‘Exus Trek’: Northern soul’s greatest instrumental anthem
Lyrics are an essential part of any pop masterpiece, a fact which is reflected in just how few instrumental efforts rise to the dizzying heights of the singles charts.
Northern soul, on the contrary, was never overly concerned with pop conventions. As opposed to prioritising pithy lyricism or pop marketability, the many followers of the scene during the early 1970s looked almost solely for a beating, danceable rhythm and a soulful energy. As such, it gave rise to a number of utterly incredible instrumental soul anthems which otherwise might have gone unnoticed forever.
It is worth noting that many of the anthems adopted by the northern soul scene were originally intended to be pop hits. Throughout the 1960s, soul labels like Motown, Stax, and Atlantic were stalwarts of the US singles chart, and that led to countless tiny independent labels across the nation attempting to follow in their footsteps, often unsuccessfully. It was only as a result of a few enterprising young DJs looking to soundtrack all-nighters in the cities and towns of northern England that those songs were exposed to wider audiences years later.
Given that a plethora of these small, independent labels were operating on little to no money, particularly when compared to Berry Gordy’s Motown empire, corners were often cut, and production values left some things to be desired. In one such cost-cutting measure, labels would often include the instrumental version of a single’s A-side on the B-side, meaning they only had to pay an artist for one track instead of two.
Many of these instrumental versions, which were thrown onto B-sides without so much as a second thought, eclipsed the success of their respective A-sides within the northern soul scene. You don’t need lyrics to dance; in fact, those lyrics only distract from the rhythm in some cases. That sentiment would certainly explain the colossal success of Luther Ingram Orchestra’s ‘Exus Trek’ on the dancefloors of northern soul all-nighters.
Ingram found some degree of mainstream success on the US R&B charts during the early 1970s, but his 1966 single ‘If It’s All the Same to You Babe’ was largely ignored upon its initial release. The instrumental version of that song, included on the B-side of the single, didn’t fare much better, either. Hib Records didn’t issue the single in the UK, given their relatively small operation in Detroit, but that didn’t stop ‘Exus Trek’ from making it into the crates of northern soul DJs during the early 1970s.
The captivating sound of the record, typified by a Motown-esque beat and smooth, orchestral instrumentation, made it an infallible floorfiller during those early years at venues like The Torch and, later, Wigan Casino. In fact, it arguably became one of northern soul’s defining anthems as the scene grew larger throughout the 1970s.
It is easy to see why the instrumental track resonated with so many soul heads during that time. Like many of northern soul ‘classics’, it is imbued with a kind of optimism and emotional weight, but its lack of lyrics leaves its motivations and story up for interpretation. The dancefloors of northern soul clubs were where young people got their energy out, where the frustration of the working week disappeared in a cloud of talcum powder, amphetamines, and incredible soul music. In that sense, ‘Exus Trek’ is a perfect northern soul anthem.
So, it is no surprise that northern soul audiences have kept ‘Exus Trek’ in regular rotation at soul events and all-nighters for the past five decades. Back in 2014, the song even made an entry in the UK singles charts, after being featured heavily in Elaine Constantine’s film Northern Soul. Seemingly, the infectious power of the instrumental track has yet to wear off.
