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@Russell Gilbert thanks for the great reply  !!!!! A little more info about soul clubs in the 60's or 70's or the emergence of northern soul tunes being played on the dutch scene in the past would be great. They've had a mod and scooter scene since the early 80's where northern soul was played along side other tunes but a little more info would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by viphitman
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14 minutes ago, viphitman said:

@Russell Gilbert thanks for the great reply  !!!!! A little more info about soul clubs in the 60's or 70's or the emergence of northern soul tunes being played on the dutch scene in the past would be great. They've had a mod and scooter scene since the early 80's where northern soul was played along side other tunes but a little more info would be greatly appreciated.

No idea about soul clubs here in the 60s or 70s. I'm not that old! :lol: Also, I moved to the Netherlands from the UK about 10 years so can't really tell you what happened before I got here. You are right about the Mod/scooter scene, though. A number of Dutch friends here who are into Northern discovered it that way. There's still bit of Mod/scooter thing going on, with the Dutch Lions probably being the most well known scooter club. Others though, are just soul music fans with wide tastes that includes genres also embraced by the broad church that is "Northern Soul". I know one guy - a record shop owner and DJ - who played a great Northern set at an event. Talking to him later, he said he didn't know a thing about Northern Soul and was just playing music from his collection he thought others would like.

That's very typical here - people aren't so bound by genres. 

The influence of the Suriname love of sweet/deep tunes has very much taken root in the general soul culture. Hans Diepstraten and Harry van Vliet have been broadcasting their show - Fingerpoppin' Soul - for almost 25 years now, making it one of the longest running soul radio shows in the world. Those guys love sweet, deep and low, but also come along to our nights to listen to different styles. Again, it's all about having a very open-minded attitude to the music, and in some respects mirrors the generally open Dutch culture.

 

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22 hours ago, viphitman said:

The positive effect of people starting to play original vinyl only over the last 30 years has been that a greater variety of sound and styles are on the menu. The difficulty to obtain certain tunes and the limited funds meant that people were digging a little deeper and classics were not played to death especially since the mid 90’s until today.

Thanks Viphitman & Russell ....Really interesting topic/articles so would love to hear more contributions from Europe & beyond.  The bit i have quoted sums up the value to the whole scene of an 'OVO' policy. 

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1 hour ago, bbrich said:

Thanks Viphitman & Russell ....Really interesting topic/articles so would love to hear more contributions from Europe & beyond.  The bit i have quoted sums up the value to the whole scene of an 'OVO' policy. 

Thanks mate, for me that’s really positive musically as well. Very rare items like the Tomangoes or Lou Pride are only owned by around 2 or 3 people in Germany I think. It’s so fantastic and uplifting when you hear them out on the rare occasion. At the same time other dj play some amazing stuff too and some of the younger ones always surprise me so that I have to ask them what the hell was this  & go home happily with another new want or a forgotten classic. Another great weekender in Germany, which is always full to the rafter with some great music played, is the Hamburg Soul Weekender. But anyway, come on guys from Spain, Sweden Japan or Timbuktu. Give us a shout!!! Some Clubs like the Trefoil Soul club in Italy have been strutting their stuff for over 30 years!!!

 

 

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Loads of soul events going on across mainland Europe nowadays. Don't recall if I posted this before, but here's a breakdown of 2016 events by country and city...

Countries by events

Germany = 64
Netherlands = 32
Italy = 23
Sweden = 19
Spain = 16
France = 10
Denmark = 8
Belgium = 7
Czech Rep = 5
Switzerland = 5
Greece = 3
Portugal = 2
Austria = 1

Total = 195

Cities by events

Amsterdam (NL) = 27
Hamburg (DE) = 20
Berlin (DE) = 13
Stockholm (SE) = 11
Copenhagen (DK) = 8
Barcelona (SP) = 7
Paris (Fr) = 7
Gothenburg (SE) = 6
Nuremberg (DE) = 5
Prague (CZ) = 5
Rotterdam (NL) = 5
Milan (IT) = 4
Stuttgart (DE) = 4
Tubingen (DE) = 4
Brussels (BE) = 3
Genova (IT) = 3
Pisa (IT) = 3
Turin (IT) = 3

This list was compiled by me based on events listed in the Facebook group, the European Soul Club Network.
 

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1 hour ago, viphitman said:

Thanks mate, for me that’s really positive musically as well. Very rare items like the Tomangoes or Lou Pride are only owned by around 2 or 3 people in Germany I think. It’s so fantastic and uplifting when you hear them out on the rare occasion. At the same time other dj play some amazing stuff too and some of the younger ones always surprise me so that I have to ask them what the hell was this  & go home happily with another new want or a forgotten classic. Another great weekender in Germany, which is always full to the rafter with some great music played, is the Hamburg Soul Weekender. But anyway, come on guys from Spain, Sweden Japan or Timbuktu. Give us a shout!!! Some Clubs like the Trefoil Soul club in Italy have been strutting their stuff for over 30 years!!!

 

 

all good stuff :thumbsup:

hopefully some of our many beyond the uk members will shout up.. 

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50 minutes ago, Soul-Slider said:

Is it just me or do the clientele always seem a tad younger than the UK crowd in photo's/videos I've seen? 

Brilliant thread btw! 

As far as Amsterdam is concerned, the average age of the crowd rises in direct correlation to the number of Brits in attendance. :D

The rest of the mainland is pretty much the same based on my experiences.

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On 30/08/2017 at 17:55, Russell Gilbert said:

Northern Soul Amsterdam has been running as a monthly soul night for close to two years and celebrates its second anniversary in December with a "small but mighty" mini weekender (Guest DJs include Dave Thorley, Alberto Folpower, Matt Fox and others). It's a classic back room of a pub affair - in this instance a really nice traditional Dutch bar just opposite Amsterdam's Centraal Station. It always has a cracking atmosphere and because of its relatively small size is super friendly. As such we brand it as the small but mighty soul club.

CafeBatavia-Golden-Arrows.jpg.35e3f81f2256e563b000e820b724704f.jpg

Northern Soul Amsterdam came about as a result of the demise of the monthly Amsterdam Soul Club nights that started in 2008. The ASC still exists, but nowadays only caters for the UK-to-Amsterdam soul cruises that cross over the North Sea a few times a year. The Northern Soul scene here is very small - a few Brit expat (and long-tiome Northern fans), a slowly-growing number of local people, and people who've come specifically for our night from other countries.

As has been said about European venues so often, it's very refreshing because local people don't have all the baggage that sometimes weighs the scene down. People here are excited by the tunes, whether classic oldies or something just released. They have an open-minded attitude, which means you can play just about anything in the broad church of soul. In fact, the only complaints we've ever had about the music policy have been from visiting Brits wondering why we're not playing more Top 500 stuff.

In our nearly two years of existence we've been fortunate to attract a great selection of DJs, some of whom are now regular visitors behind the Northern Soul Amsterdam decks. Guest DJs have included Pete Lyster, Alberto Folpower, Gerd Baum, Andreas Beraha, Leo Mastropierro, Dave & Lynne Girdwood, Colin Brown and many more. As mentioned, Dave Thorley is gracing us with his presence in December. 

The music (OVO) varies tremendously. You'd hear everything from one-off acetates, classics, crossover, R&B, gospel, funkier sounds, modern and new releases. It very much depends on the tastes of our guest DJs, who we promote as the main attraction of the night (with fellow co-promoter and myself as the support act!). I don't often put together a personal playlist, but have compiled this one from a couple I found from last year:

Arthur Conley - Keep on talking - Atco (Fr)
Denise La Salle - Count down - Chess
George Guess - Dark shadows - Pearl Harbor
Creations - Just a dream - Zodiac
Grace Love & the True Loves - Nobody sweeter
The Inverts - Look out love - Tower
Lawanda Bell - Down, down, down - Unrel acetate
Jackie Jason - Please Mr Sun - Pip
Living Color - Thank the Lord for love - Madhatter
Richard Blandon & the Dubs - Lost in the wilderness - Vicki
Adam's Apples - Don't take it out on this world - Brunswick
Pat & the Blenders - Just because - Fast Eddie
The Chandlers - Your love makes me lonely - Col Soul
The Imaginations - Strange neighborhood - Fraternity
Johnny McCall - I need you - Al-teen
Archie Bell - A thousand wonders - Atlantic (Sp)
La Tribu - I don't want you more - Polydor (Mx)
Harvey Averne Dozen - Never learned to dance - Uptite
Limitations - I'm lonely, I'm troubled - Bacone
Joe Bataan - Cycles - Vampisoul
Sunny & the Sunliners - I'm no stranger - Key-loc
Unknown - Eyes of love - Unrel acetate
Cookie Jackson - Do you still love me - Progress
Betty O'Brien - She'll be gone - Liberty (Fr)
Big Ella - The Queen - Rush
The Gospel Pearls - Two little fishes - Liberty (Fr)
The Swan Silvertones - If you believe your god is dead… HOB
Caffey Brothers - Make me over - Aura
Ronnie Forte - That was whiskey talkin' - Tarx
September Jones - I'm coming home - Kapp
Larry Atkins - Ain't that love enough - Highland
Linda Jones - You can't take it - WB (Fr)
Jackie Lee - Oh, my darlin' - MIrwood
Duke Turner - Friendship or friends - Unrel acetate
The Chimes - The beginning of my life - Down to Earth
Big Lee Dowell - What I done wrong - Cannonball
The Ideals - Mighty lover - Boo-ga-loo
The Rockmasters - Raining teardrops - Romulus
Candace Love - Wonderful night - Aquarius
George Freeman - Down and out - Valiant
Bobby Sheen - Something new to do - WB
Arnold Blair - Finally made it home - Triumph
Mahalia Jackson - I'm on my way - Jazz (It)

It's been rewarding running these nights, I have to say, although hard work at the same time. But it's definitely worth it for all the fantastic tunes we get to hear courtesy of our guest DJs, and because of all great people we get to meet and who leave at the end of the night telling us what a cracking time they had. Knowing you've been partly responsible for that because you organised the night is priceless.

Videos… my Loma Russ YouTube channel has a number of short vids of nights. Here's one...




 

Looking forward to being back over next weekend, always a good time in Amsterdam and the rest of mainland Europe...the crowds are more up for it and willing to dance to things they might not know as well as "classics"

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1 hour ago, R Soul said:

Looking forward to being back over next weekend, always a good time in Amsterdam and the rest of mainland Europe...the crowds are more up for it and willing to dance to things they might not know as well as "classics"

Absolutely true, which is always great to see. Make sure to come up and say hello next Saturday, won't you? :thumbsup:

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On 8/30/2017 at 14:45, viphitman said:

Hi folks,

It would be great if you could write a little about your national none UK northern soul scene (past & present) and also add some info about a current northern soul club or weekender playing original vinyl only. A video and a playlist would also be great. Anyway I’ll start with Germany…

The German Northern Soul scene has been going for more or less 35 years. Although soul clubs existed in the 60’s and 70’s in Germany and at some UK military bases they played northern tunes in the late 70’s, 60’s Soul & Northern Soul tunes started slowly to get played in the late 70’s early 80’s with the arrival of the mods, scooter scene and a few trad. skins. Although some die heart German soul fans even travelled to Wigan in the seventies and also collected original rare soul records, in the beginning reissues, Kent LP’S or European issues were played at soul nights in the early 80’s. Nonetheless playing an original set was seen with utmost respect and at the end of the eighties more and more people started to play and collect original vinyl only. The positive effect of people starting to play original vinyl only over the last 30 years has been that a greater variety of sound and styles are on the menu. The difficulty to obtain certain tunes and the limited funds meant that people were digging a little deeper and classics were not played to death especially since the mid 90’s until today. Also people want to offer a different set or a different biggie to other djs to entertain the crowd. Well, some tunes are hunted by everyone but still; most people want to play something a little different. Of cause at scooter runs and at small pub events all formats are played since day one and even today. But at Allnighters it is mostly OVO. However, some ovo clubs & weekender have been going strong for many many years in Hamburg, Berlin and Nürnberg and are still going strong today. (some weekenders since 1991, Soul Clubs since the 80’s)

Nowadays we have a lovely small & friendly little scene with weekenders and soul clubs around the whole country playing original vinyl only in Berlin Frankfurt Köln Düsseldorf München Bremen Hamburg Nürnberg Dresden Bamberg Aachen and so on…Quite a few people collect and play original vinyl only but one thing I miss a little is the emphasis on the various northern soul dancing styles with a few acrobatics thrown in for good measure especially with the younger crowd.

Right here ya go….. The Motte Allnighter in Hamburg has been going strong for over 8 years with over 38+ different dj from Germany, Italy and the UK, playing a great variety of sounds on original vinyl. The music policy is to play the very best of mainly 60's Northern Soul with quite a few 70's & Modern/Crossover/RnB tunes thrown in for good measure on Original Vinyl Only !!! All Djs are encouraged to play obscure and underplayed tracks as well as classics within their sets. Here is a play list of some tunes I have been playing over the last few years and a video to give you a better idea.

Brand New Faces        Brand New Faces
Dream Merchants        Stop
Jack Montgomery        Don't turn your back on me
Geater Davis        My Love Is So Strong For You
Soulful Illusion        To Get Your Love
Inovations            Just Keep On Loving Me
The Winstons        Ain't Nothing Like A Little Lovin
Charlene & The Soul Serenaders     Can You Win
The Mighty Marvelows    Hey Hey Girl
Lewis Clark            Red Man's Revenge
Jimmie Raye        That'll Get It
Roy Roberts            You Move Me
Helen Curry            I Want You I Need You
The Grier Bros        Weeping Baby All The Time
Voltaire's            Movin' Movin' On
Sun & Rain            This Is Love
The Magictones        Happy Days
The New Perspective    Stone Outta My Head
Tommy Payton         Mountain of Soul    
Kelly Brothers         Crying Days are Over    
Ascots            She's so Indifferent to me Now
Jesse Boone            I got to Love You
Eldridge Holmes        Gone Gone Gone
Billy Hambric         She Said Goodbye
Buddy Ace             Pleasing You
Dawn & Sunset         What It Is
The Up Tights         Just A Dream
Eldrige Holmes         Worried Over You
The Sweet             Broken Heart Attack
Jean Carter             I Bet You
Kenard             What Did You Gain By That
The Magnificent Men    Forever Together
Jaedes             Uh Uh What Did I Do
The Up Tights         Look A Little Higher
Marsha & The Delwands    no hope no faith
Lou Bond            you shake me up
Shawn Robinson        my dear heart
The Incredibles        miss treatment
Soul Superiors        your love is super good
Summits            sophisticated lady
Teddy and The Fingerpoppers    soul groove pt 1
Emulations            move a little slower girl
Dede Warwick        funny how we change places
Joe Garland            that's his girl
Creations            just remember me
The Carltons        ooo baby
Roy Handy            accidental love
 The Fat Jack Band    Hey It's Summer
Jades                The Siesta Is Over
The Twisters          Run Little Sheba
Mark Holder        Part Time Loving
Ronnie Baker        The Big Wide World
Lamar Thomas     You Been Grazin
Johnny Sayles        Anything For you
Lonzine Cannon     Quit While I am Ahead
Sunny Riddell     Come Out In My World
The Barons         A Teardrop Fell For Me
Billy Harner     Don't Want My Lovin'
Maxine Crayton     Don't Take Your Love
The Ebonies     You Got What I Want
The Jaedes         True True
Gene Chandler Barbara Acklin     Love Won't Start
Billy Harner     Sally Sayin' Something
Martha Reeves     Show Me The Way
Syl Johnson     Do you Know What Love Is    
Johnny Davis     You Got To Crawl To Me
Skeets Williams     I Don't Care
Esther Phillips     I Never Found A Man
Vernon Garrett     We People OIn The Ghetto
Soul Superiors     Let's Do It
The 7 Dwarfs    Schneewittchen
Frankie Vallie     The Night

 

just a highlight comment of both the post and also the request for members to shout up....

any more takers

 

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