When it comes to Soul, there’s no one in the East of England with more knowledge – or a bigger vinyl collection – than Cambridge 105’s Chris Brown.

The veteran DJ has presented his ‘Soul & Dance Show’ on Saturday nights for over 30 years, and his stonking warm-up set for Sister Sledge at The Cambridge Club 2019 was a standout moment.

We asked the Soul scene champion and local legend to pick his top five records, as part of our ‘Soul Selections’ series. Check these beauties out…

5. Richie Havens – Going Back To My Roots

There are many great versions of this song, but this is my favourite. Although I’ve played it at many raves and house music events in the past, it’s a Soul record first and foremost – and it certainly got the party started when I dropped it at the beginning of my Cambridge Club set in 2019…

4. The O’Jays – I Love Music

In this Soul scene, some events are quite for the purists; expensive vinyl is played, and dancers even look at the record while it spins to ensure it is the original (which could be worth up to £1000 and more)! But this track offers unbeatable bang for its buck, as it can be picked up on its original “Philadelphia” label from a charity shop for £1. And of course, the reward from the dance floor always pays off – worth every penny!

3. Luther Vandross – Never Too Much

Yes this is a bit of a “wedding soul” track, an obvious crowd pleaser for sure. But if you are going to include a bit of Luther in your DJ set, a track that gets everyone dancing and singing, for me this is the one – and it delivered just as I expected it to at the festival, so thank you Cambridge Club crowd.

2. Jean Carne – Was That All It Was

Jean Carne is credited with a five-octave range, and is one of my all-time top female vocalists. This particular Disco Soul 12" is a Cambridge favourite. In the early 90s, I was lucky enough to see her perform a few times – including once at The Cambridge Junction. In later years, she and her daughter have tuned into my Saturday evening soul show all the way from the USA, discussing Soul records with me on social media – and even referring to legendary singer Teddy Pendergrass as “Uncle Teddy”!

1. Maze & Frankie Beverly – Joy And Pain

If one tune stands out in my mind from my Cambridge Club DJ set that summer, it’s definitely this one. I cannot even start to explain the buzz I got from being on stage with thousands of lovely happy people in front of me, taking the volume down to zero, and looking out across the crowd – to see everybody with their hands in the air singing their hearts out to the sky, belting out the chorus at the top of their voices. Amazing stuff – can’t wait to be back creating those musical moments live!

You can enjoy all of Chris’s sublime and expert choices on our ‘Soul Selections’ playlist on Spotify!

Soulful songs selected by our festival DJs, artists and guests - hand-picked from their Disco, Funk & Soul record collections. Playlist companion to our weekly blog series.