The highlight of my year as a DJ has to be when I'm invited to join the stellar cast of wax spinners at Boston's weekly Soul night. To say that the night is successful is an understatement.
It now boast two rooms packed with sweaty dancers but it has also been named the city's best dance night. Some of the accolades should be directed to my man Sean Quinn. He works tirelessly at making sure that it stays that way.
Your name / DJ
Sean Quinn aka Claude Money, Spiritual Adviser for Soulelujah
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| Patrick Foisy, Sean Quinn and Ty Jesso |
City
Somerville, MA, USA
How would you describe your musical style?
Medium Rare. Nothing too deep, but I'm not afraid of hits either. I got a soft spot for the funky ladies and girl groups. Jeanne & The Darlings - Soul Girl gets a lot of play, so does Barbara Acklin - Am I The Same Girl. I really love anything that hits hard as well. Current heavy rotation would include, Sir Guy - Funky Virginia, Lou Courtney - Hot Butter 'N All, Dyke and The Blazers - Funky Bull, shit like that. But I love playing things like Jackie Wilson - Higher and Higher, or Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell doing Ain't No Mountain High Enough too.
What is your “go to” track? The one you will likely never get tired of spinning?
Irene Reid - Dirty Old Man. Just a great example of a hard hitting cut. It's got everything I love in a 45. We put it out with Deano Sounds and Cultures of Soul last year. Again, not a rare record by any means but I play it every time I DJ.
Regardless of price, name THE record that is missing from your collection.
Eh, that's super tough. I don't really work that way. I keep lists of records I would love to have like anyone else, but I don't really think about it that often. Honestly there is no "must have" record for me. There are always things that become "MUST HAVE" that fade over time. Maybe there's a record you wanted forever and when you finally get it, it doesn't really fit into your set. There isn't a whole lot of value in that for me.
I remember keeping a cut on my wants list for 2 years, casually keeping an eye out for Landscape by the Mohawks. It's an awesome organ groover that sounds like Serge Gainsbourg is smoking cigarettes on a stool in the studio, waiting to jump in at any moment. I looked for that record for two years and then one day flipped over a re-issue of The Champ that I had owned forever. There it was, staring me in the face, Landscape. I was stoked to be sure, but also wondered how much mental energy I had wasted looking for a "must have" that was already sitting in my crates. Maybe that just makes me kind of stupid, but I figure I have the records I'm supposed to have. My collection is continually expanding, but nothing is missing.
Where can we see you spin on a regular basis? Tell us about the night or an event you would like to promote.
Soulelujah every Saturday night at The Middle East and ZuZu in Central Square, Cambridge, MA USA. We've been running the night for over ten years now, since 2003, and things seem to be going well. We run two separate rooms every Saturday and have an incredible team over there that help us pull off a great party every single week. A lot of Soul nights around the country are monthly. I'm incredibly proud of our team and our ability to pull off two rooms with a separate DJ in each room EVERY WEEK. That's basically 104 shows a year. The Soulelujah crew includes myself (Claude Money), Ty Jesso, E. Dorsey, The Brobots, John Funke and PJ Gray.
Is vinyl the only acceptable format for playing your style of music?
Absolutely not, it's just my preference. I download MP3's like everyone else. If I am out at a night where DJs are using Serato and they start playing Syl Johnson, am I supposed to give them the old stink eye because of the format? Fuuuuuuck that. My personal preference is for 45s, and for Soulelujah it is without question the aesthetic that we all adhere too. First of all, the Soulelujah DJs all have incredible taste and selection, and secondly format does force you to make specific choices. In my earlier example I mentioned a typical club DJ working in some Syl Johnson and how awesome that can be. On the other hand, if I found myself at a vintage soul night and the DJs were using Serato, I do believe that would have an impact on the vibe of the night. One of the amazing things about digital music is that you can find just about anything without trying very hard. That may seem great at first but your set will suffer for it. In my personal experience, working with 45s forces you to make more interesting pathways to get to your dance floor destination. You have to be more conscious of building a particular vibe just so you can work in that new 45 you got that is so damn good, but doesn't really fit in easily anywhere. The vinyl based DJ will find a way to make it work where the digital based DJ may not even consider it.
On a side note regarding format. I believe in good vibes, transference of energy and shit like that. Every record in my box went to quite a few parties before I ever got my hands on it. It soaked up a whole mess of good vibes along the way. When that little party animal gets to scream its face off on the turntable for a room full of sweaty dancers? There is a difference.
What is your favorite place to buy records?
My all time hands down favorite way to buy records is from old friends or new friends over conversation and sharing of knowledge. When that isn't the way it's going down I hit up In Your Ear on Commonwealth Ave in Boston.
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As I mentioned in my last post, you won't find many DJs I respect and admire like this guy. He's certainly one of the reasons why Soulelujah is such a hit.
Your name / DJ
Ty Jesso
City
Providence, RI
How would you describe your musical style?
I DJ mostly 60s, 70s, Soul, RnB, Mod, Garage, Freakbeat and Boogaloo.
What is your “go to” track? The one you will likely never get tired of spinning?
Preston Epps Trio - Say Yeah (Polo) or Mack Rice - Baby I'm Coming Home (Lu-Pine)
Regardless of price, name THE record that is missing from your collection.
Troy Dodds- Real Thing (El Camino)
Bobby Adams & Betti Lou - Dr Truelove (Tra-x)
Ray Medina & the New Latin Breed - Heads Head (Mares)
Where can we see you spin on a regular basis? Tell us about the night or an event you would like to promote.
I spin every second Friday in Providence at my night Soul Power at Dusk and I spin usually 2 Saturdays monthly at our weekly Boston DJ night , Soulelujah at ZuZu & the Middle East Club. Both nights have been going on for over 10 years now so we must be doing something right.
Is vinyl the only acceptable format for playing your style of music?
I spin 99% 45s. A few LP only tracks and 12"s. I do spin repros as long as they have good sound quality.
What is your favorite place to buy records?
WFMU Record Fair in NYC and via private dealers wherever.
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I want to thank my two gracious hosts for inviting me once again to spin at one of the best Soul nights on the continent. Mark my words, I'll be back.
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