Featured image: Sebastian Garraway

Beats vibrate through a polished floor. Bodies move with a swinging grace, surrendering to the rhythm without hesitation. An instinctual sliding jig sways wide-legged jeans cut just above the ankle. Sweat drips from sharp scissor-cut hairstyles onto porous Fred Perry polos.

You’ve guessed it: Northern Soul.

The late 1960s phenomenon is experiencing a revival. In recent years, punters have traded heavy electronic beats and two-stepping for soulful tunes and high kicks. Lewis Henderson and Will Foot are the young minds but old souls behind Deptford Northern Soul Club.

When I meet Lewis, he cradles a coffee as he explains the subculture he holds so dearly. It is clear this is more than a club night to him.

The childhood friends launched DNSC after graduating from university with one clear ambition: to take classic Northern Soul records and place them back into a contemporary club context.

“We want to create an environment in which people feel comfortable enough to express themselves – to dance, have a nice time with their friends and enjoy the music as it should be heard,” says Lewis.

The DJ duo are some of the frontrunners of the scene’s resurgence. Their nights have cultivated an inclusive social community built around freedom of expression and the chance to lose yourself to this infectious music.

“We are inherently emotional beings, driven by community and social connection,” says Lewis. “Northern Soul is a great way of bringing people together because it taps into that emotional way of thinking that we as human beings crave.”

What sets the pair apart is their attention to sound. They take 1960s American soul records and utilise modern technology to get the most out of them – something Will, with his background as a sound engineer, understands intimately.

For Lewis, however, the passion began at home. His father was an avid fan, filling their house with swinging beats while he was growing up. He speaks proudly of the original Northern Soul scene as it broke into English pop culture.

Despite that heritage, DNSC was sparked not by nostalgia but by chance – after an unforgettable night in Berlin.

“We were just young, silly people and we thought it would be cheaper to go clubbing instead of getting a hotel,” Lewis recalls. “We stumbled across a soul night. I thought maybe we would only stay for two to three hours and then find another club. We stayed the whole night until the sun came up and danced like crazy. We met so many young, energetic and cool people.”

That night was a revelation. Lewis speaks about this night almost romantically, as if an epiphany struck on the dance floor.

“It made me realise there is a community [around] what my dad liked. When I first came back to London, I looked for Northern Soul nights and I couldn’t find any that were on that level.”

When Lewis first suggested launching their own Northern Soul event, Will was hesitant: “He said it was music for old people.” But Lewis was confident it could take off. “I said, ‘Not anymore – let’s bring it back!’” This belief is visible at all of their events, where crowds from all walks of life gather, throwing down to soulful tunes that are still enjoyed years later.

The nights have particularly struck a chord with younger generations. “I think maybe people are looking for something in their lives and this music has some of the answers in it,” says Lewis. “I don’t really know what you do in modern life in a group anymore. I’m not particularly religious but in the old days people would congregate together, and I feel like music is a great way to bring people together.”

DNSC continues to grow alongside the wider scene. Regulars have even been inspired to start their own events, which is in turn growing this wonderful community.

“We’ll meet up with them and show them how to DJ and book them as support acts,” says Lewis. “They get enough confidence and money in their pocket to then put on their own events. That’s great – but that’s not to do with us, it’s to do with people. They are the ones that are dedicating the time and effort to set up these club nights. 

“We might have been a catalyst to help them start, but they’re really picking up the mantle and they’re running with it.”

At a recent residency in the Pink Room at YES, the atmosphere felt almost religious-esqe. The beats acted as a higher power commanding the crowd, and everyone spoke of an accepting community – a space where you could dance without judgement.

A modern day mecca for those ready to twist, spin and sweat. Northern Soul, it seems, never truly left the dance floor.