R.I.P. DON CORNELIUS, LONG LIVE DON NILESKÄR

Two Corners, two Societies, one Passion… SOUL. In September 1970, Curtis Mayfield desperately advised his people to brush the dirt off their shoulders and “Move On Up”. 10 years later Don Cornelius (left) and Mats Nileskär was definitively doing that in the most intense kind of way, far apart, miles away from each other. Years after having the decency to dwell and dig deep down dusty discs.. erm.. pardon me…, and the culture of a music-genre that championed them.

1978 was the year that Swede Mats Nileskär came on the scene with the radio show Soul Corner after being inspired by the likes of american Soul Train founder Don Cornelius who recently passed away on the 12th of February 2012 in an appearent suicide.

He describes his 70s as a battle to reflect Soul music in a fair way in a Swedish rock universe.

How does one “Fight The Power” when the powerful people have a Ghandi complex?

Prior to airing Soul Corner in ’78, Scandinavia had not seen nor heard much Soul. The new jazz wave at the time had soulful connotations but were to improvised to be considered what they called Rhythm & Blues.

If going against the grain is seen as being non-Nordic behaviour, Mr. Nileskär would be a life-sized poster of it. As a solo urban music fan during the most commercial times of punk and rock I can see how some people thought of it as career suicide launching a Soul show on national radio.

However, sticking to his guns was Mats only option, determined to crush down the one-minded music barriers, and one by one, music-lovers succumbed to the funk, the subtleness and the depth of his Soul Corner, now P3 Soul.

I’m convinced working in your passion is the key to success. Sure, there will be ups & downs (mostly downs) in the beginning, due to people not yet being acquainted & comfortable to its newness, but the more something gets exposed it also gets more appreciated… Don Nileskär, we at Scandinavian Soul salute you!