Amsterdam Russ

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.

@tlscapital might have something to contribute...

A just-published article from The Vinyl Factory on the Discogs/bootleg situation... https://thevinylfactory.com/features/do-bootlegs-matter-what-discogs-new-crackdown-means-for-future/ For me, in some respects the most telling part is this... I wonder where these infringement claims are coming from. I presume it's the major rights owners in the music industry - the "big boys". But for that to be the case, these companies (individually or collectively) must be spending an absolute fortune identifying and cataloguing what are legitimate commercial releases of their own content and what aren't, which has to be a monumental task!

No idea about soul clubs here in the 60s or 70s. I'm not that old! 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.

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. 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...

A gorgeous afternoon here in the Netherlands, just perfect for a cycle ride locally...

All the swifts in our little corner of the Netherlands disappeared about 10 days ago or so.

I'm delighted it brought back a happy memory. No idea where I picked that up from, but it's one I've always used. It probably comes from my own parents.

Thanks, Steve. Some geese flew over the other evening, very low. Thought it'd make for a great pic, but didn't have a camera to hand. Heard geese again last night, so went out on the off chance and a minute or two later these ones came along.

View from the balcony last night...

What a mixed bag of weather we've been having. Glorious sunsets one day, and early morning fog the next. Today it's tipping it down, but I don't think you need a photo to know what that looks like.

Cheers, Steve. Fantastic weather, fantastic place, and well worth a visit!

A short video I've just put together from clips taken while out snorkelling on hols in the beautifully clear waters of Molyvos a couple of weeks ago...

Three sunsets taken on three different days from the balcony of our apartment when we were on holiday in Molyvos on the Greek island of Lesvos...

It's a male kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).

Email coming your way, George. As for images, the best thing I can suggest is to have a look through our little website (url in my signature, below). The "previous soul nights" page has quite a few pics. If any are useful to you, let me know and I'll send you the full-sized file.

Of course I'd be happy for you to use anything I've said. Direct attribution would be nice, as would the correct spelling of my first name. A copy of the article, once printed, would also be appreciated. Relative to your second point - about the ages of those attending - yes, it is true that the majority are older. That's because, in the main, they're people who never quit the scene. Some might have dropped out for a while as they brought up the kids, etc, but ultimately it's a scene made up of dedicated people for whom Northern Soul really is a way of life. However, there is young blood out there. In the UK (and bear in mind I'm a Brit expat in Amsterdam), I suspect it depends on the venues you go to. Members here from the UK will know where - I don't. As an example, check this out. If you watch it on YouTube you'll see a link to the full film. While I can't really comment on the numbers of young people attending events in the UK, I can say with some confidence that it's pretty high over here, and across Europe. In some respects most of the younger attendees here (in the Netherlands, I mean) won't be Northern Soul devotees as such (ie, lifestylers), but they love the music for sure! As said, members here in the UK will be able to give you a full picture of today's scene and how strong the influx of young blood is versus old timers.

Something you might also want to take into considering when thinking about the rumours of Northern Soul's decline is the fact that in recent years there's been a proliferation of TV adverts in which Northern Soul fans and soundtracks appear. Witness the Shredded Wheat ad from a couple of years back. Another one - for farm eggs - appeared on tellys across the nation some time after that. Leading fashion brands have also got in on the NOrthern Soul act with one well-known brand name "re-imaging Northern Soul" in a TV advert just recently. Barclaycard have one which, if it's not already showing, will be soon. At the same time, Northern Soul and classic tunes associated with it have featured extensively in TV programmes. Witness an episode of Inspector George Gently that was set (rather badly) in a Northern Soul environment. A number of documentaries have been broadcast in recent years, one of which - "Living for the weekend" - was actually rather good (for a change). In 2014, there was even a movie about Northern Soul (imaginatively titled "Northern Soul"). There was another movie prior - "Soul Boy". While all this interest is in some ways flattering, it also highlights the fact that the scene has been strong enough to come back into vogue in the media's eye. The media think it's a nostalgic return for the scene when the real truth is that it never went away - it just went back underground after the Wigan Casino closed. This media interest in the nostalgic aspect represents but a mere tip of the iceberg for the scene itself. And like an iceberg, the greater part of the scene is very much below ground level and will remain so. Hope this helps...

The decline of important subcultures like Northern Soul? Tut, tut! The closure of the Wigan Casino all those years ago might have seen a small decline in the number of people on the scene, but it was by no means terminal. Far from it. The NS scene continued and went from strength to strength to the degree that it's a global phenomenon and has been for some years. Do bear in mind that the Casino was but one club. It was not the be all and end all of Northern Soul in spite of what the mainstream media (and some attendees) believes. As my profile image shows, I co-promote a little club called Northern Soul Amsterdam, which is indeed in Amsterdam. We are not alone in this fair city in running Northern Soul events. Amsterdam has had a scene for 10 years now, and it's still growing. A quick scan of the Soul Source events listings will show that there are in fact more events in the UK specifically than there ever has been. Some people, and talk about being spoilt for choice, believe there are nowadays too many events. You can find the events section here: https://www.soul-source.co.uk/calendar/ Having mentioned Amsterdam, you should be aware that mainland Europe is a hotbed of Northern Soul activity. I run a Facebook group called the European Soul Club Network, which exist to promote these events to interested punters who these days, instead of just merely travelling "up north" to somewhere like Wigan, travel across borders with simplistic ease in an age of cheap air travel. Indeed, dig a bit deeper online and you'll find events all over the world, and a quick look in your local physical record shop - or via your favourite online or digital source - will reveal that more Northern Soul music is available to the public than at anytime previously. The decline of Northern Soul? No way. I suggest you consider dropping Northern Soul from this article as presenting it in terms of a declining subculture would be completely erroneous. Alternatively, approach Northern Soul specifically in terms of how, regardless of the decline of other subcultures, this one continues to thrive and went from regional phenomena to become a global movement. Good luck with the piece.

Scheveningen at sunset - the Netherlands.

Agreed! Leaving feedback appears to be much more straightforward now, which is definitely a good thing.

First one to come to mind is this...