exciting high-energy mid-tempo swing

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DJ Click Play · #16 Post by **DJ Click Play** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:23 am

fredo wrote:uh, I think that's what I'm asking you...

You said there's a point where things change....I was wondering what that was...

Oh. Ummm.........ok, lemme get back to you on that.

DJ Click Play wrote:
I think Rocket 95 is about my fave tempo. Not sure if that is 'mid'-tempo or not.

fredo wrote:sorry, I'm not familiar with that song.

What? Oh my. Well, let's do a quick search here and...........

Holy Canoli! There's video! I gotta get this...

http://new.music.yahoo.com/Alien-Fashio ... 5--2150197

Mr Awesomer · #17 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:24 am

fredo wrote:but I think the desire for more high-energy mid-tempo music has more to do with getting more tempo variety in sets, and not as much to do with mid-tempo being more "fun" to dance to, in my opinion.

That and the fact that we can't dance 240+ all night... at least not any more. haha

fredo · #18 Post by **fredo** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:27 am

exactly -- we need that tempo variety, otherwise in attempting to keep the energy up during a 3 hour DJ dance we'd be going to the more easily found high-energy upper tempo stuff far too often and tiring everyone out.

fredo · #19 Post by **fredo** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:40 am

DJ Click Play wrote:
I think Rocket 95 is about my fave tempo. Not sure if that is 'mid'-tempo or not.

fredo wrote:sorry, I'm not familiar with that song.

DJ Click Play wrote:
What? Oh my. Well, let's do a quick search here and...........

Holy Canoli! There's video! I gotta get this...

http://new.music.yahoo.com/Alien-Fashio ... 5--2150197

that's a mid-tempo something alright.....

Mr Awesomer · #20 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:49 am

AFS... hahahahahahhaha

DJ Click Play · #21 Post by **DJ Click Play** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:12 pm

fredo wrote:that's a mid-tempo something alright.....

Mr Awesomer · #22 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:22 pm

DJ Click Play wrote:
fredo wrote:that's a mid-tempo something alright.....

I try to keep this simple. "Neo-Swing" is generally viewed as crappy music among most "Swing DJs," and, aside from a few newbies, the general Lindy community as well. Hence, it's not played often, and when it is it's usually does so in some sort of mocking fashion. Furthermore, AFS isn't even "good" neo-swing, haha.

DJ Click Play · #23 Post by **DJ Click Play** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:46 pm

Mr Awesomer wrote:I try to keep this simple. "Neo-Swing" is generally viewed as crappy music among most "Swing DJs," and, aside from a few newbies, the general Lindy community as well. Hence, it's not played often, and when it is it's usually does so in some sort of mocking fashion. Furthermore, AFS isn't even "good" neo-swing, haha.

My addled brain cells thank you for the simplicity.

All I can say is that I learned to love swing at a little place in Dallas called the Sand Castle and I rarely heard crappy swing music there. And yet certain select songs from AFS, BBVD and others were on regular rotation and the joint was packed almost every weekend. Now some of my faves are Slim G and Louis P, and I've seen Sam Butera live. But I've seen the floor fill up when Man With a Hex fired up too and I was one of 'em. Love that song. I would agree that a lot of Neo Swing is crap, but I'm not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

But don't hate on the Rocket 95! That song brings back such fond memories. Cool smooth lindies, cosmos, summer nights.....

fredo · #24 Post by **fredo** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:52 pm

well, you're not completely alone -- I think Loggins still throws in some RCR now and then into his sets! haha

DJ Click Play · #25 Post by **DJ Click Play** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:57 pm

fredo wrote:well, you're not completely alone -- I think Loggins still throws in some RCR now and then into his sets! haha

Zip Gun Bop - another Sand Castle mainstay. *sigh*

Toon Town Dave · #26 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:11 pm

Whether we talk neo-swing or real swing music, another consideration is the staying power.

I find simplistic music like most neo-swing, 40's bubble gum swing and even 40's/50's R&B just doesn't have the power to play often without getting quickly overplayed. When it's newly discovered by dancers, it's interesting for a little while but gets boring after a relatively small number of plays. Compare that to some tunes like Bechet's recording of Blues My Naughty Sweety Sweetie Gives To Me where it has some staying power. Yes, it gets over played but because it's played at nearly every dance, not because it lacks staying power.

For every Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me, we need 10 of some less interesting tunes to get the same utility.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are lots of good mid-tempo stuff but it takes several good tunes to equal the value of a great tune. That's perhaps part of the reason why few swing DJs even consider broad strokes of music like early R&B and in part neo-swing.

penguin · #27 Post by **penguin** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:00 am

Toon Town Dave wrote:
For every Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me, we need 10 of some less interesting tunes to get the same utility.

Yep. There's a reason why that's overplayed (though I guess I'm crossing back into the original thread now.