I've heard a record described as 'northern soul', what does that mean

A. Northern Soul is a style of music that genuinely deserves the term 'underground'.

As a direct result of the craze for American soul and r 'n' b music imported from The States during the Mod era in the 1960's, a number of clubs in the north of England continued to play soul music, but the style enjoyed a change in emphasis. Instead of the mainstream soul sounds, including fast Tamla Motown sounds, the customers began gravitating towards more and more obscure American r 'n' b artists, and a definitive quartet of clubs defined the new sound.

Q. Why is it called 'northern soul'

A. The term was originally coined by Dave Godin, a record shop owner and Blues And Soul Magazine journalist, who noticed some of his customers were selecting particularly obscure r 'n' b records, played at The Blackpool Mecca, The Twisted Wheel in Manchester, The Wigan Casino, and The Golden Torch in Stoke-on-Trent. The geographical centralisation of this new trend caused Godin to place the singles in a separate section in his shop, which he labelled 'Northern Soul'. He wrote about the phenomenon in Blues And Soul, and the genre was named accordingly.

Q. What does it sound like

A. Northern Soul is characterised by a typically rapid and thumping backbeat, usually 100 b.p.m. (beats per minute) and an upbeat soul or r 'n' b vocal. As a newcomer, you will perhaps recognise one in forty records played - usually an old Motown hit from the 1960's - the rest will be the obscure American r 'n' b sounds that have singularly failed to make any commercial impact there, or indeed here, but are taken to the hearts of the Northern fans. Here is a great example of a Northern Soul album.

Q. What's the format for a Northern Soul night out

A. Two features of Northern Soul clubs are the origin of men and women dancing separately - using intricate dance steps, the more impressive drawing an admiring section of observers from the crowd, and the length of the music sessions - this was the birth of the 'all -nighter' - typically running from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following morning. The music's raison d'etre is music for dancing - that's what the soul fans go to the clubs to do, they enjoy dancing for long periods, which has given rise in the past to a growing trade in amphetamines, which saw the closure of some of the original clubs by police and local councils.

Q. Why was the soul scene only in the north

A. It originated in the northern clubs, but these days, Northern Soul is a worldwide phenomenon, and not restricted to its original geographical area in the UK. The scene grew originally by virtue of the larger size of the northern clubs - often housed in old dance halls featuring large wooden dance floors, while the southern soul scene tended towards smaller and more intimate venues.

Sadly, the original clubs are no more. The Wigan Casino and The Golden Torch have been demolished, but their spirit lives on and continues to expand with new young audiences adopting the sounds and atmosphere originated forty years ago. Hundreds of clubs hold regular dancing sessions, advertising will often advise of a genuine wood dance floor, essential for the dance moves practiced by the cognoscenti, and a lot of the original Northern DJ's work regularly, playing from their vast collections of 7" singles.

No 12" singles or CD's then

Absolutely not. There is a massive lucrative market in the trade of 7" singles, some Northern Soul rarities change hands for thousands of pounds each, and a lot of clubs will feature a Record Fair in the building foyer, and trade is brisk. Customers come prepared to pay several hundred pounds for a particular record, labels are important, but it is possible to pick up a lot of classic sounds on re-issued labels for less than the cost of an original. Envy of all Northern fans are the original DJ's - people like Dave Evison and Keith Minshull, whose vast collections of Northern rarities are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, and they are happy to play their music today for fans at various clubs around the UK.

Q. Is Northern Soul ever likely to become a major mainstream phenomenon

A. It's unlikely - the appeal of the Northern Soul scene is its underground atmosphere, it's 'family' feeling that binds people together. Original Northern fans who grew up in the sixties and seventies are in their thirties and forties now, and turn out for a blast of nostalgia to enjoy the sounds of their teens and twenties. If Northern Soul was going to break out into the musical mainstream, it would have happened by now, but the embrace of obscure American R'N'B acts and their music depends at least in part on the commercial failure of the music on its original release. It's a peculiarly British notion, that commercial failure of a record in the mainstream can guarantee a lifetime of desirability in the clubs and collections of Northern Soul fans.

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By: Andy Hughes.