Scottish Soulful Weekender

Nicky's career began in 1971 and within one year, at the age of just 17 he had opened his own club, New York's infamous Gallery. The Daily News tagged him "the city's best DJ" and New York Magazine called his club, The Gallery, "one of the five most visually breath taking nightspots of our time." Grace Jones and Loleatta Holloway both made their debut appearances on stage at his legendary nightspot & he inspired and launched the careers of Grace Jones, D.C. La Rue, Loleatta Holloway, Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles, to name a few.

It was no coincidence that when Steve Rubelle opened Studio 54 that he chose Nicky as one of the two original DJ's, along with Ritchie Cazor. Continuing his work at the Gallery on the weekends, Nicky weaved his magic during the week at Studio 54. Nicky was behind the decks at Bianca Jagger's legendary birthday party at Studio 54, where she rode in on a white stallion. In 1977, he became the first DJ to produce a record-- the underground classic "Kiss Me Again" on Sire Records which sold more than 300,000 copies. A hiatus to work with AIDS sufferers interrupted his career for a while but he returned to the turntables at 'Body and Soul' for Larry Levan's Birthday celebration in 1998. That one appearance at 'Body And Soul' put Nicky back on his musical path full time once again, where he even ended up playing a triumphant set that has already gone down in clubbing history at Glasgow's 'Melting Pot'. There are many Studio 54 nights held around Britain, this weekend though, it's the real deal with the original resident!

Now approaching their tenth year of existence, the four man DJ club collective Horse Meat Disco have continued to lead the way in the disco field with packed residencies at their HQ Eagle London in London's inner city Vauxhall, Cielo and verious venues in New York, Prince Charles in Berlin and Silencio/Wanderlust in Paris. Inspired by the music and inclusive ethos of New York's heady club scene in the 80s& 90s the collective have garnered a unique reputation for throwing amazing parties with unmatchable sets. The quartet of djs each mix their own individual interpretations of the disco sound with a soundtrack that marries their expertise and shared knowledge and experience in the field. Expect all manner of dancefloor movers from classic to cosmic to deep disco, italo, punk funk, house, even techno, electric bangers and just plain old rare oddities. The collective always keep an healthy eye on the dance floor whilst never forgetting growing current sounds. Luke Howard of the collective represents Horse Meat Disco at SSW3

For over two decades, DJ Amir Abdullah has stayed alive in the music business by a careful balancing act. On the one side, DJ Amir is a club rocking, crate digging, turntable purist. On the other hand, Amir Abdullah is a deft businessman, working behind the scenes at such venerable labels as Fat Beats Records, Rapster/K7 Records in Germany, and most recently as the label head of Wax Poetics Records. It's this savvy approach to both sides of the business that has allowed Amir to stay working and relevant in an industry that is constantly in transition. DJ Amir's start in the music business began not as a selector, but as a listener. From an early age, Amir's ears were saturated in the sounds of jazz, gospel, soul, and disco. As the youngest member of his family, Amir had a hard time getting his music played. When he was old enough, Amir sought to shed the music of his parents by tuning into the world of hip-hop. Yet instead of finding an escape, Amir discovered the music of his home in the music of his peers. The samples in his favorite songs played like a panoramic remix of his parents' turntable. Soon Amir found himself tracing ties inside the music, mining the myriad connection between jazz, funk, disco, soul, and hip-hop. If he found a sound he couldn't identify, it was only a matter of time before the young Amir unearthed the source.

Ever since, Amir has been a man on a music mission. He's braved the strange and dangerous locations for the rarest wax, dealt with the shadiest characters and collectors, and had his knowledge called upon by some of the biggest names in hip-hop. It was during the 1990s, while making a name for himself as a respected DJ and collector that Amir broke into the business side of the music industry. Beginning in the marketing department of Fat Beats Inc, within a few years Amir was promoted to company's vice president of sales. Since leaving Fat Beats, Amir has worked freelance A&R for Rapster Records, been the sales manager for ABB Records, and was the record label manager of Wax Poetics Records in Brooklyn, NY. Additionally, he produced and curatored the Strata Records, Inc., exhibit for the Scion IQ Museum. Now he is running his own label imprint, 180 Proof. It was also during the '90s that Amir would meet fellow crate-digging DJ Kon. After a chance encounter at a vinyl spot in 1996, the two became fast friends and collaborating performers. As half of Kon& Amir, Amir has toured the world over, turning the duo's initial underground following into a worldwide network of fanatical fans. Steadily building a reputation as two of New York's best soul, funk, and hip-hop DJs, Kon and Amir have acted as both resident DJs and as touring turntable stars. A few of their most recent and notable gigs include the Do Over Party in LA, the Grand Groove Party at APT in NYC (with Chairman Mao), the Southport Weekender festival in Southport UK, Sunsplash Festival in Antalya, Turkey 2011, Gilles Peterson the Worldwide Festival in Singapore 2011, and the Wax Poetics Japan Issue #1 release party in Tokyo. Acting as more than just live DJs, Kon and Amir have a discography that extends back as far as their friendship. Beginning with the esteemed underground On Track mixtape series, Kon and Amir have released over nine compilations, including two volumes of Off Track, the follow-up series to their legendary On Track mixes. With the third volume of Off Track set for release from BBE in March 2010 and a fourth volume already in the works, Kon and Amir show no signs of slowing down.

Regardless of industry trends, Amir continues to quietly make moves his own way. Choosing substance over show, Amir makes waves without making noise. It's this kind of shrewd business sensibility and working command of music that makes Amir so highly regarded in the world of hot wax. Shady Records, Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and Capitol Records (to name but a few) have called upon Kon and Amir's respected expertise. Amir's client list has included Dilated Peoples, Big L, Pete Rock, Jay Dee, Madlib, Mandrill, The Mizell Brothers, Common, Lyman Woodard and Dennis Coffey. In a world where anybody with a laptop and an iPod fancies themselves a DJ, Amir is here to keep the true tradition of the turntable alive.

One of the U.K.s most respected soul DJ's and a record dealer of mythical proportions for over 40 years now, this man is widely regarded by many as a leading authority on the rarest of the rare when it comes to soul sevens. John is the author of numerous publications on records including his internationally read price guide books, a must for all soul and funk collectors. A former resident DJ at the Cleethorpes All Nighters John is still an in demand DJ thanks to the vast collection of rare funk and soul music at his disposal. It is fair to say that there is probably not a single rare record that this man has not had at his fingertips at some point. John will be taking time out from running his stall at SSW3 to mash up a selection of 60's& early 70s soulful grooves from his collection for your pleasure.

Yogi is the man behind the Scottish Soulful Weekender, a veteran DJ of many of the U.K.s top weekenders including Southport (now Minehead) and the famed Prestatyn Weekenders in Wales, he has certainly got a special insight into what makes a good weekender. Music is the backbone of any weekender and Yogi's vast record collection has been the key to his long and varied DJ career, which has seen Yogi plays regularly at northern nights, funk gigs, hip hop, modern soul and large house events, this is why Yogi can be found playing in all the rooms at SSW. Yogi also hosts a show on Europe's largest black music station, that being Solar Radio& you can even catch Yogi on the telly from time to time. A Jack of all trades master of none? Not at all, Yogi always plays at the top level no matter what his musical direction is at that moment in time, "I'm jus' lucky enough to have an ear for good tunes in lots of genres" Yogi said.

Bob Jeffries has been playing music in the soul/funk/jazz and house scene since the late 70's and continues to DJ all around the UK. He started playing in Ayrshire at the Darlington Hotel, Bobby Jones (where he organised the all dayers) and Club de Mar. He also gigged for Streetrave in the early days at Ayr Pavillion, Prestwick Airport, Fubar and other SR one offs. During the early 90's he was a resident DJ @ The Sub Club in Glasgow and regular guest at Tom Jackson's legendary Kilt gig in Newmains. Bob is the only DJ to have played at every Southport weekender with slots in all the various rooms and he as also played at all the Luxury Soul Weekenders in Birmingham and Blackpool. For the last 7 years Bob has been promoting and spinning at his Suite Soul nights in Kilmarnock as well as doing guest spots all over the UK and Europe. More recently Bob has taken over the Tuesday night 9:00pm till 11:00pm slot on Starpoint radio with his Suite Soul show playing nu-soul, soulful house and dance floor jazz.

Matt Fox hails from beautiful Cologne, Germany and most locals when discussing the local soul spinner will enthuse about his now legendary podcast at http://mattfox.podomatic.com and how of late it's global success has really given Matt a wider fan base. His trademark eclectic DJing sets explore all the avenues of soul music, leaning heavily towards underplayed mid tempo cuts and unique feel good dancers that are doing the damage in Germany. His soulful sound has meant that Matt has enjoyed travelling to many gigs across Europe to play but it was a visit to Cologne by our own Yogi and Munchkin that brought Matt to SSW's attention. His regular all-nighter SOUL CITY @ the club "Bahnhof Ehrenfeld" is now in its third incredible year championing 50s/60s R'n'B, 60s/70s rare& northern soul coated in a nice little drizzle of funk. Now SSW can experience the SOUL CITY sound here in Dumfries.

Mark has been DJ'ing since the mid-80s after well known local DJ Grumpy Brown heard about a teenage kid collecting rare soul and jazz, a call to deck duty soon ensued and the rest is history as they say. Mark had been collecting most genres of black music including rare Modern and Northern Soul, Jazz, Funk and Disco for many years before that call to duty, working early mornings before school to fund his insatiable record collecting fixation. Home work was neglected& hangin' out on a block was pointless. Instead Mark would much rather bury his nose into the latest Soul Bowl lists and top black music publications of the day, this was Mark's classroom and education.

Having spent over 30 years collecting records, clubbing and DJ'ing, often with those very people that influenced him most, people such as Ian Clark, Butch and Soul Sam, Mark decided it was time to start a night of his own where he could lose his musical mind. Focusing on an event that digs deeper than most gigs playing a whole spectrum of music involving like minded friends and DJs, in 2007 'Independent Movement' was born; a London club night with guest DJs from the UK and around the world playing new discoveries, underplayed gems and hard to find tracks but mainly great records not just those elusive, rare cuts! SSW welcomes this invaluable new addition to the Shrine Room.

A lifelong Soul fan, Rob started his journey collecting at Syd Booth's Soul Centre in his native Mansfield before progressing onto Wigan Casino and Cleethorpes Pier All-Nighters. Early on Rob got the bug for collecting a broad spectrum of Soul records, visiting the USA since 1979 in search of the elusive vinyl.

Rob set up LaBeat Records mail order with Tats Taylor in the mid 80's, which led to various expeditions to Detroit, Washington and the West Coast of the U.S.A. During these trips contacts were made with artists, this led to several of them travelling to the UK in later years when Rob when co-founded and organised the original Pontin's Prestatyn Northern& Modern Soul and Hemsby Motown Legends Weekenders.

An impressive DJ career has lead Rob to getting behind the decks all over the UK at the top all-nighters and soul nights from Allanton in the North to Bournemouth in the South and all points between at both northern and modern soul events as well as spinning all over Europe.

After leaving Pontin's following seven great years, Rob went on to establish The Bridlington Spa Weekenders with Robert Wick's and Pat Brady, this event has established itself as one of the U.K.s best northern weekenders in the UK. and is the sister gig to Rob's equally respected Scarborough Spa Weekender.

A behind the scenes adviser on the set up of SSW and early Baltic Soul events, Rob says "it will be a pleasure to spin a few sounds to such an appreciative and knowledgeable crowd at SSW3".

Dave has been a soul music fan/collector since 1964, and has always had a special interest in soul recordings from the" Windy City" Chicago, since his first visit to the city in 1970. Dave has also promoted soul dances in the Yorkshire area since 1965, and has done many DJ spots at other venues in his own right. He was promoter and resident DJ at the Frobisher Suite, Wakefield, for 12 years, and at the famed Wilton Allnighter, now in its 20year. He has a dedicated interest in all types of soul music � RnB, Northern, 70s, Crossover, Deep and Modern. Some of his best moments were getting involved in the UK soul scene and staying with it for over 45 years; Tracking down and interviewing some of Chicago's finest soul legends; Being instrumental in getting Grapevine and Soulscape CDs and 45s released on many of them, including Johnny Moore, Cicero Blake, Syl Johnson, Jackie Ross and more recently Darrow Fletcher. He also interviewed and gained various artist CD releases on some of Chicago's finest producers including Carl Davis and Clarence Johnson and assisted Chicago's Numero Group to compile "Syl Johnson's Mythology" box set. Dave was the main player in signing Darrow Fletcher for the weekender last year and his performances at London's 100 Club and the very successful night at the Wilton Allnighter. Dave also worked with Ady Croasdell at Kent Records to produce Darrow's latest CD featuring many unissued LA recordings from Ray Charles's Crossover sessions cut in the late 70's, which was voted CD of the month by Black Echoes in November last year. Over the last few years, Dave has guested on the Soulful Allsorts radio show, hosted by Fraser Dunn in Glasgow, and put together Chicago Soul programmes in his own special way. Dave will be spinning some very rare tracks along with some old favourites from his cherished collection of almost 50 years.

Neal Birnie is known as one of the familiar faces behind Soul Jazz Records/Sounds Of The Universe music emporium in London's Soho. Going to work for Neil is not unlike going to school, working at one on London's top record stores and labels ensures that this young DJ is exposed to the finest new releases as well as pontificating with older heads over the counter about past soul and jazz classics. One of the youngest DJs playing this weekend, he's honed his wide-ranging sets with a regular monthly slot on NTS Radio and shows across Europe at various stations. If the mood's right, he might drop Jazz, Disco, Funk, Rare Groove as well as some bonafide Soul bullets. Neil traveled north in year one and played at SSW 1, certainly made a mark at the event, hence this welcome return to SSW, expect soulful, musical hugs.

Launette loves to make people dance, there simply had be a way for her to express this desire and DJing was the perfect medium for her and a move to London 10 years ago was the spark that started a flame. The Syndrome, in East London, was her first exploration into the world of promoting gigs, since then she has held residencies at The Heavenly Social and played at the Vintage Festival& London Fashion week as well as DJing on Solar Radio. She is an obsessive Vinyl collector, loving nothing more than rummaging through dusty boxes of Disco 12"s and Soul 45's. She currently runs a monthly club night called Kruger's Clinic at the Stag's Head and has been part of the NTS family since its conception in 2011, hosting a weekly show called Launette's hour. A talented vocalist also, Launette knows the technical ins and outs as well as a good groove when it hits her.

Born in North London, Andrea grew up listening to her Father's music, consisting of early R&B, Ska, Reggae, Blue Note and Jazz. her first ever visit to a record shop was with her father where upon he bought her Bob& Marcia "Young, Gifted and Black". There started her "illness" as he calls it, her unhealthy music loving disease that will never be cured. Fast forward to her clubbing years at the Royalty, Southgate listening to Froggy and Greg Edwards, Lacy Lady listening to Chris Hill, Le Beat Route and Yarmouth weekenders..

Her DJing started later in life, with radio slots on NE Soul Union as a guest, this was a stepping stone to a regular show on NE1FM, honing her interview skills with legends such as Leroy Burgess, Ledisi, Will Downing, Eric Benet, Tony Momrelle& Gwen McCrae. Andrea had the pleasure of joining Soulgang Radio& working alongside Colin Curtis, this show was picked up by an American Radio Station Soul City Radio. Early influences for Andrea were The Crusaders, Incognito, Light of the World, Marlena Shaw, Leroy Hutson and Luther Vandross to name just a few. Her passion is finding new artists and playing anything from two step to soulful house but this weekend it's modern soul, nu soul and street soul vibes all the way.

Currently Andrea presents the Pure Soul Show on Starpoint Radio 2-3 times per month playing all genres of Soul Music from 70's to current releases. This will be Andrea's 3rd SSW in the Shrine, jus' one of many weekenders Andrea works at.

Rob Lawrence has been on the Soul Scene since the mid 1970's attending Wigan Casino and the Blackpool Mecca. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Rob was part of the infamous 'Tribe' called Weymouth Funk Division attending venues like the Caister Soul Weekenders, Alldayers at Reading, Brighton, Purley, Bournemouth and funk Clubs including The Royalty, The Gold Mine, The Rio, Flicks and Frenchies. After playing numerous DJ spots at the Malibu Club, The George Soul Night, Soul Emotion Discotheque, Ninos Discotheque and The Caister Radio Nighthawk spot, Rob joined the Parachute Regiment because some **** invented House Music and ****** up the Funk scene! During leave from the Army, Rob worked as Stage Manager of the Soul Room for UpNorth Promotions at the Southport Weekenders throughout the 1990's working with artists including Jean Carn, Willie Hutch, Prince Philip Mitchell, Terry Callier, Betty Wright, Lew Kirton, Leon Ware, Tina Marie, Frankie Beverley& Maze plus many more. To this day Rob still spins Jazz Funk and 70's Soul at gigs around the UK as well as Directing Starguard UK Artist& Event Security.

Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson have been releasing music under the Fish Go Deep name for more than a decade. After an early series of eps on New Jersey's seminal i! Records, more than forty releases have followed on labels as diverse as Berlin's Innervisions, New York's Strictly Rhythm, Bristol's NRK and San Francisco's Om Records.

In 2005 their own Go Deep label got off to a flying start when the first release, "The Cure and the Cause", with Tracey K, became a worldwide club and chart hit. Since then they have released a steady stream of deep, musical house music on both their own and numerous other labels. Over that period Greg and Shane have also remixed artists such as Kerri Chandler, Audio Soul Project, Alton Miller, Chymera, Mateo& Matos, Charles Webster and Jamie Anderson feat. K-Alexi.

The long-awaited second Fish Go Deep album, "Draw The Line", was released to wide acclaim in the summer of 2012 and re-united the pair with long-term collaborators, Tracey K and Mary Cigarettes, alongside local Cork vocalist, Tadhg Hickey.

As DJs, Greg and Shane have been late night fixtures in their hometown of Cork for more than twenty years. During the 1990s their residency in Sir Henry's introduced a generation of Irish clubbers to house music and played host to some of the biggest names on the international circuit.

Since finishing their Sir Henry's residency in 2001 the duo have travelled widely, bringing their unique sound to clubs and festivals across Ireland, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and throughout the US and Canada. During that time they have also brought many of the world's finest underground house names to their hometown Go Deep party.

Greg and Shane also have a long history on the airwaves, beginning on local pirate stations before moving their show to Cork's Red FM. Today the show is broadcast on stations in Ireland, the UK and Europe and reaches the wider world as a much-loved weekly podcast.

www.fishgodeep.com

twitter.com/fishgodeep

Deejays that are as well respected for pristine house tempo mixing as they are for their hip hop rooted turntablism. With his rare combination of skills, DJ Spinna has rocked crowds from Iceland to Dubai, Israel to Australia, South Africa to Japan, and, of course, throughout the US and Europe. Known for his versatility, technicality, showmanship, and crowd control, DJ Spinna has been booked at some fo the world's most prestigious venues and festivals rocking long solo sets and collaborating on stage alongside contemporary luminaries like Gilles Peterson, Jazzanova, Joe Clausell, Bugz in the Attic, Osunlade, Q-Tip, Jazzy Jeff, Kenny Dope, DJ Clark Kent, Keb Darge, DJ Scratch (EPMD), DJ Shadow& Cut Chemist.

From his misspent youth skateboarding the frontier towns of North Eastern England, Martin Iveson arrived into the UK's Midland scene in the early nineties, here he was to take a job at a new computer games development studio by the name of Core Design Ltd., this company is now synonymous with Lara Croft and the series of Tomb Raider games.

Not content with scoring this, one of the world's most famous video games, Martin left the company 13 years later to concentrate more on his own studio environment in which to channel his musical aspirations further, and invite other musicians and producers to do the same.

The success of his early works including his first EP 'Story' in 1996 led to the well-received album 'That Something', which was later licensed in Japan by Sony/Kioon in 1998. This debut album also featured cover artwork by Fujio Akatsuka, very well known in Japan for his Illustrations and animated cartoons. With two further albums, 'Labfunk'& 'Labresults' following soon after, Atjazz had at this time established himself as a distinct and inspirational voice in the underground music scene.

Martin has also been a prolific remixer throughout his career remixing and reworking songs & works for artists such as Nitin Sawhney, Bob Sinclar, Jazzanova, Zed Bias& Omar to name but a few and was even requested to rework Henri Mancini's 'The Pink Panther Returns' for EMI Records. Martin is still remixing heavily as he states that remixing has helped to launch his production techniques forward and it's the perfect practice pitch for trying out new ideas and breaking moulds within a diluted industry.

"Remixing helps to hone your sound and allows the producer to print their trademark into another space"

Martin's trademark sound has been requested on many occasions by top class vocalists including Clara Hill, Replife& Deborah Jordan for their own artist album projects and also rubbing shoulders with some amazing musicians& producers along the way. Martin has also teamed up with world-class production legend Charles Webster as 'Version' and are working on their debut album for Miso Records.

2009 saw Martin close his label Mantis Recordings due to harsh industry changes and from these ashes came the Imprint appropriately named 'Atjazz Record Company', which has flown to great heights within the digital realm and has seen many fantastic and sought after releases including his 3rd long player 'Full Circle'. This label concentrates heavily on Martin's productions and collaborations. Atjazz Record Company is a new chapter for Atjazz but with a continuation of his trademark sound.

Martin 'Atjazz' Iveson is in demand across the world: Whether it be a renowned producer, sought after remixer, or floor filling DJ, Martin gives his heart to hold the soul�

Lovebirds is the solo project from Hamburg based producer Sebastian Doering, also known as Knee Deep. Since 5 years Lovebirds is in the focus of the worldwide deephouse/mid-tempo/boogie/nudisco scene. His recent single "Want You In My Soul" featuring Stee Downes is on the way to become one of the tunes of the year finding its way into every sales and artist chart. He releases on labels such as Freerange, Winding Road, om, Teardrop, Buzzin Fly ...

Nick Moss aka Groove Assassin has been in the game for 20+ years. Hailing from Sheffield Steel City in the North of England , Nick was raised on a diet of Funk , Jazz Funk , Latin ,Soul and Disco�all elements that he utilizes both in his productions and his Dj sets.

One of the World's most respected house music Dj's and Producers, Nick's original productions and remix work have appeared on such stellar imprints as , Defected records, MN2S records, Hed Kandi, Stereo Sushi, Ministry of Sound, Soul Heaven, Jellybean, King street sounds & Nite grooves amongst many other legendary house music imprints.

As a Dj , Nick has a very versatile approach to music�. as intuitive as one might expect of a veteran who has watched the house scene go through so many different incarnations. His style ranges from deep underground NY Garage to throbbing deep underground house to main room house music to straight up disco and funk classics , rare groove and soul � which is to say he truly revels in the diversity of this thing we call house music.

Yogi is the man behind the Scottish Soulful Weekender, a veteran DJ of many of the U.K.s top weekenders including Southport (now Minehead) and the famed Prestatyn Weekenders in Wales, he has certainly got a special insight into what makes a good weekender. Music is the backbone of any weekender and Yogi's vast record collection has been the key to his long and varied DJ career, which has seen Yogi plays regularly at northern nights, funk gigs, hip hop, modern soul and large house events, this is why Yogi can be found playing in all the rooms at SSW. Yogi also hosts a show on Europe's largest black music station, that being Solar Radio & you can even catch Yogi on the telly from time to time. A Jack of all trades master of none? Not at all, Yogi always plays at the top level no matter what his musical direction is at that moment in time, "I'm jus' lucky enough to have an ear for good tunes in lots of genres" Yogi said.

Carl Dupree is among the new "saviours" of New Jersey's soulful dance scene thanks to his soulful DJ sets and the Phuture Sole stable that he releases killer garage music through as head of A&R and CEO. As a kid hip hop was his thing but by the time he was 19 Carl Carl had seriously begun gigging around the NJ/NYC metropolitan area making his mark, the first professional gig being at the infamous Peppermint Lounge, East Orange, NJ. Soon gigs were pouring in from numerous venues such as Loop Lounge, Euphoria Lounge, Club Eclipse, Demerara's, Nell's, Filter 14, Groove Jet, Cheetah Club, Twirl and the famous Twilo and Limelight clubs. News of his distinctive DJing style reached several promoters in the UK leading to several guest slots at clubs such as the Honeycomb, The Pelican, 1741, Liquid Rooms, Berlin, Po Na Na and a quarterly residency at Taste. Carl has etched a huge fan base for himself at SSW and is now the man that mo' often than not sets the tone in the Pressure Point for the big guests to step into and make their job a lot easier.

Since moving from Edinburgh to Glasgow in 2009 The Earl has quickly established himself as a major player in the city's underground club scene. His Forever Cookin' Promotion's business is the driving force that keeps some of the city's oldest and best loved club nights such as Melting Pot, Optimo, Animal Farm packed full week in week out and Forever Cookin' is also the sponsor of Yogi's Sunday Joints show on Solar Radio. When he finds time to DJ, The Earl can usually be found playing some of the deepest, soulful, groove-laden house beats in some of the city's coolest bars, you might of also caught him in the SSW room at the Streetrave Acid party back in February. There have been many opportunities to hear Earl play over 2013, don't miss this chance at SSW where we are confident that the Earl's blue blood beats will cause a right royal knees up.

Jamie Alexander is resident DJ at the respected Jelly Roll Soul party in his hometown of Stirling where you'll hear an eclectic mix of music, past, present & future. Music with real funk & grit rather than flat, digitised sheen; house, afro-funk, soul, hip hop, detroit techno and much much more.

A music lover from a young age, Jamie bought his first pair of turntables at the age of 16 and has been collecting vinyl ever since. An indecisive fucker, Jamie never really knew what kind of DJ he wanted to be but seeing Moodymann DJ for 4 hours in Glasgow's Arches in 2001 demonstrated to him that, in fact, you could just play it all in the one set, providing you pace & sequence the music correctly.

Jamie honed his craft over time with residencies at Sessions and Ganz Ruber in Stirling. Since then he has DJ'd with the likes of Theo Parrish, Rolando, Marcellus Pittman & Kyle Hall and continues to be inspired by the Detroit beatdown approach to DJing.

Candice McKenzie has been DJing professionally since 1999, since she started her musical journey on the decks she has won no less than two prestigious awards (Female DJ of the Year � BEFFTA 2009 & DJ of the Year BEFFTA 2010) Candice has graced some top parties in the four corners of the globe, spreading her musical vibes in counties such as Croatia, Georgia, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Siberia, Slovenia and the Ukraine, phew! Other prestigious gigs have included some pretty heavyweight clients including T Mobile, Stella McCartney, Fashion TV, Havana Club, Smirnoff, Selfridges and Breakthrough for Breast Cancer. Check out Candice's weekly 2 hour Dolly Mixture show on www.SSRadio.com each and every Saturday afternoon between 12:00pm 2:00pm for some seriously soulful, deep and Afro house.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/id407502439
http://soundcloud.com/candicemckenzie

Danilo Plessow aka Motor City Drum Ensemble was always incredibly young at taking up things, he started producing at the age of eleven�"way too early" as he jokes�having his first release out just five years later: Inverse Cinematics' "Slow Swing", released in Pulver Records in 2002, found its way into Ricardo Villalobos' record bag as well as onto one of the first Fabric mix CDs. He also started playing his beloved drums from an early age, a skill that would be a perfect accompaniment for the producing skills. "In those formative years, you are like a sponge and just so enthusiastic!", Danilo declared. As Danilo was homing his producing talents he kept crawling into the back of his hometown record shop. Specialised in heavy metal, it was in the farthest corners where the owner had stashed away the kinds of records Danilo's idols Native Tongues, Pete Rock, Premier and Dilla were sampling: Jazz, Funk and Soul records. His formative years as listener and record collector took place in that handful of crates. "It was really healthy being in my own cosmos. I mean, the internet is great of course but if you grow up in circumstances like me, where there's not an infinite amount of unheard music available at all times and you're forced to work with what's available, that's a whole different kind of inspiration than when you're browsing sites on the web, you know."

Danilo has also released on top labels ranging from 20:20 Vision to Rush Hour as well as his own MCDE and Four Roses imprints, produced for Ben Westbeech and Rainer Tr�by and never ceased to amaze with his challenging remix work for artists like Caribou, Jazzanova, DJ Sprinkles and Zero 7.

Back in the day when acid was just a tab, DJ Pierre was holed up in his bedroom inventing a sound which would impact on the music scene forever. In 1986, 'acid house' was in its infancy when DJ Pierre picked up a 303 and the infamous "Acid Tracks" was born.

Not many artists in the history of dance music can list Carl Cox, Diesel (X-Press 2), Junior Vasquez, Danny Tenaglia, Michael Mayer and Tom Stephan as fans. Not many can claim responsibility for helping kick start the careers of Felix Da Housecat and Roy Davis Jr. Not many can lay claim to giving birth to a genre and pioneering a sound that had the whole world dancing and imitating for over 20 years. DJ/Producer/Remixer, Nathaniel Pierre Jones AKA DJ 'Wildpitch' Pierre is a rare breed. An artist who's considered a mentor to many of the A-list DJ fraternity, old and new, and one man who continues to stand strong in an industry that's had its ups 'n' downs.

From the days of 'Phuture', Pierre's highly successful guise with fellow squelchers Spanky and Herb J - from the epic release 'Acid Trax' to his biggest hit, 'The Horn Song,' which features Barbara Tucker � to his solo projects with Louie Vega, David Morales, Felix Da Housecat, and more recently Boys Noize and Carl Cox, and his stint as Head of A&R at Strictly Rhythm (back in the day) make him a force to be reckoned with.

After a bit of a break to get prepped for DJ Pierre's Afro Acid Project', his very first artist album, DJ Pierre is back and ready to show the world just why house music was worth shouting about in the first place.

"I feel a renewed sense of direction in my career. I've never had so many positive things in place at one time like I do now. I have my own wonderful team at AFRO ACID and I can be hands off business enough to create and make the music I love. I am very excited about being head of my own label and the opportunity to make my first full album. I am humbled by what's happening." - DJ Pierre

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Luca LTJ Trevisi (LTJ Xperience) began his DJ/producer career in the 1980s. As resident DJ in two of the most famous Italian clubs of the time, Kinki in Bologna and Cap Creus in Imola. Luca was one of the first Italian jocks to spin House and to re-propose those black music, jazz and Latin-bossa classics from the 70s that at the end of the same decade would give rise to the Acid Jazz and Rare Groove movements. His first single in 1988, titled First Job, together with Kekkotronics, was also the 1st release ever on Bologna based Irma Rec. He also produced acid jazz bands such as Bossa Nostra, still today one of Irma's most important acts. This led to LTJ being invited to DJ outside Italy also, performing in important venues such as the Blue Note and Jazz Caf� in London, Giant Step in NY and Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Move forward to 1999 and the first solo album MOON BEAT under the LTJ Xperience moniker is unleashed on the world. After making countless productions for Irma, including their 2nd album When The Rain Begins To Fall (with the participation of the historic Spanish-American singer Joe Bataan), LTJ has devoted almost exclusively talents to re-edit and reconstruct tracks from the past with the addition of sounds and rhythms in post production for labels such as SUPER VALUE, SMALL WORLD DISCO,OH CRISTO! Luca is an innovator in the production sounds of the new musical genre that is currently defined as beatdown/slo-mo, working with international labels such as Far Out, Sleazy Beats, Future Classics, EAR Music For Dreams, Apersonal, !K7. SSW are really pleased to welcome our first Italian DJ and we can assure you, LTJ Xperience is doing this gig for the sheer love of music!

From the humble beginnings of a quiet English town, Powdersoul's passion for soulful music has propelled his DJ career to the point where he has played alongside the finest of U.K. and international DJ talent in recent years, as well as his productions/remixes/edits enjoying listings onto many of house music heavyweight's playlists; think DJ Spen dropping Powdersoul's gospel stomper 'Lift Him Up' on his Radio1 Essential Mix and support from Louie Vega's for his 'Heat-Up' edit.

Interest in four, four beats started at age 15 where radio introduced Powdersoul to his beloved 90's US House. Shows on Kiss FM's Paul 'Trouble'Anderson, Sarah HB and Steve Jackson's shows started his record collecting bug, which now numbers several 1000 's bits of plastic. Musically, his ethic is to focus on the new but never forgetting the old, to understand the future, you must respect the past as they say. This is representative of his DJ sets; where you will hear hot un-issued tracks alongside rare 1993/94 dubs as well as some of his own productions.

He is one quarter of London's Soulfulbeats DJ collective who over the last five years have provided London with some of the best soulful party moments involving the talents of Sean McCabe, Groove Assassin, Phil Asher and Scotland's own SoulRenegades. He has guested at many of the UK's finer soulful dance music events as well as internationally at the Miami WMC. These gigs have seen Powedersoul sharing the stage with such greats as Louie Vega, Paul 'Trouble' Anderson, Yass and Fanatix. Since relocating to Edinburgh, he has brought his blend of soulful underground music to Scottish club nights such as Ultragroove, Souldiggin', Moovn and now Powdersoul makes his SSW debut.

Is a young DJ from County Durham who was inspired by house music from a very early age, only 25 Shaun builds his sets around twists and turns of deep, disco, down tempo, jackin', jazzy, soulful house and blends it with sprinkles ol' skool flavours from stables such as King Street Sounds, Nervous, Henry Street Music, MAW, Soulfuric and all of the other NYC and Chicago stables that were prominent back in the day. Since his initial break in 2008 at 21 years old, Shaun's has hosted nights featuring big shots such as Phil Asher, Paul 'Trouble' Anderson, Aaron Ross and also has played the Scottish Soulful Weekender's Goldmine room in 2011 & Blue Room 2012 hosting a classic soulful house session with Southport/Minehead DJ legend Bob Jeffries. Shaun also traveled north of his native Durham to play at a Scottish Soulful Weekender 2012 pre-party at Bar 99 in Edinburgh with SSW's Yogi Haughton. 2013 bore witness to the launch of a new residency for Shaun at Soul Deep Underground House Culture (Newcastle). Shaun said "being asked back to play at the The Scottish Soulful Weekender is a definite highlight of 2013. I would like to thank Yogi Haughton for making this possible for me play at this outstanding event again, which is opening doors for me all over the place, it will be a privilege and pleasure to play again''. And this lad started off as a Goldmine DJ ,it works!

Since moving up from Essex in 2000 Lee Marvin has been a familiar face on the Scottish underground scene making his name as a promoter and later on as a DJ. Lee's first venture in Edinburgh was co-running Edinburgh's first internet clubbing community forum (ECCF) which in its hey day boasted 12 thousand members. Off the back of the websites success several large sell out events around Edinburgh followed including a weekly Monday night club 'Trade Union' that ran for almost 7 years. Lee made his SSW debut in the Goldmine room in 2011 and was one of 3 DJ's who progressed to the main rooms a year later. Since his debut he has worked closely with head honcho Yogi Haughton, they run Edinburgh's only day time club 'Funktion At The Junction' as well as producing and co hosting a radio show with Yogi on Europe's biggest black music station at Solar. Lee is unique in that he is the only DJ ever to have a word relating to their name entered into the Oxford dictionary with the word Marvinism, or to put one's foot in it by re writing history.

Gary Tyckyj is a DJ who's musical roots were originally stirred way back in the late electro and brakedance scenes. This then initiated a domino effect on to the Balearic sound around the summer of lover period with DJs such as Paul Okenfold and Danny Rampling inspiring Gary after their heroic returns from Ibiza. His love of house and electronic music was nurtured by the record shops he would frequent, schools such as 23rd Precinct in Glasgow, Manchester's Underground & Eastern Block and also the fantastic Hot Waxx in Warrington were all hangouts. His first gig would be from our own Yogi Haughton at a little all nighter in 1990 called Energy in Wishaw, Scotland, followed by various other gigs for the now legendary Streetrave outfit in Dumfries and also Ayr Pavillion. Gary also promoted events in the North of England where the musical vibe had now progressed to Detroit techno, Belgium techno and U.K. house sounds. A hiatus for several years brings us bang up to date and Gary's weekly show on www.renegaderadio.co.uk where you can catch him spinning the latest house tracks and underground cuts. Gary is yet another Goldmine DJ that has progressed into one of the main arenas at SSW.

Souldiggin' promoter and resident Dave Klink returns to SSW after Pressure Point, Shrine Room and Goldmine sets at our first two events. After cutting his teeth in the 90s playing funk, Acid Jazz, rare groove, disco and Motown in the bars and clubs of Aberdeen, Dave had a baptism of fire into house music and took those soulful, jazzy grooves along the musical jouney with him. Now, with the same broad palette, he plays across the country to house and soul crowds alike alongside the likes of Paul 'Trouble' Anderson, Groove Assassin and Phuture Sole don Carl Dupree. Pushing the boundaries of soulful music, Dave continues to develop his sound, not least with his Acid Disco set and custom edits. It's this broad musical diversity that makes Dave one of SSW's biggest assets and a DJ close to SSW promoter's Yogi Haughton own musical tastes.

Oliver Cheatham will forever be remembered for his timeless 1983 R & B hit "Get Down Saturday Night" on MCA records, which he co-wrote with fellow Detroit musician Kevin McCord. But Oliver's career began way back in the mid 1960's when his future brother in law Allen Cocker invited Oliver to join his group The Young Sirs.

The Young Sirs eventually joined Ernest and Barbara Burt's Magic City label where they recorded the mellifluous "There's Something The Matter (With Your Heart)" with Oliver now being regarded as the groups lead singer.

Into the 70's the Young Sirs became The Gaslight who recorded several excellent 45's for Marvin Higgins' Grand Junction label. With their "Just Because Of You/It's Just Like Magic" later being picked up for national distribution by Polydor Records.

Under the guidance of influential Detroit radio DJ and record producer Al Perkins, Oliver firstly became the lead singer of the group Sins Of Satin later re-named Roundtrip and then following a further re-naming just becoming known as Oliver.

Following on from "Get Down Saturday Night" Oliver continued to score chart success with "SOS", "Celebrate Our Love" followed by two duets with Jocelyn Brown "Turn Out The Lights" and "Mind Buster". Further chart success came in 2003 when Oliver featured as a guest vocalist on Room 5's UK No1 hit "Make Luv" which incidentally sampled Oliver's "Get Down Saturday Night". Oliver at this juncture was residing in England and had previously recorded a garage version of the old standard "Our Day Will Come" with the London based band, Native Soul.

original, high quality UK Soul/RnB project from Tootings' very own writer/producer Tony Cannam, producing classic inspired songs with outstanding special guest singers and artists. Their debut album 'Sweet Communication' was released to critical acclaim, receiving extensive radio plays, live slots, chat shows on BBC Radio 1, BBC LondonLive, BBC 6, Craig Charles Funk Show, etc

This new incarnation of Soulnaturals will deliver a series of beautiful, beguiling and eclectic singles that will lead to a special album & arts project in 2013, 'The Sunshine Decision' featuring well known UK & US Soul singers from the 60s to today, alongside associate label British Soul Standards' stable of rising young stars. Lined up for release is a SoulGospel track with reggae legend 'Double Barrel' Dave Barker, an unusual blues adaptation of Lennon & McCartney's 'Blackbird', and a sweet, poignant RnB lament featuring the superb vocals of chart topper Katy B

Their current single release 'Rise Brother Rise' has garnered UK & worldwide airplay from Lancashire to WHCR in Harlem! Weekly plays on Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show BBC6, Pete Young, Nick Pitts on Jazz FM, Aitch Bee on Colourful, Ronnie Herel on Mi-Soul, Raj, Roni O'Brien, Ginger Tony, Paul Phillips on Solar and Pete Haigh on BBC Lancashire, to name a selection.

Rise Brother Rise is a smoky, atmospheric reflection colliding with catchy gospel infused chorus hooks. Featuring new debut singer Lotus D, a beautiful soul flower rising from the muddy waters of lifes' spiritual struggles. Lotus D was recently to be seen singing with The Heavy in their powerful single video 'What Makes a Good Man?'. This BSS debutante has paid her blues dues fronting the Magic of Motown and Dreamgirls shows to big UK & Europe audiences, and is now poised to deliver original works telling it just as it is, as only she knows how. Her reading of the philosophical questions posed in this song give a note perfect emotional delivery that rises sweetly and dramatically to the occasion.

Also featured are sublime backing harmonies from East London songstress Chantelle Nandi, vocal partner for Maverick Sabres' live and studio band. Recorded at Electroma Studios on gear salvaged from the original Motown Studio B in Detroit, in a sincere quest to capture that deep analogue stardust. Best heard with eyes shut, headphones on, and pre-conceptions left at the door. Breathe deeply ...

Michael Procter exploded on the dance scene with his first hit house single 'deliver me' which became an instant dance anthem and classic. with the release of the follow up single 'love don't live' his name was firmly established in the dance arenas around the world by the time of his third release 'fall down' Michael was on a non-stop tour of performances around the world. From Italy to Switzerland, from Germany to Portugal, from America to the U.K .

Michael's music is played in every dance club around the world and is constantly being requested to perform in clubs around the world. When Michael performs it is not just a performance, it is an experience! Always raising the level of energy of the audience to the peak of explosion, Michael doesn't just sing his music he lives his music on stage and the audience lives the music with him, raising their hands, singing the words, jumping, shouting and just plain getting lost in the spirit of the house.

"This Woman is Magnificent" � Bette Midler

Jocelyn Brown is a woman with a powerful, soul shaking voice that reaches out with extended arms and engulfs your musical desires.

"I Got The Power" a sample of Jocelyn's voice Snap's international one single "The Power", totally astonished the Artiste herself when arriving in a club for a performance and hearing her voice repeatedly. She witnessed, first hand, the audience's response to the powerful vocals featured on this hit. "I think it is great that people love and use my voice", says Jocelyn, "as long as I can make people happy with it, I feel like I am doing my job!"

And doing her job she is! In fact this seasonal musical veteran began singing in public at the age of three in the church, and at gig's with her family. She then first gained national attention with the release of her debut album for Warner Brothers Records "One From The Heart" in 1984. With cuts produced by Jellybean Benitez and the teams of Hubert Eaves/ James Batton and Russ Titleman/Rob Mounsey, Jocelyn featured eight powerful cuts which include hits like "Love's Gonna Get You" and the perennial Club Classical "Somebody Else's Guy" written by Jocelyn and her sister Annette.

However, as modest as she is, Jocelyn has established quite an impressive portfolio working with stellar names such as Luther Vandross, Bette Midler, John Lennon, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Teddy Pendergrass, Culture Club, Masters At Work and many others.

Raised on the vibrant 70's soul scene of Manchester, Gareth started to DJ at jus' age 16, by the time he was 18 he was already resident in the soul room at the famous Placemates 7 club (formerly The Twisted Wheel) where he spun for 3 great years. Promoting came very early to Gareth and it's this man that is responsible for giving SSW's Yogi Haughton one of his very first spots alongside other, wiser and more noted bookings such as Wigan Casino's Dave Evison & pioneering collector/dealer/DJ Dave Withers. Gareth went on to DJ at The Hacienda, The Gallery, Berlin Club, Lacy's & also Sands, each one a legendary club around the Manchester area in the soul & jazz funk glory days. Gareth hosted 2 pirate radio shows before retiring from DJing and "the scene" at 23 in order to concentrate on raising his family and being a "lil' mo' sensible" until that is, in 2007 Gareth picked up the carts once again. This renewed passion led Gareth to promote some of the North West's top soul clubs including Soul Kandi, Soul Sanctuary and Definitive Soul as well as guesting at some of the Rainy City's top nu breed northern nights. An interesting fact is that Gareth's son was one of Gordon Brown's top advisers when he was prime minister.

Richard was one half of the Brighter Days promotions team that ran The Sands Sessions alongside the Southport weekender. He started DJing on the Northern Soul scene in the mids 80s, DJing at various allnighters and soul nights. These included Leighton Buzzard, Peterborough, The 100 Club, Mexborough and Bretby amongst others. There was also a rather memorable night at The Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh in 92. After progressing through Modern Soul and the fledgling US Garage scene, his DJ sets are, now, a mixture of Disco, Deep House, Funk and Soul. But, mostly Disco. Still a vinyl purist, he can be heard on www.stompradio.com (The Saturday Disco Express) on Saturday nights and www.housefm every other Sunday. After playing at the inaugural SSW, we welcome him back to The Broons Bar, alongside Barry May. Expect an eclectic mix, with an after party atmosphere, to compliment the main weekender.