Sampling the Swing Era

Sampling the Swing Era The Role and Function Vintage Music Plays Within the Genre of Electro Swing Chris Inglis 14021184558 MA Musicology Abstract: Within the relatively modern genre of electro swing – or vintage remix as it is sometimes referred to – one of the most important techniques used to create this style of music is that of sampling. Through sampling recordings from the original swing era, and combining them with methods commonly used to create electronic dance music, an increasing number of artists are becoming involved within this genre. This paper looks at the use of sampling within electro swing, and investigates the particular reasons why artists may choose to compose in this way. Chapter one provides an introduction to the history of the genre itself, alongside an introduction to the technique of sampling, before moving on to look into the specific reasons why an artist may choose to sample vintage music within chapter two. This is done through questioning a number of artists directly involved within the genre. In chapters three and four, individual case studies have been chosen to demonstrate the uses of sampling in both songs, and mixtapes of the genre. In both cases, certain musical factors of each song/mixtape have been identified and analysed, to provide an insight into what these factors may signify. The final chapter presents some opinions of the fans of this particular style of music, and looks into the effect that vintage music may have on an audience, when used in this way. Overall, this paper provides an extensive exploration into the use of sampling within electro swing, and thoroughly examines the specific roles and functions that vintage music plays as a part of this genre. Contents: Chapter one – An introduction to electro swing and sampling 5 Chapter two – The role and function of vintage music 15 Chapter three - An analysis of two songs: Drum Boogie and Air Mail Special 26 Chapter four - An analysis of two mixtapes: The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape and Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 39 Chapter five – Audience responses and conclusion 49 Bibliography 57 Discography 64 Appendix one – Mixtape track listings 67 Appendix two – Audience responses raw data 71  Chapter one An introduction to electro swing and sampling As we are beginning to make headway into the 21st century, the ways in which certain artists are making music, and the ways their respective audiences are experiencing it are changing. The importance of sampling has become more and more evident, and within the genre of electro swing this is particularly the case, as artists are beginning to look further and further back into the past, into the very beginnings of recorded popular music. Within this thesis, I investigate the reasons behind why many of the artists working within this genre choose to use these particular samples; and through semiotic analysis of several select case studies, and interviews with both practitioners and audience, I determine the various implications that these samples may have. However, the first thing that needs to be presented is an explanation and history of what the genre of electro swing itself precisely is. Figure 1: Caravan Palace An image which sums up the defining characteristics of electro swing rather nicely can be found in figure 1. This is a still from the video for Suzy, by the French band Caravan Palace [Wagram label, 2009]. From this image, one can see that the instruments being played by the band are those synonymous with the swing era: violin, jazz guitar, double bass and clarinet; as are the outfits being worn by the band, most notably the flapper attire worn by singer Zoé Colotis. Dancing alongside Colotis however, we find a futuristic robot, and at the back of the image, member Antoine Toustou can be seen providing mixing and programming through a vintage gramophone. This combination of old and new styles is precisely what the electro swing movement is about. It has also been suggested that the genre features an element of escapism [see Stewart, 2010], and has been described by the DJ Nick Hollywood as “the music of the first great depression meeting the technology of the second” [Hollywood, 2010b]. A brief history of electro swing There are varying accounts as to when the term ‘electro swing’ was first introduced. Michael Rack, of the act Dutty Moonshine argues that the term was first coined by the French label Wagram in 2009, to describe the first in their series of electro swing compilations [Electro Swing, 2009]. To back this up, he provides an account of an event he organised earlier on in 2009, in which none of the artists involved had the term used to describe their sound: “*HOST*- Bass 6 - beatbox extraodanaire *MUSIC* The Corrospondants - Swing n Bass Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer - Chap Hop Kitch - Jazz Don Von Drop It - Swing n Bass My Pet Sonic Monster- Lindycore MisCreation + Bass Instinct- Spoken Electronica Toiletboy- Pure Upbeat Swing” [Browne, 2014b] By way of contrast however, in an interview given in 2012, Marcus Füreder, the man behind Parov Stelar, claims to have invented the term long before 2009, stating that “I think it’s seven years ago when I spoke to a French journalist. He asked me how I would describe the genre of some of my tracks and I said “electro swing” ” [Bondy, 2012]. If one is to take Füreder’s word that he was indeed using the term as early as roughly 2005, then one may assume that perhaps it had simply not travelled over to the UK by the time Rack was organising these events in 2009. A term which has since been introduced and is now used perhaps even as widely as ‘electro swing’ is ‘vintage remix’. Many have stated their preference for this term [see Browne, 2014a], in that it covers a much wider array of styles, particularly considering that rarely do the majority of the artists of this genre ever stick to sampling only swing music. Within the confines of this paper, I will be using both terms, dependent on the context of the artist/song/mixtape I am referring to in each case. The song which is commonly regarded as the first ever song in this style is Lucas with the Lid Off, released by the Danish producer Lucas in 1994 [Lucas, 1994]. There are few examples prior to this date which could potentially qualify as electro swing: for example Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers’ Swing the Mood [Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, 1989], and the reported instances of DJs such as Frankie Knuckles and Marshall Jefferson combining swing and EDM genres within their live sets in the early 1980s [electro-swing.com, 2015]. There is also the genre of jazz rap which will be looked at in more detail in chapter two, and the ‘new jack swing’ genre – including tracks such as K7’s Hi De Ho [K7, 1993] which comes very close to electro swing in it’s most common form – both of which experienced popularity in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Looking even further back, electronic music in a much more general term has been having an influence on jazz music, and vice versa, since the early 1970s, particularly in the case of the reciprocal relationship between Miles Davis and Karlheinz Stockhausen [Bergstein, 1992:502]. However, regarding electro swing as we have come to know it now, Lucas with the Lid Off is regularly stated as the first, unequivocal example of this genre [see Hollywood, 2010:29a]. Following on from this, towards the end of the 1990s, a number of EDM artists, often already quite successful in their own right, would experiment with using swing influences within their music. Examples of this can be found in Moby’s Honey, released in 1998 [Moby, 1998]; Mr. Scruff’s Get a Move On, released in 1999 [Mr. Scruff, 1999]; and Jurassic 5’s Swing Set, released in 2000 [Jurassic 5, 2000]. In 2001, the DJ Marcus Füreder would release his first album, Shadow Kingdom, under the name of Plasma [Plasma, 2001]. This particular album fell in with the ‘acid jazz’ genre, however this was to be an important event in the history of electro swing, as Füreder would go on to become known as Parov Stelar, commonly regarded as one of, if not the most important name in this entire genre, who has even been referred to as “The Pioneer of Electro-Swing” [Austrian Music Export, 2012]. Alongside other artists such as the aforementioned Caravan Palace, electro swing was now becoming a fully fledged genre, and in some cases, experiencing immense success. The best example of this comes from the Dutch singer Caro Emerald, whose debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor broke the record previously held by Michael Jackson’s Thriller, for the longest time spent at the number one spot in the album charts in her home country of the Netherlands [NU.nl, 2010]. With her second album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, Emerald also managed to reach the number one spot in the UK [Official Charts Company, 2013], where the genre can too be found to be rapidly growing. Acts such as The Electric Swing Circus and the duo Dutty Moonshine, alongside solo producers such as C@ in the H@ and Jamie Berry have been bringing electro swing to large audiences all over the country. On top of this, in May 2013, the UK featured its first entirely electro swing festival, entitled ‘Swingamajig’ [Swingamajig, 2015], which is now held annually and continues to grow every year. Another UK festival which features electro swing prominently is ‘Boomtown Fair’, which presents itself as a mock city with various districts each dedicated to a specific musical genre; since 2013 the festival has included ‘Mayfair Avenue’, a district entirely dedicated to vintage remix and electro swing [Boomtown, 2015]. The UK also contains various record labels fully devoted to electro swing, such as ‘Freshly Squeezed’ [Freshly Squeezed, 2015b], and ‘Ragtime Records’ [Ragtime Records, 2015] (this can be found in other countries too, such as Austria’s ‘Etage Noir’ [Etage Noir Recordings, 2015], Germany’s ‘ChinChin Records’ [ChinChin Records, 2015], and the Netherlands’ ‘Grandmono’ [Grandmono Music Publishing, 2015]); and in 2015, the UK even entered an electro swing entry into the Eurovision Song Contest [Roxburgh, 2015], although it must be noted that this particular track was heavily criticised by many within the electro swing community [see Browne, 2015]. As the genre appears to be showing no signs of slowing down, many have noted its appearance in various aspects of mainstream culture. Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 remake of The Great Gatsby featured an electro swing soundtrack [The Great Gatsby, 2013]; and the likes of Parov Stelar have been commisioned to produce various electro swing remixes for some of the most successful artists in the music industry, such as Lana Del Rey [Stelar, 2013], Bryan Ferry [Ferry, 2014], and Lady Gaga [LadyGagaVEVO, 2014]. The practice of sampling For the vast majority of electro swing and vintage remix artists, one of the most important techniques involved in creating their music is that of sampling. The term ‘sampling’, as is discussed below, can refer to many different practices found in music; within the context of electro swing I will generally be using it to refer to the presence of an already existent recording within a new composition. Sampling in this sense has been present within electro swing compositions since the very inception of the genre. As stated above, the song generally regarded by most as the first ever electro swing song is Lucas’s Lucas With the Lid Off [Lucas, 1994], released in 1994. The musical motif featured extensively throughout the duration of this song is sampled directly from Benny Goodman’s 1935 recording of When Buddha Smiles [Goodman, 1935b]. Other examples of extensive sampling in electro swing can be found in Parov Stelar’s Booty Swing’s [Stelar, 2013] sampling of Lil Hardin Armstrong’s Oriental Swing [Hardin Armstrong, 1991]; and Kormac’s Mr. Soft’s [Kormac, 2007] sampling of Django Reinhardt’s Blue Drag [Reinhardt, 1957]. The practice of sampling as we generally regard it today can be traced as far back as 1920, where as Chris Cutler describes in the article Plunderphonia, the composer Stefan Wolpe could be found using eight gramophones to play various records at different speeds, resulting in a new composition [Cutler, 2005:145]. This was likely inspired by the even earlier work of artist Marcel Duchamp, most widely known for his ‘Readymade’ sculptures: found objects which Duchamp chose to present as art. The first of these was his 1914 Bottle Rack which, other than a signature, was left completely unchanged by Duchamp [Cutler, 2005:144]. Duchamp’s work was of course a different medium to that of Wolpe and the composers to follow him; however this began the practice of using something already existent within a different context, for the purposes of art of any kind. Following on from this, various composers such as John Cage, Edgard Varèse, and Pierre Schaeffer would also experiment with the manipulation of recorded sound within their compositions [Cutler, 2005:145]; however it wasn’t until 1961 that the first example of sampling of this kind involved popular music, with the release of James Tenney’s Collage No. 1 (Blue Suede) [Cutler, 2005:145]. This composition was entirely made up of samples from Elvis Presley’s 1956 recording of Blue Suede Shoes [Presley, 1956] (which it must be noted, is not an original song itself, as it is a cover of Carl Perkins 1955 original [Perkins, 1955]). Despite using popular music as its sample source however, Collage No. 1 (Blue Suede) was still perceived as a piece of high art, though this composition would bring the technique of sampling to the attention of popular musicians; by 1967, similar techniques were being employed by the likes of Frank Zappa, such as in his 1967 album We’re Only in It for the Money [The Mothers of Invention, 1967]. To take one example, Zappa’s track Nasal Retentive Calliope Music features a sample from the Rotations’ Heavies [The Rotations, 1964]. Acts such as The Residents would continue using these techniques throughout the 1970s [see The Residents, 1976], by which time the music of hip-hop had emerged, in which the practice of sampling was considered one of the central techniques. One of the first examples of sampling within the genre of hip-hop was in the technique of ‘slipcueing’, first used by DJ Francis Grasso in the mid-1970s. As Albert Goldman writes in his book Disco, “Grasso invented the technique of ‘slipcueing’: holding the disc with his thumb whilst the turntable whirled beneath, insulated by a felt pad. He’d locate with an earphone the best spot to make the splice then release the next precisely on the beat […] His tour de force was playing two records simultaneously for as long as two minutes at a stretch” [Goldman, 1978:115]. It was through DJs such as Grasso that changing and manipulating already existent recordings was brought to the forefront of this style of music; as described by Russell Potter, “by taking these musical sounds through scratching, cutting, and sampling, what had been consumption was transformed into production” [Potter, 1995:36]. Within Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop, Joseph G. Schloss describes another early innovation in hip-hop music: that of the ‘breakbeat’ [Schloss, 2004:31]. First used by DJ Kool Herc, this technique involved selecting a small section of an individual track, such as a short drum break, and through using two copies of the same record, isolating this section by playing it over and over, first on the one record, then the second whilst bringing the first record back to that same spot, and so on. The invention of digital samplers such as the E-mu SP-12 in 1986 also played a crucial role in hip-hop sampling, and as Schloss explains, “it wasn’t long, though, before hip-hop producers would go even further. They soon began to use the SP-12 not only to sample drum sounds from old records, but also to sample entire melodies” [Schloss, 2004:35]. First explored by producer Marley Marl, this technique was essentially the beginnings of what we would now consider to be the wide usage of sampling, particularly within the genre of electro swing. Of course, this is not the only way in which electro swing artists may be said to use ‘sampling’ as a compositional device. In his 2010 article, The demonic and the divine: Unfixing replication in the phenomenology of sampling, Robert Wilsmore identifies nine methods of ‘sampling’ that can be used within composition. His definitions are as follows: “1. Super-composition: one work built on top of another ‘complete work (like a cantus firmus but where a fuller, if not full, work is used, e.g. Gounod’s ‘Ave Maria’ using a Bach prelude or Kenny G playing over Armstrong’s recording of ‘A Wonderful World’). 2. Remix: a version using the recorded material that is an interpretation of the acknowledged song but is still markedly different (such as ‘Reich Remixed’ or Aphex Twin’s ’26 Remixes for Cash’). 3. Mash-up: collage, combining more than one existing work with no ‘new’ material added. 4. Cantus firmus: the use of a single line upon which new ‘lines’ are added (e.g. a Leonin Discantus or Sugababes’ ‘Freak Like Me’ over a Gary Numan bass line (though we might consider the ground-bass as a description of the sample’s employment here)). 5. Chord progression: work built on existing chord progression (e.g. innumerable blues songs). 6. Cover: A version, a setting or interpretation of another song that is different to the original, which does not tend to use recorded material from the original (though perhaps this separates ‘Remix’ and ‘Cover’ rather than noting their similarities). 7. Variation: where extant music undergoes development, particularly a theme that develops in linear fashion. 8. Pastiche: ‘allusion’ to existing ‘style’, in the style of rather than borrowing obviously from individually recognizable works. 9. Quotation: insertion of small amount of material, normally just once, as a reference rather than a structure or compositional device (e.g. Zemlinksy in Berg’s ‘Lyric Suite’).” [Wilsmore, 2010:13-14] With regards to Wilsmore’s nine types of classification, I considered these compositional methods within the context of electro swing pieces, in order to determine if each method can indeed exist within this particular genre. What follows is a list of Wilsmore’s classifications, and with each a corresponding example within electro swing: 1. Super-composition: The Correspondents regularly perform a version of Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing) [Goodman, 1935a] in their live set, in which singer Mr. Bruce inserts lyrics on top of the original recording [see Zelda Princess, 2014]. 2. Remix: Two examples include Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie [Swing Republic, 2011], and Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special [Club Des Belugas, 2009], both of which are discussed extensively in chapter three. 3. Mash-up: C@ In The H@’s Hallelujah [C@ In The H@, 2013b], which combines Peggy Lee’s Hallelujah I Love Him So [Lee, 1959] with Ludacris’s End Of The Night [Ludacris, 2006]. 4. Cantus firmus: Parov Stelar’s Clap Your Hands [Stelar, 2015], which is entirely built around a line from Glenn Miller’s Doin’ the Jive [Miller, 1938]. 5. Chord progression: Belleruche’s Minor Swing [Belleruche, 2007], which is an original composition based on the chord progression of Django Reinhardt’s piece of the same name [Quintette du Hot Club de France, 1937]. 6. Cover: Club Des Belugas’s cover [Club Des Belugas, 2008] of Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) [Ellington, 1932]. 7. Variation: Nicolas Repac’s Revue Noire [Repac, 2004], in which a section from Fats Waller’s The Yacht Club Swing [Waller, 1938] undergoes development throughout the piece. 8. Pastiche: Caravan Palace’s guitarist Arnaud Vial imitating the playing style of Django Reinhardt [see Caravan Palace, 2008; Reinhardt, 2010]. 9. Quotation: The Electric Swing Circus’s quotation of Cab Calloways Hi-De-Ho Man (That’s Me) [Calloway, 1947], within their song Mellifluous [The Electric Swing Circus, 2013]. As we can see, within Wilsmore’s nine types of classification, all the ways in which sampling can potentially be used, can and have been used within electro swing. Were one to extend this list of classifications further, such as the fourteen listed by J. Peter Burkholder [Burkholder, 1994:854], it is likely that examples of electro swing would continue to exist within each compositional method. Again, this goes to shows the importance of sampling within this genre, as artists are employing and utilising as many different compositional methods of this type as they are able to produce. The followings chapters explore the practice of sampling within this genre in extensive detail. Chapter two contains a discussion regarding the many reasons behind the choice to use specifically vintage samples, and the possible meanings that can be derived from doing so. Through combining the already existent research concerning this topic with some of my own, I present a number of reasons why artists working within this genre may choose to use vintage materials as an influence. In chapter three I present two case studies, in which I use a semiotic approach to analyse the musical factors present within the two electro swing remixes mentioned above: Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie, and Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special. Chapter four contains a very similar approach, however regarding two mixtapes rather than individual songs: C@ In The H@’s The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape, and Hong Kong Ping Pong’s Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9. And in chapter five, I will conclude by presenting some audience feedback, of self-confessed fans of the genre. The opinions held by the audience of any style of music can often provide just as much information about the music itself as the views of the original artists, and I will demonstrate the similarities and differences in these views regarding aspects of sampling for both. Considering electro swing, the main questions I will be addressing over the entire course of this paper is to determine what exactly can be achieved through working with vintage samples, and why the artists involved in this genre choose to use this technique. Over the following chapters, I will demonstrate extensively the reasons behind the use of vintage sampling, and provide an understanding to this phenomenon. Chapter two The role and function of vintage music The aim of this chapter is to determine the specific reasons why the artists involved in the genre of electro swing choose to work with vintage samples, and the distinct implications that working with these samples may have. As Simon Reynolds argues in his book Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past, where many eras of the past have had their own individual style, this no longer appears to be the case today. He sums this point up by stating the following: “Instead of being about itself, the 2000s has been about every other previous decade happening again all at once: a simultaneity of pop time that abolishes history while nibbling away at the present’s own sense of itself as an era with a distinct identity and feel.” [Reynolds, 2011:x] Reynolds makes the point quite clearly that the music of the past appears to be creeping back into the modern day, however the reasons behind this are difficult to precisely pin down. Particularly within electro swing, through the use of sampling, a large amount of modern music can now largely be described as simply a reinterpretation of already existent music. Over the course of this chapter, I will present various explanations for the occurrence of this phenomenon. Before describing the various reasons behind the use of such samples, I will first briefly look at two case studies that highlight the importance of sampling within this genre. The first of these is Parov Stelar’s The Art of Sampling [Stelar, 2013], released in 2013; simply from the title of this album, an explicit partiality for the use of sampling is clearly being demonstrated. This is backed up even further by Marcus Füreder himself – the man behind Parov Stelar – who in reference to this album states: “Sampling is an instrument. You have an unimaginable treasure trove of material that you can use and transform into new things. I play the computer; that’s my instrument.” [Buhre, 2013] The second album that I have chosen is Remote, the 2015 album by the Italian act SwinGrowers [SwinGrowers, 2015]. This album in fact features zero samples whatsoever; however this was presented by the record label as one of the selling points, indicating its uniqueness. As the press release states: “What marks this out is the departure from any use of vintage samples. Instead, every track, every sound is entirely original – the influences have been fully absorbed. If there was ever any doubt that this genre had a future, then this is the rebuttal. “Remote” is nothing less than a game-changer.” [Freshly Squeezed, 2015a] The phrase “game-changer” in this context is particularly telling of the importance of sampling: the fact that this album features none is highly unusual, and very different from the standards expected within this genre. Over the following two chapters, I will be looking directly at individual examples of sampling present in specific songs and mixtapes, and the various factors found within; this chapter however concerns the distinct reasons behind the use of vintage samples within electro swing as a whole. Regarding these distinct reasons, it is true that little to no academic work has already been conducted for the specific genre of electro swing. However, a genre which has had considerable research conducted into it is the related genre of jazz rap, concerning artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. Of this genre, Justin Williams has stated in Rhymin’ and Stealin’: Musical Borrowing in Hip-Hop, that “the fundamental element of hip-hop culture and aesthetics is the overt use of preexisting material to new ends” [Williams, 2013:1], and that “borrowing is hip-hop culture’s most widespread, and arguably most effective, way of celebrating itself” [Williams, 2013:171]. From these statements, it is clear that each of the samples used in hip-hop music will have very particular reasons behind their usage, and that the decision behind its use may hold distinct implications. Perhaps surprisingly, of the many reasons given by different authors concerning the reasons behind the use of vintage influences, the argument that seems to appear the most is the suggestion that both hip-hop and jazz music emerged from the same traditions and creative sources. For example, journalists Janine McAdams and Havelock Nelson present an interview with Glenn Bolton, better known as Daddy-O, of the jazz rap group Stetsasonic, in which he states that “jazz is what emanates from what the people are doing in their particular day and time. I believe that hip-hop is the jazz music of today” [Adams & Nelson, 1992:24]. This position is backed up by Joseph Patel within his chapter in Oliver Wang’s Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, in which he states that jazz rap established “a consummate link between generations, taking the essence of jazz and the essence of hip hop and showing they originated from the same black center” [Patel, 2003:97]. Indeed, within Rhymin’ and Stealin’, Williams lists several similarities between both genres, including their “origins as dance music, [that they] were largely the product of African American urban creativity and innovation, and [their] shared rhythmic similarities” [Williams, 2013:52]. Following on from this point, journalist Danyel Smith presents an interview with Keith Elam, or Guru, of Gang Starr, another jazz rap act, who suggests that jazz has been “taken away, made into some elite, sophisticated music” [Smith, 1994:88]; almost one of the ‘high arts’, which is very much in opposition to how it would have originally been considered. This point is argued by Paul Lopes, who demonstrates that “The sociologists Howard Becker (1951) and William Bruce Cameron (1954) found the jazz community to be basically working class without a college education” [Lopes, 2002:249]. With regards to this, Elam suggests that hip-hop is “bringing jazz back where it belongs” [Smith, 1994:88]. It is possible that some of these similarities may translate over to electro swing. Just as the music of the swing era evolved out of the jazz of the 1920s, EDM evolved out of the hip-hop of the early 1980s, and therefore many of the parallels between both genres will have persisted. Several authors however have also suggested that this is not in fact the case, and that both hip-hop and jazz are two distinct, individual genres; the indication of this is that jazz rap’s sampling of vintage jazz is therefore intended to serve almost as a juxtaposition. For instance, Tom Perchard suggests that the artists working within this genre are “acting with acute historical consciousness: not because of their closeness to jazz source materials, but precisely because of their distance from them” [Perchard, 2011:286]. This distance between jazz and rap is backed up with a quote from rapper KRS-One, who states that “my audience, a rap audience, would not have the faintest idea what jazz is supposed to be” [K, 33:1990]. It’s also been suggested by Williams that, as Smith suggests that jazz is now considered one of the ‘high arts’ of today’s society, hip-hop’s sampling of it is perhaps an attempt to enter that same world. As he describes, “rap music’s borrowing from jazz was a key gesture in the defining of jazz rap as a sophisticated alternative, as part of hip-hop’s ongoing struggle for cultural legitimacy [Williams, 2013:72]. Another suggestion for the use of vintage samples within modern music, is the concept of ‘retelling the past’. Hip-hop’s sampling of older genres has been described by author Russell Potter as “re-form[ing] the traditions it draws upon” [Potter, 1995:26], and Perchard describes the phenomenon that “traditions are invented and cultural memories mobilized at times of social change or trauma”, drawing parallels with hip-hop’s sampling of older generations’ music by stating that it is possible to see hip hop’s sampling of older generations’ music as a similar kind of operation” [Perchard, 2011:291]. Indeed, Peter Burke goes on to describe how – as the saying goes, ‘history is written by the victors’ – “marginalized cultural groups have been apt to make more of that cultural memory”, and that “the circulation and reproduction of memories, often through performative rather than literary acts, constructs oppositional historical narratives at the same time as it defines a contemporary “us” and “them” ”[Burke, 1997:54-55]. It is certainly possible to see these jazz rap musicians as using vintage music as a way of constructing an alternate history, more favourable for themselves. A few additional ideas behind the use of vintage samples have been presented by Simon Reynolds within Retromania; for instance, a question he poses is whether “nostalgia [is] stopping our culture’s ability to surge forward, or are we nostalgic precisely because our culture has stopped moving forward and so we inevitably look back to more momentous and dynamic times” [Reynolds, 2011:xiv]? Additionally, Reynolds also suggests that perhaps we are now using more and more vintage samples simply for the reasons of ease and accessibility, stating that “all the sound and imagery and information that used to cost money and physical effort to obtain is available for free, just a few key and mouse clicks away” [Reynolds, 2011:xxi]. Therefore, within the genre of jazz rap, there are already a large number of suggestions as to why these artists may choose to work with vintage samples. With regards to electro swing however, I was keen to discover whether or not these views were echoed by the practitioners of this particular style. In order to do this, I contacted a number of different artists working within the genre, and asked the following question: “With regards to your music, what do you consider the role and function of using vintage music to be?” It must be said, that one cannot rely only on the responses of individuals involved within the music, as each artists provides only one viewpoint, which in some cases may cover a fairly limited scope. The truthfulness of the responses received can also be called into question, as in some situations there may be the case of an artist constructing a myth in their favour, for example. For these reasons, in further chapters I will be using other methods, such as audience responses and music analysis; however within the confines of this chapter, I will be focussing mainly on these responses. The first artist to get back to me was the producer Nick Hollywood, who says the following: “Vintage music is a source of inspiration. That’s pretty much the only real common ground. Beyond that; in what way it inspires – either via directly sampling – or by simply providing a musical style template – is completely different from one artist to the next.” Hollywood’s description of vintage music serving as a source of inspiration for him ties in with Reynolds’ idea that perhaps our culture has stopped moving forward. In fact, this implication that vintage music is perhaps of a higher quality than much of the music of today was in fact quite a common theme throughout many of the responses I received. This suggestion is taken ever further by Per Ebdrup, known for being the DJ behind the Danish act Swing Republic, who will be discussed more extensively in the following chapter. Ebdrup states the following: “Very significant. Many tracks I make in this genre are sample based. The old samples give a great vibe to the tracks. In those days, only the very best musicians were allowed to record, because of the expensive technology. So the quality of the artists is high. Lyrics in 20-30ties are often quite fun which gives the music a happy and light feel.” Ebdrup’s point that in the swing era “only the very best musicians were allowed to record”, and his suggestion that therefore “the quality of the artists is high” further backs up Reynolds’ idea. In fact, in some cases, there even appears to be an air of superiority within certain electro swing and vintage remix artists, which would seem to stem from this suggestion that their music is of a higher quality than the majority of modern music. To take a slight a detour away from the artists I contacted myself, this position is made evident by the South African duo Goldfish. As member Dominic Peters states of their music: “I think our whole thing is kind of combining the analogue and digital world together. A lot of dance music’s very sterile and very bright and shiny, and we try and rub in a bit of dirt, and a bit of analogue warmth, and real instruments, and bring back the life to dance music.” [Goldfishlive, 2012] Peters’ suggestion that they are bringing the life back to dance music, suggests that Goldfish feel that the majority of modern-day can be improved, and that Goldfish’s music is bringing about this improvement. This suggestion of superiority is summed up perfectly in the music video for Goldfish’s One Million Views [GoldfishLiveVEVO, 2013]. Within this animated video, the members of Goldfish attend a ‘DJ school’ in which caricatures of various other EDM musicians, such as Skrillex and Deadmau5 are found, simply repeatedly pressing the same button in order to make their respective music. Another character in the video is a dog, who features prominently throughout several of their music videos, in this case as a professional DJ. As the band notice, this character fails to plug his equipment in, and plays solitaire on his computer whilst pretending to mix live. By comparison, the band demonstrates their abilities by performing on live instruments, in addition to electronic mixing. To return to the artists of whom I contacted myself however, this is not necessarily to say that they all look down upon regular EDM artists. For example, Michael Rack, of the duo Dutty Moonshine says the following in response to my question: “Fun. Just straight fun. Jazz and Swing was an amazing and timeless sound, you could call it the 1st punk music of it’s day for what it went up against. Slapping vintage samples onto basslines and dance beats is a sure win.” Rack’s fondness for “basslines and dance beats” is made perfectly evident here, although it does perhaps seem that he still maintains a preference for vintage music, through his description of the reasons behind its use as “just straight fun”. The phrase “sure win” in particular implies some sort of competitive nature between the various genres, in which, in his opinion, the genre of vintage remix is rated above the rest. A further reason for the use of vintage samples is given by the German DJ Tobias Kroschel, known in the electro swing world as Sound Nomaden: “for me music is timeless, that means if you give vintage music a modern twist or put it in the right context people will feel it, even if they're born in a different generation. The great opportunity of using musical themes or samples from old decades is, that you can reach people from age of 16-80 years. It is an amazing experience to see these different generations dancing together on the same music.” Kroschel’s description of the music as “timeless”, followed immediately by his use of the terms “vintage” and “modern” is perhaps slightly problematic; however the overall indication of this response, including his described love of seeing “different generations dancing together” seems to suggest that he is leaning towards the ‘same tradition’ theory, in his suggestion that all people and ages can be reached with this style. Within jazz rap too, this suggestion has been made. Once more briefly detracting from the artists I contacted myself, returning to Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, he has stated the following regarding their track Float On: “There’s a parent that’s in the living room listening to Joe Sample or Anita Baker and the kids are in the back listening to Stet, Public Enemy, NWA… but the “Float On” record comes on and all of a sudden there’s a parent saying, “Boy, what you doin’ in my records?!” – and he’s like “That’s not your record, that’s my record”… “Well, I like that one – that’s one rap record I like!” and they begin to understand each other again. Maybe an argument starts up “Oh I like the original better” or “They’re just copyin’!” – but the issue is now the father and son have something in common. It begins to bring them back together!” [Sangster, 1990:20] The idea of using vintage samples to bring different people together would for many seem a very satisfying one. A similar point is made by Luca Gatti, who DJs under the name of Dr. Cat, and says the following: “I would say the role is a primary one, in that without those vintage samples the tracks would have a complete different vibe to it, I am not saying the tracks would be better I am just saying the track would not sound as categorized within the vintage remix domain. The function is of endless inspirational importance, not only re connect with the past but springs out in to the future.” A common question regarding electro swing is whether to regard it as simply a continuation of swing music, and what it has evolved into; or whether it is entirely its own genre, simply taking influence from the swing era. Where DJs such as Parov Stelar have definitively stated that “it is called electro swing, not swing. It has its own right to exist” [Füreder, 2013], from this quote, it would appear that Gatti would take the first view, in that electro swing is what swing has now evolved into. This view is echoed by Richard Shawcross, known for DJing under the name of C@ in the H@ who has been quoted as saying that “If I had to define it under a broad umbrella genre, I would in fact call it Jazz, not Dance music. All dance music, by definition, can be danced to, but not all Electro Swing music is to be danced to” [Browne, 2014b]. If indeed, electro swing can be viewed as simply what swing has now evolved into, then this would certainly tie in with the ‘same tradition’ theory, as it would indeed be the same music. What we can ultimately conclude from all this is that there are a multitude of different reasons as to why producers may choose to work with vintage samples. The fact that some of these views are complimentary, whereas others are contrasting leaves room for more research to be conducted into this area, some of which will be presented in the following chapters. For now however, I will briefly recap the various views presented so far. For jazz rap specifically, the idea that both genres of music – jazz and hip-hop – come from the same traditions is certainly an interesting one, and does in fact seem to translate across to electro swing. As stated, both swing and EDM evolved out of jazz and hip-hop respectively, and as a result, there are certainly parallels to be drawn there. The suggestion however of a juxtaposition of styles can apply too; this point is made clearly by Simon Reynolds in Retromania, when he states that “nearly all the most successful mash-ups worked by contrast and collision” [Reynolds, 2011:358]. Indeed, it does certainly appear to be the case with some electro swing producers that they are making a conscious attempt to combine contrasting styles. The idea of retelling the past is definitely an intriguing one. The suggestion by Tom Perchard that hip-hop musicians are constructing an alternate, more favourable past for themselves certainly makes sense; and when drawing the parallels we have already seen between hip-hop and jazz, and EDM and swing, this suggestion may possibly still apply. The suggestion that our culture has stopped moving forward does initially appear questionable, however there does exist ample evidence, supplied by a number of authors to back this up. On top of this, the common suggestion found in many of the artists questioned that the quality of vintage music is higher than that of today seems to suggest that, if not our culture has stopped moving forward, then perhaps our range of influences has. Reynolds’ other suggestion that vintage samples are being used more as a result of the ease that now exists to obtain them does indeed make sense. Whilst it is unlikely that artists are using vintage samples primarily for the reason of ease and accessibility, – they are almost certainly being used entirely for artistic purposes – the role of technology ensures that it is now much easier to do this, which definitely helps, and allows for a much wider use as well. As I have suggested, there is perhaps a level of superiority present amongst electro swing and vintage remix artists, which would then of course translate across to the samples they choose to use. By demonstrating their knowledge and use of obscure and largely unknown sample sources, these artists are simultaneously presenting to the world their uniqueness and merit as musicians, on top of their abilities as a producer. Joseph G. Schloss describes this as a “deeply embedded psychological need to find rare records [Schloss, 2004:37]. The suggestion made by Tobias Kroschel of using vintage samples as a way of bringing different generations together is certainly another possibility. From my own experience doing field work by attending various electro swing events, I have witnessed many times that this is indeed the case; it is entirely common, and not at all surprising to find people of all ages enjoying the music together at these types of concerts. Finally there is the suggestion that electro swing is the natural extension of swing music into the modern day, which of course ties in with the first point about the genres being part of the same tradition. I myself would definitely subscribe to this theory; my main argument being that jazz music has always been about experimentation. This point has been made by a number of individuals, such as Mark C. Gridley who, when speaking of ‘avant-garde jazz’, argues that all styles of jazz “could justify having “avant-garde” in their title”, as they are all “about innovators rather than imitators” [Gridley, 1992:139]. Another author who makes a similar point is David Horn, who states of jazz that, “it was the sense it which it broke with norms that’s gave it sonic individuality”; that “the music’s departure from the norms of sound, rhythm and timing resulted in another further element of distinctiveness”; and that “having forged a distinct sonic identity, jazz was able to preserve this identity through many changes of style” [Horn, 2002:30]. From these definitions of jazz, one can argue that simply trying to repeat the styles of swing exactly how they would have sounded up to 80 years ago goes almost against the very ideals of jazz music itself. I will conclude with a quote from producer Hank Shocklee, made in reference to the majority of modern jazz artists, who states: “The new guys who are coming up only mimic what they’ve heard in the past. And jazz was never like that. It was always an exploration music. It explored new levels, new sounds, new things. There was never a formula for jazz.” [Dery, 2004:419] By bringing in aspects of electronic dance music, electro swing artists are exploring and experimenting with what they are able to achieve within the genre. The “lack of formula” found in jazz can still be found within electro swing, and as a result, these artists have set themselves apart from any other artists simply imitating the original sounds of jazz and swing. What can certainly be found to be true with electro swing, is that the vast amount of experimentation indicating the jazz influence has undeniably remained. Chapter three An analysis of two songs: Drum Boogie and Air Mail Special When considering the particular role and function that swing music plays within the genre of electro swing, I will be looking specifically into two songs within this chapter. In both songs I will present a number of musical factors present in each, and also various ways in which the two songs contrast with one another. Through demonstrating the various factors present in both which I have considered to be relevant, this chapter will provide an insight into the particular music signs which can be found within this genre. In order to do this, I will be using a semiotic approach. The study of semiology originates with the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, who in his 1916 book Course in General Linguistics, describes the term as “a science which studies the role of signs as part of social life” [Saussure, 1983:18]. Saussure approaches semiology by using the terms ‘signifier’, and ‘signified’; referring respectively to the sign within the particular text – in this case the music – and the meaning expected to be understood by this sign. Although Saussure originally coined the phrase to describe the study of language, Kofi Agawu has drawn attention to the differences when studying music, stating for example that “units of language have more or less fixed physical meaning, while units of music do not” [Agawu, 1999:144]. Many different scholars would seem to agree with Agawu’s argument that elements of music do not have any fixed meaning. For instance, Jean-Jacques Nattiez states that “music’s capacity (with all other symbolic forms) [gives] rise to a complex and infinite web of interpretants” [Nattiez, 1987:37]. Eric Clarke has also observed the lack of “determinacy in the perception of musical meaning”, stating that “invariants will often specify more than one source, and in music […] the multiplicity of such sources is often overwhelming” [Clarke, 2005:191]; and Agawu himself, has argued that “to insist on a single and stable definition of musical sign is, to my mind, to falsify the semiotic enterprise before it has even begun” [Agawu, 1991:16]. I will be basing my approach on the work of Philip Tagg who, within the article Musicology and the semiotics of popular music, states that “musicology has managed to ignore most of the music produced and used in the post-Edison era” [Tagg, 1987:280], arguing that semiotics can provide a means of analysing popular music just as well as that of Western Classical music. For the songs I will be analysing, my approach will also be similar to that used by Eric Clarke in his analysis of Jimi Hendrix’s Star Spangled Banner [Clarke, 2005:48-61]. The two songs I have chosen are Drum Boogie by the Danish act Swing Republic [Swing Republic, 2011]; and Air Mail Special by the German act Club Des Belugas [Club Des Belugas, 2009], released in 2011 and 2009 respectively. Both these of these songs are remixes of original songs from the swing era, the first being Gene Krupa’s Drum Boogie, first recorded in 1941 with the singer Irene Daye [Krupa, 1941]; and Ella Fitzgerald’s version of Air Mail Special, recorded in 1957, for the live album released the following year, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport [Fitzgerald & Holiday, 1958]. These two remixes contrast significantly with one another, however many factors signifying specific influences from both swing and electronic dance feature music in both. Once I have provided an in-depth analysis for each song independently, I will present a direct comparison between the two. Drum Boogie The first song is Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie. This song was originally written in 1941 by Gene Krupa himself, along with his trumpeter Roy Eldridge. Within this particular remix, on top of looking into the factors signifying both swing and EDM, I will also take note of the factors present in this remix which reference Gene Krupa as a musician himself. In each case, I will explain each of these factors, stating the role and function in which it plays, and the significance it may hold as a result of this. The first aspect I’m going to look at is in fact the first vocal line sampled in the song: the phrase “jitterbug boogie”. This phrase immediately references two types of dances synonymous with the swing era, the ‘jitterbug’, and the ‘boogie-woogie’. To those familiar with these terms, from the very start of the song the producer, in picking these samples, has made it clear that this is a song intended to be danced to. As an art form, swing dancing has always had very close ties with swing music, and of course within EDM, dancing is just as important, as it is from where the genre takes its name. Tying in with the ‘boogie-woogie’ style of dance, ‘boogie-woogie’ is also a style of piano playing that became popular during the swing era [see Turner, 1938; Fitzgerald & Ink Spots, 1944], and in fact, one of the main qualities to signify that a song is in the swing style is the instrumentation. The boogie-woogie style has been described as having “a fast, rolling bass – giving the piece an undercurrent of tremendous power – power playing piano” [Tennison, 2014]. A piano playing in this style can be heard under the vocals during the intro to the song, and as the song continues, a horn section too enters, which is of course also one of the most distinctive sounds that a piece of music is from the swing era. In a Saussurean sense, one could describe these as various signifiers within the instrumentation, and as a result be able to tell that the producer is, to a degree, trying to recreate the sounds of that original era. Along with the horn section and piano, another of the most distinctive types of instrumentation for a song from this era is found within the rhythm section, generally consisting of a double bass and drums [see Shaw, 1938; Dorsey, 1944]. This song evidently gives a lot of attention to the drums, being that Gene Krupa himself was a drummer, and regarding this song it has even been said of the original that: “The song Drum Boogie featured Krupa’s best drum solo, an accumulation of twenty years of studying the intricacies of rhythmic textures.” [Dicaire, 2003:222]. It also features a double bass playing during the verses; this rhythm section even further backs up the implication that the producer is recreating the sounds of the past. Regarding this particular instrumentation however, this leads on to the first factor that I will discuss regarding the EDM nature of this song, that of the genre of ‘drum n bass’. This genre is certainly the one most commonly associated with having a powerful rhythm section, at least within the modern age [see Shy FX, 1995; Solo & Deekline, 2013]. In fact, the instrumentation for this style is so important that the genre has of course been named after these particular instruments. Although this song is not the best example of an electro swing track with elements of drum n bass, this is a genre very popular with, particular British, electro swing producers. Some producers have even referred to a new subgenre known as ‘swing n bass’, such as the DJ Mista Trick, in his mixtape of the same name [Mista Trick, 2014b]. By bringing in these distinctive modern styles, the producer is making a clear indication that the electronic nature of this song is just as important as the vintage style, particularly in songs such as Drum Boogie, where the EDM influences are at the forefront of the music. The type of EDM more distinctive to this particular track however, is a derivative form of drum n bass known as ‘dubstep’ [see Skream, 2006; Benga, 2008]. Dubstep is characterised by its very low, synthesised bass tones, often with the use of an LFO, or low frequency oscillator; this is an electronic signal which creates a rhythmic pulse, sometimes referred to as ‘wobble bass’. As stated before, although this song does features a double bass during the verses, the most notable bass line found in the song is during the instrumental breaks, in which influences of this style of music are utilised extensively. Again, the use of this style of music highlights the importance of the electronic elements of the electro swing style. To return to the factors present in this song signifying it as being from the swing era, aside from the dubstep influenced bassline of the instrumental breaks, the bass section which occurs accompanying the boogie-woogie piano of the verses also happens to be representative of the swing era, in that it uses a walking bassline. Having a constant, steady walking bassline backing up the rest of the song was very characteristic of the swing era [see Calloway, 1939; Ellington, 1940], as this was one of the techniques the musicians would regularly use within the rhythm section. This contrast between the two bass styles, walking bass and wobble bass, is a further indication of the two styles found within this genre. Alongside the walking bassline, it is also notable to look at just what the bass is actually playing, in that the chord progression throughout the song is a typical 12 bar blues, even during the more electronic sections. The 12 bar blues consists of four measures in the tonic, followed by two in the subdominant, two more in the tonic, two in the dominant, and a final two in the tonic, and as the name suggests, is one of the most common chord progressions in blues music, as it was in swing as well [see Basie, 1937; Miller, 1939]. The fact that the 12 bar blues progression continues even throughout the more electronic sections is indicative of the complimentary relationship between both styles. Considering the prominence of each of the individual instruments however, it is ultimately the drums, and not the bassline that is the most significant in this song. The reason behind this is because it is indeed originally a song by Gene Krupa, perhaps the most famous drummer of the swing era. The song which Krupa is almost certainly most famous for however, is not this song, and not even in fact a song in which he was the bandleader, but Benny Goodman’s Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing) [Goodman, 1935]. This song famously features a large number of drum solos performed by Krupa, and a result, the vast number of drum solos featured in this remix of Drum Boogie are perhaps a nod to this. Another of the things that Krupa is most widely known for, is his series of ‘drum battles’ with fellow drummer of the swing era, Buddy Rich [see Krupa & Rich, 1955; 1962]. Although Buddy Rich is not featured in this song at all, it is again more than possible that the producer was intending to reference these battles, in the way in which, during Krupa’s solos in the song, the drums almost seem to be competing for their place in the track. A noticeable difference between the original track and this remix, is that there has been a tempo change, in that it has been increased from 86 to 90 BPM. Although not a very large difference by any means, it is perhaps more interesting simply to note that a change has occurred, as opposed to by what degree it has been made. Perhaps this is because a characteristic of EDM songs is to generally have rather a fast tempo, or perhaps this is simply to keep it more in line with other EDM songs, in order to mix with more ease in mixtapes and live sets, however this change certainly represents the variations that can be made within the EDM genre. Another EDM genre that this song would certainly be in line with, is ‘glitch’ [see The Glitch Mob, 2010; KOAN Sound, 2011]. This style of music is characterised by incorporating glitches, bugs, application errors, clipping, distortion and even the noise floor of computer sound cards [Cascone, 2000]. The way in which the titular phrase, “drum boogie” is inserted over the top of the instrumental breaks, regularly being cut off halfway through a phrase or even word is very distinguishing of this style, and along with both drum n bass and dubstep, glitch is certainly one of the EDM influences to be found within this track. Through the use of influences from various styles of EDM, it would seem that the producer is indicating his inspiration coming just as much from this style, as from the original swing music. The final point I will be make regarding this song, which ties in with glitch music, is that this song makes use of many erroneous sounding noises representative of, by today’s standards, poor sound quality. This however is in fact more characteristic of the swing style than glitch, in that the original recording from 1941 is obviously of a much lower quality than today’s standards. Where other styles of EDM may try to hide or cover up the ‘crackly’ nature of songs from earlier eras when sampling them, electro swing however embraces this, and not only is an evident crackle characteristic of music recorded in the original swing era, but also of the electro swing remixes of these songs themselves. A reason behind this could perhaps be to simply act as a signifier of the original era; however the incorporation of this characteristic recording quality may also act as almost a tribute to original swing recordings themselves, in that the music can stand for itself and does not need to have improved sound quality to demonstrate its worth. In the case of Drum Boogie, it is likely that Per Ebdrup certainly feels this way about the original piece. With regards to this he has stated: “I have always had a love for jazz. […] I really liked the positive energy and stunning musicianship. The sound of the old recordings is also fantastic. It holds so much history – swing was one of the first genres to be recorded. I liked the idea of combining the old with the new.” [Canavaral, 2011] The factors I have listed for Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie are as follows: Swing EDM Gene Krupa “Jitterbug boogie” Instrumentation Rhythm section Walking bassline 12 bar blues Sound quality Drum n bass Dubstep Tempo change Glitch Drum solos ‘Drum battles’ Air Mail Special The second song I have chosen to analyse is the Club Des Belugas remix of Ella Fitzgerald’s Air Mail Special. Like Drum Boogie, this song was also composed in 1941, by Benny Goodman, James Mundy and Charlie Christian. Released on an album featuring both Fitzgerald, and also Billie Holiday, these two singers were considered two of the finest female vocalists of the swing era. As with Drum Boogie, alongside the factors present in this song which signify it as having both swing and EDM connotations, I will also be identifying the factors which specifically reference the artist, in this case Ella Fitzgerald. On top of this, I will also be looking at some of the specific connotations which Air Mail Special holds as a song itself. The first few points I will be making will be similar to some of those made for Drum Boogie. Again, when listening to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald’s original recordings, the sound quality is noticeably poorer than today’s standards, although it is of a higher quality than Gene Krupa’s Drum Boogie, perhaps due to the fact that this recording was made 16 years later. Like Drum Boogie, this song also features a walking bassline in certain sections, and it too features a synthesised bass. However, where in the remix of Drum Boogie this was used to an incredibly high extent, here the electronic bass is much lower in the mix. The final point I will make which is similar to Drum Boogie, is that again, there has been a tempo change; however in this instance the tempo has in fact been dropped, and is therefore slower than the original. The most notable difference between this tempo change and the one in Drum Boogie is that in both the original and the remix, the tempo is much faster, and even when the piece has been slowed down, this piece is still faster than the sped up version of Drum Boogie. A possible explanation for this, is found in that Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special has notably less electronic elements than Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie, so it would seem that the producers wanted to rely more on the swing side of things within this remix; perhaps this is the reason for this slowing down of the piece, especially given its already very high tempo in the original. Continuing onto the factors I have identified within this song not to be found within Drum Boogie, the first I will mention is that from the very start of the song, it’s clear that the original recording which this piece samples is taken from a live environment. Particularly for jazz music, live shows are for many considered the best way to experience such music, and anyone who’s ever been to a jazz club will be familiar with the kind of environment to be found there. Typically, a lot of audience interaction will be incorporated, clearly noted in this song from Fitzgerald’s interaction with the crowd; and additionally, lots of improvisation, which is exactly what Fitzgerald is doing with her vocals. As a consequence of this, the piece gives the listener the feeling of being in the audience at a live show, and imitates the experience one would have when listening to jazz in its most favoured environment, within the contexts of an EDM song. Regarding Ella Fitzgerald herself, she has been described as “the shy worrier who stayed in her room between sets rather than socialising with the musicians” [O’Brien, 1995:26-27], and many fans of Fitzgerald will likely be familiar with this aspect of her personality. It is interesting to note that the producers of this remix have managed to put this across from the very start of the song, and their choice of quotes from her to begin the song is very telling. “Something different?” Fitzgerald asks the audience, and when they respond negatively, she awkwardly replied “Okay. Alright.” Rather than her personality though, the thing in which Ella Fitzgerald was most famous for was her unique talent for scat singing. Scat singing [see Armstrong, 1928; Calloway, 1932] is described as “a technique of jazz swinging in which onomatopoeic or nonsense syllables are sung to improvised melodies” [Kernfeld, 1988:425], and for Fitzgerald, it was what made her career. Of her vocal style, fellow singer Marlene Verplanck has said the following: “She swings so hard. She’s a spontaneous singer who never in her life sang a wrong note. When improvising, some people are not always within the chord structure of the song. I don’t think Ella has ever sung a wrong note. She’s happy about it, she has a good time!” [O’Brien, 1995:27] There is no doubt that the producers of the piece would have wanted to represent this aspect of Fitzgerald’s vocal style, and this piece is a perfect choice to do just this, as regarding this performance of Air Mail Special, it is essentially one long, entire scat solo. Within the scat singing, it is also not uncommon, amongst the nonsense syllables, for musicians to quote other songs within the improvisation. For example, the piece The Music Goes Round and Round, originally written in 1935, is quoted by Fitzgerald towards the end of this performance. In fact, in 1961, Fitzgerald would go on to record her own version of this piece, for her album, Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! [Fitzgerald, 1961]. The fact that Club Des Belugas have made a choice to leave these musical quotes in serves as an indication that not only are they paying tribute to Air Mail Special with this remix, but also to many of the songs from this original era. Another song quoted by Fitzgerald shortly following this one is And the Angels Sing. Written in 1939, Fitzgerald would again go on to record her own version of this piece, this time in 1965 on her live album, Ella in Hamburg [Fitzgerald, 1965]. These are the only two pieces to be quoted in this remix of the track, however on the original from Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport, she quotes many more popular songs from the time, including The Ballad of Davy Crockett, Jingle Bells, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song [Cole, 1946], and Dean Martin’s That’s Amore [Martin, 1953], amongst others. The presence of quoting in this remix is also highly significant, as quoting is in essence, the same musical technique as sampling, which as we have seen throughout this entire paper is of the upmost importance to the electro swing genre. Through the inclusion of quoting within this remix, it is likely that the producers are drawing a direct comparison between Fitzgerald’s quoting of others, and their sampling of her. As with these various songs quoted, at the time of the original performance, the piece Air Mail Special itself would have already been known to the members of the audience, as it was in fact regarded as a jazz standard. Written in 1941 by Benny Goodman, a live cover by Fitzgerald would always have been received very strongly, and along with the number of other songs quoted within this piece the overall piece itself would have held a lot of familiarity. This familiarity is demonstrated by the audience’s positive response to the piece, and the producers of the remix are likely trying to encapsulate that same response in the modern listener. To compliment the inclusion of the other songs quoted by Fitzgerald, it would seem that the producers of this remix have included aspects of other genres within the piece as well. This idea is very much allowed within EDM, through the use of sampling and related techniques, and it is in fact actively encouraged in the genre of electro swing, by producers such as Mr Switch, who describes his sound by saying: “Mr. Switch defines himself through versatility – whether dropping a hip hop scratch showcase, an electro swing trip through time, or a multi-genre mash-up, he can take any challenge thrown at him” [Mr. Switch, 2015] With this particular piece, Club Des Belugas, who as an act are known to include influences from Brazilian music, have included the sounds of many samba instruments, which can be heard throughout. Much like the way in which Swing Republic indicate their various EDM influences within Drum Boogie, here, Club Des Belugas are indicating their various influences from even more varying styles of music. Finally, this inclusion of two or more different styles within an electronic remix of a piece will be very familiar to the modern EDM listener, in that it has close ties with the concept of a ‘mash-up’, a musical technique in which a number of songs are remixed together. Particularly in the electro swing style, a number of producers frequently utilise this technique, such as the producer C@ In The H@, who regularly pairs songs from the swing era with, for example, modern hip-hop songs [see C@ In The H@, 2015a]. By paying tribute to these various styles of music, Club Des Belugas have managed to exhibit clearly the distinct style of vintage remix itself. Again, the factors I have listed for Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special are as follows: Swing EDM Ella Fitzgerald Air Mail Special Sound quality Walking bassline Live environment The Music Goes Round and Round And The Angels Sing Synthesised bass Tempo change Inclusion of other genres ‘Mash-up’ Personality Scat singing Familiarity Comparison To present a direct comparison between these two remixes, it is first important to establish the specific reasons as to why I have selected these two pieces. The genre of electro swing encompasses an incredibly wide variety of songs and remixes, but these two in particular I feel present an interesting contrast, in that the difference between the two represents quite well both ends of the spectrum: one leaning more towards the electronic side, and the other to the more swing-oriented side. One of the main differences I will also be focusing on regarding these two songs, is to acknowledge the contrast between a piece considered to be an original composition made up of samples, and a simple remix where the original song is still to be considered the most important source. Electro swing as a genre of course relies upon appropriating and recontextualising existing pieces of music, and in this case, the act of appropriation seems to be more evident within the remix of Gene Krupa’s Drum Boogie. This is most evidently demonstrated by the producer, Per Ebdrup himself, who says of his compositional method: “I sometimes use the whole track, but often I cut it up to make new melody structures and change the rhythmic feel. I let the original track influence me and I never have a clear view of what the track should end up sounding like.” [Canavaral, 2011] It would appear from this that he uses the original track more as an influence, and his resultant piece represents an entirely new act of creation. Although in pieces such as this one he retains the original title, Drum Boogie, in some of the pieces that can be found on the same album, the title of the song has been changed to one of the more prominent lines sampled within the remix. For instance, another song found on this album, On the Downbeat [Crosby, 1999], is in fact a remix of Bing Crosby and Johnny Mercer’s track from 1931, Mr. Mercer & Mr. Crosby; the title has simply been changed to reflect better this new creation. With regards to Club Des Belugas’ Air Mail Special, the opposite case seems to be present. As opposed to Drum Boogie, the remix retains essentially the same structure as the original; although there are certain parts of the original piece left out, this seems less of an artistic choice and more of a practical one. On top of this, one of the most apparent differences between these two pieces is in the extent of their use of electronic factors. In Drum Boogie, these remain very much in the musical foreground, demonstrating that perhaps the producer is relying on the samples to provide a level of interest supporting these, as opposed to the other way around. However, with Air Mail Special, the electronic factors contained within only seem to back up the original piece; in this case it would seem that the remix is simply intending to recontextualise the original for the modern audience. As a result of this analysis, I would describe the Swing Republic piece as an original Swing Republic song, which simply features samples of Gene Krupa; and the Club Des Belugas piece I would describe as their remix of an Ella Fitzgerald original. Interestingly enough, this is in fact exactly how the acts themselves describe the pieces on the album sleeves: respectively, Drum Boogie (feat. Gene Krupa) by Swing Republic, and Air Mail Special (Club Des Belugas Remix) by Ella Fitzgerald. In both of these songs, an entirely different approach has been presented as to how a producer may choose to remix a song from the swing era for the genre of electro swing. Producers such as Swing Republic, as presented by his version of Drum Boogie, may choose to cut up the original track quite significantly, to the point where the new remix is quite noticeably different from the original track; or producers such as Club Des Belugas may choose to remain quite faithful to the original, simply including electronic influences for additional interest. However, as I have shown, in both situations many factors from both swing music, and EDM can be shown to be present in the resultant piece, and the particular meanings associated with them will easily translate across to the familiar audience. Chapter four An analysis of two mixtapes: The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape and Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 As we have seen, the analysis of specific songs can prove to be incredibly useful in determining certain aspects of electro swing music, and how they can be shown to demonstrate both electronic and swing influences. However, often within many variants of EDM, and certainly electro swing, the individual songs themselves are not in fact the most widely shared product on their own. What is regularly found to be the case is that songs are shared to the public through mixtapes, often released online on audio sharing sites such as SoundCloud or Mixcloud. This can be demonstrated through tracks such as Dutty Moonshine and The McMash Clan’s Yeah, Yeah, which has never had any sort of release, outside of being featured across various mixtapes by respective electro swing artists [see Dutty Moonshine, 2014; C@ In The H@, 2015b]. Certainly within the vintage remix genre, there is just as much care put into these mixtapes as there is with the artist’s individual songs themselves. This point is made no better than by Jo Burns-Russell, who DJs under the name of Madame Electrifie, and states: “Anyone can bang out their top 10 tracks at a standard tempo, my mixes are where I really push myself. For my Glitching the Blues mix, I spent weeks hunting out suitable tracks and the whole thing was a right bitch to put together if I’m honest. I wouldn’t try some of those mixes live, they required some serious queue point planning, but again, for me that’s where the challenge is. Just beat matching is pretty basic!” [Browne, 2014c] As with the previous chapter, I here aim to provide an analysis into two specific examples of this, presenting and analysing the factors contained within two specific mixtapes. Those that I have chosen to do this with are C@ In The H@’s The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape [C@ In The H@, 2014b]; and Hong Kong Ping Pong’s Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 [Hong Kong Ping Pong, 2014]. Again, much like the previous chapter, I will provide an in-depth analysis into the factors present within these two mixtapes individually, before presenting a more direct comparison between the two. The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape The first mixtape I will be analysing will be The United Sounds Of Swingamajig by C@ In The H@, the moniker of the DJ Richard Shawcross. This mix was originally released in early 2014, as a promotion for the then upcoming Swingamajig festival, held annually in Birmingham. As a result, the mix heavily features songs from many of the musicians booked to perform at Swingamajig: The Electric Swing Circus; The Fresh Dixie Project; Jenova Collective; Smokey Joe & The Kid; Jamie Berry; The Destroyers; Molotov Jukebox; A Skillz; Lunatrix; as well as songs by C@ In The H@ himself. What follows is, much like in the previous chapter, a list detailing various factors I have found to be present within this mixtape. However, I will not be separating the list into separate categories such as swing and EDM in this instance, due to mixtapes being a form of music distribution associated with EDM almost exclusively. I will indeed be talking about the swing factors present, but only as situated within the context of an EDM framework. The factors I will be discussing with regard to this mixtape are as follows: Purpose Self-promotion Spoken dialogue Image Juxtapositions The most striking thing about this particular remix is its initial purpose. In the full description given on the SoundCloud page on which this was originally shared, Shawcross says the following: “Swingamajig is a 1 day festival in Birmingham UK, playing the sounds of electro-swing, gypsy madness, and vintage music. The party takes place on 4th May this year in a number of indoor & outdoor venues. This mix is a full on mashup of sounds all mixed up with a heavy helping of hot C@ sauce. Expect old classics and brand new sounds.” [C@ In The H@, 2014b] What is of particular note is the fact that the first paragraph is in fact a description of the Swingamajig festival itself, and it’s not until the second, that a description of the mixtape is given. Within this particular circumstance, the music seems to be secondary to the event. Creating mixtapes to promote a particular festival seems to be quite standard practice for C@ In The H@, as of the seven mixtapes uploaded to his SoundCloud profile at the time of writing, four of these were originally posted to promote an event; alongside this we can find Mixamajig for Swingamajig [C@ In The H@, 2013a] and Swingamajig Mix Series (2015 > Part.3) [C@ In The H@, 2015b], promoting both the first and most recent Swingamajig festival in 2013 and 2015 respectively; and Rocky Horror Ride (Mix for Carousel Festival), promoting the ‘Carousel’ festival held during Halloween, 2014 [C@ In The H@, 2014a]. On top of the purpose of this mix intending to act as a promotion for the Swingamajig festival, throughout the mix there too can be found many examples of Shawcross promoting himself as a DJ as well. A sample regularly featured throughout many of C@ In The H@’s mixes involves an MC he regularly works with, Mr. FX quoting the words “C@ In The H@, Swing with the Big Bass Sound”, the phrase Shawcross uses to identify his style. This particular mix opens with this phrase, immediately identifying C@ In The H@ as the DJ, and the vocal signature of “C@ In The H@” is repeated at various moments throughout the mix, working perhaps as a reminder to the unfamiliar listener as to who they are listening to: in a sense almost as an advertisement. Often, these vocal signatures are positioned within a small gap in the mix, and a technique which Shawcross regularly uses is to extend these gaps in the music to feature a longer section consisting of spoken dialogue. Occasionally, as is the case in this mix, the dialogue may in fact be a feature of one of the songs included in the mix; I’m referring here to Shawcross’s sampling of The Destroyers’ Utopia Bypass [The Destroyers, 2010], whereas in other cases he will also sample sections of spoken dialogue unrelated to the music. For example, at one section during this mix, spoken dialogue is taken from the book The Cat in the Hat Comes Back [Dr. Suess, 1958]; the eponymous character of this children’s book is of course from where Shawcross takes his stage name, which again ties in with the theme of self promotion. Many of the spoken sections also help to help strengthen Shawcross’s image as C@ In The H@. Through both his physical look (see figure 2, taken from an online interview [electro-swing.com, 2013]), and many of his songs, Shawcross seems to conjure up an image of the typical 1920s gangster, and with EP releases with titles such as Gangsta Swing [C@ In The H@, 2012], and Drugstore Cowboy [C@ In The H@, 2014c], it would appear that this image is deliberate. In this particular mixtape, in a break following the very first featured song, the following dialogue is heard: “Looks like the wise guy took over, huh?” “Yeah. Don’t like the idea of nobody snitching.” “Pleasant dreams, wise guy.” Sections of dialogue such as this one are to be found throughout the entire mixtape, and indeed all of his other mixtapes, reinforcing the 1920s style gangster image Shawcross has created for himself as C@ In The H@. Figure 2: C@ In The H@ On top of this, part of his image – which can in fact be extended to the entirety of the electro swing genre – evokes a juxtaposition of old vs. new, or vintage vs. modern. This of course is in essence, a very brief description of the entire style of music; however it’s interesting to note that in this mixtape in particular, Shawcross seems to highlight the juxtaposition more so than in other mixtapes, such as Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9. I’m referring to two specific, similar moments during the course of this mixtape, in which the original song is played, followed immediately by a remix of this song where, in both cases it has been edited quite significantly. The first instance involves the playing of Peggy Lee’s Big Spender [Lee, 1966], from 1966, followed immediately by DJ Carnage’s remix of this [Dj Carnage, 2013], and the second involves The Andrews Sisters’ Bei Mir Bist Du Schön from 1938 [The Andrews Sisters, 1938], immediately followed by a remix by Smokey Joe & The Kid, entitled Schön [Smokey Joe & The Kid, 2014]. It’s interesting to note that in both of these remixes, the vocals have been pitch shifted upwards; it is clear that Shawcross is intending to create a obvious parallel within the music in this instance. Through the demonstration of such techniques as vocal manipulation, to take just one example, he is highlighting the differences between songs from an earlier era, and the type of music created with the aid of technology today. Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 One of the most distinctive differences between Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 and The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape in this context, is the fact that The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape is distinctively an electro swing mixtape, whereas Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 is perhaps a little more difficult to classify into one particular genre. This is where the ‘vintage remix’ term mentioned in chapter one begins to become useful, as this mixtape would possibly be more accurately described by the term ‘ghetto funk’, rather than ‘electro swing’ (on the SoundCloud page for this mixtape, the genre is simply listed as “Hong Kong Ping Pong”, however the previous two mixtapes in this series were both listed under “Ghetto Funk” [hongkongpingpong, 2012a; 2012b]). Both of these genres however, would certainly be covered under the general label of ‘vintage remix’; and inclusions within this mixtape of tracks such as Sammy Senior’s Gonna Get High; Father Funk and Howla’s Got Swing?; and Jamie Berry’s Old Records ensure that it definitely features enough electro swing to be relevant to my research. Just as with The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape, I present here a list of the factors found to be present within this mixtape, and will discuss the specific implications and connotations which these factors may hold: Mixtape series Self-promotion Comedy EDM signifiers Inclusion of other genres Unlike The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape, the purpose of this mixtape’s existence is not as distinct as to simply promote an event such as the ‘Swingamajig’ festival. From the title, one can tell that this is the ninth in a series of mixtapes released by Hong Kong Ping Pong. This particular series has been ongoing since the release of their first mixtape in October 2010, and as of the time of writing, is currently the most recent one [Hong Kong Ping Pong, 2015a]. The theme of self-promotion is in fact quite a common one across various mixtapes, and much like the The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape alongside many others, this too utilises self-promotion. The inclusion of songs such as their own Sometimes Swinger, produced with fellow vintage remix act Skeewiff reinforces this as, much like with C@ In The H@, it features vocals stating the name of the act as part of the music. Again, this can potentially act as an advertisement for the artist; a reminder of who the listener is currently hearing can affect their likeliness to make an attempt to experience this artist again. Of course, this is not at all to say that the main point of mixtapes is to serve as an advertisement, and as we will see, the importance of enjoyment is also considerably present throughout. Indeed, throughout the mixtape Hong Kong Ping Pong have noticeably used samples from various comedy films. The mixtape opens with a section of audio from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and throughout, we hear various quotes from films such as Groundhog Day, Blades of Glory, and Superbad, amongst others. The inclusion of these sampled quotes from various comedy films is very notable, and is most likely intended to provide the listener with an additional element of interest, besides simply song after song. Particularly with the choice of using comedy films as well, this provides the audience with a level of fun and enjoyment that they might not have otherwise. Returning to some of the various artists reasons for creating this style of music found in chapter two, Per Ebdrup’s statement that “lyrics in 20-30ties are often quite fun which gives the music a happy and light feel”, and Michael Rack’s description of the music as “just straight fun” perfectly demonstrate the reasons why Hong Kong Ping Pong may have chosen to use comedy within this mixtape. The use of comedy is additionally expanded upon to a more subtle extent throughout. For instance, if we take the view discussed in chapter two that many of these vintage remix artists consider themselves to hold a slightly superior status to regular EDM artists, then it is possible to see them using common EDM signifiers in an ironic sense, perhaps as a parody of that scene. As an act, Hong Kong Ping Pong have implied that they consider themselves to hold this superiority through their description of their sound on their SoundCloud page, in which they state the following: “Remember when going out used to be fun? Do you prefer dancing to posing? Does your idea of dressing to impress have nothing to do with designer labels and everything to do with finding a gorilla costume in the perfect shade of purple? Bored of identikit ‘edgy’ nights called Fraktion, Elastik, and other ironically misspelled words? Well despair no more because THE HONG KONG PING PONG CLUB is here to restore your faith in the weekends!” [Hong Kong Ping Pong, 2015b] With this is mind, and considering too their penchant for comedy, it is certainly quite likely that they a creating a spoof pastiche of the standard EDM sound in places. For instance, a sound effect that is used quite extensively within this genre is that of an over-exaggeratedly used airhorn. We can find this same airhorn sound effect in this mixtape, being used fairly early on at the 15:10 mark, and then several more times throughout. When considering the views expressed by Hong Kong Ping Pong above, one can definitely see the use of this as light-heartedly imitating and mocking songs of a more common EDM sound. However, much like Michael Rack’s comments in chapter two, this is not to suggest that the producers behind Hong Kong Ping Pong hold a complete disdain for the more commonly heard styles of EDM. As stated above, one of the main differences between this mixtape, and The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape is in this mixtapes inclusion of many genres beside simply electro swing. Included amongst the various songs within this mixtape, are several that would be much more likely to be associated with the contemporary mainstream EDM sound, such as Get Lucky by Daft Punk [Daft Punk, 2013], and Niggaz in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye West [Jay-Z and West, 2011]. By the inclusion of songs such as these, Hong Kong Ping Pong are clearly demonstrating that they are in fact aware of the appeal of such styles, however it is notable that in both instances it is in fact a remix of the original song used. The version of Get Lucky featured is a remix by WBBL, whereas two remixes of Niggaz in Paris are combined, by Danny Byrd and Deekline respectively. As a result of this, one can presume that Hong Kong Ping Pong are suggesting that whilst the mainstream EDM sound may have its merits, it can definitely be improved upon, using many of the techniques found within vintage remix. As has been demonstrated that the use of comedy plays a big role in Hong Kong Ping Pong’s mixtapes, it is also possible that the use of these songs is essentially a bit of fun on the DJs part. This is a trick which has been ongoing since the mid-1980s where, as Joseph G. Schloss describes, many DJs “are known to have taken a special delight in getting audiences to dance to breaks that were taken from genres that they professed to hate” [Schloss, 2004:32]. This point has also been made by the DJ Afrika Bambaataa, who in 1984 stated: “I’d throw on ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ – just that drum part. One, two, three, BAM – and they’d be screaming and partying. I’d throw on the Monkees, ‘Mary Mary’ – just the beat part where they’d go ‘Mary, Mary, where are you going?’ – and they’d start going crazy. I’d say ‘You just danced to the Monkees.’ They’d say, ‘You liar. I didn’t dance to no Monkees.’ I’d like to catch people who categorise records” [Toop, 1991:66] The significance of not wanting to categorise records is particularly so for vintage remix acts such as Hong Kong Ping Pong, where, as I have made the point several times now, the inclusion of a vast array of different genres is seen as having great importance. Comparison It’s clear from these analyses that there are a number of significant differences between these two mixtapes. Of these differences, one of the more notable points regards the initial purpose behind these mixtapes’ respective creations. Both can be said to act as a type of promotion, particularly demonstrated through the methods of self-promotion discussed above, however where with Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 self-promotion is the primary function, The United Sounds of Swingamajig Mixtape brings more attention to the ‘Swingamajig’ festival than to C@ In The H@ himself. Even the very titles of these mixtapes can confirm this; the title Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 clearly shows that it is centred around the act, whereas The United Sounds of Swingamajig Mixtape quite obviously serves principally as a promotion for ‘Swingamajig’. Another comparison that can be drawn between these mixtapes is in their use of spoken word segments. In both cases, these sections of dialogue can be used to back up the image each artist is creating for themselves, whether that be as a 1920s gangster-type character, or as simply a group of fun loving DJs, who may well be found dressed in purple gorilla costumes. This is not necessarily to say that these created images are mutually exclusive to one another; indeed, in C@ In The H@’s aforementioned Swingamajig Mix Series (2015 > Part.3) mixtape [C@ In The H@, 2015b], he notably includes a remix of the theme tune for the television series Monty Python by Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer [gentlemanrhymer, 2014]. Much like Hong Kong Ping Pong’s inclusion of quotes from comedy movies, it can be assumed that this is intended for humourous effect. As has been stated throughout this chapter however, what is possibly the main difference between these two mixtapes concerning the vintage remix genre, lies in the fact that The United Sounds of Swingamajig Mixtape has been distinctly created as an mixtape of this genre, whereas Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9 simply happens to fall within the boundaries of vintage remix enough for it to be considered as such. This is not to say that Hong Kong Ping Pong wouldn’t be happy categorising themselves within this genre; interestingly enough, they actually performed alongside C@ In The H@ himself, at the ‘Swingamajig’ festival held in 2015. It would seem therefore that they are more than satisfied with being considered a vintage remix act, even if not explicitly stating it themselves. With regards to how each act can be found to specifically identify their style, as mentioned earlier, the phrase Shawcross uses to describe C@ In The H@ is “Swing with the Big Bass Sound”, whereas Hong Kong Ping Pong respectively appear to favour the term “Ghetto Funk” for their particular style. Just like with the comparison between Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie and Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special, both producers here have taken a different approach towards the genre of electro swing, or vintage remix. As I stated earlier, releases such as these mixtapes are primarily associated with the EDM genre more than any other [see Browne, 2014c], but both C@ In The H@, and Hong Kong Ping Pong have managed to incorporate aspects of vintage music and samples within this EDM framework. By doing so, they have provided lengthy, substantial examples of the vintage remix sound. Chapter five Audience responses and conclusion Over the course of this paper thus far, I have explored a number of different avenues to determine the reasons behind the use of vintage samples within electro swing: demonstrating reasons through various responses from practitioners of the genre, and music analysis of both individual songs, and mixtapes. What I have yet to explore however, is the effect that the music has on the audience, and the specific reasons why fans of this genre enjoy it as much as they do. The response of the listener to this style of music may well be entirely different than that of the composer’s original intent, and therefore an insight into how fans of the genre do respond is essential in determining the effect of using vintage samples. In order to obtain some of these answers, I accessed an online group whose purpose is to bring together many fans of the genre [Electro Swing, 2013], and created a post asking the following question: “What is it about the genre of electro swing that you enjoy?” I received many responses, the full list of which can be found in appendix two. It’s worth noting that because of the nature of the website used – i.e. that of an online forum in which anyone is free to say whatever they want – some of the discussion deteriorated slightly into the absurd; however there were indeed some very interesting points made by various respondents, which provided highly useful to my research. The advantage of using this method is that a large number of people, who have already expressed themselves as having an interest in this topic, can be reached very quickly. Particularly with a genre as relatively unknown as electro swing, it would otherwise prove rather difficult to find a sufficient number of people who would consider themselves fans of the genre. Amongst the various responses I received was a point made that was briefly touched upon in chapter three when discussing Swing Republic’s Drum Boogie: the importance of dancing. When considering the respective roles of the audience and the artist within any style of music, the response of the audience can often be just as important as the initial music created by the artists themselves. Within many styles of music, and as is certainly the case with EDM, this response of the audience will be to dance; it is therefore not surprising that many audience members cited dancing as one of the main factors behind their enjoyment. Of the many responses I received, references to dancing cropped up regularly, with quotes such as “Swing music always makes you want to dance, so adding a phat bass over it just makes that dance stronger”; “I can’t stand or sit still listening to swing or Electro Swing”; and “I can’t help to move my feet and shake my head on electro swing!!!”. One of the respondents made a specific point regarding dancing to electro swing, in relation to other genres of music. Referencing the ‘Ballroom’ stage at the ‘Mayfair Avenue’ district of ‘Boomtown Fair’, he states that it was the only stage he witnessed at the festival in which everyone was dancing, as opposed to elsewhere, where people were “standing at the sides” and “posing”. Making reference to the attitude, or as one respondent put it, “the lack of attitude” of the participants within this genre was also a common theme. Along with the lack of attitude, one respondent also made reference to the “lack of rules”, stating the following: “It’s lack of rules without a doubt is the win for me. Dubstep is around 140bpm with a snare on the 3rd count. DnB is around 175bpm and has an amen break. House is around 130bpm and has a 4 to the floor etc etc BUT Electro Swing can be any of these and more. Hell if someone had the skill and balls they could even write it in a different time signature. Jazz had freedom and so does Electro Swing.” This point ties in perfectly with the argument made in chapter two that the electro swing genre stands as a continuation of jazz music, for the reasons involving the level of experimentation within the genre. The level of compositional freedom when compared to other EDM genres is a point I have come across before, when interviewing Richard Shawcross [Inglis, 2014:63-64]. Reference is also made in the preceding quote to the possibility of composing electro swing songs in a different time signature to the standard 4/4 featured in the majority of EDM. Indeed, on the original discussion, following this statement another respondent provides examples of two tracks by the producer Skeewiff, both of which are in a 3/4 time signature: Space Ghetto Waltz, and Morgenblatter [Skeewiff, 2013]. As an additional respondent makes the point, this level of freedom extends to the specific genre of the original sample, describing “the diversity of the sound which enables it to weave seamlessly through so many other genres”. Of course, within the confines of strictly electro swing, one would expect only swing music to be sampled, however as discussed in chapter one, many now prefer the label ‘vintage remix’, as this encompasses the many other genres referred to by this respondent. Indeed, this can be demonstrated through the samba influences in Club Des Belugas’s Air Mail Special mentioned in chapter three, and the various different genres explored within Hong Kong Ping Pong’s Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9, as discussed in chapter four. When referring to just swing music however, many do indeed describe their love of this particular genre, stating for example that “I have always enjoyed the high energy vibe and tempo of traditional swing music”, and describing how the inclusion of EDM, being another favoured genre, combines two of their favourite styles of music. The quote from the preceding respondent continues: “When I discovered Electro Swing about 3 years ago, I fell in love with it immediately because it married two of my favorite genres with high energy vibes and a vintage traditional sound I had loved for years.” Other respondents back up this view, saying for example that “with electroswing it mixes the best of both worlds”; and “I like swing, I like electronic music. So the product I love and reckon it’s the best fusion genre in existence today”. Respondents have also described how they feel that not only do both genres support each other, but they actually improve upon each other as well. For example, one states how “swing is generally an incredibly joyful type of music but often lacks that incredibly strong thumping beat to drive it forward as much as electro music has”; whereas on the other hand, another describes how “a lot of modern day music […] tends to be quite repetitive atleast in my opinion. Electroswing offers a new sound which just makes me smile.” It would therefore appear that although they consider themselves to be fans of both swing music and EDM individually, they have identified flaws in both, which as its own genre electro swing has removed. This idea of electro swing correcting the flaws inherent within many other EDM genres is a return to the suggestion of superiority found in chapter two. Through the audience feedback I received, it has been made clear that many of those who consider themselves fans of the genre feel this same way too. For instance, within the statements I received, one respondent argues that “you can’t have any old producer that can make electro swing. They have to have some musical knowledge not just beats and samples”. This implication that other EDM producers may not be as well-versed in musical knowledge distinctly demonstrates a view of inherent superiority, and as a result, we can see that this is a view held by both practitioners, and fans of the genre. As a result of all this audience feedback, it would appear that indeed, many of the views both expressed by practitioners of the genre, and the suggestions I have made myself through analysis of the music are also held by many of those who consider themselves fans. Within the online discussion, there didn’t appear to be any serious disagreement between any of the respondents regarding their opinions of the genre; in fact it was quite the contrary, as many respondents included explicit statements of agreement regarding the responses from others. From these responses, there does indeed appear to be numerous reasons behind why people enjoy this genre as much as they do, all seemingly complimentary with one another; and regarding the views of the audience, this can be summed up with a quote from one respondent, who describes his reasons behind his affection towards the genre: “The variety, the blend of old and new, the innovation, the people, the clothes, the dancing, the lack of attitude… the list goes on!” Returning to the reasons behind the use of vintage samples which I listed at the end of chapter two, it is possible to see many of these reasons reflected in the views of the audience. The issue of whether electronic and swing styles emerge from the same traditions, or whether they act as a juxtaposition to one another has been partly addressed by the audience members who claim that although they appreciate both styles, they acknowledge problems in both, which electro swing removes. One can therefore hypothesise that perhaps both genres did emerge from the same traditions, but as they grew further and further apart, developed flaws that were only fixed once brought back together. Therefore, not only is electro swing the natural extension of swing music into the modern day, as suggested in chapter two, but also perhaps the natural extension of electronic dance music. When looking at the music analyses from chapters three and four, once again, one can find the conclusions of these analyses reflected in the views of the audience. As I have already acknowledged, the importance of dancing, the inclusion of a wide variety of other genres, and the level of superiority amongst those involved are all factors reflected through both music analysis, and from the views of the audience. What we discover as a result of this is a confirmation of my suggestion made at the end of chapter three, that the factors discussed therein will easily translate across to the familiar audience. As we can see from conversing with the audience, these factors have indeed been communicated from the producer to the listener. My decision to conclude with views of the electro swing audience was a deliberate one, as it serves to confirm that the various points made throughout this thesis are indeed accepted amongst all those who consider themselves a part of this genre in any way. The reasons given for the use of vintage samples, and the various roles and functions that they can be said to play are consistent: whether they are found through looking at music analysis, through the views of practitioners and scholars, or indeed, through the views of the electro swing audience. Conclusion What we have repeatedly seen over and over throughout this thesis is that the practice of using vintage samples undoubtedly plays a crucial role within the genre of electro swing. As discussed in chapter one, there are many different ways in which an artist may choose to do this, and often, these different methods of sampling can in fact be combined. For instance, take a mixtape released by the DJ Mista Trick in 2014, released on SoundCloud under the title of Carousel – The Rocky Horror Promo Mix – Free Download [Mista Trick, 2014a]; interestingly enough, this mixtape was created to promote the same event as C@ In The H@’s Rocky Horror Ride (Mix for Carousel Festival), mentioned in chapter four [C@ In The H@, 2014a]. Within this mixtape, Mista Trick includes a track by HypeManSage, entitled SwingTing [HypeManSage, 2011]. With regards to Robert Wilsmore’s nine methods of sampling mentioned in chapter one, this particular track can be described as a super-composition of Kormac’s Wash My Hands, released in 2010 [Kormac, 2010]. Following this path even further back, still within the boundaries of Wilsmore’s nine methods, Wash My Hands can in fact be described as a cantus firmus, as the song is entirely built around a sample taken from Bert Ambrose’s I’m Gonna Wash My Hands of You [Ambrose and His Orchestra, 1934]. This process of the endlessly sampling and re-sampling of already existing compositions is incredibly common within the genre, and the Mista Trick – HypeManSage – Kormac – Ambrose illustration is just one example. The result of this is that not only do many vintage remix songs feature samples of others, but often these others will feature additional samples on top of this, which can be traced back through several different compositions. Thus, the practice of sampling clearly demonstrates its central importance within this particular genre of music. When Marcus Füreder stated that with sampling, “you have an unimaginable treasure trove of material that you can use and transform into new things”, as quoted in chapter two, the point he was making was exactly right. Through exploring and reinterpreting past eras – dating back to almost 100 years ago – producers of electro swing and vintage remix are able to create their own original compositions that they have been able to forge from an almost unlimited supply of already existent music. Originally focussing specifically on songs from the swing era, and then with the extension of the genre into vintage remix – allowing for the involvement of any songs and samples that can be considered ‘vintage’ – the electro swing genre has managed to create a unique niche for itself within the popular music landscape. It’s now even possible that this genre may be extended even further than just sampling popular music; for instance, producer Tobias Kroschel made a suggestion to me in an interview in 2014 that he may want to try experimenting with the sampling of classical music [Inglis, 2014:61]. Indeed, this was confirmed later on that year with the release of his Für E-Lise, based around Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 [Sound Nomaden, 2014]. This extension of the genre into the sampling of western classical music, demonstrates the vast array of styles that can be reached with electro swing, and confirms a point made by Canadian radio DJ Richard Medicineman, who states in a video entitled What is Electro Swing?, that “because all these different genres of music are kind of coming together around electro swing, there’s something for everybody” [Harbourfront Centre, 2012]. This serves to back up the statement made by musicologist Carl Dahlhaus in his 1983 book Foundations of Music History, when he stated that “utopias thrive on nostalgia” [Dahlhaus, 1983:110]. If electro swing does indeed have something for everybody, then this may indeed be due to its emphasis on nostalgia. As Simon Reynolds argues, “nostalgia is, after all, one of the great pop emotions” [Reynolds, 2011:xxiii]. Within her book The Future of Nostalgia, Svetlana Boym describes the emotion as “a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed” [Boym, 2001:xiii]. The swing era may indeed provide a metaphorical home for many of the musicians discussed throughout this thesis who, despite never having lived through it, feel like they have a connection with this particular time. I stated at the start of this paper that the way in which certain artists make music, and the experiences of their audiences, are changing with modern times. Arguably beginning with the introduction of the jazz rap genre in the late 1980s as discussed in chapter two; and through the innovations of artists such as Lucas, Mr. Scruff and Jurassic 5; developing into the electro swing of Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace; and eventually culminating with the vintage remix scene we have today, it is indeed reasonable to suggest that this statement is the truth. As shown through the examples found in chapters three and four, these artists are now creating music which, along with including many factors found within modern electronic dance music, references and draws upon the music of the past. And as we have seen from the audiences responses presented above, these artists have managed to translate exactly what it is that they are doing across to the familiar audience. Over the past 15 or so years, electro swing has developed into a considerably substantial music scene, with regular events being held all around the world [see Electro Swing Club, 2015]. The increasing popularity of this genre may well be due to the audiences views of wanting something new in the way they experience music, which electro swing provides. This certainly seems to be the case with many of the respondents whom I spoke to in appendix two, and appears to be backed up by the analysis of the actual music, and from the views of the artists themselves. The ways in which certain artists are making music are indeed changing, and they truly are providing the audience with something new. It just so happens that the new music they are providing, is, in fact, old. Bibliography Agawu, K. (1999). ‘The Challenge of Semiotics’ In: Cook, N. & Everist, M. Rethinking Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Agawu, K. (1991). Playing with Signs: A Semiotic Interpretation of Classic Music. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Austrian Music Export. (2012). The Pioneer of Electro-Swing. http://www.musicexport.at/parov-stelar/ [accessed June 2015]. Bergstein, B. (1992). ‘Miles Davis and Karlheinz Stockhausen: A Reciprocal Relationship’ The Musical Quarterly. 76 (4). Bondy, H. (2012). ‘Parov Stelar Goes Beyond “Electro Swing”’ MTV Iggy. http://www.mtviggy.com/interviews/parov-stelar-goes-beyond-electro-swing/ [accessed June 2015]. Boomtown. (2015). Mayfair Avenue. http://www.boomtownfair.co.uk/city-guide/city-districts/mayfair-avenue-2 [accessed June 2015]. Boym, S. (2001). The Future of Nostalgia. New York: Basic Books. Browne, G. (2014a). ‘The 3 Questions – Jack’s take’ Jack the Cad. http://www.jackthecad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-3-questions-jacks-take.html [accessed June 2015]. Browne, G. (2014b). ‘The 3 Questions – Part 1’ Jack the Cad. http://jackthecad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-3-questions-part-1.html [accessed June 2015]. Browne, G. (2014c). ‘10 Soundcloud Mixes You Should Download RIGHT NOW’ Jack the Cad. http://www.jackthecad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/10-soundcloud-mixes-you-should-download.html [accessed June 2015]. Browne, G. (2015). ‘UK Eurovision entry sucks the soul from electro swing’ Jack the Cad. http://www.jackthecad.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/uk-eurovision-entry-sucks-soul-from.html [accessed June 2015]. Buhre, J. (2013). An interview with Parov Stelar. http://electro-swing.com/2013/webzine/interview/an-interview-with-parov-stelar/ [accessed June 2015]. Burke, P. (1997). Varieties of Cultural History. Cambridge: Polity Press. Burkholder, J. P. (1994). ‘The Uses of Existing Music: Musical Borrowing as a Field’ Notes. 50 (3). C@ In The H@. (2013a). Mixamajig for Swingamajig). https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h/mixamajig-for-swingamajig [accessed March 2015]. C@ In The H@. (2013b). Peggy Lee & Ludacris – Hallelujah – C@ in the H@ remix – Free Download. https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h/peggy-lee-ludacris [accessed July 2015]. C@ In The H@. (2015a). Profile. https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h [accessed March 2015]. C@ In The H@. (2014a). Rocky Horror Ride (Mix for Carousel Festival). https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h/rocky-horror-ride-mix-for-carousel-festival [accessed March 2015]. C@ In The H@. (2015b). Swingamajig Mix Series (2015 > Part.3). https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h/swingamajig-mix-series-2015-part3 [accessed March 2015]. C@ In The H@. (2014b). The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape. https://soundcloud.com/c-in-the-h/the-united-sounds-of-swingamajig-mixtape [accessed March 2015]. Canavaral, C. (2011). Swing Republic – An Interview with Per Ebdrup. http://electro-swing.com/2011/webzine/interview/swing-republic-an-interview-with-per-ebdrup [accessed March 2015]. Cascone, K. (2000). ‘The Aesthetics of Failure: ‘Post-Digital’ Tendencies in Contemporary Computer Music’ Computer Music Journal. 24 (4). ChinChin Records. (2015). What’s Up. http://www.chinchin-records.com/ [accessed June 2015]. Clarke, E. (2005). Ways of Listening: An Ecological Approach to the Perception of Musical Meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cutler, C. (2004). ‘Plunderphonia’ In: Cox, C. & Warner, D. Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. New York; London: Continuum. Dahlhaus, C. (1983). Foundations of Music History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dery, M. (2004). ‘Public Enemy: Confrontation’ In: Foreman, M. & Neal, M. A. That’s the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York, NY: Routledge. Dicaire, D. (2003). Jazz Musicians of the Early Years, to 1945. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. Dj Carnage. (2013). Dj Carnage – Big Spender [FREE DOWNLOAD]. https://soundcloud.com/djcarnageofficial/dj-carnage-big-spender [accessed April 2015]. Dr. Suess. (1958). The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. New York, NY: Random House. Dutty Moonshine. (2014). Kicked Out Of The Club (Mixtape). https://soundcloud.com/duttymoonshine/dutty-moonshine-kicked-out-of [accessed June 2015]. Electro Swing. (2015). Discussion. https://www.facebook.com/groups/183537885052388/ [accessed July 2015]. electro-swing.com. (2013). C@ in the H@ Interview. http://electro-swing.com/2013/webzine/interview/c-in-the-h-interview-exclusive-track-et008/ [accessed April 2015]. electro-swing.com. (2015). About. http://electro-swing.com/about/ [accessed June 2015]. Electro Swing Club. (2015). Clubs. http://www.electroswingclub.com/clubs.html [accessed July 2015]. Etage Noir Recordings. (2015). Home. http://www.etagenoir.com/ [accessed June 2015]. Ferry, B. (2014). LOVE IS THE DRUG (PAROV STELAR REMIX). https://soundcloud.com/bryanferry/love-is-the-drug-parov-stelar-remix [accessed June 2015]. Freshly Squeezed. (2015a). Catalogue. http://freshlysqueezedmusic.com/catalogue.html [accessed May 2015]. Freshly Squeezed. (2015b). Home. http://www.freshlysqueezedmusic.com/ [accessed June 2015]. gentlemanrhymer. (2014). Monty’s Acid. https://soundcloud.com/gentlemanrhymer/montys-acid-1 [accessed July 2015] Goldfishlive. (2012). Goldfish Outdoor (Official Aftermovie). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i526FcEHeU0 [accessed May 2015]. GoldfishLiveVEVO. (2013). Goldfish – One Million Views ft. John Mani. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5cOAb2mSWU [accessed May 2015]. Goldman, A. (1978). Disco. New York, NY: Hawthorne Books. Grandmono Music Publishing. (2015). Homepage. http://www.grandmono.com/ [accessed June 2015]. The Great Gatsby. (2013). Directed by Baz Luhrmann. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures. [Film]. Harbourfront Centre. (2012). What is Electro Swing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIenApwas6w [accessed July 2015]. Hollywood, N. (2010a). ‘Now that’s what I call Seriously Retro Electro’ Nude. Summer 2010. Hollywood, N. (2010b). ‘White Mink: Black Cotton’ Latest 7. http://thelatest.co.uk/7/white-mink-black-cotton [accessed June 2015]. hongkongpingpong. (2012a). Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 7. https://soundcloud.com/hkpp/hong-kong-ping-pong-mixtape-7 [accessed June 2015]. hongkongpingpong. (2012b). Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 8. https://soundcloud.com/hkpp/hong-kong-ping-pong-mixtape-8 [accessed June 2015]. Hong Kong Ping Pong. (2014). Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9. https://www.mixcloud.com/hongkongpingpong/hong-kong-ping-pong-mixtape-9/ [accessed March 2014]. Hong Kong Ping Pong. (2015a). Mixtapes. http://hongkongpingpong.co.uk/category/mixtapes/ [accessed June 2015]. Hong Kong Ping Pong. (2015b). Profile. https://soundcloud.com/hkpp [accessed July 2015]. HypeManSage. (2011). SwingTing – Prod. Kormac. https://soundcloud.com/hypemansage/swingting-prod-kormac [accessed July 2015]. Inglis, C. (2014). The rise of Electro Swing. BA Dissertation, De Montfort University. K, W. (1990). ‘Talking ‘bout Jazz and Rap’ Hip-Hop Connection. August 1990. Kernfeld, B. (1988). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz: Volume Two: L-Z. London: Macmillan Publishers. LadyGagaVEVO. (2014). I Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Parov Stelar Mix (Audio Video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYfOwLqyck [accessed June 2015]. Lopes, P. (2002). The Rise of a Jazz Art World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McAdams, J. & Nelson, H. (1992). ‘Hip-Hop Puts Fresh Spin on Jazz’ Billboard. 22 August 1992. Mista Trick. (2014a). Carousel – The Rocky Horror Promo Mix – Free Download. https://soundcloud.com/mistatrick/carousel-the-rocky-horror [accessed July 2015]. Mista Trick. (2014b). Swing N Bass Mix – Volume 1 – Free Download in Description. https://soundcloud.com/mistatrick/swing-n-bass-volume-1-free [accessed March 2015]. Mr. Switch. (2015). Profile. https://soundcloud.com/dj-mr-switch [accessed March 2015]. Nattiez, J. (1987). A Theory of Semiology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. NU.nl. (2010). Caro Emerald verbreekt record Michael Jackson. http://www.nu.nl/muziek/2316253/caro-emerald-verbreekt-record-michael-jackson.html [accessed June 2015]. O’Brien, L. (1995). She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul. London: Penguin. Official Charts Company. (2013). 2013 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive: 18th May 2013. http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/2013-05-18/ [accessed June 2015]. Patel, J. (2003). ‘Jungle Brothers: Straight Out the Jungle, Done by the Forces of Nature, De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, A Tribe Called Quest: People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders’ In: Wang, O. Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide. Toronto: ECW Press. Potter, R. (1995). Spectacular Vernaculars: Hip-Hop and the Politics of Postmodernism. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Ragtime Records. (2015). About. https://www.facebook.com/RagtimeRecords/info [accessed June 2015]. Reynolds, S. (2011). Retromania: Pop Culture’s Addiction to Its Own Past. London: Faber and Faber. Roxburgh, G. (2015). ‘Electro Velvet to represent the United Kingdom’ Eurovision Song Contest. http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=electro_velvet_to_represent_the_united_kingdom [accessed June 2015]. Sangster, A. (1990). ‘Blood, Sweat and No Tears!’ Hip-Hop Connection. July 1990. Saussure, F. (1983). Course in General Linguistics. Trans: Harris, R. London: Bloomsbury. Schloss, J. G. (2004). Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. Smith, D. (1994). ‘Gang Starr: Jazzy Situation’ Vibe. May 1994. Smokey Joe & The Kid. (2014). Smokey Joe & The Kid – Schön – FREE DL IN DESCRIPTION. https://soundcloud.com/smokey-joe/smokey-joe-the-kid-sch-n-free [accessed April 2015]. Sound Nomaden. (2014). Sound Nomaden – Für E-Lise (feat. Das.Schliep & MSP). https://soundcloud.com/soundnomaden/sound-nomaden-fur-e-lise-feat-dasschliep-msp [accessed July 2015]. Stelar, P. (2013). Lana Del Rey – Dark Paradise (Parov Stelar Official Remix). https://soundcloud.com/parov_stelar/lana-del-rey-dark-paradise [accessed June 2015]. Stewart, V. (2010). ‘Hail the kings of hip-hop swing’ London Evening Standard. http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/hail-the-kings-of-hiphop-swing-6525511.html [accessed August 2015]. Swingamajig. (2015). Home. http://swingamajig.co.uk/ [accessed June 2015]. Tagg, P. (1987). ‘Musicology and the semiotics of popular music’ Semiotica. 66 (1). Tennison, J. (2014). Boogie Woogie: Its Origin, Subsequent History, and Continuing Development. http://nonjohn.com/History%20of%20Boogie%20Woogie.htm [accessed June 2015]. Toop, D. (1991). Rap Attack 2. New York, NY: Serpent’s Tail. Wagram label. (2009). Caravan Palace – Suzy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j95HbhTl60k [accessed June 2015]. Williams, J. (2013). Rhymin’ and Stealin’: Musical Borrowing in Hip-Hop. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Wilsmore, R. (2010). ‘The demonic and the divine: Unfixing replication in the phenomenology of sampling’ Journal of Music, Technology & Education. 3 (1). Zelda Princess. (2014). Sing sing sing (with a swing) – The Correspondents Lemonfest 2014. https://vimeo.com/97050782 [accessed July 2015]. Discography Ambrose and His Orchestra. (1934). I’m Gonna Wash My Hands of You. Decca. The Andrews Sisters. (1938). Bei Mir Bist Du Schön. Decca. Armstrong, L. (1928). Hotter Than That. Okeh Records. Basie, C. (1937). One O’Clock Jump. Decca. Belleruche. (2007). Turntable Soul Music. Tru Thoughts. Benga. (2008). Diary of an Afro Warrior. Tempa. C@ In The H@. (2014c). Drugstore Cowboy. Ragtime Records. C@ In The H@. (2012) Gangsta Swing. Ragtime Records. Calloway, C. (1947). Hi-De-Ho Man (That’s Me)/Necessity. Columbia. Calloway, C. (1939). Pluckin’ the Bass. Okeh Records. Calloway, C. (1932). The Scat Song. Brunswick. Caravan Palace. (2008). Caravan Palace. Wagram Music. Club Des Belugas. (2008). Swop. Chinchin Records. Club Des Belugas. (2009). Zoo Zizaro. Chinchin Records. Cole, N. C. (1946). The Christmas Song. Capitol. Crosby, B. (1999). Bing Crosby and Friends: 1938-1949. Dutton Vocalion. Daft Punk. (2013). Random Access Memories. Columbia. The Destroyers. (2010). Out Of Babel. Released by The Destroyers. Dorsey, T. (1944). Opus One. RCA Victor. The Electric Swing Circus. (2013). The Electric Swing Circus. Ragtime Records. Electro Swing. (2009). Wagram Music. Ellington, D. (1932). It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). Brunswick Records. Ellington, D. (1940). Jack The Bear. RCA Victor. Fitzgerald, E. (1961). Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! Verve Records. Fitzgerald, E. (1965). Ella in Hamburg. Verve Records. Fitzgerald, E. & Holiday, B. (1958). Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport. Verve Records. Fitzgerald, E. & Ink Spots. (1944). Cow Cow Boogie. Decca. The Glitch Mob. (2010). Drink the Sea. Glass Air Records. Goodman, B. (1935a). Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing). Bluebird. Goodman, B. (1935b). This Is Benny Goodman. RCA Victor. Hardin Armstrong, L. (1991). The Chronological Lil Hardin Armstrong and Her Swing Orchestra: 1936-1940. Classics. Jay-Z & West, K. (2011). Watch the Throne. Rock-A-Fella Records. Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers. (1989). Jive Bunny: The Album. Telstar. Jurassic 5. (2000). Quality Control. Interscope. K7. (1993). Swing Batta Swing. Tommy Boy Records. KOAN Sound. (2011). Funk Blaster. OWSLA. Kormac. (2007). Scratch Marchin’. Scribble Records. Kormac. (2010). Word Play. Scribble Records. Krupa, G. (1941). Drum Boogie. Columbia Records. Krupa, G. & Rich, B. (1962). Burnin’ Beat. Verve Records. Krupa, G. & Rich, B. (1955). Krupa and Rich. Verve Records. Lee, P. (1966). Big $pender. Capitol. Lee, P. (1959). Hallelujah, I Love Him So. Capitol. Lucas. (1994). Lucacentric. Big Beat. Ludacris. (2006). Release Therapy. Disturbing tha Peace. Martin, D. (1953). Dean Martin Sings. Capitol. Miller, G. (1938). Doin’ the Jive. Brunswick Records. Miller, G. (1939). In the Mood. Bluebird. Moby. (1998). Honey. Mute Records. The Mothers of Invention. (1967). We’re Only in It for the Money. Verve Records. Mr. Scruff. (1999). Keep It Unreal. Ninja Tune. Perkins, C. (1955). Dance Album of Carl Perkins. Sun Records. Plasma. (2001). Shadow Kingdom. Bushido Recordings. Presley, E. (1956). Elvis Presley. RCA Victor. Quintette du Hot Club de France. (1937). Minor Swing. Swing. Reinhardt, D. (2010). The Absolutely Essential 3CD Collection. Big3 Records. Reinhardt, D. (1957). Django. Oriole. Repac, N. (2004). Swing-Swing. No Format The Residents. (1976). The Third Reich ’n Roll. Ralph Records. The Rotations. (1964). Heavies. Original Sound. Shaw, A. (1938). Begin the Beguine. Bluebird. Shy FX. (1995). Just An Example. SOUR. Skeewiff. (2013) Ghetto Latin & Broken Ballroom. Pedigree Cuts. Skream. (2006). Skream! Tempa. Solo, E. & Deekline. (2013). Bounce ’N’ Shake. Jungle Cakes. Stelar, P. (2013). The Art of Sampling. Etage Noir. Stelar, P. (2015). The Demon Diaries. Etage Noir. Stelar, P. (2010). The Paris Swing Box. Etage Noir. Swing Republic. (2011). Electro Swing Republic. Freshly Squeezed. SwinGrowers. (2015). Remote. Freshly Squeezed. Turner, B. J. (1938). Roll ‘Em Pete. Vocalion Records. Waller, F. (1938). The Yacht Club Swing. RCA Victor. Appendix one Mixtape track listings In both cases, the track listing is given exactly as described by the artists on the original mixtape. The United Sounds Of Swingamajig Mixtape: 1 - The Electric Swing Circus - Swingamajig 2 - The Fresh Dixie Project - Over the Water 3 - Smoove - Ray's Woman 4 - The Young Punx - Kowloon Kickback (Gramophonedzie Mix) > Hardrive - Deep Inside (Acapella) 5 - Parov Stelar - All Night 6 - Alle Farben - What Shall we do with a Drunken Sailor 7 - Jenova Collective - It Ain't Right 8 - Peggy Lee - Big Spender 9 - Peggy Lee - Big Spender (DJ Carnage Remix) 10 - Andykisaragi - Amyl Balkan 11 - Manaré - Speakeasy 12 - Drop The Lime - Outlaws > A3 - Put Your Hands Up In The Air (Acapella) 13 - Skeewiff & Sister Ernestine Washington - Each Day 14 - The Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon 15 - Smokey Joe & The Kid - Schön 16 - Leonard Harlan & His Rockets - Dig It (feat Myra Taylor - Minimatic Remix) 17 - The Fresh Dixie Project - Flowers & Cigarettes (C@ In The H@ Remix) 18 - Krys Talk - Alley Cat > Fatboy Slim - Champion Sound (Acapella) 19 - The WooHoo Revue - Fat Tuesday (Mouldy Soul Remix) 20 - Jamie Berry - Wing It 21 - Odjbox - Birmingham 22 - The Destroyers - Utopia Bypass 23 - Molotov Jukebox - Laid to Rest 24 - Kelis - Milkshake (Kid Kasino Remix) 25 - Marlena Shaw - California Soul (A Skillz Remix) 26 - NickThayer, HKPP, EricB & Rakim - Dance!Americano (The Captain Mashup) 27 - Jay Z & Kanye West - OTIS (A.Skillz Remix) 28 - Skeewiff - See Me Dance The Polka (C@ In The H@ Remix) 29 - Lunatrix - Runaway (Francis Red Remix) 30 - The Electric Swing Circus - Bella Belle (Ximun Remix) 31 - Jakes & N3gus - Walk the Walk 32 - C@ In The H@ - Chicago 33 - Jaydan - 1952 > Akon - Locked Up (Acapella) 34 - High Contrast - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang > Roni Size - Trust Me 35 - Nina Simone - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Zeds Dead Remix) 36 - Elle & The Pocket Belles - Swinging Together (Mista Trick Remix) 37 - Yama Dirty Crew - Tribute to Edith 38 - C@ In The H@ - Prison Break 39 - Specialist & Tru Skool - Dhaaru Pee Ke (Liquid Stranger Remix) 40 - Nina Simone & London Zoo - My Baby Just Cares For Me (C@ In The H@ Bigger Bass Mix) Hong Kong Ping Pong Mixtape 9: 01: Intro 02: J-Sound, Spinforth & The Fritz - Front Row People 03: Second Hand Audio ft Akil - Set It Off 04: Neon Steve - The Sideshow 05: Sammy Senior - Gonna Get High 06: Timothy Wisdom - Black n Tan (Nynfus Corperation Remix) 07: Minoru - 187 08: Mr Edwards - Baloney 09: Mandorli - Pico 10: Qnoe - Eena Meena Deeka 11: WBBL - Run Along 12: Skeewiff - Brutha Noah 13: The Mavrik - XXX In The Middle East 14: Snow - Informer (Yanivi Remix) 15: Minoru - Ain’t No Coolin’ 16: Odjbox - Saraghina 17: Buck Rogers - Time To Rock 18: Hong Kong Ping Pong & Warp9 - Strictly Dynamite 19: Jamie Berry - Carnival 20: The Captain - Bam! 21: Basement Freaks - Insane Brains 22: S-Strong - Hot Mustard 23: Father Funk & Howla - Got Swing 24: Smash Hi-Fi - Feel It 25: Deejay Theory - Carnaval 26: Nick Thayer, HKPP, Eric B & Rakim - Dance!Americano (The Captain MashUp) 27: The McMash Clan - Swing Break ft Kate Mullins (Opiuo ft Russ Liquid Remix) 28: WBBL - Fiyah! 29: Dj Wood - Eye Opener 30: Lack Jemmon - Theory Test 31: Deekline & Ed Solo - Top Ranking (Slynk Remix) 32: Skeewiff - See Me Dance The Polka (Cat in The Hat Remix) 33: The Captain - InThe Summertime (Swing hop Mix) 34: Volatile Psycle - Gramophone 35: Hong Kong Ping Pong & Skeewiff - Sometimes Swinger 36: Tom Booze - Get Off Yo Ass 37: Daft Punk - Get Lucky (WBBL Remix) 38: Grant Lazlo - Les Yeux Noirs 39: Buscemi - It Ain’t Right No No 40: C2C - Happy ft Derek Martin 41: Jamie Berry - Old Records 42: Je Boogie - Twerk 43: The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (The Phunk Junkies Remix) 44: Myniemo - This Is How We Rock (Breakers Edit) 45: Conte Crux - With A Beat 46: King Yoof - Soundboy Love ft Rony Blue & Mr Williamz 47: Danny Byrd - Paris (ft Deekline - JZ In Paris Dub) 48: Rory Lyons ft Utah Saints - I Got 5 On It 49: Wizard & Manoo - Buss It Up (Turn Up The Bass VIP Mix) 50: Zomboy ft Lady Chann - Here To Stay (Delta Heavy Remix) 51: Smiley Culture - Police Officer (Jinx In Dub & Gellas Jungle Justice Remix) 52: The Mavrick - Blowing Up Ya Woofer 53: Ray Charles - Hit The Road (D&B Remix) 54: S.C.A.M - Put Up Your Hands (Freestylers vs Chris Unknown Remix) 55: Anita O'Day - Peanut Vendor 56: Outro Appendix two Audience responses raw data Notes: CI: Hi all, I’ve posted here before with regards to my electro swing research – once again I’m hoping people may be able to help me out with some responses. I’m hoping for answers from anyone who considerd themselves a fan of the genre at all, so basically everyone in this group who’s willing to respond – I’ll be grateful. The question I’m asking is simply ‘What is it about the genre of electro swing that you enjoy?’ Reply below or message me if you’d prefer, in as many or as little words as you like. A massive thanks in advance! -Chris EB: I have always enjoyed the high energy vibe and tempo of traditional swing music. I discovered techno & electronic music in the early 2000s and enjoyed it’s high energy as well. When I discovered Electro Swing about 3 years ago, I fell in love with it immediately because it married two of my favorite genres with high energy vibes and a vintage traditional sound I had loved for years. OF: Swing music always makes you want to dance, so adding a phat bass over it just makes that dance stronger EB: Right. I can’t stand or sit still listening to swing or Electro Swing. AG: ^ What they said, plus I think it’s always nice to consider that the best “trends” and traditions even from decades and decades ago inevitably get revitalised and enjoyed anew. LT: I was a great fan of acid jazz for a long time. But as soon as I found electro swing it became one of my favorite styles. Much more music then in acid jazz. And this retro feeling in modern times. You keep being in trend as your inside might be retrograde. )) MR: It’s lack of rules without a doubt is the win for me. Dubstep is around 140bpm with a snare on the 3rd count. DnB is around 175bpm and has an amen break. House is around 130bpm and has a 4 to the floor etc etc BUT Electro Swing can be any of these and more. Hell if someone had the skill and balls they could even write it in a different time signature. Jazz had freedom and so does Electro Swing. RS: indeed… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPG-wNgQD8 Space Ghetto Waltz – Skeewiff RS: & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXufgh9xbow Morgenblatter – Skeewiff RS: gotta give full respect to skeewiff for the skill & the balls :) MR: Skeewif is the man :) MC: Completely agree with you MR and also just so you know I’m writing a swing track at the moment in a different time signature ;) GB: The variety, the blend of old and new, the innovation, the people, the clothes, the dancing, the lack of attitude… the list goes on! JB: nice post MR, you saved me oodles of time & completely summed up my love for the genre… from a complete house head (who never thought he would change) I have had my head turned & it aint going back! I guess what Im trying to say Chris is that the diversity of the sound which enables it to weave seamlessly through so many other genres ensures it gets a BIG TICK from me! GB: I’m in total agreement: There’s no doubt that a great deal of the popularity of electroswing is that it is not rigdly confined to one structure. Its not formulaic – were it all 4x4 house with a few vinaget samples we would all be bored mindless. This encourages artists to experiment and try out new ideas and sounds. Now there doesn’t even have to be a proper vintage sample… MR: Sorry George I’m confused I thought to make Electro Swing it had to have a token vintage sample ;) For context here, GB was correcting a typo in MR’s post, which initially read “…taken vintage sample…” GB: Token?! MR: Edited, hungover MC: This image, presumably posted for comedic purposes, is of the character ‘Token’ from the television series South Park MC: Token Sample? SPBL: I can’t help to move my feet and shake my head on electro swing!!! EB: To be Electro Swing, it doesn’t have to have a vintage sample at all. It could be a totally new original mix that encompasses the “sound” of the swing/vintage styling. However, my preference personally is mixes of actual vintage swing music. MR: Sorry EB I was being silly, agree with you on your above point RH: For me it’s the people and the attitude. 2 years ago I went round every room in boomtown listened to pretty much every genre and looked at them for the outside. In each room you would have people standing at the sides not dancing. Some stages I’d go to say people were posing. Ball room none of that EVERYONE WAS DANCING! The energy was ridicules. That for me was enough to put electro swing high up as a genre I wanted to have a go at. I also think the freedom and musicality is great to put the two genres together whether it be swing with what ever. Plus you can’t have any old producer that can make electro swing. They have to have some musical knowledge not just beats and samples. Plus there mind needs to come from a good place. :) The Ballroom is the name of main stage in the Mayfair Avenue district at Boomtown Fair. Additionally, two more responses were sent to me directly: DB: I think I enjoy electroswing so much because swing is generally an incredibly joyful type of music but often lacks that incredibly strong thumping beat to drive it forward as much as electro music has. (dont misinterprite that i fucking love swing music u know this :P ) but the bass is FAR more subtle in most cases (an exception example i could give in swings case would probably be A wink and a smile by harry connick Jr very strong bass line in that song. Even with that exception though its all very much sticking to 4/4 consistently. Electro which i also love tends to be a bit darker in sound and heavier due to that bass line i find (even with some of the chemical brothers stuff). Id say also because of the nature of the music its harder to identify with the sounds and instriments as its well …all electronic synth most of the time. With electroswing it mixes the best of both worlds that joyful sound with very identifiable instruments and that strong bassline that drives it with interesting sounds to mix it up to. Oh and its just fucking awesome :P its such fun music. SF: I like electro swing because a lot of modern day music (although I like quite a lot of it) tends to be quite repetitive atleast in my opinion. Electroswing offers a new sound which just makes me smile. It’s easy to feel the positive vibes the music gives off and just groove along with it. Also, I like swing, I like electronic music. So the product I love and reckon it’s the best fusion genre in existence today. You can also get shit done when listening to it. Washing the dishes never goes quicker without it. PAGE 74