Devils, Dames N Debauchery
is the newest release to come out of Ragtime Records, showcasing the latest
music from the hottest producer in American electro swing: Duke Skellington.
Having joined Ragtime Records back in 2017, he has become an absolutely
essential part of the team, regularly putting out top quality tunes, and
demonstrating himself to be right up there with the rest of his labelmates.
This most recent EP has been out for almost a week now, and has been certainly
been making something of a stir.
The EP opens with ‘Name in
Lights’, which with its percussive intro played on brushes, starts off as quite
a laidback number. One of the interesting things to notice with this track – a
theme that will continue throughout the EP – is that there’s just as much focus
on the musicality side of things as on the beat, particularly singer Kumiho’s vocals,
which is a very welcome change from much electro swing. As the track builds, we
arrive at an incredibly glitchy drop, which also helps to set the tone for the
EP, which includes a fantastic saxophone line over the top of things as it
develops. The next track is ‘Hot Jazz’, the first official remix on the
release, which like ‘Name in Lights’ features a similar emphasis on sultry,
female vocals. Starting off with a strong house beat, this track goes on to
present some very low, dark basslines that will sound incredible over a massive
soundsystem. But we still find this focus on musicality – in fact, halfway
through the beat cuts out entirely, highlighting this even further.
‘My Mind’ follows, featuring our
third powerful female voice – this time Alanna Lyes, who’s popping up
everywhere at the moment, and deservedly so. ‘My Mind’ also opens with a strong
house beat, underneath some gypsy guitar, and scratching – showcasing a wide
variety of sounds that all work considerably well together. There’s another
huge glitchy drop in this one, and the variety in sound continues, through its
wobbles interspersed with slap bass. I also really enjoy the skilful reed
samples towards the end. The second official remix come after this, with the
return of Kumiho: ‘Spooky’. The track starts off very minimally, and isn’t the
most stimulating, although the piano that comes in does manage to sound very
fresh – despite being a regular feature throughout this genre. The saxophone
that emerges could be mixed slightly better, and sits a little uncomfortably on
top of the rest of the mix, but overall this is still an enjoyable dance
number.
Towards the end of the release,
‘Dames’ presents a very uptempo, danceable track, which starts off slightly
uneventfully, but builds and builds and builds. As it develops, more and more
excitement and interest creep in at every turn, including a kind of electronic
walking bass during the first drop. It’s actually surprising just how much
happens in this track if one listens closely enough. And finally, ‘Hit That’
presents another song featuring a bassline which will be incredibly powerful
when played over a large soundsystem. We begin relatively lowkey, with a
Spanish-sounding guitar that develops into some nice gypsy jazz lines, and as
the song progresses, we hear what’s possibly the biggest and most anticipative
build-up I’ve ever heard in an electro swing track. Again, this track also
manages to keep a high focus on the musicality – not so much vocally in this
half of the EP – but in this song for example, we have all sorts of
interweaving instrumental samples.
Duke Skellington has made a real
achievement here, through a release which features brilliant elements of both
musicality and danceability. So often when creating electronic music, a
producer has to sacrifice either the beat and excitement of a track, or make it
musically quite dull. In this situation, Duke Skellington has demonstrated
excellently that one needn’t forfeit either aspect of the music in order to
satisfy the other. Across the release, almost every song showcases just how
well this can be done, and I’m very glad that there’s a producer in electro
swing who can do it just as well as he can. There’s clearly been a lot of
effort put into this EP, and the resultant quality shows this. I’ve been
wondering for some time now when the American producers of electro swing will
catch up with the European ones, and with releases such as this one, it is
undeniable that this time has now come.
As an act, Dutty Moonshine has gone through many different
changes. I remember my first time seeing them – back when the act was a duo –
at the first ever Swingamajig festival in 2013. I was lucky enough to catch
founding member Furley’s last ever show at Boomtown 2014; and then the first
performance of the big band at Swingamajig 2015 as well. Alongside several
shows during Danny Wav’s brief stint with the act, and solo DJ sets from main
man Mike Rack as well, I think I’ve seen pretty much every incarnation of the
act. This new release – City of Sin, out on the 17th of April
– is their first on a major label, having just signed to Universal. Most
Wanted, their previous album received some serious acclaim throughout the
electro swing world, so needless to say, this album has been highly
anticipated.
Opening the record is ‘Big Band Fam’, which features the
type of colossal, heavy-bass sounds that one has come to expect from this act.
These are the type of tunes that a DJ might generally choose to end a set, therefore
demonstrating that with this release we’re getting thrown in the deep end from
the very beginning. Both MCs feature on this track, with a clear grime
influence in both of their respective flows, and musically, some of the sounds
of garage throughout as well. The energy is maintained throughout ‘Click Clack
Boom’, which begins with some almost synthwave-style sounds, before diving
immediately back into the heavy, filthy bass. This track isn’t the most
interesting in terms of independent listening, although I can tell it will be a
dancefloor killer. Still not letting up in terms of energy, ‘City of Sin’ – the
title track – brings some lightning-fast rapping from Maria Laveau, as well as
some singing in the chorus, although strangely I actually find the verses
catchier than the chorus.
At this point, the album has placed three of its heaviest
tracks right at the very start, and I’m really craving something with a bit
more emphasis on the ‘big band’ side of things; luckily, this now comes with
‘Outlaws’, a jazzier number which is much more to my liking. This track goes
through several sections, each just as catchy and enjoyable as the last, and
the big band really shine through, fusing effortlessly with the electronic
sounds. In terms of danceability, ‘Outlaws’ will definitely get people moving.
The next track, ‘Fever’, then provides a bit of respite from the chaos of the
album thus far; beginning with the sounds of gypsy jazz, which sets the tone
for the whole song, ‘Fever’ is comparatively laidback, and features a brilliant
bassline showing that sometimes less is more. Towards the end, there’s a
slightly cheesy key change, but honestly, this is part of the fun, and doesn’t
detract from the song at all.
Even more laidback is ‘Tommy & Loretta’, featuring a
wistful piano introducing a dark, partly spoken-word track, reminiscent of the
poetry performed by the likes of Kate Tempest. This track is produced alongside
Odjbox, who brings his own distinctive flavour, instantly recognisable once the
beat kicks in, and features a lovely chorus – the best demonstration of Maria
Laveau’s singing ability. ‘Fall From Grace’ begins with a baritone sax –
capable of making everything sound so much jazzier, and also reminding me a bit
of Too Many Zooz, who certainly sound like they could have had an influence on
this one. In this track we’re slowly building back to the massive basslines
found at the start of the album, although the brass sections are actually more
interesting; whilst there are some huge drops throughout, I’m much keener on
the parts that follow several bars after these drops. Following this is ‘The
Arrest’, probably one of the strongest tracks on the album. It starts off
almost cinematically, you can imagine this accompanying the score of a film,
and as the piece progresses, there is some fantastic interplay between the two
MCs. I especially like the refrain of “coming for you”, which makes me feel
like I’m listening to something from a musical – tying in with the idea of this
being a concept album.
The baritone sax returns for ‘It’s Alright’, also featuring
more of the heavy basslines, which – not being as in-your-face as the rest of
the album – actually work incredibly well here, and are the best example of
these types of basslines throughout the album. Some nice and jazzy breakdowns
in the middle do a good job of placing you into the scenario of the narrative
again. Next up is a bit of a wildcard: ‘Fiança’ is entirely based around the
Latin sounds of South America, and provides an example of what Dutty Moonshine
does best – exploring and incorporating other styles, which this track
demonstrates brilliantly. Guest vocalist Chininha provides another powerful
female voice, and throughout I feel like I’m in a carnival atmosphere, and just
want to dance. Towards the end, the samba influences only increase, and there’s
some of the more contemporary sounds of soca in the final breakdown too.
Closing the album is ‘Locked Up’, which unsurprisingly features some more
strong rave influences, although not quite as heavy as I was expecting.
Continuing on from the last track, there is actually still some samba
influence, particularly in the percussion and woodwinds, which provides some
contrast to the more industrial and glitchy sounds.
This album differs from Most Wanted in that – where
with that album, the energy increased up until the mayhem of the final,
title-track ‘Most Wanted’ – City of Sin actually seems to get slightly
more mellow as it goes on. In that sense, the pacing of this album could be
described as a little off – hitting you with everything at the start, and then
leaving the album to gradually decline in its intensity. Although that’s
perhaps an unfair criticism, as it’s not even remotely anticlimactic; in fact,
the songs get better as the album progresses. There are some real gems here,
and the likes of ‘Outlaws’, ‘Fever’, and ‘It’s Alright’ – amongst others – will
surely become well-known anthems in this scene. City of Sin will be a
welcome addition to any fan’s collection, and in terms of the act’s reputation,
continues to validate the Dutty Moonshine Big Band as one of the most
adventurous acts within the scene, and a genuine force to be reckoned with.
The latest offering from the – still relatively fresh –
Swing & Bass label is Captain Flatcap’s Fowl Play, a four-track EP
with one of my favourite pieces of cover art I’ve seen in quite some time. As
an act, Captain Flatcap tends to be quite fluid, both in terms of genre –
fitting loosely into the electro swing category but taking influence from
anything and everything – and also the act itself: Captain Flatcap representing
anything from a band, DJ, or producer, depending on what is being called for –
all centred around the mastermind that is Chris Rotherham.
This most recent EP begins with ‘Fowl Play’, which puts us
in high spirits from the very start, opening with a sample from a Too Many T’s interview, whereupon the questions being asked by the child host include that of who would
win in a fight between Dutty Moonshine, Danny Wav, and of course, Captain
Flatcap. We then have a relaxing, chilled introduction, followed by a slightly
minimal drop with some distinctive squelches, and the fun mood continues with
the sounds of ducks quacking embedded throughout the track. Overall, the song
is nice, downbeat, and a good opener. Following this is ‘Bang Bang Boogie’, in
which the trademark flute continues, juxtaposed against some interesting
glitchy sounds. We also find an electric guitar here, which is very welcome as the
instrument doesn’t tend to be heard too much in this genre. The track is very
danceable, but I can’t help feeling that it goes on a bit too long; it could do
with either being slightly shorter, or fleshing out and expanding its ideas
more. There is a little bit of development towards the end, but unfortunately
it seems somewhat too little too late.
Next up is ‘Quacky Baccy’ – extending the duck-based
theme of the EP – which starts off charmingly, with a jazzy, almost New Orleans
vibe, and introduces a Hendrix-esque guitar as the song progresses. It’s clear that
there’s a lot of classic rock influence on this release, if only subtle, but it
works wonders. As the song continues, the guitar is interspersed with some filthy
wobbles which begin to emerge, and the second build-up towards the end is
fantastic – particular the way in which this guitar is utilised alongside the
more synthetic sounds. Finally, the EP closes with ‘I Spy’, featuring the
Kurnel MC, who has previously worked with Captain Flatcap for the track ‘In My
Blood’ on their previous release. As the song begins, the scratches alongside
the flamenco guitar during the intro signal an exciting start, and we go on to have
some very effective uses of slow and gradual phase sweeps. The Kurnel MC brings
some fun and clever lyrical references throughout, which underlies an important
message of protest. Towards the end, some more wobbles are introduced, which
are a little unexpected at first, and could maybe have been built up slightly
better, but once they’re in, they work very well indeed.
As the EP finishes, I feel like I’ve just listened to one of
the first significant releases of the year for this genre. One never knows
quite what to expect from Captain Flatcap; aside from the unique flute-playing
which is found across all of the act’s music, the sound often seems to vary from
release to release. I feel that this is the ultimate goal however, and if a
wide variety of sounds is the aim, then it has certainly been achieved. I always
look forward to seeing Captain Flatcap at any festival in which I get the
chance, and with the release of this EP, I am only more excited for the next
opportunity.
For the vast majority of the
public, 2016 was a year to largely be forgotten about. In my case however, it
was one of the most exciting years of recent times, as this was the year that I
began my PhD at the University of South Wales. I first discovered the genre of
electro swing in 2012, and over the next few years I gradually and
semi-unintentionally decided to go down the path of extensively and
comprehensively researching this genre – and by 2016 I had completed both my
undergrad BA, and Master’s degree in Musicology, both of which including an
extended dissertation into electro swing (which can be read here). At the start
of 2016, I was living in Sheffield, and upon receiving a scholarship to begin
the PhD, I moved down to Cardiff, and started the project that would occupy the
next three and a half years of my life.
December the 17th
marked the final stage of this journey, graduating and finally getting the
title of Dr Inglis. I’m very glad that I managed to complete everything by the
end of 2019, as it was a fantastic way to round off the year. And now, whilst I
have a bit of time over the Christmas holidays, I figured it might be
appropriate to compose a reflection on the whole experience, and simultaneously
offer advice to anyone else that might be pursuing a PhD in the future.
Research a topic that you love
One of the best advantages to any
PhD is that you’re effectively going to become the leading expert in whatever
the subject area it is that you’re researching. On top of this, you’re going to
be putting a hell of a lot of time and energy into this work, so you’d better
make sure that it’s not something that’s going to drive you crazy when spending
the vast majority of your hours dealing with the topic. By researching
something that you’re truly passionate about, you’re less likely to get bored of
it, and you’ll be especially proud of the final result. I was lucky enough that
there’s yet to be any serious literature into the electro swing style, so the
niche was mine to fill. On top of this, it’s a genre that I genuinely really
enjoy, thus the joy of making new discoveries about it was fulfilling in both
an academic and personal sense.
Seek funding
It’s a sad reality that higher
education is an expensive business. It’s particularly difficult for
postgraduate students, who don’t even have the opportunity to get a student
loan. Thus, the only way to realistically pursue a PhD without spending a
fortune is to acquire funding. There are several ways to do this: one is to get
a sponsorship; this is more common in the sciences, however the disadvantage is
that you’re not as free with your research, as you essentially have to do the
bidding of your sponsor. Another way is to get funding from external doctoral
training partnerships; there are several of these around, and it’s definitely
worth pursuing. I was lucky enough to receive an internal scholarship from the
University itself. This was probably the most advantageous course of action; by
demonstrating that my research was worthy of extended research, I was free to
guide my own research in precisely the ways I wanted from start to finish.
Find the right supervision
team
Whilst there are real benefits to
guiding your own research, it’s also vitally important to recognise the
expertise of those with much more experience than you. Yes, you’re the one with
the most knowledge in this particular area, but in terms of how to apply that
knowledge, and create the actual thesis – it’s important to recognise that the
real talent lies with those who’ll be guiding you through the writing process.
I would say that when first deciding where to conduct your research, the most
important question should be “who will be doing the supervision?”. I personally
was advised by one supervisor who already had a prior interest in electro
swing, and another who was heavily involved in the acid jazz scene of the ’90s –
and resultingly, the final work would be of considerably less worth were it not
for the continued advice of this team.
Don’t isolate yourself
Despite having this team, the
overwhelming majority of work you’ll do will be completely on your own.
Personally, I think I had a meeting approximately once every three or so weeks,
so there’ll be a lot of time spent working by yourself. I know that some people
prefer to work like this, but personally, I know that I’d go insane to not have
regular company for so long. Over my time doing this work then, I made sure to
surround myself with others conducting research into various other areas; not
only did this help me with avoiding isolation, but I also learnt a great amount
about things that I otherwise never would. One should never pass up on the
opportunity to discuss their work, and I can point to multiple occasions when a
simple conversation with a peer helped me solve a problem, or develop new ideas.
Treat it like a job
This one mainly applies for those
undertaking a PhD full-time, although I suppose that it might be relevant even
for those doing their research alongside additional work. Writing a doctoral
thesis is an enormous task, and it’s hard to appreciate just how much work it
really is until you’ve done one. To ensure that the task actually gets
completed requires a great deal of self-discipline, and it will be necessary
for you to maintain a regular routine, working just as many hours as you would
in any other profession. Of course, on the other hand, you need to know when to
stop: overworking yourself can be just as much of a problem, and I for example
was sure to never work weekends, or past 5PM unless necessary.
Take advantage of every
opportunity to share your research
One of the things I enjoyed most
about my entire PhD experience was getting to travel around and present my
research as it progressed, across several different symposiums and conferences.
Not only does this give you an opportunity to develop your work in terms of its
presentation, but it’s also a fantastic confidence boost to know that other
authors that may well have inspired your own research are finding your work
genuinely fascinating. I personally had the chance to present in Amsterdam,
Lisbon, as well as at the University of Cambridge – amongst others – and was
also fortunate enough to share panels with some of the researchers who I’ve
looked up to for quite some time now. Undoubtedly this felt brilliant, and
through this you will also begin to feel like you’re part of a distinctive
community. I know that I still intend to keep attending conferences and
presenting for as long as I’m involved in this particular area.
Teach if you can
Another opportunity that a lot of
doctoral researchers will get is to teach some of the undergraduates in
whatever institution you’re working in. In my third year in particular I was
given the chance to teach the university’s second-year Musicology module,
and I absolutely loved it. Not only does the transfer of knowledge feel
fantastic, but it will give you the opportunity to flesh out your own ideas as
well. Depending on what particular subject was being taught that day, I would
often weave examples from my own work into the lectures, and there were
numerous moments when a student’s thoughts or suggestions made me rethink or
reconsider my opinions in ways that ended up benefitting the final work.
Enjoy it
Finally, the most important thing
is to enjoy yourself. As cliché as this advice sounds, the whole experience
should be incredible, and it will be, provided you allow it to be. Yes, it will
be stressful at times, and you will get frustrated, but that should be balanced
out by the fun of the whole thing, and it certainly was in my case. As I’ve
mentioned, I was researching an area that I was – and still am – incredibly
passionate about, and conducting this research allowed me to experience a great
deal of things that I would have jumped at the chance to do anyway.
Interviewing many of my favourite musicians; becoming a part of what felt like
electro swing’s ‘inner circle’; going to dozens of festivals, club nights, and
concerts: these were all things that I’ve hugely enjoyed, and would have loved
to experience, regardless of the status of my work. One of my favourites
moments of the past year was travelling over to Chicago for Roaring City,
America’s first ever electro swing festival – something I simply wouldn’t have
done were it not for the benefit of my research. The opportunities I’ve had
since starting this PhD have been wonderful, and I’m so glad that I managed to
make this entire thing happen.
I hope that my words may help
someone considering postgraduate education to make the right decisions. I love
electro swing, and I fully intend to keep up this work; that’s the main reason why
I started this blog. As we approach the end of the year, I’m looking forward to
what’s coming for the genre in 2020, and even more so, I’m looking forward to
the next stages of my own academic electro swing career.
Yesterday’s date will undoubtedly be remembered as one of
the most miserable in recent British history, but as an eternal optimist I’m
intent on seeing the positives from day to day, and it just so happened that
the 12th of December was also the release date of Tuxedo Junction’s
latest EP, The Next Big Swing. This duo are showing real power in the
scene right now, and presenting themselves as a force to be reckoned with, both
live and on record. This EP represents their second release on Ragtime Records,
after last year’s Swing, Shaken Not Stirred, and throughout, they
continue to demonstrate their ability to impress.
The EP opens with ‘Mr. Business’, dropping you straight in
with an upbeat rhythm over a brilliant walking bassline, which continues to
build up to an archetypal Tuxedo Junction breakdown. I can already hear this
being dropped at events like the Church of Love, and it’s sure to absolutely
kill on the dancefloor. The track keeps on developing different ideas –
including a nice gypsy jazz section – and despite the use of a relatively short
sample throughout, manages to maintain interest through various different
explorations. Next up is ‘Mr. Burgundy’ – which brings a bossa nova flavour,
alongside some flute samples reminiscent of Captain Flatcap’s playing on ‘Past
Last Orders’ on their last release. Whilst I did enjoy the track, it’s definitely
the weakest of the release; the repetitiveness, along with some strange mixing
choices, make it sound a little unfinished overall.
Luckily we’re brought back up to the high standards with ‘Mr.
Dick Sluts’, a song with a name to remind you of the silliness of the act. This
track’s real strength lies in its basslines: it features some utterly filthy
wobbles from start to finish, alongside some really jazzy walking bass, and
also featuring the funkiest basslines cutting through throughout. Unexpectedly,
I found myself slightly reminded of Caravan Palace’s latest release when
listening to this one; whilst the song is very different stylistically, some of
the rapid edits do seem rather similar to those found on Chronologic.
Finally, the EP ends with ‘Mr. Brosnan’, a collaborative effort produced with
Waggles and Hiphoppapotamus, who provide the samba fused with drum ’n’ bass
rhythms. This song has a strong Latin groove to it, and whilst quite
repetitive, it’s done so in an almost minimalistic manner, which is exactly
what I feel they were going for – and it works. The slow build-up over the course
of the song results in a practically atmospheric feel, which is a nice way to
finish – making the release feel like a full experience.
Tuxedo Junction are capable of creating some absolute
bangers. One of their first tracks – ‘Cufflinks & Caviar’ – remains one of
my favourite tracks of the whole genre, and the recent release of their Ricky
Martin bootleg has been anticipated like hardly anything I’ve seen before. They
also manage to create some of the most enjoyable live mixes on a routine bases –
see their recent Shambala mix for evidence of this. This EP is a fine addition
to their catalogue. It’s not the best thing they’ve ever put out, and it doesn’t
showcase them to the best of their ability, but it still places them in a very
high ranking amongst their peers. If one needs cheering up on a day like today,
they could do no better than a listen to this.
Just in time for Christmas, everyone’s favourite semi-comedic
electro swing hip hop trio have given us their second EP in almost as many
years: the Swinghopper’s Speakin’ Easy. Made up of Offbeat, Sharleena
Ray, and Pye – all artists in their own right as well – the Swinghoppers are
still a relatively new act in the electro swing world, but one would be
forgiven for forgetting this – as they’ve very quickly risen to become one of
the most recognisable acts on the UK circuit. Their first EP utilised a number
of well-known songs from both the swing and hip hop world, which the band put
their on unique spin on, and this release takes very much the same approach.
We begin with ‘Swing Swing Swing’. Now whilst those more
invested in this genre may roll their eyes and yet another adaptation of this classic,
it’s fair to say that the Swinghoppers have still managed to put commendable
effort into their version. Pye’s rapping is noticeably improved since the first
EP here, and we find many lyrics featuring the band’s signature tongue-in-cheek
swagger. One lyric I was particularly intrigued by was Offbeat’s line: “old-school
fans of jazz just can’t stand us”; I can’t tell is he is wishing that this
weren’t the case, or proudly proclaiming his level of innovation. This type of
self-referential material continues into ‘Swinguistics’, a slightly more
downbeat track with more extended rapping from Pye – although I do note that we’re
yet to hear any beatboxing.
‘Big Spender’ features some exceptionally strong vocals from
Sharleena Ray, channeling her inner Shirley Bassey, and the rapping game is
impressive here too, with some seriously driving flow coming from both Offbeat
and Pye. This second half of the EP is easily the better half, and I’d be
tempted to say that this might be the best of the four tracks – though it’s a very
very close call between this and the EP’s finisher, ‘S Gon’ Give It To Ya’.
This ending track is huge, and features great rapping from all three – with even
Sharleena getting in on the action – really showcasing the talents of the
group. The production is solid, and the band never fails to demonstrate their
ability for humour within the lyrics – who else would ever write rhymes about the
correct way to pronounce espresso?
This EP is very much what a fan would expect from the
Swinghoppers. Yes, the lyrics may be a little on the nose and even cheesy at
times, but the band are very self-aware, and it’s all done in quite the
humourous way. Offbeat remains his usual likable self, and there is no doubt
whatsoever that Pye’s rapping has greatly improved on this release. One
downside is that I would have liked to have heard some more beatboxing – for a performer
as incredibly talented as he is, it’s a shame for him to not showcase this to
its greatest potential. Overall, Speakin’ Easy is simply a very enjoyable
record. The Swinghoppers are never going to be one of the most phenomenal acts
in terms of musicality, but they are definitely one of the most fun.
As with any genre, it’s difficult
to pinpoint the exact moment electro swing could be said to have first begun.
Genres are constantly evolving and adapting to their respective environments,
and it’s often only with hindsight that one may realise the importance certain
songs or events may have had on a subsequent genre’s emergence. The roots of
electro swing stretch far far back, and determining the genre’s development is
not an objective matter. However, we may look at the music that preceded it
retrospectively, and begin to develop some sort of timeline that can be said to
have foreshadowed the genre’s arrival.
I’ve chosen to put the most
recent end of the timeline at 2004, for this year saw the release of both Parov
Stelar’s Rough Cuts, and Nicolas Repac’s Swing-Swing. By this
year, electro swing had well and truly surfaced. Determining the other end of
this timeline is a bit more tricky however. We could obviously look at the
lineage of jazz, going back to the late 18th-century, but I’m more
interested in looking at the first merging of jazz and dance music; of vintage
and remix; of swing and electro.
1917
One might say then, that the
first example of this was the very first time a jazz track was put to
recording. In this instance then, we have a very clear answer to the question,
for the first jazz recording is very well documented, that being the Original
Dixieland Jass Band’s ‘Livery Stable Blues’.
1926
Another early development that
one must take note of is the type of vocal stylings that would later provide a
basis for hip hop, and most notably, jazz rap. It’s long been argued that this
type of vocal delivery emerged out of scat singing, and whilst it’s difficult
to determine the very first instance of this, what’s often cited as the first
example is Louis Armstrong’s ‘Heebie Jeebies’.
1937
Scat singing was used extensively
through jazz and its related styles, and if one digs hard enough, it’s possible
to find examples of early tunes sounding considerably similar to what would
later develop into rap. The finest example I’ve come across is in the gospel
music of the Golden Gate Quartet.
Now, whilst the use of the studio
can certainly be described as electronic innovation in jazz, all of the
examples featured so far have only featured acoustic instruments. This would
change in this same year however, whereupon we can find the first example of
true electronic instrumentation on a jazz record: George Barnes’ electric
guitarwork on Big Bill Broonzy’s ‘Sweetheart Land’.
1939
Whilst Barnes’ work was certainly
revolutionary, he never managed to achieve the popularity that he perhaps
deserved. That acclaim would largely be directed towards Charlie Christian, who
– joining the Benny Goodman Orchestra in this year – would become one of the
most notable and influential guitarists of all time.
1969
To an extent, these types of
developments opened the floodgates to all sorts of electrical innovation in
jazz, and as the style would progress, many more artists began incorporating electronic
instrumentation into their music. The most notable of these was arguably Miles
Davis, who between 1968 and 1975 was even referred to as having an ‘electric
period’, marked by albums such as In a Silent Way, and Bitches
Brew.
1970
Similarly, the proto-hip hop
sounds would continue to develop, often directly alongside the music of jazz.
The most notable of these artists around this period was Gil Scott Heron, who has
at times been considered the world’s first rapper.
1975
Jazz also started to become
intertwined with the early development of electronic dance music around this
time, and one of the first records to showcase this was Lonnie Liston Smith’s
‘Expansions’.
1983
Inspired by music such as this,
one of the earliest musicians to extensively fuse jazz with the emerging
electro sound was Herbie Hancock. This year, Hancock released Future Shock,
an album unlike anything he’d produced before. Most notably for the single ‘Rockit’,
from this album onwards, Hancock would begin to focus just as much energy onto
the electro sound as he had previously done with jazz.
1985
By this time, the world had fully
embraced the hip hop style, and musicians would begin to see how they might be
able to fuse this music with various others. Although something of a gimmick,
the first track to do this with jazz was the appropriately named ‘Jazz Rap’ by
Cargo, the group centred around British musician Mike Carr.
1986
This year would see the
development of the new jack swing sound, pioneered by producer Teddy Riley,
which fused the sounds of swing with the contemporary R&B sound. Developing
the sound alongside his own act Blackstreet, what is generally considered the
first new jack swing release was Janet Jackson’s Control.
1988
1988 would then see the release
of what’s widely considered the first genuine jazz rap track, a track that
would arguably set off the whole of the jazz rap scene that developed out
of New York around this time, Stetsasonic’s ‘Talkin’ All That Jazz’.
The NY jazz rap scene culminated
in the creation of Native Tongues, a crew of various artists creating this type
of music, and all regularly collaborating with one another, including the
Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and Monie
Love.
This year also saw the emergence
of acid jazz in Britain, combining the sounds of acid house with contemporary
jazz. Developed by DJs such as Gilles Peterson and Chris Bangs, the Acid Jazz
label put out its first compilation in 1988, entitled Totally Wired.
1989
The various movements around this
time can all retrospectively be seen to signal the introduction of a style like
electro swing, and what is occasionally cited as the first electro swing track
would emerge this year, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers ‘Swing the Mood’, based
around Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’, and sampling many early rock ’n’ roll
tracks as well. Like Cargo’s ‘Jazz Rap’, this release was certainly something
of a gimmick, but it’s essential to highlight when considering the development
of the electro swing style.
1991
Alongside the acid jazz scene,
Britain would also see the development of trip hop, a more laidback style
fusing the sounds of hip hop and jazz, featuring extensive sampling. Largely
emerging out of Bristol, the pioneers of trip hop are generally considered to
be Massive Attack, Tricky, and Portishead.
Back in America, the ’90s would
also see the development of the neo-swing genre, pioneered by California’s
Royal Crown Revue. Fusing swing with a more contemporary rock sound, this genre
would have considerable influence upon the electro swing style.
1992
1992 brought with it the release
of Miles Davis’s final album, Doo-Bop. Unsurprisingly, considering the
innovation Davis involved himself with during his ‘electric period’ – and
indeed, throughout his entire career – he would continue to create music in
unexplored territory, this time working alongside hip hop producer Easy Mo Bee.
Another of the most significant
artists of this era for electro swing was Courtney Pine, a jazz saxophonist who
would undertake extensive collaboration with artists from genres including hip
hop, and drum ’n’ bass. Pine’s sixth album is arguably his most influential in
this regard, ‘To The Eyes of Creation’.
1993
One of the acts Pine would
occasionally collaborate with was the hip hop duo Gang Starr, and in 1993, Gang
Starr’s MC Guru would release Jazzmatazz, which many have argued is the
absolute pinnacle of the entire jazz rap scene.
Returning to new jack swing, this
year also saw the release of K7’s ‘Hi De Ho’, a track which resembles
incredibly closely what we would now undoubtedly refer to as electro swing.
And a similar track in this
manner is ‘U Got Me Up’, a house track by Dajaé featuring a significant swing
influence, which was released the same year.
1994
So this year is important, as it
saw the release of ‘Lucas With the Lid Off’ by Danish rapper Lucas, in which he
raps over a sample of Benny Goodman’s ‘When Buddha Smiles’. Considering all of
the tracks featured so far throughout this post, there is plenty of opportunity
for debate as to what constitutes genuine electro swing and what doesn’t, but
in this case there can be no doubt. ‘Lucas With the Lid Off’ is 100% electro
swing, and makes a very convincing argument for the first ever electro swing
release.
1999
Following on from ‘Lucas With the
Lid Off’ we would see a number of similar tracks emerge, but this seemed to
really take shape around the turn of the century, when we would find tracks
such as Moby’s ‘Honey’…
…Mr Scruff’s ‘Get a Move On’…
2000
…and the following year, Jurassic
5’s ‘Swing Set’.
2001
The penultimate year I will
discuss is 2001, during which ‘Shadow Kingdom’ was released, by the obscure
Austrian artist Plasma. More in line with acid jazz than the new electro swing
sound, this album was notable for being the first release by Marcus Füreder,
who would later become Parov Stelar.
2004
And by this point, electro swing
had undoubtedly emerged. I mentioned at the beginning that this year’s releases
by Parov Stelar and Nicolas Repac signalled the first undeniable electro swing
albums; interestingly enough a decade after the first undeniable electro swing
single.
Since this, it’s quite easy to
track the development of electro swing. The following years would see the
beginnings of Caravan Palace, C2C, Caro Emerald, Chinese Man, the
Correspondents and a whole host of other acts who any enthusiast will
presumably be familiar with. These preceding developments did not occur with
any kind of predetermined purpose of creating electro swing, but in many of
their cases it’s easy to see how significant their impact upon the scene has
been. I certainly hope that this little history lesson has been educational,
and has demonstrated – if nothing else – how complex the roots of a music scene
can be. Indeed, particularly for electro swing – which owes so much to its
predecessors – an awareness of how the genre came to be will perhaps make the
experience of listening to the music even more enjoyable.
