anyone out there like to pass comment on the role of women on the soul scene...

...why is it that women are in the minority when it comes to collecting, conversing about labels and records and more importantly djing?

Probably because they are too busy cooking and cleaning and bringing up the family and working as well. they haven't got the time to sit around reading record lists and bidding on ebay as well!

Also they probably spend money on other things apart from records. In my experience anyway the 'men' don't like it if you know more then they do and imagine if a woman had a better record collection than a man! when i've been at an allnighter the men have made sexist and unkind comments about female djays.

I actually heard a well known DJ shout 'Get your xxxx'x out' at one allnighter to a female DJ.

There are many women collectors and with encouragment they would DJ too. Though by nature they don't seem to project themselves as men do. Certainly the women that do take the stand as it were, are to a (wo)man worth a listen - and some.

i think men have more to prove on the soul scene. hence one-upmansip with recrods.

just a reminder....

while can post anonymous, like to ask that add a name as it makes following the discussion easier

ta

mike

Aint that Terrible (With apologies to the Capitols)

Mustang Sally sure was a DJ at the Palais now.

Boston Kate missed her spot cos she was late now.

And smooth talking sam(antha) was playing a sound they called the shingaling.

well aint that Terrible Terrible Terrible Terrible

downright awfull.............

Come on now. if the ladie have got what it takes (sounds wise)

they should get the breaks (Dj Wise).

Best wishes to all Ritchie.

It's their nature.

Just like any other reflection in history; women have the tendency to be humble and don't like taking risks.

I don't know why alot of girls don't break the natural instinct to be boring. It seems like the obvious thing to do in this day and age.

And the cooking & cleaning business is such a lame excuse. We sit on our bums just as much as our men do.

I've never not had an amazing surplus of support from male dj's, collectors, musicians, freinds, boyfriends, etc..

The person yelling the sexist comments is just a mean person, if it wasn't you it'd be something else.

The fact that women don't take advantage of their rarity is beyond me. Maybe in clubland it's harder on a female, but for local soul do's there's no excuse not to. "Needing encouragement," sounds pretty feeble. There's loads of encouragement every where you go.

Women are more practical too, they'll pay their rent before buying records. it's so unfortunate.

victoria

Jo Wallace here. Just stumbled across this topic - made me laugh ;o)))))

a) if anyone shouts out 'get your tits out' to me, I ask them to get their knob out and that normally shuts them up. If that fails, I ask if everything else is as big as their mouth and that usually does the trick.

b) there should be more women deejaying as the decks resemble an ironing board

c) The easy way out is not to get a fat record collecting, magazine reading, record bar lurking, Ebay watching husband/ partner. Do it yourself so you can spend the housekeeping on rare vinyl and bugger the bills, food and telephone bill - blow the lot and eat economy baked beans for a month and a copy of Rita and the Tiaras will be yours. Put a bit of effort into it and you can do it............get off your fat arses and start playing the records. It isn't rocket science - it's putting two pieces of plastic on two spinning decks, opening mouth, engaging brain, speaking, and letting the punters do the rest............Remember - we are all born equal - men are exactly the same as women except we don't have bollocks to keep our brains in - we have skulls. Don't believe the hype ;o))))))

Mark Bicknell: GET YA TITS OUT FOR THE LADS..................

Let me see....

- I have been a woman all my life

- Been on the soul scene for 20 years

- Been collecting records for nearly all of those years

- And have done the odd spot or two in the last 10 years or so

So here's what i think about "women"on the soul scene with regards to niters,collecting,Djing etc...

Ok - there are certain situations that arise

- as they often do in life - when a man is able to do something better than a woman can.....

I can only think of one at the moment though -

and that's their ability to have a piss standing up!!

Men are physically stronger than women (as a rule) and therefore will be able to do certain things better than a woman.

It is a fact of life.

Record collecting,however,is not one of them !

To be taken seriously and to be respected for your knowledge, records and passion for soul has never been easy-

- for a man or a woman.

I have had record dealers shut their boxes on me -

Been told to run along & get myself a part time job in a patisserie

- because that's what us women do...!

Hello...?

Needless to say - i chose to pass on that 24 carat gold nugget

of wisdom ....

There's an old saying - respect has to be earned - and boy does that apply to the soul scene like no other !

But as long as YOU know that you have soul, love soul.

That you are dedicated, genuine & humble and have respect for others - but most of all - for yourself - then nobody can say you shouldn't be on the Northern soul scene -

or collecting records -

or Dj ing !

Especially not some jumped up gimp behind a record box

- so far up his own arse that he could brush his back teeth...!

Most record dealers - i can happily add - are not like that.

They are lovers of soul - just like you & me.

Male ... Female ... what does it matter !

You'll be saying records by female artists have no place on the soul scene next ..

and how stupid does that sound..

Loads,

Joan x

Well done,Jo

Caught your set at Caley in Glasgow last year, couldn't fault it at all.

It would be good to see more of the ladies DJing on the scene especially when the average do contains about 90% male.

Faith H.

Years ago Val Palmer was a regular DJ at the 100 Club. Ady Croasdell also put on an all-girl DJ nighter a while back with line-up including Nicola, 'That Girl Lynn' and Jo Wallace - it was a bl**dy top night! The Upbeat Soul club in Morden also put on an all-girl line-up late last year with 9 female DJs.

Janine played at Prestwych a few months, Cristina is one of the regulars at Valatone and off course, Jo Wallace is the co-founder of These Old Shoes....yadda yadda yadda.

Anyway, what i'm trying to say is that I think women are making more of a mark on the scene now.

My theory - men and their collections are like peacocks and their feathers ... like to get 'em out and show them off...not meaning to offend anyone but these days any bloke with more than 20 records thinks he's a DJ.

Us ladies are far more modest, unassumingly, all-seeing and no where near as autistic about record labels.

... Mike, have you got a "tongue in cheek" smilie please - I could use one... right now. (laughing my head off!)

For those that are REALLY interested in learning more on the female of the Dj-ing species, Nancy Yahiro (a very knowledgeable lady on the scene) has written a superb article - click here to read article

I don't give a poo if it's a man or woman Djing,as long as they have great soul records and are a nice person.At the next Shotgun we have two female Djs guesting Mary and Jo,we love to do our bit for equality (and they both have fantastic records).

Power to the soul girls.

I always thought Beverley Ann - He's coming home, was a record for soul girls, and not us men. Is that the kind of sounds these ladies are playing then??

Nice worthwhile link Kolla, never stumbled across that one before.

Just shows how much stuff on web is out there that gets missed, nice one keep them coming.

Same to anyone else, find ought worthwhile on your travels them throw links up

On actual thread, some might have missed it, so just push up a link to article where can hear Jo Wallace on Womans Hour talking about this very subject and more

My own views on subject?

none - just class the djs on what and how they dish out the soul,

female, male, scottish, english, old, young..... who cares ?

a good dj is a good dj

HERE , HERE,

I agree, it's what's in your record box that counts, not what's in yer pants.

WOJ

I couldn't agree more!

ALL Djs should be given spots based on what's in their box....

NOT THEIR BOXERS!!

Loads, Joan xx

I think there's something in the psyche of men which makes us more prone to collecting too. You don't get as many female stamp collectors, numismatists or trainspotters either. Men are more prone to autism, obsessive compulsive disorder and other odd behaviours, and let's face, it the northern scene has its share of oddbods. That's not to say every collector or DJ is a weirdo but we all know a few who are: people who you just can't imagine having much else in their lives and they tend to be male, not female.

There's also the fact of life: like it or not, women tend to have kids and drift out of things (work too) for family reasons. Blokes do too but it's more a female thing.

On the subject of women per se, who on earth cares what sex a DJ or collector is? It's what's in the grooves that counts.

The guy shouting at a DJ to get her tits out is:

a) a moron

a coward whose closest relationship with real tits is almost certainly in the mirror

c) typical of the divisive, protectionist, cliquey tossers that have poisoned the scene for the last 20+ years to my knowledge, and almost certainly before that, and who will, in the end, kill it because they drive away young people, women, and blokes with less 'knowledge' than them.

Andy S

c) typical of the divisive, protectionist, cliquey tossers that have poisoned the scene for the last 20+ years to my knowledge, and almost certainly before that, and who will, in the end, kill it because they drive away young people, women, and blokes with less 'knowledge' than them

just lazy mid week thoughts got me thinking what is "knowledge" ????

to me knowledge is like anything else, can be gained, bought, collected, stolen, faked, earnt, etc etc

but what is it

a mix of expereince and time put in

a good photographic like memory?

a well maintained and easy to use database

a well looked after, indexed collection of fanzines

good connections

or perhaps a state driven by years of a never satisfied thirst for more soul combined with a passion?

By all means respect to those who can remember every name, value, color of label correct spelling, value and so on

and of course respect to those who are masters of cut and paste or rewritng others words

But what gains my respect even more is not amount of knowledge but the amount of passion,

passion and knowledge combined ... even better and even more respect

but knowledge without the passion ??

mmmm... doesnt quite hit the same button to me

just me own odd mid week thoughts, more than likely to shift by tomorrow

and undoubtly on dodgy ground so feel free to shoot me down