Electro Swing News 05

By LadyDot – February 2023

Time goes by very quickly indeed! It wasn’t long ago that it was Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and we’re already halfway through February… Quite a lot happened in January, despite the fact that relatively few Electro Swing singles were released.

Have you heard about the huge success of Swing’it yet? Or do you want to know who will be performing at the Swingamajig festival in Birmingham? I present to you the fifth article in the Electro Swing News series, in which I have put together a whole host of news from the Electro Swing world.

Quick News – ESC

On the 4th of February, the grand final of the Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian qualifiers for the Eurovision Song Contest, took place. As you are well aware, one of the candidates was the band Swing’it (I wrote you about it in Electro Swing News 04 – HERE. I also reviewed their song ‘Prohibition’ – HERE). Unfortunately, they will not be the ones to represent Norway at Eurovision.

I have to say that I very, very much disagree with the jury’s vote, who completely underestimated ‘Prohibition’. The performance in the final show was downright brilliant – the band was laid back, the instruments were crazy and the lead singer sang really well. Fortunately, Swing’it came third in the audience vote, which means that people really liked Electro Swing and want to party to this kind of music.

And I think this is the best reward for the band – I’m sure they will gather an even bigger fan base around them with this really successful performance! 😊

Quick News – Swingamajig

– Gayle Skidmore posted on her social media that she is just finishing up a new Electro Swing track. We don’t know the release date yet, but hopefully it will be soon – I can’t wait! 😊

– We now know the entire list of artists and bands who will be performing at Swingamajig 2023: among them are Little Violet, Emma Lea and Electric Swing Circus. Are any of you going to Birmingham for this festival? I don’t think I’ll be able to attend this year, but as we know, things can still change. 😊

Electro Swing Single Releases – January 2023

Since I’ve been compiling articles for the Electro Swing News series, I’ve never yet had two things happen in January. Firstly, very few tracks were released this month. Although actually, there’s nothing surprising about that, as there are usually quite few of these releases in the winter. And secondly… As many as two artists released the same cover song in January, namely ‘Tom’s Diner’!

We are talking about Mr. Jazzek and Klischée. I wonder if this is a coincidence. Because if so, this is a really funny coincidence! Okay, without further ado, let’s move on to the ratings of the January releases: one heart – I like it. Two hearts – I like it a lot. Three hearts: the piece is brilliant!

♥ Tom ESC, Emma Lea – ‘Thrill Ride’ – 13th of January
♥♥ Mr. Jazzek feat. Kasia Buja – “Tom’s Diner” – 13th of January
♥♥ Klischée – “Tom’s Diner” – 20th of January
♥♥♥ Wolfgang Lohr – “Black Swing” – 20th of January
♥♥♥ LVDS – “The Junker” – 27th of January
♥♥ C@ in the H@ – “My Obsession” – 31st of January

You can find all of these tracks and more in our “Electro Swing Hits” playlist on Spotify HERE!

Electro Swing Album Releases – January 2023

– Valerie Giglio – Midnight at the Speakeasy: Valerie Giglio released her new album. “Midnight at the Speakeasy” is a veritable mix of genres and musical styles: from Electro Swing, to retro pop, and finally to jazz and steampunk. It really is an incredibly interesting release – Valerie’s voice is gorgeous and mesmerising, and the sound of Samuel Cerra’s vibraphone, further enriches the sound of three of the album’s seven tracks. I keep thinking about reviewing “Midnight at the Speakeasy”. – would you like to know what I think of this release?

– The Swing Bot – Art Disco: On the same day, the 27th of January, another Electro Swing album was released. I am, of course, talking about ‘Art Disco’ by The Swing Bot. Lots of old swing samples, sophisticated electronic sounds and an admixture of really excellent disco – that’s how this release can be described in a nutshell. I once read in The Swing Bot’s biography that he is inspired by the work of Parov Stelar. I can hear this very clearly in songs such as ‘I Found a New Girl’, ‘The Tailor’, ‘Dizzy Street’, among others… It’s a truly amazing skill, to create something of your own, with a unique character, while being inspired by the songs of someone who was a precursor of Electro Swing. The Swing Bot has succeeded in doing just that perfectly!

My Top 3 Electro Swing Songs – January 2023

It couldn’t be more different! The song I listened to most often in January was of course ‘Prohibition’ by Swing’it. Interestingly, their song ‘Champagne’, also played in my speakers very often. I present to you my top 3 Electro Swing songs and at the same time invite you to the next article in the Electro Swing News series, which will be published in March. I can’t wait, can you? 😊