Dean

ooooohhhh dangerous. Young DJs eh, not seeing too many young soul fans, perhaps why we're in mid-tempo heaven and the term stomper sounds a weee bit dated. I'm hardly a DJ, I give it my best shot at the Attic and am there to be shot at too, but I've been around. Good DJ = dance floor? Not sure depends on time of night too. A lot of dance floors at soul nights don't warm up until later. Doesn't mean the early spots we're poor. So appropriate timing might be a good sign. Also depends on venue and expectations, big floor without dancers looks odd and cold, particularly if circled by people waiting to dance. Small intimate venue (like ours) not such an issue, people looking happy, talking soul and stuff, having a drink, plus a conscious decision to not try to "chase the floor" to aim for a variety of sound. Although for NS, dancing is a bit like applause, so I'd lie if I said I wasn't bothered, and it does affect what I play, as indeed it should. Good DJ = good spot. Maybe not so simple. Good DJ in front of wrong crowd? Expectation's an issue too, as is reputation. Good DJ = Knowledge, timing, passion, awareness, understanding - builds a good reputation but doesn't rely on it. Recently at the ATTIC Mark Bicknell - 2and1/2 hours with one deck trashed - seamless, full dance floor, happy faces, great energy in the room, great choice of sounds for our place. Cressy - Obvious experience, duck-to-water, natural. Great timing, great awareness and again great choice of sounds for this room. Tats - Why isn't this guy bigger (I don't mean physically), enthusiasm, master timing - opened with some really awesome big northern, led us onto more crossover sound, was an education. Steve Barney Lydon - well sober would be a start!!! Ok shoot me, Dean.

ooooohhhh dangerous. Young DJs eh, not seeing too many young soul fans, perhaps why we're in mid-tempo heaven and the term stomper sounds a weee bit dated. I'm hardly a DJ, I give it my best shot at the Attic and am there to be shot at too, but I've been around. Good DJ = dance floor? Not sure depends on time of night too. A lot of dance floors at soul nights don't warm up until later. Doesn't mean the early spots we're poor. So appropriate timing might be a good sign. Also depends on venue and expectations, big floor without dancers looks odd and cold, particularly if circled by people waiting to dance. Small intimate venue (like ours) not such an issue, people looking happy, talking soul and stuff, having a drink, plus a conscious decision to not try to "chase the floor" to aim for a variety of sound. Although for NS, dancing is a bit like applause, so I'd lie if I said I wasn't bothered, and it does affect what I play, as indeed it should. Good DJ = good spot. Maybe not so simple. Good DJ in front of wrong crowd? Expectation's an issue too, as is reputation. Good DJ = Knowledge, timing, passion, awareness, understanding - builds a good reputation but doesn't rely on it. Recently at the ATTIC Mark Bicknell - 2and1/2 hours with one deck trashed - seamless, full dance floor, happy faces, great energy in the room, great choice of sounds for our place. Cressy - Obvious experience, duck-to-water, natural. Great timing, great awareness and again great choice of sounds for this room. Tats - Why isn't this guy bigger (I don't mean physically), enthusiasm, master timing - opened with some really awesome big northern, led us onto more crossover sound, was an education. Steve Barney Lydon - well sober would be a start!!! Ok shoot me, Dean.

What a great topic. I'm not fooling myself that any of these will "go big", that's often more about who plays, rather than what's played............and I'm so small scale I'm off the map. But, that said, happy to share some from the back of my box that are genuinely doing it for me at the moment - as you'll see these are not meant to impress, but make me happy. On a modern/crossover tinge - from last year on Soul Junction Johnny Moor - You Fixed it (wish this was rare), and Our Brothers Keeper - You've Been A Long Time Comin' on Columbia. As a b side, the flip to Johnny Wyatt Hang up the Phone, Any Kind of Love on Challenge, just builds and builds vocally. R&B - super cheap but spine tinglingly good - Johnny Copeland - Just One More Time on Golden eagle, pick it up for a fiver. Old Style - hardly known Tony Middleton - Already Satisfied on speed (label that is!) and one I really hope is resurrected through the Cleethorpes "reunion" Dry Well - Gypsy (Lauren). Don't think I've heard that in a big hall since Parr Hall Warrington. Play them at the Attic in Mansfield, not the best sounds played there by any means...............but it's a personal thing. Dean.

Not sure this fits the bill of tunes people would like to play but feel apprehensive about, but I think it goes with the flow of the the thread. Barry Cooper played Isley Brothers - I hear a Symphony at a recent Pilsley night, that went down a storm - perhaps also memories of Carmel Strings from a day gone by in there. I tend towards an imagined RIGHT time to drop sounds in, if it's a spot full of more popular (at their time) records the individual great sound, of which I'd think IMLR is one can get lost. But drop it in the RIGHT place and it can feel fresh and distinctive. One of my current favourites is Lesley Gore - No matter What You Do, don't feel apprehensive about playing it, but it needs to fit the spot - as I hope it will at the Attic on Saturday (Mansfield - see events). Guess it's all opinion and taste, varied and better for it. Dean