Soul 45 is at Heartbreaker tonight.

For the past 6 years and counting, the homegrown funk and soul sensation, SOUL 45, has helped Southampton’s DJ scene kick it up a notch and has also served as the place to be for a true throwback to 70s clubbing. The local all-vinyl 45rpm dance party first launched in August 2011 at former cultural quarter hotspot, The Soul Cellar. Since it’s closure they’ve been playing in every major music venue in the city but more recently have moved their up-tempo and intimate show downtown to Heartbreakers, bringing their dedicated following with them.

Mark James and Neil Walters, who make up SOUL 45, are a DJ duo from Southampton who work the dance floor late into the night, spinning classic and rare soul, righteous funk, old-school Rhythm & Blues. It’s five non-stop hours of dance-worthy sounds from the likes of Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Marvin Gaye and lots of legendary names with newer music coming from artists like Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Charles Bradley and Curtis Harding.

Beyond Southampton, the SOUL 45 DJs take their style to London club nights annually, play many festivals during the summer including Bestival, Common People, Victorious and Isle Wight festival, plus warming up for acclaimed acts such as Soul II Soul, Hot 8 Brass Band, Trevor Nelson, Craig Charles, Public Service Broadcasting and most recently bringing London 5 piece reggae outfit The Hempolics to the Brook.

“It’s all about sharing the music we love with others,” says Neil Walters. “When these records were originally produced the intention was to have the volume turned up loud for listening. Only then could you hear the intricate sounds and detail in these records.”

Soul 45 have a huge fascination with the vinyl format and they know the music sounds better this way.

“In funk and soul, the rhythm is often natural and created through, feeling, emotion and the moment,” adds Neil. “This is the reason why so many of the songs that we play from that era are used for samples in many tracks people now know. For us this is the reason why we love and stick with the 7” format. Playing them out at Heartbreakers has returned us to the Old Soul Cellar vibe and it takes you back to that golden era of music for a few hours on a Friday night. There’s nothing like a full dancefloor getting it on to big sounds of yesteryear, and in Heartbreakers we have found the perfect home for this.”

“There’s definitely a difference between playing songs on a laptop compared to vinyl,” adds Mark James. “As well as the real physical aspect of holding a 7-inch vinyl record and putting it on the turntable. People love to see the records, look at the labels and try and Shazam the music on their phones. A lot of rare music gets played and that’s what makes it exciting. You can come to our party and not hear anything you know but overtime we try make these records become classics. We’ve being doing this for a while now but it’s never to late to join the party, everybody is welcome.”