THE Milton Rooms sprung dance floor will be rocking when followers of northern soul from across the country make for Malton for an all-day party of music and dance this month.

“This will be a fantastic celebration of the vinyl music that has been a big part of the soul scene," said event organiser Harry Crosby.

"We have DJs from many of the most successful clubs in the north east, some of which have been running successfully for more than 20 years."

Northern soul has been one of the great British subcultures for more than 50 years. It had its beginnings in Manchester, when the DJs played records from the emerging UK blues and soul stars of that time such as the Spencer Davis Group with Steve Winwood, Chris Farlowe, the Animals and the Kinks.

They also played imported records from the US where artists were then trying to cover the highly successful Motown acts, with their own interpretation of that sound.

These records shaped the style of northern soul music: heavy beat, fast tempo and brass sections, ideal for dancing and which continued to flourish among its devotees.

After a massive revival in the early 1990s, the northern soul scene is now as fit and healthy as ever, with some of the bigger venues now regularly hosting crowds of soul people 2,000-strong.

This will be an all-day event at the Milton Rooms on Saturday, February 20, from 2pm to midnight.

Bar, snacks and a special chill-out room will also be available.

Tickets, priced £10, are on sale in advance from the Milton Rooms box office or telephone 01653 696240. Tickets will be available at the door, subject to availability, with no admission after 10.30pm. A wrist band will be issued to all audience members so they can come and go throughout the day.