Electro-Swing or: How I Learned to Stop Complaining and Love Modernity

[Flat Foot Floey]

Yes. It really depends where you are coming from. I listen to swing since maybe 7 or 8 years. Before I was just a punkrock kid. Some ska and northern soul with the strong horn section made me open for swing. There really is something like a gateway drug.

[LizzieMaine]

Which is why I'm allowing this thread, even though modern music gives me migraines. Anything, at this point, that can alert kids to the fact that music in fact existed before the rock era is a good thing. Just keep the volume down and don't keep the neighbors awake.

[Flicka]

I actually think real swing is a lot more accessible than this. Like punk, or good rock, it has soul. This feels hugely artificial to me. It's like eating fluff with lots of artificial colouring. If you think it's easier to go from rock to this than from rock to swing, then you don't like about rock what I like about rock.

Ha..... I'll never forget, the most negative vibe I've ever encountered at a gig... two separate nights. Back in 2007, the Sex Pistols played five nights at Brixton Academy, and I made it to two. Both nights Goldie, the second on the bill, was booed solidly for forty minutes. An odd choice for that audience (but John LYdon is a fan, so). I'm open to all forms of music, however generated, but the one thing I need to enjoy is a melody. Stuff composed entirely of beat / rhythm just doesn't do it for me, and it does get endlessly repetitive. I can appreciate the skill it requires on an objective level, but to listen to.... eep. Rather too much like tedious prog rock for my tastes.

I saw Sex Pistols in '07 too, but at a festival so no Goldie. I remember seeing NIN around the same time though, when Serena Maneesh opened for them. It was a similar sort of culture clash. They would have been boo-ed too, I think, unless everyone had been so afraid Trent would be annoyed and punish us by cutting the set short. I think they're brilliant, but they were new to a lot of the kids and they just didn't get them.

I like a lot of music that's basically just instrument wanking, like shoe gaze. And Tool is one of my favourite bands and they're heavily influenced by prog rock, like King Crimson, so watch your step. I like the big thick mat of sound just rolling over you... There is nothing monotone in that to me. It feels sort of organic, whereas this feels, well, artificial.

I don't usually think in terms of music genre, because I like stuff from all over the chart, from punk to baroque operas, because it's not about genre or instruments or era to me. It's about a sort of pureness of feeling. Like falling in love; maybe you can't say exactly why, but when you feel it, you know it's the real thing. The only genre I know is a non-no for me is 'dance' and 'lounge' music. My ex liked a lot of lounge music (you know, any mix that has 'chill' in it) and I used to jokingly tell him when he put it on: "This is isn't music. This is organised pain."

[O2BSwank]

I think that modern music can lead to an appreciation of the original version. I have been listening to The Stray Cats which lead to Brian Setzer orchestra which lead to Nelson Riddle arranged Frank Sinatra songs. I listened to rockabilly which also lead to the original era artists. I have several anthologies by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, as well as some greatest Big Band artist collection LPs from the 70's. My latest cd purchase is Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy's How big can you get? tribute to Cab Calloway. I love the arrangements, so much energy and beautiful full big band sound!

[cklos]

I guess you're too old to rock n' roll, but too young to die! (Just Kidding)

Which is why I'm allowing this thread, even though modern music gives me migraines. Anything, at this point, that can alert kids to the fact that music in fact existed before the rock era is a good thing. Just keep the volume down and don't keep the neighbors awake.

[Edward]

I think that modern music can lead to an appreciation of the original version. I have been listening to The Stray Cats which lead to Brian Setzer orchestra which lead to Nelson Riddle arranged Frank Sinatra songs. I listened to rockabilly which also lead to the original era artists. I have several anthologies by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, as well as some greatest Big Band artist collection LPs from the 70's. My latest cd purchase is Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy's How big can you get? tribute to Cab Calloway. I love the arrangements, so much energy and beautiful full big band sound!

Very much so. Scratch the surface of most rockabillies I've met on the UK scene, and underneath you'll find an old punk or psychobilly. Heck, well over half of the vintage crowd of any flavour over here are old punks / goths / psychobillies.

[mummyjohn]

Glad to see this is getting a lot of attention.

I had no intent of starting any arguments when I posted this, and it looks like everyone's been able to keep their hats on. I'm also not trying to posit it as "better," necessarily, than any of the swing styles it references or swing songs it samples: just another thing to enjoy (as I said, there is an equal chance you'll hear me blasting this as Journey, Rachmaninoff, Benny Goodman, or Elton John any given day - there's a lot of music in this world, and there are a lot of different ways to feel on a given day, which may call for different soundtracks).

And as many posters have said, for some it serves as a gateway to pure swing/jazz that they just weren't exposed to before. What makes this stuff work for me is that I feel that same energy, the same forward-moving, dreamy, carefree...well, there's no better word for it than just swingin' liveliness and enjoyment of living that drew me to swing in the first place. Cheers, and party on fellow Loungers!

[Gene]

It has always seemed to me that electronic music has had a much bigger following in Europe than the States...seems like every year there's some kind of new breakbeat-electro-funk-2-step-swing-jungle-house-ragga coming out of Britain or France or Germany.

[V.C. Brunswick]

I honestly can't stand any modern dance music. I have nothing against electronic stuff - I love Ladytron and Peaches for example - but those bland, bland electronic 'dance beats' give me a headache. I experience actual physical discomfort.

If anyone wants to torture me, tie me up and play me some club mix for about an hour. I'll tell you anything to get out of there.

How anyone can enjoy club mix is absolutely beyond me. I listened to some just now to get an idea what it's all about as I don't listen to modern music very much. After a while I actually had to switch to a Smith Ballew recording from 1929, in this case, to flush that electro-crap out of my head.

[Edward]

It has always seemed to me that electronic music has had a much bigger following in Europe than the States...seems like every year there's some kind of new breakbeat-electro-funk-2-step-swing-jungle-house-ragga coming out of Britain or France or Germany.

The dance music scene is huge over here - particularly on the mainland, but even in the UK it's one of, if not the, biggest underground scenes. Of course over the past twenty years electronica, in its broadest sense, has dominated the pop charts for the most part too.