about turning your nose up would be more do you want to share you saturday night with a bunch of coked up student types and boorish mdma loving yoof. 

 

its a destination venue so most people would go there not for soul music, many dont seem to care what is being played but they all look like they are having fun. 

 

youll definitely turn some people onto the music though. would imagine mdma (powdered enthusiam) and northern would be a rather nice mix. 

Powdered enthusiasm sounds like most northern soul nights in the 70's surely !

Powdered enthusiasm sounds like most northern soul nights in the 70's surely !

 

….or today even….when a lot of DJs ask where the gear is, they don't mean the sound equipment…. 

Exactly Steve. Nothings changed !.

Go for it Rob its still a better night out for those looking for the music than staying in.  

Absolutely go for it ... so many positives in everything you're doing . Some of those students and 20 something's of today may be the rare soul enthusiasts of tomorrow. And to have a regular monthly night in a proper large night club can only be good thing , exactly the kind of place where rare soul can attract new, younger devotees in today's world.  The soulies with open minds and without prejudices will turn up. Just make sure you completely ignore the small group of tired old cynics who will inevitably poo poo everything you're doing ...

Edited March 15, 201411 yr by sunnysoul

Go for it Rob its still a better night out for those looking for the music than staying in.  

Might have to get you on sometime Bearsy. I know you got some good tunes.

Good luck. If you get those numbers in  and if a few get turned on to this music that we love . WOW how lucky will they be. A lifetime of this thing called soul.   Steve

Cant help replying as i live round the corner! I went to soul train when it was mickey by himself all night and about 20 ppl. Now the length of peckham high street is one long cue. How he managed that ill never know, alot of hardwprk i should think. I actually once contacted him about doing a spot but he didnt reply, then he started getting all thesd big names in and i knew it was then out of the question! Alot of mates of mates from uni (graduated last year) have started going every week which really pissed me off as none of them were ever interested in coming to any spots i did yet suddenly this soul night was the place to be! The main attraction for the student types i think lies in the venue; bussey building is the club to be at in peckham regardless of the music. Being a big soul fan it kind of pissed me off that all these hipster twats were going to a soul night! However, its definitely a very mixed crowd and im sure it has its real soul devotees. I work in a pub round the corner so know the crowds of peckham very well. If you want any more info just ask, and please do consider me for a guest slot as id give my right arm!

Will have to endeavour to make it down for the 5th, been to warrens club before, great night. Good luck to ya! And if you fancy a heavily discounted pint pop in to the old nuns head where my playlist is heavy on the rare soul aha...

go for it and good luck!..not sure how many soulies you will attract might even be a bit too much for the young cool mods types who go to the 100 club etc BUT im sure you will still have some top nites and hopefully turn some more youngsters onto OUR kind of soul who will support you and go looking for more too

 

a couple of great guest djs to start with to cover all bases from latin,rnb,northern and 70s/modern

 

atb

 

dean

How truly adventurous is this crowd?

 

Rob Alias

I've been given the opportunity to run a room at the South London soul train and wondered what people think.

Its already a successful club with 1500 turning up every other week. They get a lot of students anf 20 somethings and the crowd are really enthusiastic. So they've asked me to run a northern soul room and get some DJ's in. Its a great venue with a good dance floor and its on from 10pm till 4am. The plan is to have 3 DJ's having two one hour sets each (myself plus two guests) so every DJ gets a good amount of time to prove their stuff. I just wondered what the soul fraternity thinks. Would soulies turn up, or turn their nose up saying "civillians on the dance floor" etc ? I mean we were all young and innocent in the ways of soul once. We weren't born dancing to rare soul so you have to start somewhere and from what I've seen in the funk room the crowd are really up for it. They're young (probably with a similar enthusiasm to the young people of Wigan, the Torch, Cleethorpes etc- who are now the older section of the scene) and God knows this scene could use some young blood. Any DJ's who fancy a go get in touch. I'm puting a list together. Oldies / newies / motown / crossover etc - but lets go for up tempo !

 

South London Soul Train

The South London Soul Train is a hugely successful club in Peckham, SE15.

With 3 floors of music to choose from this event is attracting 1500 people every fortnight. People ready to dance and party the night away. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to host a northern soul room. Running from 10pm till 4am on the 1^st Saturday of every month. This is a great venue with a nice wooden dance floor, reasonably priced drinks and an enthusiastic crowd. At only £5 entry there is no guest list but if you want to avoid the queues (and they queue round the block!) then contact me for a queue jumping pass to go straight to the front.

The northern soul room starts on April 5^th with Warren Boogaloo and Derek Mead joining me as guests. Warren has run his successful boogaloo night for over 10 years now in Greenwich and has DJ’ed all over London and the South east to great applause. He knows how to please a crowd with a superb mix of classics, rarities and R’n’B thrown in. Derek runs the Bisley nightshift club in Surrey and has just returned from stints at the Prestatyn & Soulvation weekenders. This man breathes, sleeps and possibly even eats northern soul ! Expect to dance your asses off !!

In the other two rooms you have mainstream soul & disco from Mickey Jazzheadchronic (it’s a Marvin Gaye special this week) and the funk room with Snowboy & Perry Louis. Spoilt for choice.

https://www.facebook.com/events/447838631983201/?fref=ts

 dereks not young ? hes 67?

mot

 I really like to see non scene people turning up - they are mainly open to the music without baggage and tend to do their own thing on the dancefloor which is refreshing given that so much of the dancing these days seems based on 5 mins of footage from Wigan 1977.

 

Cheers

Manus

Nice one Ollie

If you come down say hi and we'll have a chat

Rob

 

Will have to endeavour to make it down for the 5th, been to warrens club before, great night. Good luck to ya! And if you fancy a heavily discounted pint pop in to the old nuns head where my playlist is heavy on the rare soul aha...

Don't let Del and Rodney in. 

My question remains unanswered. Just how adventurous is this crowd?

 

Rob Alias

The Beats & Pieces Show

Starpoint Radio

My question remains unanswered. Just how adventurous is this crowd?

 

Rob Alias

The Beats & Pieces Show

Starpoint Radio

 

What do you mean by adventurous?

My regular once a month club here in Copenhagen is largely the same kind of deal, very young crowd who know nothing about the music or culture that it comes from. It can be hard at times, and I certainly get bothered when someone comes up to request some asinine pop drivel after I've just put on a rare tune I love, but certainly it has its rewards. It can be extremely impressive seeing a room of people who wouldn't know a £5 record from a £500 all dancing in their own style. As Manus has said its nice to play to a crowd without the baggage that comes with the "scene". My taste and collecting goes from R&B clear through to Modern, and a young crowd who just wants to dance to "soul" won't get bothered too much if your plays get a little adventurous in mixing sounds. Best of all, when a 19 year old gives me a thumbs up or a high five over the booth, it gives me a little hope that the scene here can come back into its own and out of its slumber. I love playing to a room rammed with soul people, but thats a rare occasion without traveling, and I think both scenarios have their merits. 

 

Best of luck with the new venture, get that crowd pumping on some good ol' rare soul! 

My regular once a month club here in Copenhagen is largely the same kind of deal, very young crowd who know nothing about the music or culture that it comes from. It can be hard at times, and I certainly get bothered when someone comes up to request some asinine pop drivel after I've just put on a rare tune I love, but certainly it has its rewards. It can be extremely impressive seeing a room of people who wouldn't know a £5 record from a £500 all dancing in their own style. As Manus has said its nice to play to a crowd without the baggage that comes with the "scene". My taste and collecting goes from R&B clear through to Modern, and a young crowd who just wants to dance to "soul" won't get bothered too much if your plays get a little adventurous in mixing sounds. Best of all, when a 19 year old gives me a thumbs up or a high five over the booth, it gives me a little hope that the scene here can come back into its own and out of its slumber. I love playing to a room rammed with soul people, but thats a rare occasion without traveling, and I think both scenarios have their merits. 

 

Best of luck with the new venture, get that crowd pumping on some good ol' rare soul! 

 

 

Well said and it should always be remembered that no one is actually born  to be into soul music although no doubt more than a few on here would make that claim.

 

Everyone has to start somewhere. 

Edited April 1, 201411 yr by sunnysoul

Well said and it should always be remembered that no one is actually born  to be into soul music although no doubt more than a few on here would make that claim.

 

Everyone has to start somewhere. 

 

can you drop the negativity in your posts

 

i doubt very much if anyone on here would make such a claim

 

thanks

mike

No problem Mike. Happy to retract that comment.  

. 

 

. would imagine mdma (powdered enthusiam) and northern would be a rather nice mix.

You'd imagine right.

whole thing sounds great. These people - and lots of em - would be out dancing to something, might as well be old funk and soul]

Nice one Ollie

If you come down say hi and we'll have a chat

Rob

Been called in late to work. Buggar. Will try and catch the next one. Good luck for tonight!

What do you mean by adventurous?

 

Adventurous - prepared to go with the flow, willing to dance beyond 'boundaries', prepared to aurally explore.

 

Rob Alias

 

The Beats & Pieces Show

Starpoint Radio

Sounds similar to the Black Bee experience up here in Manchester. A late soul night in the city center getting a good crowd of young blood in, many of whom have become regulars. They dont have the rules and baggage many of the elder set carry and it makes for a refreshing and energy filled Friday night.

 

The only thing that stands is no drinks on the dance floor and by and large it gets policed well by the clientele themselves.

 

Go for it, you'd be surprised how many young people are out there looking for something new and different. Good luck :-)

Good luck with it Rob …. sounds like a great gig.

Sunny soul, i did not read any thing negative in your comments , if anything i found them positive and full of enthusiasm.

Hey .... go for it ..and don't be put off by anyone .. 

 

I'm a relative newcomer on this site ..but an old Scouser... Blackpool Mecca / Wigan boy ... that now lives in London ,,, 

If the music and scene is to survive it always needs new blood ...new venues and new DJ's ...it's the love of the music that sees it through . 

Wish my kids would get into it a bit more ... and you never know ... bit by bit ... with Pharrell and others hitting the right beats  ..and taking them to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings soon ... might get them wanting to get Dads 45" out and look at his memorabilia collection ...

  

Take and learn from the old , but put your own spin on things and Keep the Faith 

 

I only wish I was back in Sauff London ... cause I would have popped over myself and taught you guys how to dance )

Might just do that at some point anyway . when i can draw myself away from the Dub Step and Drum and Bass of Mr Bukem and friends .

 

I wish your venture all the very best .

S.L.S.T 

God bless her and all that sail in her 

Edited April 12, 201411 yr by stevegods

Ha ha. I'm back ! Been awhile since I logged in. I'm terrible at this sort of thing. Anyway thanks for positive comments. 1st one was awesome. Took a while to fill up as its a big venue and we're on the top floor so they have to find us. Good night though and the crowd were enthusiastic about it all. Next one is 3rd May. See ya there folks.....!