Just Soul

In the company of:
Sean Hampsey
Andy 'Tats' Taylor
Kevin Briscoe
Bully

Venue
Ye Olde Bell Hotel
Barnby Moor
Retford
Nottinghamshire
DN22 8QS

Ethos

The Just Soul Philosophy!

The people behind this event love Soul Music.

Real Soul Music.

Soul music is different to any other music genre. Lyrics, instruments, vocals are all evident in most music forms, but the ingredient which is virtually exclusive to our music is the depth of emotion!

We wanted to establish a Soul Event where the spotlight is on that level of emotion - on Soul Music... the Music itself.

It's unfortunate that the UK Soul scene has often been hampered by levels of extreme - those wanting to be 'upfront' always chasing 'the next big thing'- those who are only interested in the known, the safe and established - and those for whom only the rarity of the item on the deck is what floats their boat.

Certainly, the people behind Just Soul do collect records, rare and otherwise (we have rooms full of 'em - and we love 'em dearly) but we try not to let our 'collectors fetish' get in the way of the promotion and the programming of quality Soul music.

To us, its not just what's in the grooves that counts, its much more about what comes out of the speakers... therefore if a previously undiscovered, new or unreleased gem emerges (on CD, LP, Acetate etc.) if it hits the spot, it will get played.

Let's face it, its been said a million times before, there are hundreds of great tunes that don't get the props or the spins, in some areas of the UK scene, because they don't fit the 'template' or are simply 'not rare enough'. That's all well and good for the Chin stroker and Train spotter, but what about those Soul fans who are more into the actual music than they are into the admiring of collectors items? Is it right that those people should miss out on hearing great Soul tunes on a night out, just because the DJ seems unable or unwilling to buck some of the 'conventions' that tend to go hand in hand with the various strands of the UK soul scene?

A Celebration of Soul

So while the scene often seems to go in different and opposing directions, we aim to celebrate, play, promote and enjoy 'Real Soul Music' from across the decades. 60's, 70's, 80's and so on, regardless.

Yes - 21st century Soul does exist, though we well recognise that, going forward, the real stuff will be in shorter supply than it might have been 30 - 40 years ago, resulting in compromise.

At Just Soul we don't compromise. We take the cream off the top and filter the tunes that just don't measure up for our event. With a rich legacy of thousands of tracks to go at, we work with only the finest cuts, from all eras.

As a result, you are bound to hear the occasional latter day track, stirred into the mix, with the main ingredients provided by the Golden era, but be warned, we're not trying to be hip, or fashionable - we don't have a need to be first with anything... or try to get in tune with the latest 'craze' and imitate what's happening elsewhere. Just playing and enjoying quality Soul Music is our main criteria. But then again, if this event is the place where you get to hear a really great track for the very first time, then that'll be good enough for us. The 'gloves off' policy at Just Soul is bound to yield a few surprises!

Hang Up Your Hangups!

So if you're completely hung up on 'Rare Soul' - would rather hear an 'average' sounding 'rarity' over a readily available, top quality, piece of music - then good luck to you, but this probably won't be the ideal night for you. If you only want to hear 'What's New' but don't care too much about how genuinely Soulful the content, then we won't have much on offer in that department. Likewise, if you're wanting to hear a pile of classic oldies all night long then this probably won't be your cup of tea either. But if you're a Soul Music fan with the 'ears' and 'feet' to know the difference, then we can assure you of a good time, at a superb venue, with like minded people, just like you, just like us.

Just Soul People!

We look forward to seeing you there.

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