Swingamajig 2017 - Part Two - Dutty Moonshine

Next up in the Swingamajig preview series is Mike aka Dutty Moonshine. Mike is not only a pioneer of the vintage remix sound, but he's also one of the most energetic and innovative people in the scene, always pushing boundaries. He's got a reputation as a shit-stirrer and a party-starter, is wanted for crimes against electro-swing, nature and common decency. Approach with caution. 

Jack: How important a role has Swingamajig played in bringing new vintage remix acts to the world?

Dutty Moonshine: The vintage remix worlds owes a lot to two places, the Mayfair field of Boomtown and the big, bad and heavy Swingamajig.

Swingamajig is one of those places that when you get asked to play it is a nod of recognition. The guys running it have such a finger on the pulse and they're providing such an amazing platform for some of these artists - to play in front of 4000 fans of the scene - that all the acts should be turning up with chocolates and flowers for the production team.

When Swingamajig says you're good the world listens.

It's also a who's who of the scene, so many people in the crowd run events or are acts that may have played previous years or the near future, bring your A game or don't bother coming.

Jack: Youve played at Swingamajig a few times, but i gather this time its not a swing set... what can people expect?

Dutty Moonshine: They can be expecting what I'm good at, mash up DJ-ing! It was mash up DJ-ing that got my early contacts which helped me launch Dutty Moonshine; it was mash up DJ-ing that gave me the idea of fusing big dutty basslines with swing music and it is mash up that will forever push me forwards to work out what you can and can't do.

I'm going to be rocking a big-ass-multi-genre party set and I'm bringing backup in the shape of DJ Binge. He's the DJ in the big band on stage and he's the DJ that inspired me hugely back in the day with his style.

Tom (of Electric Swing Circus and Ragtime Records) specifically asked me do a party-style set because while Swingamajig is a vintage remix festival it's also so much more. Hence seeing acts like Document One and Freestylers on the bill. Tom knows this is what I'm best at and he's asked me to unleash the fucking mayhem!

He also knows Dutty Moonshine is one of the few acts that can follow the Correspondents when it comes to high octane energy music. I hope you're getting your cardio in now, you thought my vintage remix sets were good wait until you hear this set!

We're going to be slaying party and bass tunes on 4 decks like there's no tomorrow.

Jack: Describe Swingamajig in three words.

Dutty Moonshine: Decadent Dastardly Mayhem


Next up, find out what the motherclucking Chicken Brothers have to say...

Swingamajig 2017 - Part One: Madame Electrifie & Emma Clair

When I was asked if I wanted to cover Swingamajig again this year there was only one sensible answer. A big fat, hairy yes.

There'll be the usual JtC review appearing at some point after the event, [watch out for the traditional 'I don't remember what happened after this...' line] but by way of a preview I've been in touch with some of the people playing at this year's festival to ask them what makes it such a special event.

Speaking for myself, I love any event where a huge chunk of the vintage remix family are together in one place; I feel sure that having all these amazing artists together in the same place has provided the catalyst for some cool collabs and innovative projects. The crowd at Swingamajig are always a super-friendly, stylish and hard-partying lot, the importance of which cannot be overstated. But what really makes the event special, for me, is the time, care and attention that the Ragtime Records and ESC put into it all - they love this scene, they love this sound, and that really shines through.

First up, I spoke to Jo, aka Madame Electrifie, who played at the first ever Swingamajig way back in 2013.

Jack: What was the best performance that you’ve seen at Swingamajig over the years? 

Madame Electrifie: There are too many to try and remember, it’s been great to see electric swing circus grow and develop into the amazing live act they are now over the years. And Smokey Joe and the Kid are a definite contender, I’m really looking forward to seeing them again this year.

Jack: How has the festival evolved and grown over the years? What have been some of the changes that you’ve liked most? 

It’s quite crazy how long it’s been running, I just had to check back and see that the first one was 2013 which is mad. I remember the first year was like a huge meeting point for all these artists that I was aware of musically but had never seen in person, I made so many long-term friends from that event, people I’ve since had the privilege of playing alongside many times. I was unable to make it last year so I am really interested to see how much it has grown since my last visit.



I like the fact that although Vintage Remix and Electro-swing are still at the heart of the event, the festival has grown and adapted as the scene has. There are some people who have been involved in the scene right from the start, so of course their sound and influences have developed over that time, which is great as it would be a bit repetitive otherwise. The festival has developed to accommodate that development whilst still offering a good slice of vintage action for the new comer. Bringing in acts from the Ghetto Funk and Breakbeat world really helps add another dimension to the programming, which is important to add some variation to the event and keep in interesting.

Jack: What has been your own personal favourite set (i.e. that you played), and what do you think you’ll be spinning this time around?

My first ever swingamajig set was so much fun, way back when! Although I couldn’t see over the decks if I remember, which happens far too often!

This year I’m playing before The Freestylers (WAAAAA!), one of my favourite acts of all time, so I’ll be visiting some old-skool breaks influences and splicing these with my all-time favourite floor filling electro swing tracks that have rocked previous years at Swingamagic – it’s one place you know the audience will want to hear them, so it’s going to be a bit nostalgic, but in a good way, and you know, banging too!

Next I spoke to one of the UK's most up-and-coming electro-swing DJs, Emma Clair

Jack: This is your first year performing at Swingamajig – have you been as a guest before?

I’ve never been to Swingamajig, as I have always been tied up with DJ gigs! So the fact it’s my first time performing and my first time experiencing the wonders of the festival itself, is unbelievably exciting!

I’m honoured to be playing the closing set on the Vintage Terrace with my partner in crime, Andy McBain who will be bringing an element of live performance to our set with his amazing clarinet skills! (shameless plug haha)

Jack: Who are you most excited about seeing perform?

Argh.. there are so many amazing acts on the lineup, it’s hard to single anyone out! But, for me, it has to be Elle & The Pocket Belles! I’m in love with their song “Swinging Together”, and I still regularly play it in my DJ sets.

I’m also really excited about seeing Sam & The Womp – they definitely bring the ‘fun’ element to Electro Swing, which is something I always try to push too!

Also The Electric Swing Circus (honest – Tom didn’t ask me to say this, it’s actually true) – They absolutely blew me away when I booked them to play at Prohibition earlier this year, so I can’t wait to see them in action again!

Jack: What about the sideshows and other entertainment – what tickles your fancy there?

Ooh again, this is really tough, there is so much going on!!!

I’ve heard good things about Vicky Butterfly, so I am looking forward to seeing her do her Burlesque thing.

The Swing Era Dance workshops are definitely on my list of things to check out!! I’m hoping to pick up some moves to bust out on the dancefloor… that’s the plan anyway…

And finally.. I will be paying the food court a visit! I’m hoping for some vintage treats to satisfy my extremely sweet tooth! 

Watch this space for Part 2. dropping later this week, and featuring the Chicken Brothers and Dutty Moonshine!

10 Soundcloud Mixes You Should Download RIGHT NOW

Vintage Remix is dance music, and is intended to be enjoyed to in a nightclub/festival setting. Somehow hearing individual tracks in a playlist is unsatisfying. The word 'remix' is the important one here. In these days of big-name DJs being paid huge sums for soulless (pre-recorded?) sets, it is nice that VR  has a strong connection with the traditions skills of the DJ. Don't misunderstand - I'm not about to start banging on about CDJs vs vinyl - I'm going to sing the praises of the download-and-keep DJ mix.

The most treasured music in my collection, the first tracks copied onto a new phone/tablet, are the many hour-long mixes that can be found on the Soundcloud pages of most Vintage Remix artists. The DJ mix is more than simply a bunch of songs hastily jammed together with no thought. Although the main aim of the mix is to showcase the DJ's abilities to potential clients, the amount of care and attention that goes into them makes them something akin to a concept album. This is how Madame Electrifie puts it: 

I like to make sure a mix is going to be something a bit special when I release them, rather than just recording everything I do.  I like each mix I put out to be a bit of an occasion. I’ve tended to work in series, working around a theme for each series I do.For instance the Carnival of Chaos series I did was based around an event I was doing. I did three very contrasting mixes, one hip hop orientated, one house, and one breaks/dnb- I wanted to do something that represented the range of styles I played and how many genres the whole electro swing scene had touched. It was actually really hard to create three completely different sets in one go – but for me these three mixes are a good snapshot of the whole scene at that moment in time.

Generally I’ll start with a theme idea and go from there, for me that’s the whole challenge. 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!

I generally always have 3 or 4 mixes in planning, so when I go record shopping I find things that fit into the different series, The After Hours Series, The Funky Shit Series, etc. I’ll normally also create artwork or do a photoshoot for each series too, (I work in photography and design by day) so they become complete little projects. Like an album or EP I guess, it’s a really nice way of approaching them.

The good thing about working this way is that I can adapt loads when I’m playing live, and bring the tricks I discovered into my performances. It makes me be on top of my game technically, and means I’m always pushing myself. I’m a bit of a geek/show off when it comes to nailing a complicated mix, so without this approach I might not be so cocky!

So it was with great sadness that I learned that Soundcloud have started to enforce copyright law and take down any track the record companies request. Combined with the fact that they will now be playing adverts, I fear for the safety of these works of art.

I have selected some of my favourite mixes to show you here, but do check out the actual pages of the artists and check out their other mixes. A great mix has a structure, carefully selected tunes, might have a few judicious mash-ups and hand-picked samples - these are my favourites. Take my advice - go and download all of these before its too late.

1. Madame Electrifie - The Bearcat Mixes Vol.2 "Glitching the Blues"

https://soundcloud.com/madame-electrifie/the-bearcat-mixes-part-2

Sadly Mme. E has already fallen foul of the Soundcloud fun-police, and has asked me not to link to her Soundcloud directly. You can stream all of her mixes from her own website but if you sneak in quietly, you can still download it from her SC page... This one is in for the excellent track selection - that Pretty Lights 'Jolene' remix and the preceding Woohoo Review tune - it's a great 'just got in from the club and my feet hurt' mix.

2. DJ Dodgy-Style - The Electric Empire Promo Mix

This one is in simply for the spectacular Renegade Master mash. But even without that, it is upbeat, fast-paced and great for when you need to get some where quickly: get the headphones in and get walking. Don't listen to it on the bus or the train as people will think you are odd - I find it impossible to listen to without sniggering at the sheer brilliance of Dodgy-Style's juxtapositons. "Good mood in a box" says one of the comments on Soundcloud, and that's about right. There are lots of other mixes up on his page, if I could, I'd include them all here. get over there and fill your boots!

3. Grant Lazlo @ Fusion Festival 2014

We don't get to see Mr. Lazlo perform in the UK very often, but he is the man behind some of the best Vintage Remix tracks out there (check out his remix of Swing Republic's High Hat, available on the Freshly Sqeezed Soundcloud page) so it is great that he chose to upload this lengthy set. Filled with rolling, driving basslines it is great to listen to in the kitchen. Just don't start dancing about with a knife in your hand.

4. DJ Eliazar - Vintage Bliss and Bass

This mix clocks in at nearly 2 hours, and from the opening track, All in Together by Chap-hop superstar Professor Elemental, it does exactly what it says on the tin - blissful, sunny beats ideally suited to lazy Sunday mornings.

5. Mortisville - Highly Swung series

I was lucky enough to spend lots of time hanging out with Mr. Mortisville at Boomtown 2013 - I helped him choose his outfit for the evening (gold lamé leggings, wife-beater, spangly visor), he shared his supplies of beer and rizlas with me. It was special. A proponent of the deeper, techier side of electroswing, he has created a series of three mixes which have a kind of mesmeric quality to them. This is the third and final mix of the set, but do make sure you check out all the other stuff on his Soundcloud.

6. C@ in the H@ - Box of Tricks

Like all felines, the C@ in the H@ loves a good scratch. To prevent him from damaging the furniture someone clever gave  him some decks and he's never looked back. This mix has been up for a while now, and though it is only 20 minutes long it delivers a healthy dose of big tunes. This is another one to make you look like an idiot on the bus. Repeat after me: "I must not play the air-turntables in public. I must not play the air-turntables in public... 

7. Don Mescal - Reggae got Swing

I'm not often lost for words, but I find it really quite hard to put into words just how fantastic this mix is. In many ways it exemplifies what I was on about before, in that the set has a specific theme, and that a great deal of crate-digging, thought and care has gone into the selection and mixing. It is an exploration of the links, similarities and differences between reggae/dub and swing. Taking you from low-tempo skank of Prince Fatty right through to the ska-madness of Gentlemen's Dub Club. Beats, Brass and Bass - what more can you ask for?

8  Dutty Moonshine - Kicked out of the Club

I expect you were thinking "Where's the Dutty?" So was I. Answer: here it is. This mix, in typical Dutty style, is a big middle finger to certain players in the Vintage Remix world who suggested that the DM chaps were moving away from the sound and into the mainstream. Keen to refute that suggestion, they produced this. As you might expect, it is full to bursting with big tunes, plus the Spice Girls.

9. Captain Flatcap - Squelchy Silliness Minimix

Some of you may have read the interview I did with the Captain Flatcap chaps a little while ago. What you may not realise is that the Captain hosts a weekly radio show called That Swing Thing on Kane FM, and that as well as being a flutist, guitarist and producer, he is also a pretty sick DJ. He tends to favour the ghetto-funkier end of the spectrum and definitely loves a good wobble and squelch.

10. The McMash Clan - Filthy Swingers Set

The last selection in this little run down is from the McMash Clan. These are the guys behind the enormous Swing Break ft. Kate Mullins from the Puppini Sisters, and the rest of this is in the same vein. Not only is is an hour of massive tunes,, but since McMash are not really a Vintage Remix act, it contains a huge variety of music and some really interesting selections and some cool takes on some of the classics of the genre.

Video - Electric Empire Escapade

I promised you a video, didn't I? Well, after much fiddling and many hours of editing, here it is. I hope you enjoy this little audio/visual montage of the evening that I and the rest of the Jack the Cad team had at Electric Empire Escapade. It was a fantastic night, with some banging performances and a great crowd - highlights for me were Dutty Moonshine's set upstairs in Madame Electrifie's Discotech, and catching The Killer Dillers with their live Sax - what a great addition to a DJ set that is. Anyway, here it is!

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The whole thing was shot on mobile phones and edited using Windows Live Movie Maker, so I apologise for the shaky camerawork. I am sure it leaves a great deal to be desired, so if anyone has any comments about the technical/stylistic aspects please do pass them on!

It may interest you to know that the Electric Empire crew are back at their original home The Amersham Arms, tomorrow night (Saturday 2/3/13) with DJ sets from the mighty Slamboree, the king of vintage mash-up DJ Dodgy-Style and regular guest J-Twy, plus a performance from Kitten and the Hip.

You can also catch Dutty Moonshine next Thursday (7/3/13) alongside Canadian Ghetto Funk monster Defunk at a new night called 'Shake Ya Bootleg' at Shoreditch's Barrio East.

Finally, I would like to say 'sorry' to the guys who were standing behind me while I filmed The Correspondents' opening number - I hope you enjoyed the rest of the show without me blocking your view!

Don't forget that I will be posting another Jack's top Tracks on Monday, and some more exciting and interesting content over the next few weeks and months.

Pip-pip

Jack and the team

Electric Empire Escapade - Correspondents single launch party - preview

Over the last few weeks I have been getting increasingly excited about an event that will take place on 8th February at the Bussey Building in Peckham. The guys behind the monthly electro-swing night Electric Empire, at the Amersham Arms, have teamed up with Madame Electrifie to create the Electric Empire Escapade. The line-up is just staggering, with some of the very best DJs and live acts on the UK scene, as you can see from the flyer.


This promises to be a proper, foot-stomping, tub-thumping rave - the Correspondents put on one hell of a show, and with several of the grimiest, bassiest, and bangingest (inventing words is fun) acts also on the bill I anticipate having to be dragged home. I am especially excited by the prospect of the back-to-back set from The McMash Clan and Dutty Moonshine - they should smash the place to pieces.

According to Ed Higgins, one of the forces behind the event, the idea was sown for a jamboree on this scale following the success of the Electric Empire events. He told me that "from the very beginning it has been all about pushing best acts in the growing UK scene and building relationships with these producers/DJ's. The big party at the Bussey Building, is the result of all these other successful parties throughout the year amalgamated into one."

He went on to say  "Electric Empire Escapade is all about the party. Having good times, listening to fresh exciting music that makes you wanna dance. So many club nights in any genre of music are all to much about the attitude and the image and have forgotten what its all about, good toe tapping, leg swinging music!!
Electric Empire Escapade was created to help change this."

Most of the performers have been mentioned on this blog, and you will find examples of their music on other posts - but here is a little sample of what to expect from Dutty Moonshine... as Tim Westwood would say "Nothing but BIG things."

A couple of weeks ago, on his weekly Friday morning  Kane FM show, 'That Swing Thing', Captain Flatcap announced the final name on the lineup... Odjbox. I mean, really! It's just silly. 

Check out the cloudcast above for his full show - a good little warm up. Tickets are selling fast, and will continue to do so! (I got four this morning) Join the Facebook page for the event for further updates, and buy tickets here. 

If you are there, and see a mustachioed, trilby-ed bloke thrashing the dancefloor, its me - come and say hi!

ttfn

Jack