Trying to define HIPSHAKER is a tricky business. This music came from Black musicians in America, but tended to be commercially unsuccessful there. Instead British collectors came across the often forgotten tunes, and such was the demand to hear them, people would flock to clubs to experience these exclusive sounds. That was much of the charm. Not only was the music superb, it had an exclusive status, a kudos brought about by it being unheard by mainstream society. If you liked this music, you stood out. You were different. You had a feeling of belonging to something very special.

Hipshaker’s roots can be traced back to the 1960s Mods who listened to not only RnB and Ska, but had a particular affection for Black America Soul music. The starting point was in many cases Berry Gordy's Motown label, whose artists like for example, The Supremes, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye had brought the music to the fore. It was from this initial spark that an interest for rarer releases grew, and soon lesser known artists on obscure labels were held in the same regard. Often commerical flops in the USA, the uptempo beat and fantastic vocals of these records made them highly popular amongst the British Soul fraternity.

The clubs of the era (the most famous ones being The Twisted Wheel in Manchester, The Golden Torch in Stoke, The Wigan Casino, and The Blackpool Mecca) all had different musical policies which helped the scene develop such a broad range of differing musical styles. Today uptempo soul music of the 1960s can be heard alongside pure RnB, the slower beat ballad and mid-tempo soul sounds, big city soul, and the more mellow and funkier soul which made an appearance in the 1970s. That's why it's such a hard job to give a precise definition of the phenomena that is "Hipshaker". It is what helps to makes the night so special.

Music of this quality will always attract new converts, and those who discover it are mighty glad they have!