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Electro Swing And Its Place Of Music History

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ELECTRO SWING AND ITS PLACE IN MUSIC HISTORY
Pedro Osuna Ardoy

Although many people would argue that electro swing is to be heard as EDM and not as jazz, electro swing can actually help us rethink the lines we draw between jazz and dance music because it shares the function of early jazz more than jazz as art music. What is electro swing anyway? A lot of people ask themselves this question, and nobody seems to have a closed answer. The website ‘electro-swing.com’ tries, but ultimately concludes that it’s rather difficult to give a precise definition. According to Tom Hyland, of The Electric Swing Circus, electro swing is not even necessarily an independent genre in its own right, but more of a “flavor”, a way of adding swing to existing electro genres. This would situate the genre in EDM history, not in jazz, but opinions are diverse in this matter.
This is an image from the song Suzy, by the french band Caravan Palace. If you observe carefully, you first notice the fact that the instrumentation is that of swing bands: violin, double bass, clarinet and jazz guitar (usually in gypsy jazz style). Their outfits emulate those of the 30’s and 40’s, aesthetic supported also by that vintage gramophone in the back, from which the DJ is programming and mixing. Next to the lead singer is another member of the band, dressed as a robot. This is why electro swing is best understood as a hybrid, being jazz and EDM equally important for its birth. This is not the first time jazz and

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