Review: Swing & Bass Vol. 2 - Various artists

I always have a lot of time for the various projects of Fizzy Gillespie. The man behind Swing & Bass, Gillespie is a DJ, producer, and promoter – behind some of the hottest electro swing in recent years. The label Swing & Bass – an offshoot from the club night – put out its first compilation album at the start of last year, showcasing some of the best fusions of swing and drum ’n’ bass. And we now have Swing & Bass Vol. 2, an absolute mammoth of an album coming in at 21 tracks, and with contributions from producers and artists from all corners of the scene. With the summer in full force now, this compilation (surprisingly, the first compilation I’ve reviewed) represents a substantial attempt to replicate the sounds of what should now be the height of festival season.

The first track comes from Dom James and Odylic Force: a remix of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’. Now I love this song, so was a bit wary of how this might go, but they do it justice, slowly building up from the original, taking until about halfway to fully kick in. They haven’t tried to edit or change anything too much, and the remix works well – heavier than I was expecting, but decent (although the Weakest Link sample is a bit unusual). Next is Fizzy Gillespie himself, with his take on the Exciters’ ‘Blowing Up My Mind’. Unlike the previous, the beat here kicks in straight away, with a nice, reggae/dub feel which complements the R&B sample, as well as the light Amen break. I also must note the staccato treatment of the vocals, which Fizzy does excellently. And then Dan de’Lion and Mista Trick join forces on a remix of Ray Charles’s ‘Hallelujah I Love Her So’. This one’s a bit different, they’ve actually cut up the original music to use it almost percussively, rather than just sticking a breakbeat underneath. It’s brilliant to see this level of inventiveness – helping the track to stand out on the compilation, and feeling much more like a piece by these two producers, than just a Ray Charles remix. A great song. Skank Spinatra’s ‘Get Stacked’ then follows, starting off with immediate, sunny and tropical vibes. Whilst initially quite chilled, the drop completely changes the feel of the track, and I kind of wish it hadn’t. There’s certainly potential here, but ultimately, this one is a little forgettable.

We then have a combined effort from various artists: ‘Fields’ by Don Johnston and Joe Alias, featuring Dat Brass. This starts off with more of a live dynamic than previous tracks, which is always welcome, however there’s a particularly strange effect when the drop comes – changing from super rapid to really quite downbeat. It feels almost like a sudden tempo change, and doesn’t quite work, instead giving the impression of two separate pieces. The live parts are fantastic, but the bassy sections just don’t really fly. And then Freek & Kit follow with a cover of the Sinatra favourite, ‘That’s Life’. Again, this starts off quite nice, and when the instrumentals cut out, I’m wondering where the track will take us. Unfortunately, it ends up with just a rather generic DnB breakbeat, which is a shame, as the live parts are quite smooth. It must be noted here that there’s such a thing as too much contrast. So there’s been three tracks in a row now which have slightly missed the mark, and it’s up to Mista Trick to save the day with his remix of Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’. Mista Trick sure loves to tackle the giants of swing – there’s so much riding on these attempts – but he almost always comes out on top. This remains the case here – it’s not his most inventive remix ever, but it’s still great fun. And then Dr Meaker follow with one of the best tracks of the compilation: ‘These Sounds’. A remix of the Bucketheads’ ‘The Bomb’, ‘These Sounds’ brings the festival vibe – it’s upbeat, energetic, and promises nothing but a great time. This is the type of song that’s guaranteed to get a dancefloor moving, and could save any set.

When it comes to this swing ’n’ bass sound, perhaps the most accomplished artist is Phil Mac, who now follows with ‘Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz’ – a remix of the Dream Warriors. With a track like this, one must be conscious that ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ – heavily sampled in the original – has been remixed to excess, so a level of originality is paramount. Phil Mac’s remix certainly works though – it’s not the best version, but it’s one of the better ones; and I must also mention that the bassline featured here is one of the best on this whole release. The next track is Jimi Needles’ ‘Happy Feet’, opening with that classic swing sound – demonstrating that this track was definitely made with this particular style in mind, as opposed to just a throwaway track that loosely fits. The transition to the drop is a little stilted here, and could certainly flow better, but each section is still great overall. And then Catjam follow, immediately launching in with their garage-esque sound. It feels slightly withdrawn to begin, but once this gets going it transitions into an absolute jungle banger. The track is cut up in all sorts of directions, firing away simultaneously, and overall it feels completely chaotic in the best sense of the term. And after the madness of this piece, we have the Breaksmiths remix of Pete Rodriguez’s ‘I Like It Like That’. A great job has been done highlighting the best parts of the original song, although the breakbeat that then emerges is a bit too minimalistic. I see what they’ve attempted to do, but it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more overstated. Overall though, it’s a solid track, and flows unhesitatingly.

The nest track is ‘Accentuate’ by Crash Party, a remix of the swing classic, ‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive’. This is particularly notable for having several completely unexpected moments throughout, whether that be an unusual sample, the treatment of the original song, or the general musical approach. It really feels like going on a bit of a journey, so much happens throughout – it’s frantic. And then we have a remix of Cab Calloway’s ‘Minnie the Moocher’ – from Duke Skellington with Fizzy Gillespie. Now this song has been absolutely done to death, so I’m a little hesitant to see what they’re going to bring that’s different, but I must say that it’s definitely the darkest version I’ve heard timbrally; the low tonal sounds throughout contrast very interestingly with Calloway’s bright vocals. Ed Spinna then presents ‘Piddly Patter’, a remix of Nappy Brown – which is brilliant! – I always appreciate a good rock ’n’ roll remix. There’s a very fast build up to the drop, but it surprises me by how well it works – the song flows seamlessly. These two styles – rock ’n’ roll and drum ’n’ bass – complement each other fantastically, both being all about the constant progression of energy. And then a slightly strange thing happens, with the Powello Bros.’ ‘Hide De Hoes’. Was it a good idea to have two separate ‘Minnie the Moocher’ remixes on the same release? And worse, with only one song separating them? Whilst this was sloppy planning on the part of the compiler, this second version is actually an excellent remix – the better of the two – and the treatment of the original is fantastic, keeping all the fun and enjoyment of Calloway alive.

Slowly coming to the end of the release, DJ QuestionMark’s version of Randy Newman’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’ is an excellent choice for a remix, with some fantastically funky vibes featured throughout. The instrumentation of the original is used to its full extent, with absolutely everything being drawn out to the limit of its creative potential. This is easily the most skilful remix of the release, and one of the best as well. The next track, Captain Flatcap’s ‘Bang Bang Boogie’, I’ve already reviewed, but I’ll sum up in commenting that whilst I like the rocky vibes, it doesn’t quite utilise and flesh out its ideas to its full extent. Fizzy Gillespie and Duke Skellington then join forces again for ‘Joint Blast’, which starts off with some clear cha-cha-cha influence, before descending into another quite dark breakbeat – Duke Skellington seems to be getting increasingly fond of this effect these days. Of the two tracks from the collective contribution of these two producers, this is the better. Then, the Vaude Villainz’ Ballroom Bedlam features a slow and steady build, which pays off with a seriously filthy DnB drop. The Vaude Villainz are a powerful force, and personally, I’m glad that they’re still producing tunes like this one. And the final track is Extra Medium and WBBL’s ‘The Beat Goes On’, which like the Captain Flatcap, I’ve previously reviewed. Suffice to say, this is a seamless production, carrying with it both Extra Medium and WBBL’s distinctive styles.

Overall, this release is a little bit of a mixed bag. There are sounds featured from the whole spectrum of what can be called swing ’n’ bass, and sprinkled amongst the tracks are some genuinely fantastic pieces of music. Obviously, when creating a compilation like this – and especially of this length – much variety is needed; you can’t just have an album of vintage classics with Amen breaks positioned underneath. So this is a great example of how to do it the right way, with all sorts of different styles and approaches to the overall sound. However, so much variety can also be something of a downfall, and it’s true that a few of these tracks don’t quite live up to their potential. But I don’t intend to sound like my overall takeaway is negative – this is a fine release from very fine people, and I’m very glad that it’s been put together. As the first compilation to be featured on this blog, I couldn’t have wished for much better.

From Tradition to Style: The Life Cycle of a Music Genre

It’s a debate that everyone’s familiar with, regardless of the specifics of the actual genre: what constitutes the “real” version of that genre? And by this I mean – is it how the music sounds that determines how it should be defined, or is it the process by which it is made, and the background from which it has emerged? It’s a phenomenon which has repeated itself across various different genres throughout time, and in each case, the result is that we emerge with two distinct varieties of a particular musical style. I’ll illustrate precisely the ways in which this has played out through five examples, starting with the one I’m most familiar with – as I wrote about this specific instance extensively throughout my PhD – jazz.

I’m not going to go thoroughly in depth into precisely what defines jazz – that’s another post for another time – but it should be quite obvious to anyone that there are two very distinct approaches to jazz in the present day. The first is the approach that views jazz as a specific method or attitude – a process which is then reflected in the resultant music. In this instance jazz is experimental music, that pushes against boundaries, and breaks with tradition. Think of a musician like Miles Davis, who continually changed his sound with each and every release. This is the position that treats jazz as a tradition (perhaps a rather ironic phrasing considering its determining aspects of breaking with such a tradition). Contrastingly, many contemporary jazz clubs will present musicians performing so called trad-jazz (again an ironic phrasing). In this instance, the music is simply a reconstruction of the classic jazz songs from their particular era. Whilst enjoyment can certainly be gained from such musicians, the response is far more akin to listening to pop music – simply a familiar style – than listening to music that reflects the true, innovative spirit of jazz.

In speaking of pop music however, this is another example whereby one can consider the genre in two distinct ways. What is pop?, one might ask – and it’s a very good question. A young music fan would likely point to a distinctive sound that is characteristic of modern pop music, represented by artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars. The style of music made by such musicians has come to represent pop music in the modern age, but of course – the phrase “pop” originally emerged simply as shorthand for “popular”. Interestingly enough, a musician could happily play this “pop” music without experiencing any popularity whatsoever; and similarly, many musicians who have experienced immense popularity perform music that couldn’t be further from this style. But – by this definition of popularity – anything could be pop. The Beatles were pop. Pink Floyd were pop. The Sex Pistols were pop.

I can practically hear many punk fans regurgitating at the suggestion that the Sex Pistols were pop musicians, which only serves to illustrate how punk music also falls victim to this phenomenon. Punk is analogous to jazz in many ways, in that the music originally sought to go against the grain, and was defined by its rebellious, individualistic attitude and ethic which underscored the music. Punk was the music that people made when they didn’t feel welcomed by any other style or subculture. And as with jazz, over time, punk in the public eye became less about this attitude, and more about a particular sound that came to define the style. Many emergent bands may now describe their sound as punk as it resembles this sound aurally, despite sharing none of the situational or circumstantial characteristics that defined the original music. The modern acts who would fall into the punk tradition then, would be acts such as Sleaford Mods (who I reviewed last month), whose sound is quite far removed from that of the original punk music, but whose approach is practically identical.

Another genre that has seemingly become a style, despite having deep-rooted traditions – especially so in this case! – is folk. Folk is defined by these traditions, music that was typically unrecorded (even in score), passed down through generations, and played in local communities. By this description, folk could not – by definition – have a particular sound or style, as the music is defined by the particularities that make it representative of its respective region. Yet, as with punk, many members of the public would recognise a particular musical sound as “folk” – particularly the music that has emerged out of the American folk tradition. Thus, contemporary acts such as the Lone Bellow – who like the previous trad jazz acts should perhaps be considered pop – tend to get categorised as folk due to their idiosyncratic sound, despite not originating from this tradition at all. The original folk tradition is still certainly alive however, and can be found in many local communities across the world.

And speaking of music that has been with us for generations, the last genre I will speak of is Classical. Note the use of the capital C here, for Classical most specifically refers to the music of the Classical period, roughly 1750-1810 (Haydn, Mozart, early Beethoven etc.). Yet today, classical with a small c is used loosely to refer to any Western art composition, regardless of era, or if the music is actually representative of the Classical period. The term is employed for everyone from Pachelbel (1653-1706) to Shostakovich (1906-1975), as well as contemporary composers such as Ludovico Einaudi. So as with jazz, pop, punk, and folk, when one refers to Classical it is often unclear what they are referring to: whether it be the specific music of this period, or simply any piece that has come from the vast sea of compositions of the past 300+ years.

I’m sure there are many more examples from a whole variety of genres. Ultimately, the argument of what constitutes the “real” version of a genre almost always boils down to this distinction. Where one fan may listen only to the music that imitates the original style without caring for the tradition, another may only follow the acts keeping up the tradition, disregarding those acts for not utilising this approach. In the end, both fans can be seen as somewhat misled. There are advantages to be found in the combined elements of both attitudes, and great music has been made in every example for each case. As I noted at the start, what often seem to happen is that we end up with two very distinct variations of the original genre. Whether one chooses to pick a specific side, or to acknowledge and appreciate the benefits of both, is up to the individual listener.

Review: The Stampede - Jamie Berry

Jamie Berry is a strong contender for the biggest name in British electro swing. Having produced so many classics for the genre, his music is known to all those even mildly familiar with the style, and for good reason too. Many of his releases serve to represent flawless examples of the genre, and as I stated in my review of his latest album, will often stand as some of the first tracks that one may come across when first discovering this music. His latest release, The Stampede, continues to solidify this reputation, presenting five new songs that illustrate exactly why Berry has come to be as popular as he is

The first track is ‘Parade’, a perfect name for the piece. Starting off slightly disjointedly, it quickly develops into a solid rhythm, before setting off on a quick journey across several different styles all the way throughout. Listening to this feels exactly like experiencing a parade: a parade of musical influences. It’s perhaps a little more bassy than we’re used to from Berry, which sets the tone for the rest of the release, representing something a little bit different. This feeling continues into ‘Cattywampus’; starting off with a bit more of the familiar Berry sound – making full use of a solid house beat, as well as an understated treatment of the samples in his trademark style – the emergent bass drop reveals more dubstep-esque influences, as well as some funky slap bass interspersed throughout as well. And then ‘Buffalo’s Ballroom’ begins, with its seriously high tempo; this piece is very very dancey – the beat never once hesitates, and neither will the listeners. There is some fantastic percussion underneath everything else here, and even in the more EDM-centric sections of the piece, the drums still remain closely tied to the jazz tradition – demonstrating the music’s roots.

Following these three more adventurous pieces, ‘Who’s That?’ is the most traditional Jamie Berry sounding track – of course, there’s got to be at least one to remind us of what makes his music so great. It’s quite a slow building track, steadily increasing the anticipation, and throughout the extended musical samples one can feel the underlying tension. There’s some terrific glitchy stylings in this one – including some great treatment of the vocals especially; and the piece ends brilliantly too, on a rather low note – leaving the audience wanting more. Finally, from the first few seconds of the title track, ‘The Stampede’, one can tell that this is going to build to something huge. The rhythm is seriously driving, and at any moment it feels like the track is building to something bigger and bigger – and when this comes, it only keeps building even further. Halfway through, we reach an absolutely filthy drop, which will amount to chaos on the dancefloor, and then towards the end, there are a few bass swells which seem to have come straight out of a Hans Zimmer soundtrack. This is how the piece – and the EP – ends: on a suitably epic tone.

So it certainly feels like Jamie Berry is trying to go in a bit of a new direction here. Not an entirely different direction by any means – the style is still instantly recognisable as his – but these tracks definitely have a bit more of an explorative feel to them. He seems to be becoming more comfortable stepping outside of his usual formula, and getting away from the standard house sound. And all this is of course very welcome – he’s been creating house-based electro swing for almost a decade now, and can demonstrably do a fine job of whichever subgenre he turns his hand to. Thus, this release is an excellent addition to his catalogue, and will delight any of those Berry fans who pay attention, both old and new.

My Experiences with Lindy Hop

Probably around 90% of the entries I post on this blog revolve directly around electro swing, the contemporary genre that recontextualises the music of the swing era. But as many fans of this music will be aware, this isn’t the only movement that aims to bring back this particular era in a new and exciting fashion. Running concurrent to electro swing, the past few decades has seen a resurgence in the popularity of the lindy hop – the style of swing dance that accompanied the original music. Throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, revivalists built this scene up again from scratch, and despite both movements occurring simultaneously, the interaction between the two has been – surprisingly – somewhat limited. For those unfamiliar with the lindy hop style, the following video – from the 1941 film Hellzapoppin’ – demonstrates some of the greatest dancing ever recorded.

My own lindy hop journey began in 2014, as I was beginning my MA in Sheffield, when I joined the university’s Swing Dance Society. Quickly taking a strong liking to it, I ended up on the society’s performance group, and many of my nights out in Sheffield were at swing events. The city has a fair few of these, the best of which is The Big Swing, hosting events with live music every Wednesday. In fact, it was even at one of these events that I met Becca, my long-suffering partner.

For me, the link between electro swing and swing dance has always been quite evident, and I’m often surprised that the two scenes haven’t merged more. But it remains largely true that the audiences of both are quite distinct, and there isn’t a significant crossover. I have to give a big shout-out to Swingamajig here, who are one of the few events making serious efforts to create an overlap between the two, through their coinciding Stomp Stomp dance festival that they put on with Birmingham’s The Swing Era organisation. Admittedly, there are some fair reasons as to why lindy hoppers may initially be quite averse to electro swing (some of which are discussed on this blog) – and I discussed this idea with professional swing dancer Cat Foley of Liverpool’s Mersey Swing during my PhD research, who brought up the respective points that a lot of electro swing lacks a swung rhythm; that there are often different ideas around musical phrasing; that the tempos sometimes aren’t conducive to the dance style; and that the energy can often be too high. These are all certainly reasonable criticisms, but as we discussed, none of them are problems that cannot be overcome.

What seems to be the main underlying reason for the disparity however, is that there is something of a fundamental difference in the attitude of the two scenes. Where swing dancers largely see their practice as an act of restoration, electro swing practitioners generally view what they do as an updating of the original style. This has led to a situation in which the traditional lindy hoppers may be seen almost as a rival to the spirit of electro swing. Where lindy hop looks to the dance moves of the past, electro swing often prefers to look to other, more contemporary styles of dance, such as those featured in the above video by online dancer Forsythe. It’s led to a situation I’ve seen at various live events in which the more traditional swing dancers have been placed in a dance-off against various b-boys and b-girls representing the hip hop dance styles. A perfect example of this is found in the video for the Swinghoppers’ ‘Swing Hop’.

Whilst these sorts of battles are undoubtedly entertaining, they continue to maintain the status quo that presents swing dance and contemporary dance forms as two distinct, separate styles. What I’d really love to see would be a new movement that – as much electro swing has done with the music – combines the two dances in a way that stays faithful to both styles. This would of course be a challenge, but its not something that can’t be achieved; indeed – I’m already optimistic about certain performances that I’ve seen. The best example of this occurs at Montreal’s Swing Riot festival – again this features a dance-off between representatives of both scenes, but in this situation the two sides are actively encouraged to embrace each other’s styles. The results, as seen below, are truly impressive.

So I’ve got hope that these two fantastic scenes will continue to complement and reinforce each other. I’m certainly seeing this happening more and more often, and it’s not at all uncommon for an electro swing night to feature lindy hoppers, often advertising special deals and promotions for these dancers. Personally, I will continue to enjoy both scenes, and will give a special shout-out to The Swing Project, who are doing wonderful things for the dance scene in Cardiff. Both lindy hop and electro swing will benefit enormously from their association with one another, and the more that this is mutually recognised, the more that the scene will improve for everyone involved.