King Georges Hall Stoke on Trent runs four times in the soul calendar year. It has no doubt the best dance floor in the UK which attracts many great dancers. You could spend all night just watching the dance moves by young and old listening to classic uptempo Soul. The venue also has an additional room which caters for those that like to hear something different and also something that may fall into a slower tempo or a different genre. I spent most the night in the rare/underplayed room being the Windsor suite. I enjoyed the first DJ which was Josh Evisons first outing in this room he is a young DJ who is collecting a nice mix of tunes that encompass a broad spectrum of soul which is great to see. Josh played a great mix of variable tempos which resulted in a very interesting set. It is great to see that a venue such as KH has provided a space for these younger DJs to enable them to get a chance to show what they are made of when it could quite easily just only provide its normal bread and butter classics to the public. Allowing this to happen shows a vision for the future in giving these guys and girls a chance to shine. The room in my opinion was slow to start this month and I did wonder if we were going to have a quiet night but I was pleasantly surprised at midnight, it felt very much like a switch had been turned on and the room was charged with an energy that gathered pace as the player progressed through his set. That player was Geoff Swallow. Geoff played an absolute blinder of a set hitting on so much variety in play making the journey so pleasurable in that he built you up and slowed you down several times throughout the set. Picking tunes from many genres which shows a true professional. The room was visibly inspired at his choice of play. I got to hear a few of my own personal favorites being Jeanie Tracy Making new friends and the Grey Imprint Do you get the message and then the Combinations along with loads of great stuff. Must admit thats what inspires me to stay in a room now, a dj that takes a risk with tempos. I get bored with the same tempo throughout a set , be it slow or fast I lose interest if my brain is listening to the a constant sound of the same speed. Actually it was the first time I witnessed people stood right back to the entrance, people were trying to get in and couldnt because so many were dancing. Soul Sam was next and I have to say he looked on top form and to many in the room they much appreciated what he was playing , he kept them fueled championing his love of funk. For me personally the funk didnt move me when played in succession for more than three plays, it felt too much for me as I favor the sweeter side of soul but to be fair Sam was giving the majority what they wanted. I have got to say the Willie Dale Turn on your love light whipped the crowd into a frenzy arms were raised feet were jittery as they all eagerly waited on their starting blocks for the long haunting intro to end and the dance beat begin. My ears were rewarded for staying with it as towards the end of the set when he played Wanda McDaniels Gangster boy which had many of us singing along to with a great deal of passion and then King George I need you was just the icing on the cake followed by the Appointments I saw you there I heard great news last night that a very eminent collector who is from the area being a Permanent addition to the Windsor Suite in the future. youtube/watch?v=xgiVjQyiP64
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 12:15:32 +0000
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