LadyDot Review: My Top 10 - Part One

LadyDot Review: My Top 10 – Part One

My Top 10 Electro Swing hits that I haven’t reviewed yet! A special episode
to celebrate the publication of 50 reviews in the LadyDot Review series – Part 1

April is a special month for me. It was my birthday not so long ago, and now I have another opportunity to celebrate: I’m writing for you my 50th review in the LadyDot Review series – a series which was the fulfilment of my fondest dreams. I thought that this time I had to prepare something really extra for you, my dear readers. I couldn’t wait to tell you about 10 of my favourite Electro Swing songs that I haven’t reviewed yet.

Almost every one of these songs has a story, a memory, a positive moment in my life… I hope you will also discover something in these songs that will make you smile even for a moment. You already know me a little bit and you know that I like to write long texts, so today you will read about 5 of my favourite songs, and next week – about another 5. Oh, and one more thing: the order of the songs in this list is totally random!

ALL LADYDOT REVIEWS HERE

Parov Stelar – “Booty Swing”

The list of my Top 10 hits simply could not miss someone with whom my adventure with this genre began. Parov Stelar not only created Electro Swing, but he also helped to shape my taste in music. Whenever I have an opportunity to introduce someone to Electro Swing, I usually start my playlist with “Booty Swing”. And you know what? Most of my friends then say to me “Ania, can you recommend me some other Electro Swing songs? This is really good!”.

As you can see, I’m not the only one dancing to this brilliant song! Interestingly enough, I first heard “Booty Swing”… also by accident! This song was shown to me by an old friend who drove me to a party. This was probably 11 or 12 years ago. Haha, you could say there’s been an Electro Swing party going on in my house ever since! Interesting fact: the samples used in “Booty Swing” were taken by Parov Stelar from Lil Harding Armstrong’s 1938 composition “Oriental Swing”. Wonderfully refreshed good old swing is definitely something I love!

Wolfgang Lohr & Loredana Grimaudo – “Twenties”

I have written to you many times about how Wolfgang Lohr perfectly matches female vocalists to his songs. For “Twenties” he invited Loredana Grimaudo, who you know very well from the band Swingrowers. I can’t tell you how positive this song makes me feel! I love Loredana’s sweet, yet strong voice, which builds up the tension so fantastically and puts us in that old-school vibe.

I could go on forever about the music, because those distinctive drums combined with the melody coming from the trumpet are simply outstanding. Listen to this motif, which resounds between the words in the chorus, and then electrifies us during the solo. With “Twenties” nobody can sit still! Are you planning a party in the style of the 1920s? Be sure to put this song on your playlist! Oh, and of course you can invite me too. Haha! :)

Klischée – “Du pays des couleurs”

Klischée could not be missing from this list! They have been leading the way on my playlists lately and delight me every time they release another new track. I have to confess to you that when I first listened to the 2016 album ‘Bend The Rules’, I wasn’t all that impressed with it. I went back to it this year and discovered a whole host of musical firecrackers. One of them is precisely “Du pays des couleurs”. It’s not a typical Electro Swing song, but that doesn’t bother me at all – I love the combination of different musical trends.

I have mentioned before that I love songs sung in French. This melodic French rap combined with strong drum beats is just amazing! I have no idea why, but the whole song makes me think of Indian sounds. At this moment I’m dreaming about a summer evening, a bonfire somewhere by the beach, sunset and “Du pays des couleurs” on my portable speaker. :)

From the album “Bend The Rules” I also recommend you the incredibly positive “Come with Me” and the truly brilliant “Swing It Like Roger”. Actually, listen to the whole album. When you compare it to, for example, the 2012 album “Touché ” and the 2021 EP “Late Check-Out”, you will see how versatile and talented Klischée are!

Annella – “Kisse Misse”

When I was making this review, I realised that I haven’t had a chance to write about Annella and her songs yet. In my opinion she is one of the best Electro Swing singers. Listen to “Kisse Misse” for example – can you hear the expression, the incredible vocal power and the sheer skill of modulating her voice? Every time I hear her music, I’m so impressed by her talent. But of course, that’s not all, because her songs are really perfectly crafted instrumentally – and I only heard this when I invested in some very good speakers.

Seriously! I remember being shocked to hear this whole palette of different sounds in “Kisse Misse”. Lots of electronic elements, typical swinging brass instruments and, above all, a brilliant, absolutely perfect solo at the end of the song, probably played on the clarinet. All this combined with Annella’s predatory voice sounds simply wonderful. Women in Electro Swing really have amazing power.

Dimaa – “Morning Coffee”

This is probably one of my latest Electro Swing discoveries, and it lifts my spirits incredibly and gives me positive energy. You could say it works on me like morning coffee! I haven’t managed to listen to Dima’s entire discography yet, but I want to make up for it in the near future. Why? Because all those gypsy-sounds he uses blend so wonderfully with his crazy mixes and a lot (really a lot!) of melodies played on the piano.
I have no idea why I just chose “Morning Coffee” for this listing.

Maybe it’s because this track made me feel better quite recently, although I thought that nothing could lift my spirits. I have a whole host of songs on my playlist that I love. Recently, when a friend asked me to recommend one Electro Swing song, I sent him “Morning Coffee”. Let the news about this artist spread, and I’m waiting for Dimaa to surprise us with new fantastic compositions.

As promised, it’s not over yet! I invite you to the second part of this special edition. Next week I will present to you another 5 of my favourite Electro Swing songs.

Your LadyDot :)

Written & reviewed by LadyDot (Ja, Wizeruk) Date: 2022-04-25

Bio – LadyDot

Anna (LadyDot) was born in ’94, but always felt she came from the Golden Twenties. “Polka” in Polish means “girl from Poland”, so she’s “Polka in polka dots”. She loves vintage style and spontaneous travels around Europe. But her greatest love (apart from her husband) is of course music, especially Electro Swing.

On her own Blog www.jawizeruk.pl she writes about various music genres. She is a copywriter, so writing is her strong point. Anna likes singing (not only in the shower!) and cooking (especially Italian and Hungarian cuisine).