SwingDJs

So here's a fun and interesting question:

Back in the day many of us purchased more than a few "Neo-Swing" c.d's. (If you never bought a neo-swing c.d then this question is not for you.) As years have past it's become less and less cool to play these c.d's. (And for damn frickin' good reason!) So what I'm wondering is: What have you done with your neo-swing c.d's? Have you taken them out of your c.d book and hidden them in the attic? Do you still have them in your binder? Do you still play them? Did you dose them in holy water, chop them up and burn them in hopes they may never come back again?


Just thought it would be fun to ask.

Joel

As many times as I've read folks who trash "neo-swing", I've never really read anything from anyone who defines who these groups are.

In my mind, when I think of "neo" I think of BBVD, Indigo Swing, Lavay Smith, Jet Set Six, Brian Setzer, Alien Fashion Show and the like.

So to answer your question, I still have them, I carry them with me every week, and I still occasionally play them.

So I guess this means someone will revoke my super-secret DJ privileges now.

Tina

I carry them and dependent on the mood of the night I might play them. Though if I'm playing only to lindyhoppers they don't come out often.
But lots of the neoswingstuff appeals to beginners and the mix of people that just happens to be there to here a live band (when playing band breaks).

gatorgal wrote:As many times as I've read folks who trash "neo-swing", I've never really read anything from anyone who defines who these groups are.

This topic prompted a huge debate on the old Swing Mailing list. I once referred to any "New" swing band as Neo Swing, including George Gee, but have since realized that the term makes more sense and is more useful if it refers to the type or style of music, not just when it was recorded.

"Neo Swing" refers to Swing music played with a rock influence, most especially with a somewhat rushed, "ahead of the beat" or "on the beat" feeling, as opposed to the jazzy "behind the beat" feeling of most of the jazz and blues music "we" like: vintage and groovers, alike. That rushed feeling resulted from the fact that most of the players were former punkers or rockabilly musicians. It is also most of the reason why everyone trashes it for dancing.

That said, it is/was essential "bridge music" that made the revival possible by making jazz and blues more accessible to the tastes of people who grew up on rock. (I was a RCR fan back in 1991 when they first came to Chicago and played in a Punk Rock bar on a side stage--5 years before I started dancing.) There is no doubt that none of us would be Lindy Hopping without it. Either you or the people who taught you (or the people who taught the people who taught you) got into it because of Neo Swing.

I bash Neo crap, but I do still carry some of it. I still play RCR, Indigo Swing, Ray Gelato, The Love Dogs, Cigar Store Indians, Bada Bing Bada Boom, the Mighty Blue Kings, and a few others. It still serves a good bridge music for newbies. In contrast, I still own the Jive Aces (cultists), Big Six, Blues Jumpers, Brian Setzer Orch, Cherry Poppin Stuffies, and BBVD, but I never play their music anymore. It will probably sit idle in my case until I'm 50 and take it out to reminisce. And I never fell for Hipster Daddy-O, the Atomic Fireballs and many other rip-off bands.

Yeah I just wanted to see what everyone has done with music that many of us, at one point, where into. Even though the music now drives me batty and off the wall I still have it and, on occasion, play it. For example, I was D.Jing at a dance a month ago and, for the first hour from 8-9, the only people in the room were East Coast dancers. So I was glad to have all of that music to bust out. Even though I hate the music it's fun to see that the people in the room where totally enjoying themselves.

I also end up D.Jing a wide variety of events and if, when I sit down at the booth and I see that rock-steps, candlesticks and octupuses are the predominant theme of the evening then it's time to reach for the BBVD. Sure it's totally not my first choice in music, but atleast you're going to keep the room happy. I went through a stage where I wouldn't have done that and thought, "I'm going to educate this crowd!" And not played what they wanted to hear. Now I say, "Give em' what they want even if you don't like the music!" Sure I would much prefer D.Jing at events like Lindy Summit and Camp Jitterbug where I can bring out the music I want but. . . I think you should D.J according to where you are. But that's just my opinion. I know others feel differently about the issue.

And no Tina you're super-secret D.J priveledges will not be revoked. (By me anyway.) But it's funny you said that cause I've had other D.J's look at my binders and, many times, as soon as they see the neo-swing is still there they stop looking and walk away. I kind of get the feeling that some big dark evil secret about myself has been revealed.

So what do you the rest of you think?

I still bust out the Neo Swing once in a while, but it's more of a joke to me and my friends then anything. Of course, there's always the people at the dances who actually enjoy it.

Harrison

NeoSwing?? Post 1943 or so?? BG in HiFi? Big 18? Time-Life Series w/ Billy May??

Every now and then it can be fun to bust out some goofy song from our past, so I have a few CDs. I also play a variety of venues -and whore that I am- I'll try to please anybody so I like to be prepared.

It's important not to take ourselves too seriously and I think it can be fun(or just funny) to play something we all love to hate. Reuben did a great job at ALHC playing some truly aweful shit that many people really enjoyed goofing/dancing to.

gatorgal wrote:So to answer your question, I still have them, I carry them with me every week, and I still occasionally play them.

So I guess this means someone will revoke my super-secret DJ privileges now.

Yes, but it won't be me. (Why does everybody worry that playing Neo-Swing will make them less of a DJ? That's nothing but dogmatic baloney. Play what you want to play, and don't look back!)

I do like some of the stuff, but I don't think of it as being neo swing. I think of it more as being rock that has a slight twist of retro thrown in - kind of like how that AMG article describes it. I know that it doesn't swing, and I don't expect it to.

I wasn't swing dancing during the "revival," so most Neo-Swing is relatively fresh for me. I like some of it. The Atomic Fireballs and Hipster Daddy-O are two of my favorites. There's nothing like "Man with the Hex" to get a bunch of East-Coasters jumping and having fun.

At the same time, early Basie is my favorite. I know from experience that the original swing music is the most enjoyable for swing dancing. I relish dance nights that offer only original swing. I wish that my ECS friends shared my experience. The original stuff is played relatively little here, and it annoys me that they don't understand it and that they get bored when I play it.

The sole reason that I dance swing is to have fun. For me, the original stuff is as good as it gets. I still enjoy Neo-Swing and other music, though (I've been looking for some Mozart piano concerti to test out. Really.), and I enjoy pleasing my ECS friends with it.

Thank you all... it's nice to know my DJ privileges haven't been revoked, so I can continue being the poser I am!

Interesting responses all... hope everyone is enjoying their Turkey Day holiday!

Tina

I thought I would post a little experience of mine from last night...

So I'm DJing...the first half of the night is ALL neo-swing music, terrible, I hated it. So I get up and DJ the rest of the night. I was DJing good ol' vintage music, and while I was playing some Chick Webb someone comes up to me and says "can you play some swing music?" I tell him I am. He says "no, this isn't swing music, swing music is stuff like BBVD." I just said I don't have it and continued on with what I was playing.

There was a plus last night though...later on I played Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie and I had a couple of the ECSers ask me what song that was because they really enjoyed it.

Harrison

Most of my neo sits in my closet. I still carry RCR, Mighty Blue Kings, and Indigo Swing with me. Sometimes for a beggining crowd I might put on Indigo Swing. I played RCR about a year and half ago as a requested song for a birthday dance. the Mighty Blue Kings I have not played for years, I guess I should add them to my closet collection.

lindyholic wrote:I was DJing good ol' vintage music, and while I was playing some Chick Webb someone comes up to me and says "can you play some swing music?" I tell him I am. He says "no, this isn't swing music, swing music is stuff like BBVD."

That's almost exactly what happened to me a week ago, except that when I would play one genre, somebody would request the other. This happened all night. Very annoying! Ah, well... Next time, maybe I'll just continually cross-fade between Mississippi Matilda and the Ramones. That should cover just about everything.

I have it in boxes somewhere, I don't carry it because I don't want to play it. I don't want to hear it, either, and not carrying it absolves my consicence if someone were to ask for it--if they ask (and they rarely do), I don't lie when I say I don't have it.

I spin for predominantly-newbie crowds for the first half of the night at Tapestry and at Heart Alive, and as long as I spin things with a clear rhythm, more often than not in hi-fi, and more vocals than I usually would prefer, I've found I don't need neo. For newbies, I like stuff like Buddy Johnson, Hampton Orchestra, Slim Gaillard, and other vocal jazz and these do well at keeping a floor full of newbies moving.

I don't agree that neo-swing is necessary to get newbies to dance. I think that newbies have more resillient tastes than other skill sets by virtue that they don't know any better. Ignorance is bliss.

I don't play it because it's not what I want to hear, and it hits a sour note on the fickle palates of advanced dancers, who either complain the loudest or stop showing up. I think that the other side from actually playing neo is that newbies have to be weaned from it at some point. I've seen some DJs stifle the scene with lousy music and the dancing doesn't progress or improve.