My first taste of  soul music was around age 15 at the school youth club watching the acrobatic dancers to what was then and is now known as Northern Soul. After leaving school a few of us started doing the all dayers at Nottingham Palais (and the Bali Hai Jazz/Funk room down stairs) and other soul nights for around a year or so before it seemed the northern scene was fading (how wrong we were) 1979 was out on the town every weekend watching lots of live bands, drinking lots of alcohol and lots of late nights

Early 1980 was time to hit the club Jazz/Funk scene weekly at clubs such as Tiffanys, Isabellas, Annabelles, Scamps, Madison, Bables and any other club around that was playing the stuff we wanted to hear. Before we knew it we were in 1986 and I was getting married. Around 1988 and purely by chance my wife Debbie started to chatting to a friend who was going to a Northern Soul night of which we decided to attend.....that was it we were back into the music we first discovered with avengeance

All nighters every week as a customer or  DJ'ing at venues such as 100 Club, Keele, Stoke, Trentham, Cleethorpes, Skegness, Blackburn, Prestatyn, Manchester Ritz, Notts Union Club along with countless other clubs sometimes followed by all dayers and doing the Weekenders too, also still out every Friday & Saturday night without fail

1990 my first son was born so it was time to slow down a little although around 1992 we started promoting our own nights playing Northern Soul along with Modern Soul and throughout this time I had once more started collecting records from the 60's 70's and 80's (my wallet also became a lot lighter) Around the late 90's the Modern Soul scene was taking off and so I kind of left the Northen scene (mostly) and started visiting Modern Soul venues, DJ'ing on that scene (but keeping an eye on the northern scene too) and still am to this date

Late 2011 I came across jFSR while browsing the net for music etc, listened first, then joined the chat and have since then spoke to and met some of the most knowledgable, craziest, nicest, helpful and musically passionate people you could ever wish to meet. A huge thanks and respect to the guvnor (Dave Marley) for allowing me to share some of my musical passion with you and to the other JFSR DJ's for their continued inspiration.

Andy Riley