Emerald City Soul Club is a long running, rare soul dance night in Seattle, Washington which specializes in 60s and 70s soul played, with a mix of some later and more current releases, exclusively off original 45rpm singles, with the exception of some LP only tracks. It is “rare soul” as the songs aren’t typical Top 40 AM oldies, but rather unknown artists or chart adjacent also rans which never achieved a full appreciation by wider audiences, well, or any audience, maybe, outside of regional radio.
The club began in 2006, initially styled on the mythical Northern Soul clubs which sprung to life in the North of England during the early 70s. But, in Seattle, dancing to rare soul music was totally out of context - the kids then did not dance to “old music.” Still, the night began as five record collectors playing out their fave soul records with a hope the night would at least take hold for the other handful of like-minded friends and scene folks, but then things magically happened and the night blew up. Turns out, the kids would come to dance!! For the first decade there were always lines down the block, even waiting in the persistent PacNW drizzle, of new found soul fans waiting to get in and have a go on the floor!! It shouldn’t be shocking then that the club was soon hosting a second, now defunct, night "Talcum", plus the massive annual weekender anniversary parties. About those weekender parties, well, they became, and still are, a worldwide draw of some of the rare soul scene’s most heaviest of DJs. Also of note, in its first three years ECSC became, arguably, the biggest rare soul night in North America - it even spun off a clutch of local similar nights as the dancing to rare soul bug took hold. Not a bad return for a handful of record collectors hoping for an "okay" rare soul dance night.
Today, the club, and the worldwide scene, is still thriving - pandemic notwithstanding - as there are so many more unknown records to play and dancing to be had!! ECSC will continue on after Lo-Fi at their new venue, Belltown Yacht Club, starting on June 10, 2023.
Saturday August 12th
9:00pm
$10 at the door
21+