Appreciation for a still underground music genre: electroswing

Listening to electroswing transports me to an alternate universe in which the past and present intertwine. One second, I am sitting in my bed in 2022. The next, I am lounging in a jazz club circa the late 1930s. 

I see men in top hats — smoking cigars and sitting on high chairs at a bar — while women in mink coats play bridge at the table beside me. At the center of the vintage venue is a DJ dressed in modern attire, playing a remix of “My Melancholy Baby,” a song from the 1940s by Ella Fitzgerald and Teddy Wilson. 

The song mimics a lullaby and radiates nostalgia, establishing a comforting tone. The song’s trap undertones add an accent of modernity to the vintage tune.

Electroswing is essentially “oldies” on steroids. Specifically, it’s an electronic dance music sub-genre that combines vintage or modern swing or jazz with hip hop.

I first came across this niche music genre when I was in middle school. Like many other students, I would listen to lo-fi music on YouTube while studying. One day, on my recommended page, I found an electroswing mix and I was instantly hooked. 

In middle school, I was obsessed with music and movies from Hollywood’s golden era, ranging from the 1920s to the 1960s. This interest also contributed to my enthusiasm for electroswing.

Some electroswing artists I enjoy include Wolfgang Lohr, Parov Stelar, ProleteR, and DJ Quads. My favorite songs are “What Lana Says,” “Throw it Back,” and “My Melancholy Baby” by ProleteR. I also like “Tango Del Fuego” by Parov Stelar, “Plume” by Caravan Palace, and “Hold On” by Wolfgang Lohr. 

Although I want these electroswing artists to get the recognition they deserve, I must admit that I enjoy the fact that electroswing is still an underground genre. I like listening to non-mainstream music because it’s not plagued by other people’s opinions. When I talk about electroswing, most people don’t know what it is, so I’m not hit left and right with criticism of my music taste.

One of the main reasons I’d prefer electroswing to stay an underground genre is because of what happened when the indie genre of music became more mainstream. When indie music and aesthetics started trending on TikTok, many people hopped onto the bandwagon. 

Soon, indie music listeners found themselves boxed into an unforgiving stereotype: quirky kids who  think they’re “different” for listening to indie. True indie music fans were inevitably piled into the group of quirky bandwagoners and now a music genre that was their own little treasure has been turned into something embarrassing.

Although I can’t always blast electroswing songs on the aux since some of my friends don’t like this genre of music, I still enjoy electroswing because it feels like I have this hidden gem all to myself.