madammisfit

Playlist of the month: Electro Swing

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A screenshot of my electro swing playlist on Spotify

We’re getting to the end of the January, so it’s time for another playlist of the month. This month I’m focussing on one specific niche genre: electro swing. Imagine swing and jazz music, but overlaid with a modern dance beat. It’s fun music and easy to dance to. Here’s a 10 track sampler playlist – as usual, you can listen along on Spotify.

  • “Inspector Gadget” by Madam Misfit. I had to get a Madam Misfit track in somewhere, as she’s one of my favourite artists. Alas, she’s not at this year’s Sci-Fi Weekender as it clashes with a Steampunk festival in America. This song covers the theme tune to the Inspector Gadget TV series, with additional verses written by Ms Misfit.
  • “Horny” by Pisk. This is a cover of the late 1990s song by Mousse T vs Hot ‘n’ Juicy (“I sent a message through the internet but it rejected).
  • “Still In Love With You” by Electro Velvet. Probably the most commercially successful electro swing song, on account of it being the 2015 UK Eurovision entry. Alas, the rest of Europe weren’t so keen, and it scored 5 points overall and we came 24th out of 27 countries.
  • “Take A Chance” by Odd Chap featuring Sarah Myers. Odd Chap is one of the most well-known artists in the electro swing subculture, and this song features songs by Sarah Myers who is actually Madam Misfit in another guise.
  • “Headless Horseman” by Kid Kasino. Halloween themed songs seem to be a big thing in electro swing, so whilst it may be January and October, it would be remiss for me not to include this.
  • “Black Betty” by Caravan Palace. Yes, it’s an electro swing cover of the Ram Jam classic.
  • “Hit and Run” by The Electric Swing Circus
  • “Dizzy” by Balduin
  • “Midnight” by Swingrowers
  • “Chaos Parade” by Riff Kitchen

It’s Bandcamp Friday

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A picture of the Bandcamp Friday logo

It’s the first Friday of the month, which, most months, means it’s Bandcamp Friday. And that includes today.

On Bandcamp Friday, Bandcamp waives its revenue share from all purchases made on that day. Instead, their share of the purchase goes to the bands and artists instead. It started during the pandemic in 2020, and has continued most months since.

Basically, if you want to buy a song or album from a band or artist on Bandcamp, today’s the day.

If I may, here are some recommendations:

If, by the time you’re reading this, it’s no longer Friday 4th October, then the next Bandcamp Friday is December 6th (skipping November, it seems). However, buying music from Bandcamp on any other day of the year is still a good idea, as even when it’s not Bandcamp Friday, a higher proportion of the revenue goes to the artists and bands compared to most other digital platforms. Plus, you usually get a choice of audio formats and there’s no digital rights management on the files.

Madam Misfit

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A photo of Madam Misfit wearing a peacock outfit performing at Sci-Fi Weekender in Great Yarmouth in March 2023.

I’m going to talk about one of my favourite artists of the moment: Madam Misfit. She’s been at the past three Sci-Fi Weekenders and is always popular with the crowd (although we missed her this time as she was on really late). Her first appearance saw the smaller venue (‘The Spaceport’) filled to bursting, and so she’s rightly been on the main stage for her two most recent events.

I first found out about Madam Misfit through her collaborations with Professor Elemental (who we have also seen numerous times). Her music sits between Electro Swing and Chap Hop, combining singing and rap elements in songs that are very easy to dance to. As well as Sci-Fi Weekender, you can often find her at Steampunk gatherings, and co-hosting her Carnival of Chaos, a variety show.

Most of her music is on Spotify, but there’s also a few singles that are exclusive to Bandcamp, including her latest, Power Up. Also, if you want her song ‘Crap Romance’ (a parody of the Lady Gaga song), then you’ll need to buy her first album, The Elixir of Swing, on audio CD. Some of my favourite songs of hers are her cover of the Inspector Gadget theme tune, and the theme tune to The Wombles where Misfit plays the oboe.

Like many independent artists, you can also support her on Patreon – her third album should be coming out soon.