Stirring Up The Dancefloor

WELCOME TO THE CLUB! And our final journey into U. K. Club Land where we continue our exploration of the "Club Beat" - the roots of Mod, R&B and Soul - that coalesced in the bohemian melting pot of Soho, London, post WW2.

'STIRRING UP THE DANCEFLOOR' is our final trip to Club Land and is a sampler of the "upbeat" experiences that we've had along the way in the coffee bars and clubs of London's Soho Village. We've paid our dues and had our hands stamped in the hottest spots in the West End such as the Americana, the 100 Club, the Scene, Flamingo, Whiskey-A-Go-Go, La Discotheque, La Poubelle, Le Kilt, the Sunset and the Roaring Twenties, to name but a few. And we've met some interesting

characters too, such as 'Georgina' (possibly the first female DJ) who spun the discs at Les Enfants Terribles on Dean Street, she'd also serve you a warm Coca Cola and a salami roll if you weren't careful!. And who can forget bumping into Ronnie Scott at his Club Eleven on Carnaby Street, a place that journalist Tony Hall described as "hell on earth"! And of course the incomparable Guy Stevens, the ultimate R&B DJ at the Mod hangout, the Scene Club in Ham Yard.

It's time to hit the dancefloor, and if you enjoy your shimmy, check out the Club Beat series...