An Alternative Alternative? Soul Train Wednesday

What is the night all about then guys?

Strictly Soul, Funk and Disco with maybe a little bit of House in future nights, but it’s something different. The idea is for it to be a fun night, breaking away from the monotony of Durham nightlife.

We were quite inspired by SoulJam in Newcastle – we’re trying to appeal to a cross-section of people who like their house and techno, but also enjoy a sprinkling of chart music. Our market is for those in-between the two. All modern music is derived from 70’s Disco, pretty much all samples, and that’s our inspiration.

It all sounds very interesting, but what is it particularly that differentiates Soul Train from other nights around in Durham?

Nova and Fever are both more house-y than us, and we really are emphasising on the Funk and Disco element of the night. Inevitably, there will be a small bit of overlap, with Fever in particular, but essentially we are trying to create a night where people can come, enjoy the music and have a dance.

It’s music to express yourself to. We feel that out of all the nights in Durham, our music is the most appropriate to go out to.

Where did the idea for the night come about?

Well over summer we listened to loads of Funk and Soul, and then Christian and Dom decided to learn to DJ over the holidays so we could start up a night this year, as we feel Durham is definitely lacking in alternative music.

Soul Train was actually a music show which started in the 70’s and we’ve tried to capture some of the show’s vibe – all night, original reel from the show is played on the TVs in the main dancefloor.

In terms of management, Christian and Dom do the music side of things, while I (Ed) am in charge of organising the event – this often just means motivating the other two as they are quite lazy!

Talk me through the decision to hold the night on a Wednesday – to many people I know, the idea of avoiding Loveshack is treasonous.

It’s kind of a David and Goliath narrative – however, I think for third years in particular, there’s a certainly a feeling that Loveshack has been done, that it’s all a bit tiring.

I appreciate for freshers it’s a lot of fun, but I think Wednesday is crying out for another option, particularly considering how packed it gets down there. It’s not as if there aren’t enough people out to fill more than just Loveshack and Lloyds!

Quite a few people we’ve talked to are planning to come for a few drinks, have a dance and then end the last hour down at Loveshack, and that’s part of the casual atmosphere we encourage about the night.

Fabio’s is the venue – what were your thoughts behind the choice?

We feel it’s a really nicely sized venue with a better atmosphere than most clubs in Durham. Fabio is lovely and has paid for a lot of the promotion, he’s paid for the lights and even built us a massive banner.

Now Academy has gone, everything worth going to is at Loft and we feel the venue is a little bit tired. It’s free entry as well which means the focus is on the music rather than the money-making.

I know it sounds a tad clichéd but we run the night because we enjoy the music and we like to see other people having a good time – we make a negligible amount of cash from it.

The launch night at Fabio’s, complete with pretty lights

What are your hopes for the future of the night?

It’s up for discussion and depends on how tonight goes. Seeing as we are all third-years it’s most likely going to wind down at the end of summer term, unless we can find someone to hand the torch onto. One night at Loft, a big finale with a few big outside DJs would be fun.

I think for alternative music in general, there is definitely something of a change in the air as more people look for something different to chart music, and I’m sure the music will live on in some way.

Have you got any interesting deals on with Fabio then?

Yeah we do; very generously, it’s £1 for a shot, £2.50 for a cocktail and £1.50 for a mixer. Our big hope is that lots of people will come, if only for a short while, have a few drinks and enjoy the music.

We’d like to think there’s a chance that some people will like how it’s going so much that they’ll decide to stay the whole night. I think Soul Train will surprise a few people.

Thanks guys, best of luck.

So there you have it – if anything you’ve heard so far appeals to you, it’s worth getting down to Fabios tonight, whether it be for a casual drink or a night of debauchery.