Our good friends at The Sydney Soul Weekender return with two days of deep Northern Soul and Modern Soul on Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 August 2026, continuing its long-running dedication to authentic soul music culture in Sydney.
Saturday’s all-dayer takes place back at the Sydney Community Portugal Club in Marrickville (Frazer Park) from 4:00pm–12:00am, featuring leading Australian DJs delivering rare Northern Soul stompers and Modern Soul cuts in a packed, high-energy clubhouse setting.
On Sunday, the event moves to a new home at the Everleigh Hotel in Redfern, taking over the top floor from 2:00pm–8:30pm, with a strong sound system and wooden dancefloor designed for an intimate, vinyl-focused closing session.
Across both days, expect pure record-driven sets, deep soul selections, and a community atmosphere built around dancing, connection, and underground music culture.
For anyone into proper soul music, this is a highly recommended weekend — the crew behind Sydney Soul Weekender have been consistently championing real soul sounds across Sydney’s dancefloors, bars, and radio for years, keeping the culture alive and moving forward.
For our 14th Birthday Open-Air Jam, one of Sydney’s finest selectors, El Chino, stepped up to set the tone with a beautiful all-vinyl journey through Brazilian funk, lovers rock, deep roots reggae, soul and rare groove.
Recorded live outdoors in November 2025, this warm-up set captures everything we love about real DJs playing real records. From Mato’s reggae reworks and Brazilian boogie classics by Marcos Valle and Tony Bizarro through to Roy Ayers, Garfield Fleming and Skyy, El Chino delivers a masterclass in soulful selection.
Known to many as the host of Departure Lounge on 2SER, Trevor “El Chino” Parkee has spent decades introducing Sydney audiences to incredible music from around the world. His knowledge, taste and passion for digging make him one of the city’s true musical treasures.
Recorded live at Soul of Sydney’s 14th Birthday. Open Air • All Vinyl • Real Music • Sydney NSW
TRACKLIST
00:00 Mato feat. Ethel Lindsey – What You Won’t Do For Love 03:24 Mato feat. Lady Gatica – You Can’t Turn Me Away 07:48 Tony Bizarro – Estou Livre 11:12 Marcos Valle – Estrelar 17:36 Brenda – Natureza Viva 22:00 Unknown – Unknown Funky 26:24 Roy Ayers – Land Of Fruit And Honey 30:48 Garfield Fleming – Don’t Send Me Away 35:12 Dunn & Bruce Street – Shout For Joy 39:36 Skyy – Let’s Celebrate
More from ELCHINO: (Trevor Parkee) Trevor Parkee — known to the faithful as El Chino — is a DJ, music producer, and radio presenter, and the pilot of the long-running radio show Departure Lounge on 2SER, dedicated to making old music sound like new and new music sound like old. 2ser.
A well-known Sydney DJ and music aficionado, El Chino spent years wandering the globe, crate digging and developing his repertoire — building what became one of the smoothest flights on the 2SER roster, covering everything from nu-jazz and Afrobeat to disco and hip hop. Having started his career in the early 80s, he has taken his music selection internationally, playing in London, Barcelona, Germany, and at the infamous Jazzrooms in Brighton. Soulofsydney2ser Every Saturday afternoon on Departure Lounge, he takes his frequent flyers on a journey around the world — touching down in old and nu jazz, broken beat, Brazilian, Latin, soul, funk, folk, and electronica. 2serTune in / Follow El Chino: 🎙️ Departure Lounge — Every Saturday 3–5pm | www.2ser.com www.2ser.com/programs/departure-lounge
This weekend, our good friends GROOVE DEALERS return for a free night of music at Ramblin Rascal Tavern, one of the spiritual homes of Sydney nightlife (formerly The Globe). We highly recommend getting down if you’re after a dope night of heavy funk, soul, disco, hip hop and R&B party jams. 🔥🎶🕺🏽💃🏽
THE GROOVEDEALERS REUNION
After years apart, The Groove Dealers return to the decks for a rare late-night reunion session celebrating the sounds that shaped dancefloors, clubs and underground party culture across the decades.
Expect a heavyweight blend of classic funk, deep soul, disco grooves, golden-era hip hop, slow jams from some of Sydney’s finest selectors & soul of sydney crowd favorites. Real DJs playing music that moves..& timeless grooves:
DJ Adverse • DJ Caratgold • DJ Cman • DJ Juzzlikedat • DJ Makoto • VJ Spook
9PM ‘til late | FREE ENTRY
At Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern (The Old Globe Basement, 60 Park Street, Sydney CBD
