At Mastermix, we are constantly researching and developing music concepts for DJs and recently did a survey on the kind of music played as part of a Warm Up set and by a long way the style of music that came out on top was Soul. To be more precise it was ‘70s and ‘80s Soul, the type of music associated with our popular Good Groovin' Grandmaster range. Tracks like 'Ain't Nobody' , 'Somebody Else's Guy' , 'Fantasy' and 'Saturday Love' were quoted as being “perfect tracks to use during food service or as part of an early evening set” before building up the pace with tracks including 'September' , 'Good Times' and 'A Night To Remember' as you move into your main set.
The term 'Soul Music' can be interpreted in many different ways and often depends on which DJ you are talking to at the time. The ‘60s saw Atlantic Records deliver tracks like 'Sweet Soul Music' , ‘Stand By Me' and 'Land Of A 1000 Dances' whilst the legendary Motown Records Discography is arguably unrivalled. During the ‘70s we were introduced to the Philadelphia sound that gave us an abundance of mobile DJ favourites including 'The Love I Lost' , ' Love Train' , and 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now' as well as DJ standards from Barry White, Billy Ocean, Edwin Starr and Stevie Wonder.
As the decade drew to an end the emergence of the Disco scene ensured a healthy dose of Soul-Disco cross-over tracks from artists including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge and Chic. Then came the ‘80s and with it a plethora of Soul classics including 'Never Too Much' , 'Criticize' , ' Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent' and 'The Rain' . Each year delivered even more hits with many artists becoming global names and their biggest hits being huge favourites with DJs of all kinds.
Over 30 years later DJs are still playing S.O.S. Band, George Benson, Mantronix and Fatback Band and that trend shows no sign of letting up any time soon as new audiences discover Soul Music and purists continue to request the classics. When creating a Soul set for your audiences it's always a good idea to have a healthy library of tracks to choose from and by adding a few extended versions into the mix you can really go to town and create some stunning sets for your audiences.
The original 12” versions included additional parts that DJs loved back then and continue to enjoy to this day. Soul connoisseurs will also appreciate you taking them back to their clubbing days when the extended versions were used to create the desired effect on the dancefloor. Whilst DJs are expected to play more songs during the night than ever before, there is always room to use the full or extended version of a track and with some careful music programming you can use these to create something special on your dancefloors.
The DJ Playlist: By Richard Lee Richard is the Label Manager for Mastermix and heads up the development team for The Music Factory Entertainment Group but still finds time to DJ at selected events across the UK & Europe. Presents : SOUL 1 \ \ Solid (12” Version) – Ashford and Simpson 2 \ \ Dreamer (Full Length Album Version) – B.B & Q Band 3 \ \ Give Me The Night (12” Version) – George Benson 4 \ \ Encore (12” Version) – Cheryl Lynn 5 \ \ Saturday Love (12” Version) – Cherrelle & Alexander O' Neal 6 \ \ Good Times (12” Version) – Chic 7 \\ Street Life (12” Version) – Crusaders 8 \ \ Fantasy (Special Long Version) – Earth, Wind & Fire 9 \ \ September (12” Version) – Earth, Wind & Fire 10 \ \ I Found Lovin' (12” Version) – Fatback Band 11 \ \ Last Night A DJ Save My Life (12” Version) – Indeep 12 \ \ The Rain (12” Version) – Oran 'Juice' Jones 13 \ \ Love Come Down (Extended Version) – Evelyn King 14 \ \ Fresh (12” Version) – Kool & the Gang 15 \ \ Roses Are Red (Extended Version) – Mac Band feat.
McCampbell Brothers 16 \ \ Got To Have Y our Love (12” Version) – Mantronix 17 \ \ Midas Touch (12” Version) – Midnight Star 18 \ \ Love's Comin At Y a (12” Version) – Melba Moore 19 \ \ Juicy Fruit (12” Version) – Mtume 20 \ \ I’ll Be Good (12” Version) – Rene & Angela 21 \ \ Upside Down (Extended Version) – Diana Ross 22 \ \ Lost In Music (1984 Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers 12” Remix) – Sister Sledge 23 \ \ Just Be Good To Me (12” Version) – S.O.S.
Band 24 \ \ The Finest (12” Version) – S.O.S. Band 25 \ \ A Night To Remember (12” Version) – Shalamar 26 \ \ Come Into My Life (Club Version) – Joyce Sims 27 \ \ Rumors (12” Version) – Timex Social Club 28 \ \ Give Me The Reason (12” Version) – Luther Vandross 29 \ \ I Really Didn't Mean It (12” Version) – Luther Vandross 30 \ \ Don't Stop The Music (12” Version) – Yarbrough & Peoples Soul Legally download all of these tracks for just £6.50 from: [Using code: PMCC170]
