Electro Swing and the Sounds of Yesterday, Tomorrow
Dr. Chris Inglis |
TEDxUSW
• April 2021
One of the most significant challenges a contemporary musician may face today is how to create music that will stand out as Innovative and distinct when compared to the overwhelming supply of music that is currently out there. One unique approach that has emerged in the 21" century, is for artists to take a great deal of inspiration from the music of the past, combining such sounds with contemporary styles. This is no more evident than in the genre of electro-swing, in which artists take major influence, often by use of direct samples, from a genre that first emerged almost a century ago. Paradoxically, these artists have created a forward-thinking style by looking to the past, and there is thus a level of irony to be found, in that this style may now be considered the music of the future.
This talk will discuss the connotations present in such music which takes this level of overt inspiration from a different, much older age; and will examine the various meanings that may be brought to such pieces of music, asking what electro-swing may tell us about tomorrow.