Swingamajig - 2016 by Chris Inglis

Chris Ingliss, the world's only Vintage Remix academic, went to Swingamajig and loved it.

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A note from the editor: I was supposed to post this back in May after Chris ever so kindly offered to write a review. I clearly failed in this, for which I humbly apologise to all of you, and of course, him. Happily, Swingamajig have just released the official video for the 2016 festival, so I can now publish Chris's report and make it look like this was the plan all along.

Swingamajig 2016

At various moments throughout this year’s Swingamajig, the thought crossed my mind of just how difficult it’s going to be for me for me to try and explain the unparalleled brilliance of the festival to someone who hasn’t had the opportunity to attend themselves. This thought was closely followed by the conclusion that this may in fact be an impossible task, and that the event is absolutely one which has to be experienced to be fully understood. That being said, I will here attempt to describe my own personal account of Swingamajig 2016.



Where in past years I’ve attended the festival with a very set idea in mind of which acts I know I want to see, the times that they’re on, and where – this year I decided to take a much more carefree approach and simply explore the festival open-mindedly. One of the reasons I love Swingamajig so much is simply the variety of things that occur simultaneously. For instance, this year I was able to enjoy some relaxed lindy hop social dancing at the Night Owl, and after only a two-minute walk, be able to go wild to the bass-heavy beats of the Black Box. This latter venue was definitely a highlight of the festival for me, particularly because of – after first witnessing the mayhem going on in there – my realisation that it will still only 7pm.



Highlights of this venue included Madame Barducci and Phat Sam, and within the Ragtime Records stage where you’d find the rest of the DJ line-up, I have to give special mention to JFB, Tallulah Goodtimes, and especially Father Funk, whose set I thought was exceptional. Before turning into the Ragtime Records stage, this venue also acted as the Cabaret stage, featuring various performances, including a highly impressive tap dance routine; an amazing straps performance within the circus segment; and some greatly entertaining burlesque acts by the likes of Eliza DeLite and Kitty Bang Bang, all of which added a whole extra dimension to the festival.



Of course – at least for me – the most important element of any festival is the live music, and this year’s Swingamajig certainly didn’t disappoint. The first act I managed to catch the whole set of (following my mandatory face-painting of course) was the Tootsie Rollers. Having not come across these before, I was very keen to see what they were like, and their phenomenal performance set off the entire festival to a brilliant start. I’d in fact go as far to say that they were one of the best acts of the whole show. As the festival went on, the live acts across both the Main stage and the Arch stage continued to impress. Another special mention I’ll give goes out to the After Hours Band – I’ve seen these guys many times now, but upon happening across their set I found I was not physically able to leave, I was enjoying it so much.



SwinGrowers also provided a very entertaining set, as of course did the Electric Swing Circus, the organisers of the entire event, and indeed Balkan Beat Box, the overall headliners of the festival. I’ve been to all four Swingamajigs now and the festival just keeps growing and growing. Swingamajig 2016 was everything I wanted it to be, and I without doubt intend on returning next year; I imagine it will be a very long time before I tire of the electro swing scene. For anyone keen on exploring this style of music, I can’t imagine a better introductory event; as this years festival has shown, Swingamajig encompasses everything that there is to love about the genre.

London Remixed Festival - 5th - 7th Feb - preview

I grew up on a farm with two younger brothers. We are all  quite close in age, and when we were aged between 8 and 13 our mother found that having three young lads charging in and out of the house covered in dust, mud and the nameless detritus of a farm yard, fighting and generally being boys was quite hard work. She got around this problem by not letting us in the house for weeks at a time. This may have you hunting out the Childline number but let me stop you there, as it wasn't quite as barbaric as it sounds (though there was a hint of Lord of the Flies about her solution). Instead of sleeping in bedrooms like normal people, Mum preserved the orderliness of her house by making us camp on the farm.

At the start of the summer we'd pitch a number of tents on the farm and each evening we would pile onto one of the farm vehicles shortly before dusk and trundle up to the campsite, where we would produce that particular type of cremated-on-the-outide-raw-on-the-inside sausages that only a really good campfire can deliver. The next morning we would return to the house and spend the day frolicking in the garden and hitting each other. I don't recall how we washed, but I suspect that we were not that concerned. The summers were long and dusty, hot and seemingly endless. What days.

I mention this childhood memory as it was painfully reminded of it as I struggled to pitch my tent against the biblical rain at Boomtown this year. I reflected, as I cursed and wiped the rain from my eyes, that camping seems to have lost some of its appeal in the intervening 20 years. For one, the tent seems far smaller, and my ability to spring from my sleeping bag full of vim and joi de vie after a night sleeping on the grass is very much reduced. 

It is for this reason that given identical lineups and all the rest, I'd pick an urban festival over one in a field. Swingamajig in Birmingham is an excellent example of the breed, but the schelp back from the midlands to London the following day is a brute.

That's why when the promo material for the London Remixed festival starts arriving I feel a little frisson of excitement. Organised by Continental Drifts (Chris Tofu's event production company), it comes at just the right time in the year to help banish the rapidly blurring memories of Dry January (why would you do that to yourself?!), and to get the juices flowing ready for spring.

If you haven't been to London Remixed before, its a "a celebration of the best emerging musical talent and genres and will offer creativity, fun and madness, complete with buzzing atmosphere". As the name implies, the festival is all about the remix. Over the course of the weekend you can catch  Latin Grooves, Afrobeats, Tropical Bass, Vintage-Remix, Desert Remix, Balkan Beats, Urban Roots, Acoustic Soundclash and Brass Band Remix. But you'll be most interested in the electro-swing, Vintage Remix and whatnot.

My top tip is to make sure you catch Symphonica & Mr. Switch. I missed them at Boomtown and can't forgive myself. Just check out these videos of what to expect. Its not electro-swing. It's not even vintage remix. I don't know what to call it other than "thoroughly splendid".

Other acts to catch over the weekend include the Temple Funk Collective (whose brass section also forms part of the Dutty Moonshine Big Band) and brassy hip-hippers 'Dat Brass'.

I know this blog has lots of readers who also make music - if that's you, don't miss out on a day of free ‘Remix Workshops’ with professional music production tutors and established music producers. This is a unique opportunity to mingle with industry professionals and to gain tips on how to progress creatively. Along with sessions for beginners and intermediate remixers running throughout the day, there will be another Remix Speed Dating session for bands, producers and industry bodies to meet up and swap ideas at Rich Mix.

Bands

Most of my posts this far have focussed on DJs and producers, but I think it is important to recognise some of the live acts out there, some which are firmly electro-swing, others which paddle in the shallows. Having already spoken before about the Electric Swing Circus I shall mention them here and then move on.

The first band to mention is Caravan Palace. The video below was perhaps the second or third electro-swing clip I ever saw.

The band consists of six members, with the delightful Sonia Fernandez Velasco on vocals. Reportedly they formed when three of the band members were asked to record the soundtrack to a silent porn movie, which might explain the seedy sound they produce. This Paris based electro-swing and gypsy jazz outfit have been stalwarts of the scene for several years, - it is rare to attend an electro-swing night and not hear one of their tracks.

From Paris we head east to Austria and a brief word about Parov Stellar and his band. The news that he would be gracing the Koko stage at the end of May was extremely welcome as he has never played a live gig in the UK, despite his popularity in Europe. Sadly, if you have not got a ticket yet you will just have to watch this video and wait for my report as tickets sold out in a matter of days.

Back to London now, to mention Molotov Jukebox. These guys played at my office Christmas party back in Feb (long story) and really got the crowd going. Their music includes influences from afrobeat to flamenco to balkan swing to dubstep. With brash brass, violin, accordion and the gorgeous Natalia's sexy delivery they had, until recently avoided a genre label, but the style has recently been referred to as 'gyp-step', which leads nicely into the last group...

Sam and the Womp an 8-piece band fronted by the eponymous Sam, formed in 2009 and play a style that owes a great deal to dubstep, balkan brass and Ska, or as he so eloquently puts it "Gypsy-dubstep-in-your-face trumpet madness". These guys really love to rave, and their live shows are really quite bonkers - if you get the chance you must see them. They have performed at Secret Garden Party and have womped crowds at venues as diverse as The Notting Hill Arts Club and the BBC London jazz Festival. They have produced this handy instructional video on how to Womp properly. You didn't know you had been doing it wrong, did you?

Lots of love,

Jack