Soul set to fill the floor all over again

3:33pm Wednesday 23rd April 2008

Dave Hughes doesn't have to pause too long when asked what Northern Soul track is closest to his heart.

"Frank Wilson's Do I Love You has to be right up there," he says. "It's the rarest record on the scene. There are said to be just three copies and they were going for £15,000 several years ago. They'll be worth a lot more than that now.

"Then there's anything by the late, great Edwin Starr, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight and the Pips. You can't go wrong with them."

Dave is aiming to re-create the flavour of Bradford's Northern Soul scene and attract big-name DJs to the city. He has teamed up with fellow soul devotees Mick Cordingley and Steve Flynn to launch regular Northern Soul sessions at the New Beehive Inn on Westgate, Bradford.

An assortment of DJs will play classic soul, Motown, R&B and Sixties beats every other month at the venue, where soul fans used to flock several decades ago.

It all kicks off this Sunday with a mini dayer' featuring Yorkshire DJ Graham Slater.

"The New Beehive used to be a soul venue, Graham used to DJ there, and it still has a Sixties feel about it," says Dave. "We're holding the sessions in the basement which has the kind of atmosphere venues used to have, when all people were really bothered about was the music.

"It's all about the vinyl, that's what people have respect for. As a DJ it's always a real joy to see people dancing to the box of records you've brought along. They're there purely for the music.

"We'll hold the events bi-monthly at first and see how the demand goes. There was always a big soul scene in Bradford, Keighley and Brighouse so we're hoping there'll be a lot of interest locally, and further afield.

"Word gets around and people travel a long way for a decent soul event and for particular DJs. The idea is to make this a regular event so we can attract big DJs from around the country and really put Bradford on the soul map."

Dave has been a DJ at Bradford venues including the former Mecca Locarno in Manningham and the former Queens Hall. He grew up in Nottingham which was part of the lively East Midlands soul scene.

"I just had it in me, it's always in your soul," he says. "On Fridays we'd have five coaches going up to Wigan and we'd be picking people up all along the way. Everyone wanted a piece of Friday night at Wigan Casino."

Dave says there's been a recent resurgence of interest in Northern Soul, largely due to the popularity of soul records which are sold on the internet for sky-high prices.

"Northern Soul records are going on eBay for big money," he says. "It's probably bigger now than it's ever been. People who used to be into soul when they were younger have now been married and had kids who are grown up.

"Now they're coming back on to the scene, and some of them are bringing their kids along too. Increasing numbers of young people are getting into it. It's the quality of the music - it never dates.

"My son, who's 13, loves the music. He's picked up quite a bit from listening to CDs I play in the car."

Dave adds: "The music of current chart acts like Duffy is based around Northern Soul; her No. 1 hit Mercy is played regularly on the scene. Fat Boy Slim mixes Northern Soul in some of his tracks. There was a time when you'd never play chart hits, it was more underground.

"Today there's a big scene overseas among ex-pat communities in places like Australia and Japan."

Dave says the aim was to hold city centre events, making them easily accessible. "We go to afternoons at the Twisted Wheel in Manchester which are over by early evening so we have plenty of time to get home on the train. That's important for people who have work the next day!" he says.

Dave will join DJs Graham Slater, Steve Burke and Hockey at Sunday's event. "We're sure that Graham will be a big attraction in Bradford," says Dave. He's a big name in Northern Soul. He's just turned 60 and he's currently in Tenerife, DJing at Soul in the Sun. He also DJs in Ibiza."

A regular at venues such as the Brighouse Ritz and the Okeh Club at Keighley's Victoria Hall, Graham got into soul in the 1960s thanks to a love of acts like Fontella Bass, The Temptations and Ben E King.

He started as a DJ at the Plummet Line in Halifax, playing soul at friends' parties, then went on to appear at Halifax's Victoria Lounge with DJ Gary Chatburn. The pair started a soul club at the Wellington in Keighley, going on to run clubs at other venues around West Yorkshire.

Graham was resident DJ at Halifax Tiffanys for several years, presented Club Picks' on the former Pennine Radio's Soul Express with Paul Cooke, and wrote scripts for the station's Oldies' Section.'

• The Sixties Soul Cellar mini dayer' will be at the New Beehive Inn, Bradford, on Sunday from 2pm to 8pm. Entry is £4 on the door. For more details ring Dave Hughes on 07964 540098, Mick Cordingley on 07821 635471 or Steve Flynn on 07771 981212.

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