What makes Northern Soul Northern?

WHAT MAKES NORTHERN SOUL NORTHERN? What actually makes Northern Soul… Northern? Is it the beat? The speed? The emotion? The rare records? Or is it something much harder to define? In this episode of This Is Northern Soul, we go back to basics and explore the question at the heart of the music. From the Twisted Wheel in Manchester and Samantha's in Sheffield, to Va Va's in Bolton, the Catacombs in Wolverhampton, the Hi-Fi Club in Leeds, the Golden Torch, Blackpool Mecca and Wigan Casino, we follow the clubs, DJs and dancers who helped turn obscure American soul records into something completely new. We look at the crate diggers searching for forgotten records, the all-nighters that kept the dance floors moving until morning, and the DJs who could transform an unknown record into a dance-floor anthem. And there's a personal journey too. The first time I heard the term Northern Soul, I assumed it meant Northern America. Then, in around 1975, I walked into Blackpool Mecca and discovered a very different side of the scene — modern soul, Philadelphia influences and a sound that was already evolving. Most of the music had been recorded in the mid-1960s. Yet more than sixty years later, those records are still being played, still being danced to and still creating waves. So perhaps Northern Soul isn't simply a place. Perhaps it's a feeling.