April 16, 2007

April: Niklas Wiman,
Northern Soulie

If you thought dancing all night was the sole privilege of ecstasy popping Ibiza kids. Think again.
The all-night culture was alive and kicking long before words like house, techno or even “efterfest” existed. In the mid 1960s when the Motown mania swept northern England and found favour with the mod culture NORTHERN SOUL was born.
We sat down with April’s man of the month, Niklas Wiman, to discuss talcum, all-nighters and light shy subculture so far from the mainstream that some people at Rodeo Magazine get off just from hearing the word.

One wouldn’t expect that two brothers raised in Täby - a northern suburb of Stockholm which is probably most famous because it was here the Swedish middle class invented the word “lagom” - would start frequenting indie clubs at a tender age.

But then again it’s a lot of things that you wouldn’t expect. Like for instance that two utterly well behaved young professionals with prestigious university degrees would put talcum on their shoes and dance like crazy all night.

Niklas Wiman and his brother Peter are part of the NORTHERN SOUL scene and they have adopted the culture full out.
They dress like early 60s mods, they spend most of their salaries buying records at E-bay and they even furnish their homes in 60s style. Whenever they manage to find a hole in their busy scheduals they travel the world to attend and organize the famous northern soul marathon dance parties, often referred to as all-nighters and weekenders.

In short, northern soul is black American, uptempo, heavy-beat soul. But the term also refers to the dance styles and fashions that originated from mod clubs like the Twisted Wheel club in Manchester, the Golden Torch (in Stoke-upon-Trent), and the Wigan Casino.

Northern soul was one of the first scenes to adopt an all-night culture. The mod clubs held “all-nighters” until they were closed at the end of the sixties. Despite the mod scene becoming outdated Northern Soul continued to develop into a culture of its own as ever increasing numbers of people started attending its events.

Niklas, in your own opinion, what’s the northern soul culture all about?

- The northern soul culture is all about dancing and love for 60s and 70s soul music. Rarity and dancability (read uptempo) is highly valued. The music is often very catchy and easy to like. The scene has its roots partly in early 60’s mod movement and has always been a working class subculture with most of its followers in northern England, hence the name NORTHERN soul.

How did you first become involved in the northern soul culture?

- Somewhere along during the 90s many indie clubs in Stockholm started to mix in Motown and other soul tunes. That led us eventually to start visiting mod clubs like Uppers and Stolen Hours.

Where do you shop for records? I guess that the record store on the corner in Stockholm doesn't have the kind of assortment you are looking for?

- I find most of my records on the net, mostly from the states or Ebay. No surprise there - that's where they all originate from. Still there are finds to be made here in Stockholm, especially if you're looking for LPs.

I've heard northern soul is among the most expensive of musical genres to collect. What's the most money you ever payed for a record?

- Well, paying £150 for a record is not unusual.

You guys have a very special style that is closely associated to the music you listen to. Tell us about the heritage of your style and your inspirational sources?

- I have always liked the neat style of the 60s mods. Slim shirts and pants, dressy shoes and always with attention to details.

Is appearance important for northern soul listeners in general?

- Not really. If you're at a soul weekender in the UK most people dress for comfort, dancing for 8-10 hours straight is quite demanding. However soulies from scancinavia are usually very well dressed.

Is it true that you literally dance for a whole weekend at the dance parties?

- Yes, that’s close to the truth. Weekenders usually have DJs 12 hours friday and saturday and close "early" on sunday at 03.00. It's great work out!

Yes, it has to be. Tell us some more about the weekenders ...

- There's so many memories worth telling, but one thing all weekenders have in common is the odd locations and the absolutely inedible food! I remember that tomato soup at the Lifeline weekender that tasted like carrots and seeing truck loads with carrots passing by the venue the next day, and there's that Grilled chicken at Prestatyn that had more in common with my old shoes than with anything edible...

How do you become the king of a Northern Soul dance floor?

- Northern soul moves can be very acrobatic with a lot of spins, back-drops and moves that have much in common with break dancing so really ruling the dance floor takes a lot of practice and skill that few have. Although a pair of good shoes, passion for the music and a bottle of talcum to reduce friction on the dance floor helps a lot.

Is image and style an important thing for you?

- Of course, there's never an excuse for not looking your best, especially when out on the dance floor!

If we want to learn more about northern soul, what's your inside tip?
- Check out our forum at: www.northernsoul.nu and visit our weekender, 25-26th of May!

Recipe for men’s man of the month in April

Name: Niklas Wiman.

Age: 34.

Occupation: Account Manager at 24SevenOffice.

Family: Girlfriend Isabel.

Vanity level: He says 4.0 - we say a spookey 4.9. Looking good and dance floor in the same sentence! Never heard that one before.

Best club memory/musical experience: Lifeline weekender 2006.

The Wiman Brothers would like to promote: www.northernsoul.nu

The world’s most beautiful man: Johnny Depp.