Interview With Ragtime Records  (10 Questions to…) – C@ in the H@, Tom ESC, Duke Skellington

C@ in the H@, Tom ESC and Duke Skellington – any true fan of Electro Swing will surely be familiar with these producers and their tracks. Together, these three fantastic artists founded the music label Ragtime Records, which I greatly appreciate for its high quality tracks, creative approach to production and active contact with the Electro Swing community. One of their major projects is also the Swingamajig Festival, coming up on the 21st of September in Birmingham (buy tickets HERE). I had the opportunity to interview these talented producers and ask them 10 questions about their releases, collaborations with other Electro Swing artists and about the behind the scenes work on Swingamajig. It is with great excitement and joy that I present to you the 10 questions to… Ragtime Records!

01. LadyDot: Hi guys! I’m incredibly excited that you’ve all agreed to answer my questions, and besides, this is my first interview with both of you as individual artists and your whole team as founders of Ragtime Records. Exactly, while we are on the subject of labels, please tell us how it came about that you decided to set up Ragtime Records together, despite living on different continents?

C@ in the H@: Myself (Rich) and Tom were looking for a platform to release our music back in 2012 (Electric Swing Circus & C@ In The H@). A few years later when we started taking on more artists we decided to expand our team. We’d had some contact with Chad through his work in The Vaude Villainz, really got on with him and reached out to him to see if he wanted to join the team, and the rest is history as they say.

02 LadyDot: Ragtime Records is a label where you mainly release Electro Swing tracks and vintage remixes. Why did you take a liking to this particular musical genre? What was it about Electro Swing that captivated you and made you start producing music based on swing sounds combined with electronic music?

C@ in the H@: Electro Swing is a really fun sound and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s just good vibes, and this is reflected in the crowds at our events. Just head down to a Swingamajig event and you’ll see. One of the really cool things about it which attracted us as producers is that you’re not limited to a particular tempo or style of beat, and this really opens the door to experimentation which you don’t get in a lot of other genres.

We originally launched the label to release our own music, which is Electro Swing, but we love pushing the boundaries of what it means to be Vintage Remix/Electro Swing. You never know if the next Ragtime release is going to be House, DnB, Pop, Hip Hop, or whatever, you just know it’s going to be exciting and fresh with a vintage twist.

A couple of stand out tracks we’ve put out recently are Jamie Berry’s ‘Dapper’, which is a UKG track with some gorgeous vintage samples & live brass; and the SPEKRFREKS remix of ‘The Window Song’ by Full Tilt Collective, which we describe as Hard Dance meets Twisted Circus. We’re really proud to be focussed on supporting new and exciting music which isn’t just the same old same old regurgitated sounds.

03. LadyDot: As well as releasing your own music on Ragtime Records, there are other great artists working with your label, including Emma Lea. For me personally, she is one of the most talented Electro Swing vocalists, with an amazing distinctive voice and fantastic energy. Interestingly, everyone has recorded a song with her in recent times. You, Tom, ‘Mr Sunshine’, Duke‘Showgirl’ (having previously released another one of my favourite tracks, the excellent ‘Boomtown Boom’), and C@ in the H@‘I Got You’. Please tell us about your impressions of these collaborations with Emma?

Ragtime Records: We love working with Emma – she is unlike anyone else we have ever worked with. She’s got such a strong voice and she has real talent. She’s all about the music, positivity, and is one of the most genuine humans we’ve come across and that is something you can hear in the music. We think this is one of the reasons she has been so successful.

04. LadyDot: I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t ask you about the Swingamajig festival. To begin with, please tell us how the idea for this festival came about and what the first editions were like?

Ragtime Records: I could talk for years about Swingamajig…. It started in 2013 as a street party and grew from there, but this year in September we are going back to our roots and doing an event in Digbeth which is where it all started.

We’ve been blessed to have such an amazing crowd – there’s no moody vibes, just people letting loose and having a good time. Right from the start we knew we were onto something good. Swingamajig is THE event for the UK Electro Swing scene, and we’ve been blessed to have so many wicked artists from around the world grace our festival over the years.

05. LadyDot: Swingamajig 2024 is fast approaching, as the event will already take place in September. Can you tell us and our readers if you already have a confirmed line-up? Who will be performing? What attractions are you preparing for the festival?

Ragtime Records: We have confirmed some of the line up, as this might be the last one we are focusing on some of our favourite acts from over the years., some old faces we are bringing back and some new faces that are pushing the scene forwards. Some surprises, some acts that you would expect, but I’m very excited about bringing my new project, the Big Band of Boom to the main stage!

06. LadyDot: Tom, I have a question for you about The Electric Swing Circus project. Almost 300,000 listeners a month, millions of streams on Spotify (‘Empires’ already has over 16 million streams, wow, congratulations, a well-deserved result!), a whole lot of live performances and regular touring… How did the line-up of this band form and which, of your three albums, was the most groundbreaking for The Electric Swing Circus? What do you consider to be the band’s greatest achievement?

Tom ESC: Again I could talk for years about this, there is so much work, love , sweat, tears and everything else that goes into being in a band like the ESC. Recently we are going through a big change with Vicki stepping back to have a baby and Alanna Lyes has joined the band. We met Alanna many years back when she was singing for a band called Grinny Grandad and as I write we are just getting ready for her first show at MIA Festival in Altdorf Germany.

I don’t think there is one single greatest achievement as a band, there are lots of highlights, a couple of stand out gigs like our headline show at Glastonbury Festival on the Avalon Stage and playing to 10,000 people in Ghent, but my favourite thing about the band is the people and it really is an honour to share stages, studios and practice rooms with my ESC brothers and sisters.

07. LadyDot: Tom, I’m also very curious to know at what point in your musical career did you decide to go solo as a producer and solo artist?

Tom ESC: It happened over lock down during the pandemic really, before then I was just doing my thing for ESC, and I was getting lazy…. Having time off without gigs reminded me of how fun writing and producing was and I just immersed myself in it. Before Electric Swing Circus I had run a little project studio and I had been working in live sound, so I had a lot of the theory down. I had always been very involved in ESC album production, so it was a natural progression for me, I kinda wish I’d done it sooner.

08. LadyDot: Duke, now it’s time for you! Your artistic output includes two EPs, quite a few singles (including as many as three released in 2024). You are creating your own unique Swing House style, which we can hear, among other things, in your remix of ‘Spooky’, which already has almost half a million streams on Spotify. Did you expect this remix to be such a success? Where do you draw inspiration from to create your tracks? Are you slowly getting ready to release a full album?

Duke Skellington: Thanks for the kind words! When I remixed Spooky, I had a gut feeling it would resonate, though I couldn’t predict just how big the ripple would be. The tune has truly been a blessing, and collaborating with the fabulously talented Kumiho on vocals is always a delight.

The inspiration of the Duke Skellington project is to take the best of timeless, vintage sounds and breathe fresh life into them, crafting something entirely new. This year, my focus is on the Swing House genre. I’m sure I’ll eventually experiment again with glitchier, bass driven vibes, but 2024 is the year of Swing House for Duke Skellington! Currently I feel there’s a whole landscape of possibilities to make Swing House uniquely my own, blending the classic with the contemporary in a groovy and exciting way that hasn’t been done before.

As for a full album, I’ve considered it. I even have some album names I’ve played with. I figure if I continue dropping singles that I dig and listeners continue to respond to, then that will be a good indicator that an album or EP is a good next step. Especially if these tracks start to groove together into a cohesive theme. If so then I’ll consider wrapping them up into an album, with a couple of fresh tracks to complete the ensemble. For now, I’m relishing each moment of the creative process, taking it one swingin’ tune at a time.

09. LadyDot: C@ in the H@, the man who probably has the most creative nickname in the Electro Swing community! You released your first EP, ‘Gangsta Swing’ quite a while ago, in 2012. A year later, you did a remix of Elle & The Pocket Belles‘ track “Swingin’ Together’, which became even more popular than the original song. After that, you had a couple of years off, before releasing the drum’n’bass EP ‘Ragz, Riddimz & Rollerz’ in 2019. Then a break again, a few remixes and in 2024 came the excellent single ‘Get Buckwild’. I wonder if the break between these releases was due to being involved in other musical projects? I also know that you really enjoy experimenting with different musical genres, so please tell me what sounds and what artists inspire you and what music do you listen to on a daily basis?

C@ in the H@: I was involved in several live groups back then yes, Brotherhood Of Filth, which was a 3 person Dubstep turntablist show with Mr Switch and General Riddim, and also Alternative Dubstep Orchestra, which was a 10-15 piece live Dubstep group with strings, brass, drums, vocals, guitar, synth, and myself playing the basslines and scratching. I was also doing a lot of gigs back then so had less time for production.

More recently I’ve been performing in another live show called ‘Dancing to Music You Hate’ with Poet Laureate Jasmine Gardosi. It’s a show dealing with gender identity issues through the medium of poetry and music (with lots of bass 😉) .

Tbh for a long time when I listen to music I have it on shuffle from my hard-drive, which currently has 30k tunes on it, and it’s broad 😅. When I’m at home I listen to a lot of Reggae & Hip Hop, particularly the boom bap stuff, and a lot of what I can only describe as Euphoric Music (basically anything that gives me the tingles or has a strong emotional attachment – it could be uplifting Electronica, DnB, RnB, or old soul).

10. LadyDot: Finally, my favourite question. Guys, please tell me what are your plans for the coming years? Maybe you are planning collaborations with other Electro Swing artists? Or do you have ideas for new musical projects?

Tom ESC: I have SOOOO MUCH music to write at the moment. It is unreal, but this is my summer plan, so watch this space. There will be new music from Electric Swing Circus, Big Band of Boom and Tom ESC…

Duke Skellington: I’d like to collab with more artists in the scene internationally and continue to grow as an artist and as a label.

C@ in the H@: Yeah I echo what’s said above really. I’ve been working on a number of collabs recently so more of those will be coming out soon. It’s been great to get together with other musicians and bounce ideas off each other.

Interview by LadyDot; Date: 2024-07-29

RAGTIME RECORDS SOCIALS

C@ IN THE H@ SOCIALS

TOM ESC SOCIALS

DUKE SKELLINGTON SOCIALS

Electro Swing Radio