A few months back, winner of the 2023 Underground Scenes category, Alex Amorós, unveiled his latest exhibition Keep the Faith, a curated collection of photographs, video and scene insider accounts exploring the underground Northern Soul music scene around the United Kingdom.
A few months back, winner of the 2023 Underground Scenes category, Alex Amorós, unveiled his latest exhibition Keep the Faith, a curated collection of photographs, video and scene insider accounts exploring the underground Northern Soul music scene around the United Kingdom.
Following his win, Amorós decided to deep dive into the world of Northern Soul, an underground scene which continues to live on to this day in the UK. We caught up with the man himself who shared a snapshot of the exhibition, his creative process and the upcoming projects he has in mind.
Simon Wheatley has collaborated during the process of reviewing the images, Baxter Adams in the design of the photobook, Alessandro Mariscalco in the recording and editing of the video, Alice Campos helped with the setup and Lizzy Kirkman who was important in the idea of the project. I would also like to highlight all the promoters, venues and labels that have made my work easier and helped in the project.
It depends on the project, but for this type of more personal project, I like to work with 35-, 50- and 85-mm prime lenses that give me the depth of field, angle and distance with the subjects that I am looking for. The flash has been another of the fundamental tools when it comes to capturing the light.
When I work, I first try to know in depth what an artist or event wants to make people feel and from there I build a narrative. Depending on what I think might fit, I choose the camera, lenses and light I'm going to use and try to capture what's in my head. Telling stories is an important part of my work, not only the capture of a beautiful image, I like my viewers to be able to interpret an image and travel through it, that is my main goal as a photographer.
My exhibition was held at Photobook Cafe, it was an exhibition with 27 photos framed and taken at the different events that were part of my Keep the Faith project. I have tried to show the Northern Soul Revival scene nowadays mixing ages and styles, the purists and the young people who bring new vibes to the scene.
Once I won the Abbey Road Studios award in the Underground Scenes category, I considered the option of doing a project related to the Northern Soul Revival scene that we currently have in the United Kingdom. I immersed myself in the subculture of Northern Soul, a movement that exploded in the '70s in the North of the United Kingdom. I thought about what the best events for my project could be, I chatted with the promoters explaining my idea. They loved the concept and we decided to make it real.
I have several, especially those who show energy on the dance floor. In these photos, you can appreciate the physical preparation part of Northern Soul dancing.
What I want is for you to be able to feel what the Northern Soul Revival scene is that exists today and that through my images you can experience the spirit, energy and community that surrounds all these events where through music people come together. they gather, feel and express a way of life.
Right now, I'm focused on Keep the Faith, but I have a few projects in mind about different musical movements that inspire me, and I want to explore them, sooner or later I will because this is who I am as a person. I like to know the things, stories and reality of everything that surrounds me.